Liquid chromatograph QQQ spectrometer

The State Fiscal Accountability Authority's Division of Procurement Services, acting on behalf of the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) Forensic Services Toxicology Department, is seeking to procure a Liquid Chromatograph Triple Quadrupole Mass Spectrometer (LCQQQ) system for drug identification and quantitation purposes. The solicitation requires a sophisticated scientific instrument capable of operating on the MassHunter software platform with stringent technical specifications, including sensitivity requirements such as signal-to-noise ratios of 850,000:1 in both positive and negative ion modes, instrument detection limits less than 3.5 femtograms in positive mode and 4 femtograms in negative mode, a mass range of 5-3,000, a dynamic range greater than 6.0 x 106, and a maximum scan rate of at least 18,700 Da/second. Vendors must submit their offers online at www.procurement.sc.gov by April 3, 2024, at 11:00 a.m. EST, with all questions due by February 27, 2024, at 11:00 a.m. EST. The procurement is specifically for Richland County and will result in an award notification on April 12, 2024. Bidders are required to provide fixed pricing with unit prices for each item, submitted in U.S. dollars and excluding sales or use taxes.

Vendors must be registered with the State of South Carolina and obtain a state vendor number prior to submitting an online bid. The solicitation provides state preferences for in-state vendors, contractors, and subcontractors under South Carolina Code Section 11-35-1524, contingent upon meeting statutory requirements and properly claiming the preference. While no specific budget range is detailed in the documents, the procurement appears to be for a highly specialized scientific instrument used in forensic toxicology. Interestingly, a subsequent document indicates that this solicitation resulted in no award due to the receipt of no responsive bids, which might suggest challenging specifications or market conditions. The procurement is being managed by Procurement Officer Bryanna McCain, who can be contacted at bmccain@mmo.sc.gov or (803) 737-0983 for any additional information or clarifications regarding the solicitation.