Spectrometer System

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: Interchangeable Parts
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: 

Spectrometer System

01686-180487/A
Abela, Aaron
Telephone No. - (905) 615-2061 (    )
E-mail: aaron.abela@pwgsc-tpsgc.gc.ca

Spectrometer

01686-180487/A
Abela, Aaron
Telephone No. - (905) 615-2061
E-mail: aaron.abela@pwgsc-tpsgc.gc.ca

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

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), Harrow Research and Development Centre (HRDC) in Harrow, Ontario requires the supply, delivery, installation, and supply of associated training for one (1) FOSS NIRS DS2500 Near Infrared Spectrometer System to enable the soybean research programs to maintain and enhance the capacity to quantify soybean seed constituents and functional performance. This unit is required to replace the current owned and operated FOSS NIRSystems 6500 unit that has reached its life cycle end and will no longer be supported for maintenance and repair by March 31, 2018.

The Spectrometer system replacement must be compatible, system integrated and fully back-compatible in hardware and software with the old instrument so that the spectra libraries and model equations are not lost and can be transferred for continued use and enhancement.


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.The system offered must be in current use in the marketplace for a minimum of one (1) year. 
2. The NIRS must be 100% compatible and back compatible with the FOSS NIRSystems II solution.
3. The NIRS must enable the calibrations/prediction models developed at Harrow-RDC on the FOSS NIRSystem II, to be transferred to the new system and made fully functional for analytical use.
4. The NIRS must have Silicon (400-1100nm) and Lead Sulfide (1100-2500nm) detectors
5. The signal to *noise ratio must be less than 50 micro absorbance units (au) in the 700-2500 region.  (*noise = root mean square for 10 co-added, 10 second scans)
6. The NIRS wavelength range must be, at a minimum, between 400 and 2500nm (nanometers) and operate in reflectance measurement mode.
7. Data interval/spectral resolution must be a minimum of 0.5nm.
8. Wavelength precision must be <0.005nm and accuracy must be <0.05nm (compared against an internal reference standard).
9. Absorbance range must be = 2 au.
10. Optical bandwidth must be 8.75 ± 0.1 nm.
11. Analysis time must be less than one (1) minute per sample.
12. NIRS must be able to standardize to an internal or external wavelength reference (SRM-1920a NIST).
13. NIRS must be able to standardize to an external reference correction standard to provide a virtual 100% reflectance reference at each data point to serve as a true spectroscopic reference. 
14. Spectral files generated by the instrument must be compatible with WinISI software (model and calibration development software); Odin (calibration transfer software).
15. The NIRS must have a stable platform in varying environmental conditions (5 to 40°C; less than 93% humidity; dust protected).
16. A minimum of two (2) different sample cup sizes must be included; a large cup to hold between 100 to 150 grams of grain (90-120mm) and a small cup to hold between 10 to 20 grams of grain (50-60mm). 
17. One (1) slurry cup for thick liquids must be included.
18. One ring cup and ring cup holder must be included to enable sample cup adjustment.
19. A gold reflector, 0.2mm must be included to enable oil sample analysis.
20. The NIRS  must include manufacturer calibration for non-ground whole soybean parameters including oil, protein, moisture, fiber, ash, fatty acids, soluble sugars.
21. The NIRS must include manufacturer calibration for ground whole soybean parameters including oil, protein, moisture, fiber, ash, fatty acids, soluble sugars.
22.The equipment must be CSA approved upon delivery to Harrow Research and Development Centre of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.
23. Software must be included with the system that is capable of routine analysis and calibration development.  The software must be compatible with WinISI.
24. Software must be compatible with Windows 7; 64 bit system on user- supplied, AAFC computer.
25. Software must be password protected to secure the software programs and data. 
26. Software must support PLS, mPLS, MLR, discriminant analysis and local predictions. 
27. Software must have real-time outlier detection for each constituent.
28. The software must provide capability to display and select individual subscans of each sample, and to export to a calibration file read by WinISI.
29. The Contractor must complete installation of NIRS system at the Harrow Research and Development Centre of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.  
30. The Contractor must custom install NIRS system software on AAFC-supplied computer. 
31. The Contractor must transfer all old NIRS System II calibrations to the new NIRS system during installation and training. 


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

This procurement is subject to the following trade agreement(s):
a. Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA)
b. North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)

5. Justification for the Pre-Identified Supplier 

FOSS North America is the only known company who can supply the new NIRS DS 2500 Spectrometer System that is fully backward and forward compatible with the no longer supported but currently owned and operated NIRS6500 by AAFC. All of the stored data and calibrations can be kept and can therefore be moved to the new NIRS DS 2500. The NIRS DS 2500 can be fully integrated so there will be a flawless transfer of data that has been accumulated for 15 years and must be maintained and referenced by researchers without compromise to ensure no loss or compromise of data collected. The NIRS DS 2500 Spectrometer system provides for for instrument consistency, uncompromised communication and maintains seamless data flow. Only FOSS North America can change the firmware for system integration to the NIRS DS 2500 due to proprietary reasons. FOSS North America is the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) of this technology and is the sole holder of the IP surrounding this technology. 

The OEM does not authorize value-added resellers or distributors for their equipment, therefore FOSS North America is the only supplier for this equipment. 

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

7. Exclusions and/or Limited Tendering Reasons 

The following exclusion(s) and/or limited tendering reasons are invoked under the:

The Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA) is applicable to this requirement.  Limited Tendering is applicable under Article 513 (b) where, “the goods or services can be supplied by a particular supplier an no reasonable alternative or substitute goods or services exist for any of the following reasons (i, ii, iii, iv, v, vi).

The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) Limited Tendering is applicable under Article 1016, 2 (b) where, for works of art, or for reasons connected with the protection of patents, copyrights or other exclusive rights, or proprietary information or where there is an absence of competition for technical reasons, the goods or service can be suppled only by a particular supplier and no reasonable alternative or substitute exists. 

The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) Limited Tendering is applicable under Article 1016, 2 (d) where a change in supplier would compel the entity to procure equipment or services not meeting requirements of inter changeability with already existing equipment or services.

8. Period of the proposed contract or delivery date 

The equipment and all other associated deliverables must be completed on or before March 31, 2018. Delivery to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada - Harrow Research an Development Centre, 2585 County Road 20E. Harrow, Ontario  N0R 1G0  Canada

9. Cost estimate of the proposed contract 

Price is not provided as it compromise the pre-identified suppliers competitive position if the requirement proceeds to a traditional or electronic bidding process. 

10. Name and address of the pre-identified supplier 

FOSS North America Inc.
8091 Wallace Road
Eden Prarie, MN 55344
USA

11. 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.

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

The closing date and time for accepting statements of capabilities is November 17, 2017 at 2:00 p.m. EST. 

13. Inquiries and submission of statements of capabilities are to be directed to:

Aaron Abela
Supply Specialist
33 City Centre Drive, Suite 480-C
Mississauga, ON L5N 3C2 
Telephone: 905-615-2061
E-mail: aaron.abela@pwgsc-tpsgc.gc.ca

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.

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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.