Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc.

Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. Life Science Group Division, doing business as Bio Rad Laboratories, manufactures and sells life science research equipment, consumables, and diagnostic reagents to federal agencies as a prime contractor on full-and-open competition without SBA set-aside designation. The company is a child division of the parent Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc., headquartered in Hercules, California, and operates as a for-profit corporation competing across 140 distinct federal customer agencies with no disadvantaged-business or set-aside posture.

Bio-Rad's federal footprint centers on polymerase chain reaction (PCR) systems, digital droplet PCR (ddPCR) instruments, gel and blot imaging equipment, chromatography systems, multiplex cytokine assays, and maintenance and support services for installed instrumentation. Representative prime work includes a $227,617 annual service agreement with the CDC for preventative maintenance and repair of nine real-time PCR systems and related Bio-Rad equipment at Atlanta facilities; a $156,050 purchase order from NIH Clinical Center for a QX600 AutoDG Droplet Digital PCR System with automated droplet generation; a $99,807 service agreement with CDC for the National Wastewater Surveillance System laboratory covering comprehensive maintenance, calibration, and repair through February 2030; and a $372,461 Indian Health Service contract for laboratory services through May 2029 performed at the Hercules facility. Bio-Rad also holds a $10 million single-award Blanket Purchase Agreement with NIH Office of Logistics and Acquisition Operations through December 31, 2026, covering operations and maintenance items including biological materials, chemicals, laboratory supplies, and medical/veterinary/surgical supplies on a firm fixed-price basis.

Customer concentration is heavily weighted to federal health research agencies. The top five funding agencies by award count—CDC, NIH National Cancer Institute, NIH National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, and FDA—account for approximately 16 percent of total awards but represent mission-critical customers with sustained demand. By potential value, CDC (split between Office of Acquisition Services and Pittsburgh office) anchors the portfolio at $14.6 million combined, followed by the Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, NIH National Cancer Institute, and FDA. The customer rankings suggest strength in research infrastructure procurement rather than concentration on a single agency—Bio-Rad competes widely across NIH institutes, CDC divisions, VA networks, DoD medical facilities, and civilian research agencies including NOAA, USDA, EPA, and Interior bureaus.

Bio-Rad places task orders under several parent vehicles beyond the NIH BPA. The Blanket Purchase Agreement HHSN263201500172B carries 145 task orders worth $1.9 million, with HHSN263199800049653B at 83 task orders and $995 thousand, and the indefinite delivery contract 123A9419D0001 supporting 20 task orders valued at $2.2 million. These vehicles reflect Bio-Rad's position as an approved supplier for multiple federal procurement frameworks spanning HHS, VA, and DoD health operations.

Activity has declined year over year: 76 awards in 2022, 74 in 2023, 63 in 2024, 42 in 2025, and 23 awards through the current calendar year (2026). With 25 awards reaching ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months and carrying combined potential value of $1.4 million, Bio-Rad faces recompete risk on a moderate volume of smaller task orders rather than a portfolio concentrated in few high-dollar vehicles. The company's sub-award role is minimal—only four sub-awards total out of 5,541 awards, with recent sub work to Leidos for diagnostics and surveillance research and to an unnamed prime on JSC engineering and exploration integration projects. The sub footprint reflects Bio-Rad's posture as a direct equipment and consumables supplier rather than a systems integrator or service subcontractor to prime contractors.

The Life Science Group Division's award portfolio spans life science research equipment and diagnostics across NAICS 334516 (Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing, 1,261 awards), other electronics repair and maintenance (670 awards), and biological product manufacturing (278 awards). PSC coding reflects the same profile: Laboratory Equipment and Supplies (2,406 awards), maintenance and repair of laboratory equipment (730 awards), medical and surgical instruments and supplies (474 awards), and diagnostics reagents and test kits (375 awards). This concentration signals a narrowly positioned supplier focused on molecular biology instrumentation and consumables rather than a diversified life sciences vendor. Recent awards carry ceiling values ranging from $6,650 for USDA APHIS field service repair to $377,044 for Indian Health Service quality control materials, with the median purchase order clustering in the $20,000 to $60,000 range. Bio-Rad competes on brand-name and sole-source designations when it is the original equipment manufacturer or only qualified service provider (particularly for ddPCR maintenance), but also wins awards through full-and-open simplified acquisitions and BPA call-order mechanisms. The company maintains manufacturing and service facilities in Hercules, Rodeo, and Berkeley, California, with performance locations distributed across major federal research and healthcare sites nationwide.