Real-Time PCR System

Trade Agreement: NAFTA/AIT/Canada FTAs with Peru/Colombia/Panama
Tendering Procedures: Generally only one firm has been invited
to bid
Attachment: None
Non-Competitive Procurement Strategy: Interchangeable Parts
Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement: No
Vendor Name and Address: 
Life Technologies Inc.
5250 Main Way
Burlington Ontario
Canada
L7L5Z1
Nature of Requirements: 
Marlene Hall
Supply Specialist
Telephone:  204 984-6423
E-mail:  marlene.hall@pwgsc-tpsgc.gc.ca

File No.: 39903-140530/A



TITLE:	Real Time PCR System
Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC), on behalf
of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), intends to
negotiate with Life Technologies Inc. for the provision of a
Real Time PCR System.


DEFINITION OF REQUIREMENT
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has a requirement for the
supply and delivery of one (1) 7500 FAST Real Time PCR System.  

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency's quantitative PCR (qPCR)
assays used in diagnostics and research were developed and
validated to run on Applied Biosystems (ABI) platforms.  CFIA
requires an instrument that is compatible with existing ABI
instruments. Compatible means that migration from the current
platform to a new platform will be seamless. No other instrument
would be acceptable as it would not fall within our current
workflow or be able to be used interchangeably with the current
instruments. 


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

MANDATORY PERFORMANCE SPECIFICATIONS

1.	The total system, including computer, must be capable of
fitting within the following footprint:  
	80 cm x 40 cm

2.	Power Requirements: 120V, 50/60 Hz, Nominal Current Draw of 8
A, Power of 950 W. 
	Capable of plugging into a 15 A wall receptacle with proper
grounding.

3.	The instrument must have a Peltier-based, 96-well block
thermal cycling system. The block 
	must have a temperature range of 4°C to 100°C with a
temperature accuracy of ± 0.25°C of 
	the setpoint/display temperature and a temperature uniformity
of ± 0.50°C. The block to have 
	a peak heating rate of 5.5°C/second and a ramp rate of
3.5°C/second.

4.	The instrument must have an optical system comprised of a CCD
camera with halogen lamp
	excitation equipped with five-excitation and five-emission
filters. Spectral cross-talk must be
	minimized for multiplexing applications.

5.	The instrument must be calibrated to handle the following
dyes at installation: FAM /SYBR 
	Green, VIC /JOE, NED /TAMRA /Cy3, ROX / Texas Red, and Cy5. The
instrument must also 
	be capable of being calibrated for additional dyes. The
instrument must possess the option of
	using a passive reference dye such as ROX or any calibrate dye.

6.	Sample format must consist of 96-well plates capable of
handling reaction volumes of 5 µL to 
	30 µL and optimized for 10 µL.

7.	The instrument must have a linear dynamic range of 9 logs and
be capable of detecting 1 copy 
	of template molecule in a 20 µL reaction for a single reporter
hydrolysis probe based assay 
	with 99.7% confidence. It should be capable of differentiating
between 5000 and 1000 copies 
	of a template molecule with 99.7% confidence.

8.	The instrument must have the capability of completing runs in
as little as 30 minutes and 
	possess a throughput of 4 to 5 96-well plates per day.

9.	The system must come with a laptop computer that must run on
a Windows 7 operating 
	system and have the following software applications:
comparative Ct, standard curve, relative
	standard curve, allelic discrimination, plus/minus, and high
resolution melting point analysis
	capable of identifying the Tm of up to three melt curve
products per well. Dye discrimination 
	must provide the capability of multiplexing up to 5 targets per
well.


JUSTIFICATION FOR PRE-IDENTIFIED SUPPLIER
Life Technologies Inc. is the only known supplier that can
provide a Real Time PCR System that meets all of the mandatory
performance specifications.


TRADE AGREEMENTS
The following limited tendering reasons pertain to this
requirement:

Government Contract Regulations, Part 1, Section 6(d) only one
person is capable of performing the contract.

Government on Internal Trade (AIT), Article 506-12(a) to ensure
compatibility with existing products, to recognize exclusive
rights, such as exclusive licences, copyright and patent rights,
or to maintain specialized products that must be maintained by
the manufacturer or its representative;

North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), 1016.2(d) for
additional deliveries by the original supplier that are intended
either as replacement parts or continuing services for existing
suppliers, services or installations, or as the extension of
existing suppliers, services or installations, where a change of
supplier would compel the entity to procure equipment or
services not meeting requirements of interchangeability with
already existing equipment or services, including software to
the extent that the initial procurement of the software was
covered by this Chapter;


DELIVERY DATE
The equipment must be delivered on or before March 31, 2014, FOB
destination.


PRE-IDENTIFIED SUPPLIER
Life Technologies Inc.
5250 Mainway
Burlington, Ontario
L7K 5Z1
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.