PCR Service Maintenance Contract

The West Virginia Department of Administration Purchasing Division, on behalf of the Department of Agriculture, has issued a direct award solicitation (CSSD 1400 AGR2600000001) for a PCR Service Maintenance Contract serving Hampshire County. This sole source procurement seeks Applied Biosystems Assurance Plan maintenance services for laboratory equipment located at the Agriculture Department's Moorefield Field Office, including two 7500 FAST Real Time PCR Systems, three Kingfisher Flex 96 DW Units, and four QuantStudio 5 PCR Systems. The maintenance services encompass one annual preventive maintenance visit per year, parts and labor for remedial repairs, guaranteed priority response time of two business days, telephone and email technical support, and remote monitoring and diagnostic services. These instruments are used for rapid detection of high consequence diseases in animals and are standardized by the National Veterinary Services Laboratory. The maintenance contract is essential to preserve the state's ISO 17025 accreditation and federal laboratory funding. The solicitation was issued on February 11, 2026, with a closing date of February 26, 2026, at 1:30 p.m., and the successful vendor must perform services under a four-year term from February 7, 2026, through February 6, 2030. Inquiries regarding this procurement should be directed to Larry D McDonnell at the West Virginia Purchasing Division at 304-558-2063 or larry.d.mcdonnell@wv.gov.

This is a direct award procurement with Life Technologies Corporation (applied through Thermo Fisher Scientific) identified as the sole source vendor, as the equipment requires proprietary data analysis software and service tools that only the manufacturer can access and maintain. Third-party service providers are strictly prohibited by manufacturer authorization. The justification for this direct award is based on the standardization of instruments by the National Veterinary Services Laboratory and the critical need to maintain federal laboratory certifications and funding. The total contract price is $289,454.90 over the four-year period, with annual costs of $54,680.16 for year one, $74,394.26 for year two, $80,190.24 for year three, and $80,190.24 for year four. The poultry industry is identified as West Virginia's number one agriculture commodity, making the rapid disease detection capabilities critical for economic protection and disease control. No set-aside designations or restrictions on respondent types have been indicated in the available solicitation documents. All offers are subject to terms and conditions contained in the complete solicitation, with pricing and specification information available through an approved WV-65 and vendor quote.