Laboratory Supplies and Services (E&I Proposal Number 683309) [18-5826]

The University of Wisconsin Madison, in collaboration with Educational & Institutional Cooperative Services, Inc. (E&I), is seeking proposals for a comprehensive laboratory supplies and services contract covering a wide range of scientific equipment and materials. The procurement targets a full-line catalog including apparel, chromatography supplies, chemicals, filtration equipment, glassware, lab supplies, liquid handling tools, and plasticware from authorized distributors. Proposals were due by August 31, 2017, at 1:00 PM ET, with a pre-proposal conference held on July 13, 2017. The evaluation process was expected to conclude by December 14, 2017, with contract implementation set for March 1, 2018. Suppliers must provide pricing across three participation levels (Basic, Co-Primary, and Primary Supplier Status) with discounts on a market basket of 5,000 high-volume items. Key evaluation criteria include maintaining at least 65 percent exact item matches, demonstrating significant laboratory supply distribution experience, providing multiple distribution centers, offering dedicated customer service, and implementing e-procurement capabilities with punchout catalogs.

The contract opportunity is open to a wide range of suppliers, with particular emphasis on diverse and technologically capable vendors. Suppliers must complete a comprehensive questionnaire addressing corporate information, personnel conflicts of interest, litigation history, business classifications, and diversity certifications. The procurement encourages participation from disadvantaged enterprises and requires suppliers to detail their supplier diversity programs and environmental sustainability initiatives. Vendors must be willing to extend pricing to all E&I member categories, including higher education institutions, K-12 schools, healthcare facilities, and government entities across multiple states. The resulting agreement will have an initial five-year term with a potential one-time five-year renewal. Suppliers will be required to pay a 2 percent Contract Administrative and Marketing Fee on net invoice amounts and submit detailed monthly and quarterly usage reports. While no specific total procurement amount was identified, the contract's broad scope and multi-year term suggest significant potential value for the selected vendors.