Administrative Contracts Service Center (3803R), Environmental Protection Agency, Ronald Reagan Building -- 7th Floor, 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20460

B -- COLLABORATIVE VALIDATION OF SIX 1600-SERIES TRACE METAL METHODS SOL SOL 97-9 DUE 103197 POC Sherry F. Lutz, Contracting Officer, 564-4513 E-MAIL: Sherry F. Lutz, Lutz-Sherry@epamail.epa.gov. The Environmental Protection Agency has a requirement for six to ten qualified laboratories to validate six 1600-series trace metal analytical methods (1632, 1636, 1637, 1638, 1639, and/or 1640) for measuring at or near Water Quality Criteria (WQC) levels. Interested parties must prequalify to participate in this study. To qualify, each laboratory must agree to conduct an MDL study and a method blank analysis for a fixed price to be set by the Government as the first phase of this study. Interested laboratories should complete and submit a bid form indicating the methods it would like to perform in the validation study and costs for the analysis of samples during the second phase (the validation study itself). In addition, in order to be considered, laboratories must submit evidence that they possess the necessary analytical equipment and experienced personnel to conduct this work. Laboratories may perform any or all of the six methods. Once an award has been made, the laboratory shall proceed with a demonstration of acceptable performance for all the methods accepted by conducting analysis of method blanks and an MDL study. Laboratories shall not be permitted to analyze the ambient water or reagent water matrices alone; these must be analyzed as a set. This study will be performed in two phases. First, an MDL study will be performed to qualify for the additional work. Laboratories determined to qualify will be awarded the additional work. If the laboratory's bid is accepted, the Government will pay what it determines to be reasonable for an MDL study. Laboratories who fail to qualify shall receive no additional consideration. The Government intends to make an award to 6-10 laboratories per method, based on the total cost of the bid. Simplified acquisition procedures shall be utilized in selecting qualified laboratories. Any questions regarding this requirement should be in writing and faxed to 202/565-2554, ATTN: Sherry F. Lutz. (0261)

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