Robotic Microfluidic Liquid Handler - Sources Sought

SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICERobotic Microfluidic Liquid HandlerThis is a SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE ONLY. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals or quotes and does not obligate the Government to award a contract. This notice is for informational and planning purposes only and shall not be construed as a solicitation or an obligation or commitment by the Government, nor is it a Request for Proposal (RFQ) at this time. Responses to this Notice must be in writing.The purpose of this Sources Sought Notice is to conduct market research to determine, in particular, the capability of Small Business firms to provide the supplies/services described below. Documentation of technical expertise must be presented in sufficient detail for the Government to determine that your company possesses the necessary experience to compete for this acquisition. Responses to this notice shall include the following: (a) company name; (b) address; (c) point of contact; (d) phone, fax and email; (e ) DUNS Number; (f) Cage

Code; (g) socioeconomic category (i.e., small business, Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business, Veteran Owned Small Business, etc.); (h) a technical/capability statement as well as your existing customers (i) any GSA Schedule numbers and expiration dates and (j) if you accept credit cards.ARS will accept responses from ALL socioeconomic categories in order to gain a more complete understanding of the market for these supplies.The USDA, ARS, Hard Winter Wheat Genetics Research Unit (HWWGRU) – Manhattan, KS location has a need for a Robotic Microfluidic Liquid Handler.The unique requirements of the product are:The location requires a rapid, precise, repeatable, versatile, and inexpensive pipetting of various reagents at a wide range of volumes on a daily basis as a major portion of our mandate to produce customer genotyping data and research data. This has been done in the past using robotic pipetters. Our current single-channel robotic pipetter is old (>7 years) and subject to frequent break-downs. Additionally, lab scientists often need our only single-channel robotic pipetter at the same time.  We therefore require one additional robotic pipetter to increase our work capacity and to reduce downtime.  Contractor must warranty the proper function, parts, software, and workmanship of the robotic microfluidic liquid handler for 1 year as part of the initial purchase price.RequirementsThe micro-dispensing liquid handling robot:1. Must have non-contact dispensing (no contact of sample with tips to prevent contamination).2. Must dispense volumes from 0.1 ul to 500 ul via single channel format to accommodate all needed uses.3. Must work with generally available labware including: 96 well PCR, 384 well PCR, & 96 deep-well plates (to maintain compatibility with our other robots, supplies, and procedures).4. Must not require disposable tips or reagent reservoirs to reduce costs and waste.5. Must have a very low dead-volume (waste volume) of 20 ul or less to reduce costs and waste.6. Must pipette with an accuracy of 1.5% (CV) or less across a volume range of 0.1 ul to 25 ul to accommodate all needed uses.7. Must allow pipetting different volumes into different wells of a plate for DNA normalization.8. Must allow rapid interchange of differing dispense solutions with minimal washing, cleaning, or swapping of dispensers.9. Must have easy to use, easy to modify, graphical-interface dispensing software to accommodate multiple users with minimal training.10. Must be lab bench-top usable (smaller than 2' x 2' x 2') to accommodate expected lab location.Testing and Verification A pipetting accuracy of 1.5% (CV) or less across a volume range of 0.1 ul to 25 ul will be our verification standard.Data RequirementsRequired documentation must include operation manual, software manual, software installation procedures. Required software for operation must be included.The NAICS Code for the expected acquisition is 334516, with a Size Standard of 1000 employees. Any subsequent procurement will be conducted as a commercial item purchase in accordance with FAR Part 12 and as a Simplified Acquisition Procedure in accordance with FAR Part 13.Please email capability statements to: Joseph Covarrubio at joseph.covarrubio@usda.gov by 10:00 A.M. Central Time on Monday, May 17, 2021. Telephone inquiries will not be accepted. Please note "12805B21Q0272 Robotic Microfluidic Liquid Handler - Sources Sought - Notice" in the subject line of the email.This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in response. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that the response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine the organizations qualifications to deliver the services. Respondents are also advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information or provide feedback about any of the information received. After review of the responses received, the Government may issue a pre-solicitation synopsis and solicitation in Federal Business Opportunities. No proprietary, sensitive, confidential or classified information shall be included with your response. The Government reserves the right to use any non-proprietary technical information in any resultant solicitation.