Maintenance and Repair of Autoclave Lab Equipment

The City of Austin, Texas is issuing Invitation for Bids (IFB 2200 DCG1031) for annual preventative maintenance and repair services on three specific autoclave steam sterilizer models: Primus Model PSS5-A-MSSD, Consolidated Sterilizer Systems Model 3AV, and Market Forge Model STM-E, used by the Austin Water Department's Water Quality Lab and Environmental Analytical Services Lab. The procurement requires comprehensive services including preventative maintenance, emergency repairs, calibration, pressure checks, gasket replacement, trap and valve servicing, boiler preparation for state inspections, and component replacement, with all equipment, materials, labor, tools, transportation, and hazardous waste disposal provided at no additional cost to the City and using original manufacturer parts when available. The contractor must demonstrate a minimum of two consecutive years of experience within the last five years providing maintenance and repair services on similar autoclave equipment and must obtain factory certification from Consolidated Sterilizer Systems prior to contract award. Service locations include facilities at 14050 Summit Drive, Suite 121, and 7113 FM 969, both in Austin, with required Monday through Friday availability from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., where preventative maintenance must be completed within five business days of notification and emergency repairs must be addressed within 48 hours. Questions regarding the solicitation are due by January 26, 2026, at 5:01 p.m. CT, with sealed offers due on February 10, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. CT and opened at 3:00 p.m. CT. The initial contract term is 24 months with up to three additional optional 12-month renewal periods exercisable at the City's sole discretion, and pricing is fixed for the first 12 months with allowable price adjustments on the annual anniversary date not to exceed the percentage change in the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Maintenance and Repair Services Index. The contractor must provide a single point of contact available 24/7 for emergency requests and submit NIST-traceable calibration reports for all temperature and pressure check equipment prior to commencing services, and offerors must submit at least three complete and verifiable references demonstrating similar experience within the last five years.

No minority-owned or women-owned business enterprise (MBE-WBE) subcontracting goals are mandated for this contract due to insufficient subcontracting opportunities and limited availability of certified M/WBE firms, though offerors using subcontractors must comply with the City of Austin's M/WBE Procurement Program and submit either a plan utilizing certified M/WBE subcontractors or documentation of good faith efforts to solicit M/WBE participation. The City of Austin offers optional Local Business Preference and Small Business Preference designations for eligible businesses, though participation is voluntary and not required to respond to the solicitation; local businesses are defined as those with headquarters located within the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Metropolitan Statistical Area encompassing Bastrop, Caldwell, Hays, Travis, and Williamson counties. All contractors must carry comprehensive insurance coverage including Workers' Compensation and Employers' Liability Insurance with minimum limits of $100,000 per accident and $500,000 by disease policy limit, Commercial General Liability Insurance with minimum per-occurrence limits of $500,000 for bodily injury and property damage, and Business Automobile Liability Insurance with minimum combined single limits of $500,000 per occurrence, with all policies provided by companies authorized to conduct business in Texas with an A.M. Best rating of B+VII or better. Additional requirements include completion of wage theft certification affirming no adjudication for wage theft-related incidents within five years prior to the solicitation posting date, and all employers must complete City of Austin Wage Theft Training within 30 days of contract award. The pricing sheet indicates three categories for cost submission: Category 1 for routine and preventive maintenance services with all-inclusive costs, Category 2 for hourly labor rates estimated at 30 annual hours for repair services, and Category 3 for materials markup not to exceed 25 percent with estimated annual spending of $3,000, though specific budget ranges or award values are not disclosed in the solicitation documents.