PFAS SURFACE WATER SAMPLING

The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC), Bureau of Water, is seeking a commercial laboratory to conduct comprehensive PFAS surface water sampling and analysis across 48 priority watersheds throughout South Carolina's major river basins. The solicitation, identified as IFB 5400023223, requires the selected contractor to process and analyze approximately 400-550 surface water PFAS samples, up to 100 whole fish tissue samples, up to 100 fish filet samples, up to 50 oyster tissue samples, and up to 50 blue crab tissue samples. Additionally, the contractor must analyze 150-250 samples for water quality parameters including Total Organic Carbon, Hardness, Alkalinity, Turbidity, and Total Suspended Solids. The bidder must be capable of performing analysis using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) with isotope dilution and must be certified or obtain certification for specified water quality parameters. Key submission deadlines include questions due by April 20, 2022, at 12:00 PM ET, with final bids due on April 28, 2022, at 2:30 PM ET. The initial contract period will run from July 1, 2022, through June 30, 2023, with all analytical results required to be completed and reported by October 31, 2023.

There are no specific set-aside designations or restrictions on responding organizations for this procurement. The contract will be awarded to the lowest responsible and responsive bidder, with award contingent on contract value considerations. If the total contract value reaches $100,000 or more, notices will be sent to all responding offerors. The contractor must provide field sampling guidance through a standard operating procedure or virtual training before initiating the field program in July 2022. All costs are to be all-inclusive, covering sample collection supplies, freight, shipping, sample bottle delivery, return shipment, chain-of-custody documentation, and monthly invoices with accompanying data results. The bidder must identify key personnel with relevant qualifications and experience and provide policies for maintaining staff continuity. Samples lost or damaged in transit or laboratory custody will be repeated at no additional cost to DHEC, with invalidated samples due to laboratory error also being repeated at no cost. While a specific budget range is not explicitly stated, the comprehensive sampling and analysis requirements suggest a substantial contract value for the selected laboratory.