Fume Hoods and Bio Safety Cabinets-Inspection and Certification

Amendment 0001 has benn posted to add Questions and Answers in Section L and extend the solicitation closing date to 13 April 2026.

This combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format at FAR 12.202, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice.  This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; quotes are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued.

The solicitation number W913E526QA005 is being issued as a request for quotation (RFQ).

The associated North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code is 541380 – Testing Laboratories & Services, which has a small business standard size of 19M.  This requirement is a Total Small Business Set-Aside in accordance with FAR 19.104. 

The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL) at Hanover, New Hampshire has a requirement for annual inspections and certifications of its existing nineteen (19) fume hoods and (4) four bio safety cabinets.

Scope: The Contractor shall inspect and certify CRREL’s fume hoods and bio safety cabinets on a annual basis.

• Annual Inspections. The Contractor shall perform annual inspection and certification services for CRREL’s existing nineteen (19) fume hoods and four (4) bio safety cabinets as listed and described in PWS attachment 1. All inspections shall take place annually and may either be performed within the same time period or synchronized with each hood or cabinet expiration date.

The relevant standard for certification of fume hoods shall be AHRAE Standard 110-2016 Method of Testing Performance of Laboratory Fume Hoods. The Contractor shall perform the following under this standard:

• • Visual inspection
  • Face velocity check (80-120 fpm)
  • Smoke test to ensure air flows into the fume hood and then out via exhaust
  • Check of high and low-flow alarms if so equipped

The relevant standard for certification of bio safety cabinets is NSF/ANSI 49: The definitive standard for Class II BSCs in North America. The Contractor shall perform the following under this standard:

• • Visual inspection
  • Face velocity check (80-120 fpm)
  • Smoke test to ensure air flows into the fume hood and then out via exhaust
  • Check of high and low-flow alarms if so equipped
  • Inflow and outflow particle challenge

• Deficiencies and Reinspection. The Contractor shall notify the Government Technical Point of Contact (TPOC) and Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) of any defects or deficiencies discovered during inspection.

CRREL personnel will perform any resulting repairs or address maintenance items discovered by the Contractor during inspection. The Contractor shall not be responsible for any repairs or maintenance services.

The Contractor shall reinspect and certify any hoods or cabinets where Contractor-identified deficiencies have been rectified by CRREL personnel. The TPOC or COR will notify the Contractor when all noted deficiencies have been rectified. The Contractor shall return to CRREL (if not already on site) for reinspection within 15 calendar days of notification of repairs by the TPOC or COR.

Site Visits: An escorted site visit may be arranged during solicitation period to review the area of service.

•  Requests to attend site visits shall be submitted by email no later than 31 March 2026, by 16:00 CST. All requests should be sent to Bartlett.Harwood@usace.army.mil. The request shall include the subject line as “Fume Hood & Cabinet Inspection Site Visit”, and the email shall include: company name, names of people attending in person each with U.S. Driver’s License State & Number, and phone number of lead representative.
• Offeror’s personnel visiting CRREL for the site visit, as well as for any on-site work if an award is made, shall only be U.S. Citizens and must be capable of passing a basic security check to gain escorted entry.

The following factors shall be used to evaluate offers:

(1) Technical
The Government will evaluate the Offeror's technical capability to perform the requirements of the Performance Work Statement (PWS). Technical evaluation will include:

• Technical Capability: Demonstrated capability to provide requested inspection and certification services in accordance with the PWS.
• Certification / Licensure: Offeror shall demonstrate that it can provide personnel with a National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) bio-safety cabinet course certification. Proof of certification shall suffice.     
  • Supplemental Information on NSF Certification: Field testing/ certification must be performed by National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) accredited certifiers. Qualifications for the NSF certifiers include (1) a high school diploma and (2) either 1 year of experience performing field certifications and completion of a training course on biosafety cabinets or 3 years of experience performing field certification tests. The certification examination consists of a 3.5 hour written test followed by an 8-hour practical exam.
• Schedule: Confirmation that the Offeror can meet the required performance start date of 15 April 2026.

(2) Past Experience

The Government will evaluate the Offeror's relevant past experience performing similar work.

• Contractor shall demonstrate that it has three (3) years of experience performing fume hoods and biosafety cabinet inspection services of similar scope as described in the PWS.
• The Offeror shall provide at least five (5) projects completed in the past three (3) years.
• For each project, the Offeror shall include:
  • A description of the project scope
  • Customer details / references

(3) Price

• Total Quoted Price: The Government will evaluate the total quoted price for completeness and reasonableness.

Please reference the attached RFQ W913E526A0005 for instructions and applicable provisions and clauses.  The following factor shall be used to evaluate offers; Technical capability to fulfill the Government’s requirements in its entirety, 1) Technical Capability, Certification / Licensure, and Schedule 2) Past Experience 3) Total price to fulfill the Government’s requirement in its entirety.

Award will be made to the responsible offeror whose offer represents the Best Value to the Government, in consideration of all factors. The basis for award will be an acceptable quote, the price of which may not be the lowest. 

FOB Destination: CRREL, 72 Lyme Road, Hanover, NH 03755

Payment Terms: Net 30

Please provide responses to this notice, no later than Monday, 13 April 2026, 12:00 PM, Central Daylight Time (CDT) to:

ERDC-CRREL-QUOTES@usace.army.mil

Telephone responses will not be accepted.

*Note: In order to be eligible for award of a Government contract, vendors must be actively registered in the System for Award Management (SAM), have no active exclusions, and complete representations and certifications. For more information, review the SAM website at https://www.sam.gov.