ISO 17025 Accreditation

The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture's Bureau of Food Safety and Laboratory Services is seeking an independent third-party expert organization to assist in obtaining ISO 17025:2005 accreditation for its Microbiology Section Laboratory through a competitive procurement process. The contract, funded by the Food and Drug Administration, requires a contractor with comprehensive knowledge of the ISO 17025:2005 accreditation process to develop standard operating policies and processes for pathogen testing of food, milk, dairy products, and animal feed. Required deliverables include a narrative work plan, detailed cost matrix, business process analysis, equipment and documentation review, weekly status reports, daily discussions, and a comprehensive final report for the laboratory's accreditation application. Bidders must submit information on three similar previous projects and be prepared to provide staff training. The pre-bid conference was held on January 5, 2015, with proposal submissions due by 3:00 pm EST on January 30, 2015. Evaluation criteria will include understanding the problem, prior experience, personnel qualifications, project work plan, and overall cost. The contract term runs from the effective date of the agency purchase order through July 31, 2015, with the target completion date for all contract deliverables also set for July 31, 2015.

The procurement is restricted to contractors qualified under the Commonwealth's Consulting Services Invitation to Qualify (ITQ) Contract #4400007410 in specific service categories. Domestic workforce utilization will be a key consideration, with maximum consideration given to offerors performing all direct labor within the United States or World Trade Organization countries. No specific set-aside designations for disadvantaged enterprises were explicitly mentioned in the documentation. Payments will be made via purchase order on a monthly basis, contingent on satisfactory work performance, with the Bureau Director and Laboratory Chief overseeing the contract. While a specific budget range was not disclosed, the contract will cover accreditation fees, with the Department only responsible for the cost of the accreditation certificate. The scope is currently limited to the Microbiology section, though there is potential for future expansion to other laboratory areas. The FDA will monitor the accreditation process, and the contract is expected to be awarded around January 2, 2015, with possible extensions depending on grant funding availability.