RFP - Comprehensive Maintenance and Services for a Liquid Chromatograph Quadrupole Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometer System for Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences

Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences is seeking comprehensive maintenance and service proposals for a Liquid Chromatograph Quadrupole Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometer System through a Request for Proposal (RFP). The procurement requires vendors to provide full preventative and corrective maintenance services for highly specialized forensic scientific equipment, with services scheduled to begin November 1, 2026 and continue for an initial one-year term with potential four additional one-year renewals. Vendors must demonstrate expertise in maintaining laboratory instrumentation within an ISO/IEC 17025 accredited forensic environment, including performing a minimum of two scheduled on-site preventative maintenance visits annually. The evaluation committee will assess proposals based on technical approach (35%), vendor qualifications (25%), pricing (30%), and Service Level Agreement compliance (10%). Key proposal requirements include submitting resumes for two field service engineers with direct experience on specified instrument models, current ISO certifications, and three client references from organizations with similar maintenance experience. Proposals must be submitted via Bonfire or hardcopy by January 26, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. local time, with all questions to be submitted in writing through the Bonfire platform prior to the specified deadline.

The RFP includes specific set-aside and diversity considerations, with Harris County establishing minority- and woman-owned business (M/WBE) goals and expecting vendors to make good faith efforts to meet these targets. Contractors must comply with Harris County's Minimum Wage Policy, which requires paying workers a minimum of $21.65 per hour, and provide comprehensive insurance coverage including Workers' Compensation, Commercial General Liability, Automobile Liability, and Professional/Errors & Omissions Liability with specified minimum coverage limits. While no specific contract value is explicitly stated, the comprehensive nature of the maintenance agreement suggests a substantial annual investment. Vendors must be prepared to provide all-inclusive pricing covering testing, labor, materials, equipment, delivery, training, and support, with no separate line item rates accepted. Additional requirements include providing a payment bond equal to 100% of the proposal amount if subcontractors are used on contracts exceeding $25,000, maintaining Texas-licensed insurance carriers, and complying with various federal and state regulatory requirements including non-debarment certifications.