Cepheid Service Agreement

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention intends to award a sole source firm fixed price purchase order to existing Cepheid GeneXpert, which is a piece of laboratory equipment located in the NWSS Team’s lab as part of the Rapid Response, Research and Surveillance Branch (R3SB), located within the Division of Infectious Disease Readiness and Innovation (DIDRI).

Cepheid has highly trained technical service engineers with the expertise to maintain and repair this proprietary fluidics handling system to operate to factory specifications. Cepheid is the manufacturer of the GeneXpert instrument. Cepheid is the only source that has service engineers familiar with the equipment and trained to provide service. Allowing another company to provide service would risk the successful operation of the equipment and void existing warranties.

Cepheid has been providing reliable maintenance support not only for this piece of equipment but for prior generations of similar equipment.

Rapid Response, Research and Surveillance Branch (R3SB) utilizes the GeneXpert instrument for critical work conducted in the laboratory, which includes Wastewater surveillance, the measurement of pathogen levels in wastewater, which is used to evaluate community-level infection trends, augment traditional surveillance that leverages clinical tests and services (e.g., case reporting), and monitor public health interventions.

These studies require the GeneXpert instrument for specimen processing for the virus that causes COVID-19, in wastewater samples collected across the country. Maintaining the GeneXpert instrument instrument in good operating condition is critical for the successful execution of these studies. This contract action is for supplies or services for which the Government intends to solicit and negotiate with only one source under the authority of FAR 13.106-1(b) (SAP) and 10 U.S.C. 2304(c)(1).

Interested parties may identify their interest and submit documentation of their capability to respond to the requirement. This notice of intent is not a request for competitive quotations; however, all responses received within four (4) full business days of the issuance of this notice will be considered by the government. A determination by the government not to compete this proposed contract based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the government.

Information received will normally be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. Any response should be emailed to the appropriate point of contact at qoc0@cdc.gov by 11:00 AM on 9 August 2024.