Combined Synopsis/Solicitation
Repair and Maintenance Service for Histology and Cytology Equipment
Department of Defense · Defense Health Agency (DHA)
AI summaryOnly small businesses can send quotes for solicitation PANDHA-26-P-0000047516. The Defense Health Agency wants a full-service repair and preventive maintenance contract for 16 histology and cytology lab machines at Naval Medical Center San Diego (NMCSD), California. It is one base year plus four option years, awarded to the lowest-priced quote that passes the technical checks. SAM.gov's response due date is November 6, 2026, 4:00 PM Pacific, but the RFQ document says November 3, 2026. More in the summary
AI summary Beta
Only small businesses can send quotes for solicitation PANDHA-26-P-0000047516. The Defense Health Agency wants a full-service repair and preventive maintenance contract for 16 histology and cytology lab machines at Naval Medical Center San Diego (NMCSD), California. It is one base year plus four option years, awarded to the lowest-priced quote that passes the technical checks. SAM.gov's response due date is November 6, 2026, 4:00 PM Pacific, but the RFQ document says November 3, 2026.
Who can bid (5)
- Small business under NAICS 811210 (size standard $34 million); this is a 100% total small business set-aside, and quotes from other firms are not considered
- Complete SAM.gov registration, with a CAGE code and UEI, before award
- Current annual CMMC Level 1 self-assessment, verified in SPRS before award, kept current for the life of the contract
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- Field engineers and technicians trained by the equipment maker (OEM) or comparable third-party service schools for the listed equipment
- Quote must cover all 16 systems; no partial items or quantities
How to submit: Email to jessica.l.medina21.civ@health.mil with RFQ number PANDHA-26-P-0000 047516 in the subject line; PDF or Excel, due November 6, 2026, 4:00 PM Pacific (SAM.gov); the RFQ document says November 3, 2026, 4:00 PM Pacific. What to include is under Full summary below. Check the solicitation's instructions on SAM.gov.
Things to watch (8)
From the version posted Oct 22, 2026.
- Serious: Small business set-aside only. Only small businesses can win; a quote from a larger firm is not considered for award.
- Serious: All 16 machines or nothing. A shop that cannot service every brand (Epredia, Leica, Microm, Sakura, Thermo) cannot bid, because partial quotes are not considered.
- Serious: OEM training proof is a Pass/Fail gate. A quote that cannot show maker-certified training for the engineers on all 16 systems fails the technical review and cannot win on price.
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- Worth checking: Price must cover all parts, labor and repairs. One firm-fixed price has to absorb every corrective repair, part and trip for 16 machines, with no extra billing.
- Worth checking: CMMC Level 1 status must be in SPRS before award. A business that has never done the self-assessment or posted it in SPRS needs to finish both before award.
- Worth checking: Set response and parts delivery times. Phone response in 2 hours and on-site support in 1 business day, plus parts within 2 business days and free loaner equipment, need a local team and parts stock.
- Minor: Work outside 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM is not priced in. Labor in the contract price covers 0800-1600 local time only; the lab must be told before any work between 1600 and 0800.
- Minor: Base pass and badge check-in. Technicians need a DBIDS pass and must get visitor badges at the Biomedical Repair office before and after each service.
Read from the notice and 2 attachments. Show which files.
- Combined Synopsis-Solicitation_Anatomic Pathology Equipment Preventive Maintenance.pdf (read)
- Service Maintenance for Anatomic Pathology Equipmen Statement of Work.pdf (read)
Full summary
What they want
- Full-service preventive maintenance (once a year, in December) and corrective repair of 16 government-owned lab machines: 3 cryostats, 4 microtomes, 2 embedding centers, 3 slide stainers, 2 tissue processors and 2 coverslippers
- Use only field engineers and technicians trained through the equipment maker (OEM) or comparable third-party schools, and show training certificates on request
- Answer a repair call by phone within 2 hours and be on site within 1 business day, Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM
- Keep repair parts on hand or supply them within 2 business days, using new parts, and provide free loaner equipment when a machine must go off site
- Include all labor, parts, travel and corrective repairs in one firm-fixed price (FFP): one set price, whatever the work ends up costing
- Send a Field Service Report within 72 hours of each service; it must be done before an invoice is accepted
- Get a Defense Biometric Identification System (DBIDS) pass to enter the base, and check in and out at the Biomedical Repair office for visitor badges
- Contract type
- Firm-fixed-price (FFP), awarded as lowest price technically acceptable (LPTA); combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial services
- Period of performance
- Expected December 15, 2026 to December 14, 2027, plus four options of 12 MONTH each (about five years if all options are used)
- Place of performance
- Laboratory Department, Histology and Cytology divisions, Building 1, third floor, Naval Medical Center San Diego, 34800 Bob Wilson Drive, San Diego, CA 92134-5000
- Estimated value
- Not stated
- How they'll choose
- Lowest price technically acceptable (LPTA): technical is Pass/Fail, then the lowest-priced passing quote from a responsible vendor wins
- Offers due
- November 6, 2026, 4:00 PM Pacific (SAM.gov); the RFQ document says November 3, 2026, 4:00 PM Pacific
- How to submit
- Email to jessica.l.medina21.civ@health.mil with RFQ number PANDHA-26-P-0000 047516 in the subject line; PDF or Excel
- Page limits
- N/A
What they'll judge offers on
- Factor I Technical (Pass/Fail): (a) proof that field service engineers hold OEM or certified training certificates for the 16 systems, (b) plan for 2-hour phone and 1-business-day on-site response at NMCSD, (c) evidence of parts supply chains guaranteeing 2-day delivery and free loaner availability
- Factor II Price: judged fair, reasonable and complete, with a unit price for each item and one total firm-fixed price
- Also checked: a satisfactory record in the Supplier Performance Risk System (SPRS, the Defense Department's supplier risk database) and SAM; no past performance record is rated Neutral
What to include when you submit
- General information: business name, address, CAGE code, Unique Entity ID (UEI), business size and type of small business, federal tax ID, main contact with phone and email, and a GSA contract number if some items are on the GSA schedule
- Technical approach that meets Technical Factor I: OEM training certificates, the 2-hour phone and 1-business-day on-site response plan, and the parts and loaner evidence
- Sustainable acquisitions information: say which categories apply (energy efficient, water efficient, recycled, bio-based, environmentally preferable, non-ozone depleting, less toxic, less greenhouse gases)
- Cybersecurity statements: Federal Contract Information (FCI) safeguarding under FAR 52.240-93 and a current annual Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) Level 1 self-assessment shown in SPRS
- Price quote in US dollars for every item: unit of issue, unit price, extended price and a total price, with FOB Destination shipping included
- Commercial warranty terms and length for the services and parts, if available
- Quote all 16 systems and all quantities; partial quotes are not considered
- Format: 8.5 by 11 inch pages in 12 point Times New Roman
After award, you must have
- Defense Biometric Identification System (DBIDS) pass to enter the medical center; pre-enrolling is suggested to speed processing From Service Maintenance for Anatomic Pathology Equipmen Statement of Work.pdf:
A Defense Biometric Identification System (DBIDS) credential must be obtained to access…
Not in the notice text
- Which response due date applies: SAM.gov shows November 6, 2026, 4:00 PM Pacific and the RFQ says November 3, 2026, 4:00 PM Pacific
- The Government's estimate for this contract is not stated
- How long a quote must be held open is not stated
- Whether a site visit is offered is not stated
Eligibility and how to respond
- Set aside for small businesses: only a business that counts as small under this notice's NAICS code can bid as the prime contractor. More open small business set-asides under NAICS 811210
- How to submit, from the AI summary: Email to jessica.l.medina21.civ@health.mil with RFQ number PANDHA-26-P-0000 047516 in the subject line; PDF or Excel. Check it in the notice before you send anything.
- Service contracts usually set minimum pay rates (the Service Contract Act). Price the labor with the SCA price calculator.
Notice details
- Posted
- Oct 22, 2026
- Notice type
- Combined Synopsis/Solicitation
- Office
- Defense Health Agency HCD West, Camp Pendleton, CA
- Product/service code
- J066 · Maint/Repair/Rebuild of Equipment – Instruments and Laboratory Equipment
- Business type
- Equipment repair & maintenance (FedReady's grouping, from NAICS 811210)
- Attachments
Past awards and competition
Who has won work like this before, the likely incumbent, and what similar contracts paid, from USAspending.gov.
Before you respond
- How to respond to a solicitation (8 steps)
- How to read a government solicitation
- How to price a government contract
- Set-aside contracts explained
Terms on this notice: Solicitation, Set-aside
Full notice text from SAM.gov
The Government is seeking to acquire a full service maintenance contract for three (3) cryostats, four (4) microtomes, two (2) embedding centers, three (3) slide stainers, two (2) tissue processors and two (2) coverslippers located at the histology and cytology divisions of the laboratory at Naval Medical Center, San Diego in accordance with the Statement of Work.