Blood Donor Testing Services

This federal procurement document contains questions and answers regarding Solicitation HT9406-26-Q-E098 for recurring blood donor infectious disease testing and reference laboratory services. This requirement is a follow-on contract previously held by Bloodworks under a contract valued at approximately $4.96 million. The Q&A clarifies key technical and logistical requirements for bidders. Under CLIN 0001, the pricing sheet has been updated to include mandatory Chagas/T.cruzi and West Nile Virus (WNV) nucleic acid testing (NAT) for all donations, while CLIN 0002 CMV testing is restricted to approximately 350 apheresis platelet donations. CLIN 0003 covers blood donor reference laboratory testing, which is confirmed to be for infectious disease confirmatory testing and ABO forward/reverse discrepancies rather than antigen screening; the agency notes the historical average is only 5 to 10 confirmatory tests per month, despite the higher estimate on the pricing sheet. Logistically, Kendrick Memorial Blood Center (KMBC) in Fort Gordon, Georgia, will ship specimens daily to meet a mandatory 24-hour turnaround time. The contractor is 100% responsible for all shipping, packaging, freight, and courier expenses, including FedEx transport and up to 60 round-trip courier runs averaging 400 miles to transport specimens from mobile blood drives back to KMBC. Finally, because this is a combined synopsis/solicitation, offerors are not required to return a signed Standard Form 1449 with their proposals.

This document contains a Questions and Answers (Q&A) clarification for Solicitation HT9406-26-Q-E098, which is a follow-on contract for recurring blood donor infectious disease testing and reference laboratory services. The incumbent contractor is Bloodworks, under previous contract W91YTZ21C0021 valued at approximately $4.96 million. The Q&A clarifies key testing, logistics, and pricing requirements. Notably, Chagas/T.cruzi and West Nile Virus (WNV) nucleic acid testing (NAT) are confirmed as mandatory screening tests for all donations, and an updated pricing sheet has been issued to reflect this. Cytomegalovirus (CMV) testing is restricted to approximately 350 apheresis platelet donations. Reference laboratory services, which include confirmatory testing and resolving ABO discrepancies, are covered under a separate clinical line item (CLIN 0003). Logistically, the contractor is responsible for daily specimen shipping (seven days a week) to meet a mandatory 24-hour turnaround time for test results. The contractor must cover 100% of the costs for shipping, packing, freight supplies, and courier services, utilizing FedEx to transport blood tube samples to the testing facility. Courier services under CLIN 0005 cover transporting specimens from Kendrick Memorial Blood Center (KMBC) at Fort Gordon, Georgia, to away blood drives—averaging 400 miles and up to 900 miles round trip—before transporting them to an airport for shipment.

This document is a pricing sheet template for a federal government contract requiring blood donor testing and courier services. It outlines a procurement structure comprising a one-year Base Period (October 1, 2026 – September 30, 2027), four subsequent one-year Option Periods, and a final six-month Option Period 5 (under FAR 52.217-8) extending through March 30, 2032. For each performance period, vendors must provide unit and total pricing for five distinct Contract Line Item Numbers (CLINs): - **CLIN XX01:** Whole Blood Panel Testing (including ABO/Rh, antibody screens, STS, HIV, Hepatitis B/C, HTLV, Chagas, and West Nile Virus), with an annual quantity of 7,000 tests (3,500 for Option Period 5). - **CLIN XX02:** Cytomegalovirus (CMV) Testing, with an annual quantity of 350 tests (175 for Option Period 5). - **CLIN XX03:** Blood Donor Reference Lab Testing, with an annual quantity of 2,774 tests (1,387 for Option Period 5). - **CLIN XX04:** Babesia testing by Minipool or IDT NAT, with an annual quantity of 7,000 tests (3,500 for Option Period 5). - **CLIN XX05:** On-demand courier services to support away blood drives, capped at an estimated 60 trips per full period. This is a Firm-Fixed-Price, Not-to-Exceed (NTE) CLIN, invoiced on an as-needed basis for actual authorized trips. The template requires vendors to calculate total proposed pricing across all periods and includes fields for organization details, signature, date, and title.

This Combined Synopsis/Solicitation (HT9406-26-Q-E098) is a Request for Quotations (RFQ) issued by the Defense Health Agency Contracting Activity Healthcare Contracting Division, Southeast (DHACA-HCD-SE). The agency plans to award a firm-fixed-price commercial services contract for comprehensive, off-site blood donor infectious disease screening and blood bank reference laboratory testing. These services support the Kendrick Memorial Blood Center at the Eisenhower Army Medical Center (EAMC) in Fort Gordon, Georgia. The requirement is not set aside for small businesses and falls under NAICS code 621511. The contract structure includes a one-year base period starting October 1, 2026, followed by four one-year option periods and an option to extend for up to six months. Annual workload estimates outline testing requirements for whole blood panels, CMV, blood donor reference laboratory services, Babesia, and on-demand courier services. Proposals will be evaluated using a three-factor best-value tradeoff process: Technical Capability (Factor 1, evaluated on a pass/fail basis), Past Performance (Factor 2), and Price (Factor 3). To be deemed technically acceptable, offerors must submit a management plan detailing laboratory capacity (including a 1,000-sample daily surge capacity), specimen transport logistics within 24 hours of collection, turnaround times, and required FDA and CLIA certifications. Questions regarding the solicitation must be submitted by September 3, 2026. Complete proposals are due via email to the designated contracting officers no later than 12:00 P.M. Eastern Time on September 10, 2026.

This Performance Work Statement (PWS) from the Defense Health Agency outlines a non-personal services contract to provide off-site blood donor infectious disease screening and blood bank reference laboratory testing for the Kendrick Memorial Blood Center at Eisenhower Army Medical Center (EAMC), Fort Gordon, Georgia. The contractor must hold a valid FDA Blood Establishment License and perform all testing in strict compliance with FDA, CLIA, and AABB standards. The scope of work includes executing a standard donor screening panel (e.g., ABO/Rh, HIV, Hepatitis, Syphilis, Chagas, and CMV), nucleic acid testing (NAT), and individual confirmatory testing for reactive results. The contractor must handle an estimated annual volume of 7,000 whole blood units, 500 platelet/plasma apheresis units, and approximately 300 confirmatory tests. Crucial operational requirements include maintaining a 24/7 customer service line, delivering routine test results within 24 hours of specimen receipt, providing necessary shipping supplies, and maintaining a daily surge capacity of 1,000 samples. The contractor must also provide on-demand courier services for approximately 60 away blood drives annually. The contract structure consists of a 12-month base period, four 12-month option periods, and a potential 6-month extension, totaling up to five and a half years. Because the contract involves processing Sensitive but Unclassified (SBU) data, including PII and PHI, the contractor must meet stringent federal cybersecurity requirements, including NIST SP 800-171, CMMC, and HIPAA compliance.

This document is a Pricing Sheet template for a federal contract solicitation involving laboratory testing and courier services. It spans a multi-year performance period, including a Base Period (October 1, 2026 – September 30, 2027), four subsequent one-year Option Periods, and a six-month Option Period 5 under FAR 52.217-8 (ending March 30, 2032). For each performance period, vendors must provide firm-fixed unit and total pricing for five distinct Contract Line Item Numbers (CLINs): * **CLIN X001:** Whole Blood Panel Testing (including ABO/Rh, Ab Screen, STS, HIV-1/HIV-2, Ag/Ab Combo, Hepatitis B/C, and HTLV-1/HTLV-2 testing) with an annual quantity of 7,000 units (3,500 for Option 5). * **CLIN X002:** Cytomegalovirus (CMV) Testing with an annual quantity of 350 units (175 for Option 5). * **CLIN X003:** Blood Donor Reference Lab Testing with an annual quantity of 2,774 units (1,387 for Option 5). * **CLIN X004:** Babesia by Minipool or IDT NAT with an annual quantity of 7,000 units (3,500 for Option 5). * **CLIN X005:** On-demand Courier Services to support off-site blood drives, estimated at 60 trips per full period. This is billed on an as-needed basis up to a established Not-to-Exceed (NTE) ceiling. The sheet includes fields for organization details, authorized signature, and total proposed price calculations across all periods.