Grain Analyzer

Trade Agreement: NAFTA / CFTA / FTAs with Peru / Colombia / Panama / Korea
Tendering Procedures: Generally only one firm has been invited to bid
Non-Competitive Procurement Strategy: Exclusive Rights
Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement: No
Vendor Name and Address: 
FOSS North America, Inc
8091 Wallace Road
Eden Prairie Minnesota
United States
55344
Nature of Requirements: 

Grain Analyzer

01581-180595/A
Blake, Luke J.
Telephone No. - (403) 613-0725
Fax No. - (403) 292-5786

An Advanced Contract Award Notice (ACAN) must be prepared in both official languages. Below is a model that must be used by contracting officers for the preparation of an ACAN. The blocks include guidance for its use as well as examples for some of the items listed.

1. Advance Contract Award Notice (ACAN) 

An ACAN is a public notice indicating to the supplier community that a department or agency intends to award a contract for goods, services or construction to a pre-identified supplier, thereby allowing other suppliers to signal their interest in bidding, by submitting a statement of capabilities. If no supplier submits a statement of capabilities that meets the requirements set out in the ACAN, on or before the closing date stated in the ACAN, the contracting officer may then proceed with the award to the pre-identified supplier. 

2. Definition of the requirement 

The Department of Agriculture and Agri-Foods Canada (AAFC) Cereal Breeding Program at the Swift Current Research & Development Center has a requirement for the supply, delivery, installation, and training of one (1) laboratory bench top DS2500 NIR Instrument.

The NIT Grain Analyzer required is recognized and utilized for measurement of wheat protein and related parameters. The data must be standardized with the Canadian Grain Commission (CGC) data for the success of the cereal breeding program. The NIT Grain Analyzer must maintain continuity of calibration and data with the current analyzer and CGC analyzers.

3. Criteria for assessment of the Statement of Capabilities (Minimum Essential Requirements) 

Any interested supplier must demonstrate by way of a statement of capabilities that its equipment meets the following requirements: 

1.0 General Performance Specifications: 

1.1 Wavelength Range must be, at a minimum, between 400 and 2500 nm (nanometers) and operate in reflectance measurement mode.

1.2 Must be Silicon (400-1100 nm) and Lead Sulfide (1100-2500) detectors. The signal to noise* ratio must be less than 50 micro absorbance units (au) in the 400-700 region and less than 20 au in the 700-2500 region.                                                                                                                                  (*Noise=root mean square for 10 co-added, 10 second scans.) 

1.3 The instrument must be 100% compatible - backwards compatible to FOSS NIRSystems II solution.

1.4 Data Interval/spectral resolution must be a minimum of 0.5nm.

1.5 Analysis time must be less than one (1) minute per sample. 

1.6 Spectral files must be compatible with WinISI software (calibration development software).

1.7 Wavelength precision must be <0.005nm and accuracy must be <0.05nm (matching to an internal reference standard).

1.8 Optical bandwidth must be 8.75 +/- 0.1nm

1.9 Absorbance range must be <=2 au

1.10 Must be able to standardize to an internal or external wavelength reference (SRM-1920a NIST).

1.11 Must be able to standardize to an external reference correction standard to provide a virtual 100% refelctance reference at each data point to serve as a true spectroscopic reference.

1.12 A minimum of two different sample cup sizes must be included for use on the instrument; a large cup to hold a volume of between 100-150 grams of grain (90-120 mm) and a small cup to hold between 10-20 grams of grain (50-60 mm)

1.13 Must include at least one ring cup and a ring cup holder

1.14 Must include one Slurry cup for thick liquid products

1.15 Must include a Gold Reflector 0.2 mm cell for liquid oil samples

1.16 Must have a stable platform in varying climates (5 to 40oC, less than 93% humidity, and dust protected)

1.17 Personal computer and monitor with the following minimum specifications:  dual core 2.8 GHz, 4 GB memory, 100 Mbit ethernet interface, 10 GB free disk space, NTFS file system, Windows 7 SP1, 64 bit or 32 bit , 1 free USB interface, IP protocol version 4 and a display 1024x768 resolution.

2.0 Electrical Specifications:

2.1 The equipment must be CSA approved upon delivery to Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada.

3.0 Software Specifications: 
3.1 Software must be included with the system that includes being capable of routine analysis and calibration development. Must be compatible with WinISI.

3.2 The software must be password protected. This is to secure the key crucial software programs. The software should provide flexibility in set-up. The software will be used by different users and needs to accommodate individual preferences in plate set-up. 

3.3 The software must be compatible with Windows 7, 64 bit

3.4 Software must support PLS, mPLS, MLR, discriminant analysis and Local predictions

3.5 Software must have real-time outlier detection for each constituent.

3.6 Software must be capable of displaying and ability to select individual subscans of each sample scanned and be exported to a calibration file readable by WinISI.

4.0 Technical Support and Warranty Services

4.1 Must provide a toll free phone number for technical support

4.2 Must provide online and/or phone support during normal business hours (8-4 central)

4.3 Must provide a minimum one year full parts and labour warranty and 90 days travel warranty. 

4.4 All technical support request calls must receive a response within 24 hours. 

5.0 Documents and Manuals 

5.1 Documentation/Technical Manuals.  The Contractor shall provide a complete and current set of end-user documentation with each system delivered (operators manual and spare part manual).  Manual(s) must be written in the English Language and may be unilingual English.  Canada has the right to translate any of the unilingual technical manuals into the second of the two Official Languages and to make free use of that translation for Canada's purpose.  This right shall include the right to make, or to have made, copies for Canada's purposes only and to ultimately destroy those copies and the Contractor shall have no right to the translation.

5.2 The equipment offered shall be "off-the-shelf" in that it shall be composed of standard equipment requiring no further research or development and shall be in current production and conform to the current issue of the applicable specification and/or part number of the Original Equipment Manufacturer. All equipment shall be new, in that it shall not include refurbished equipment and in that all equipment shall be of current manufacture.

6.0 Installation, Training and Service:

6.1 Minimum of one (1) day on-site operator and basic maintenance training session for at least two (2) people.

6.2 Installation and training must be provided by an application specialist with a minimum of three years experience working on this type of technology within the last five years. 

4. Applicability of the trade agreement(s) to the procurement 

This procurement is subject to the following trade agreement(s) 

o Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA) 
o North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)

7. Justification for the Pre-Identified Supplier 

The FOSS, DS2500 spectroscopy grain analyser, is the most recent version of the instrument used to perform the internationally accepted standard method that is in compliance with ISO 9001. It is applicable for measurement of wheat protein. In addition, the DS2500 is approved for use in Canada and is calibratable to Canada Grain Commission standards.

The required technology, available in the FOSS Near Infrared Transmittance spectroscopy grain analyzer, is unique to the vendor.  The Canadian Grain Commission (CGC) Grain Research Laboratory has worked with FOSS for many years to develop very accurate, specific calibrations for the measurement of wheat protein and related parameters.  This standardization with CGC is critical for the success of the cereal breeding program and will result in uniform data across the two institutions. This is vitally important for the development of new wheat cultivars because the CGC Grain Research Lab performs all of the quality analysis for new cultivar registration. The DS2500 is also built with the same foundational principles as the Infratech 1241 which allow for comparative analysis between the two models. Several hundred FOSS Infratech 1241 units have been purchased by the CGC for placement at grain grading sites because of their accuracy and durability.  Additionally, new calibrations that are developed by the CGC will be directly applicable to this unit, as it is the machine that is being used by the CGC and the rest of the industry.  Further, AAFC Lethbridge currently has an older FOSS unit that works with the same calibrations.  It is important that the units use the same calibrations so that the data that is generated is comparable among the units.

The DS2500 from FOSS is the only known instrument that meets this requirement as well as maintains continuity of the data that has been generated by the CGC.  FOSS is the sole supplier of the instrument.

Make and Model Required: 
FOSS
DS2500 

8. Government Contracts Regulations Exception(s) 

The following exception(s) to the Government Contracts Regulations is invoked for this procurement under subsection 6 (d) - only one person is capable of performing the contract.

9. Exclusions and/or Limited Tendering Reasons 
The following exclusion(s) and/or limited tendering reasons are invoked under the:

• Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA) Article 513, reason 1.b (i) and (v). 
• North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)  Article 1016 2(b)

11. Period of the proposed contract or delivery date 

All deliverables must be received on or before March 31, 2018. 

12. Cost estimate of the proposed contract 

The estimated value of the contract is $ 115,123.00 CAD (GST/HST extra). 

14. Name and address of the pre-identified supplier

FOSS North America, Inc.
8091 Wallace Rd
Eden Prairie  MN
55344 USA

15. Suppliers' right to submit a statement of capabilities 

Suppliers who consider themselves fully qualified and available to provide the goods, services or construction services described in the ACAN may submit a statement of capabilities in writing to the contact person identified in this notice on or before the closing date of this notice. The statement of capabilities must clearly demonstrate how the supplier meets the advertised requirements.

15. Closing date for a submission of a statement of capabilities 

The closing date and time for accepting statements of capabilities is October 30, 2017 at 14:00 MDT.  

16. Inquiries and submission of statements of capabilities

Inquiries and statements of capabilities are to be directed to: 

Luke Blake
Procurement Officer 
Public Services and Procurement Canada
Western Region - Procurement Branch
Suite 1650 635 8th Ave SW
Calgary, AB T2P 3M3 

Telephone: 403-613-0725
Facsimile: 403-292-5786
E-mail: luke.blake@tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca


Delivery Date: Above-mentioned

You are hereby notified that the government intends to negotiate with one firm only as identified above. Should you have any questions concerning this requirement, contact the contracting officer identified above.

An Advance Contract Award Notice (ACAN) allows departments and agencies to post a notice, for no less than fifteen (15) calendar days, indicating to the supplier community that it intends to award a good, service or construction contract to a pre-identified contractor. If no other supplier submits, on or before the closing date, a Statement of Capabilities that meets the requirements set out in the ACAN, the contracting authority may then proceed with the award.  However, should a Statement of Capabilities be found to meet the requirements set out in the ACAN, then the contracting authority will proceed to a full tendering process.

Suppliers who consider themselves fully qualified and available to provide the services/goods described herein, may submit a statement of capabilities in writing to the contact person identified in this Notice on or before the closing date of this Notice. The statement of capabilities must clearly demonstrate how the supplier meets the advertised requirements.

The PWGSC file number, the contracting officer's name and the closing date of the ACAN must appear on the outside of the envelope in block letters or, in the case of a facsimile transmission, on the covering page.

The Crown retains the right to negotiate with suppliers on any procurement.

Documents may be submitted in either official language of Canada.