Specialized Scientific Equipment & Instrumentation

Virginia Tech, on behalf of the Virginia Higher Education Procurement Consortium (VHEPC), is issuing Request for Proposal 952642606 to establish competitively awarded contracts for specialized scientific equipment and instrumentation across Middlesex County and the broader VHEPC network. The procurement seeks capital or system-based scientific, engineering, and research equipment, including highly specialized instruments and integrated systems, along with incidental services such as installation, configuration, calibration, training, and equipment-specific maintenance. Qualified offerors must submit proposals electronically through Virginia Tech's procurement portal at https://bids.sciquest.com/apps/Router/PublicEvent?CustomerOrg=VATech by May 11, 2026, at 3:00 PM, with inquiries directed to Levi Henry at (540) 231-7852 or lhenry29@vt.edu by April 24, 2026, at 3:00 PM. The evaluation criteria consist of product and service quality (25 points), offeror qualifications and experience (25 points), specific service delivery plans (25 points), cost (15 points), and Small, Women-owned, and Minority-owned (SWaM) business participation (10 points). The initial contract term is two years with four optional two-year renewals, and pricing must reflect substantial discounts off list price with FOB Destination delivery terms.

All awarded contractors must register with Virginia's eVA procurement system, comply with quarterly reporting requirements using the VHEPC Unified Quarterly Reporting Template, and execute the Publicly Accessible Contract (PAC) Agreement, which permits third-party access to non-VHEPC entities for a one percent annual fee on revenue received from such entities. Contractors must maintain appropriate insurance coverage including workers' compensation, general liability of $2,000,000, and automobile liability of $500,000, with Virginia Tech named as an additional insured. The resulting contract will be available for use by VHEPC participating institutions and may be extended to eligible public agencies as a nationally accessible cooperative contract, with no minimum order requirement and Virginia Tech reserving the right to award multiple contracts or cancel upon 60 days written notice. No specific budget range or award value has been disclosed in the solicitation documents.