Notice of Intent to Sole Source

Background
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), located at 109.T.W. Alexander, Research Triangle Park, NC, intends to award a sole source fixed-priced Purchase Order for a Gas Analyzer. The vendor selected for this contract is California Analytical Instruments (CAI), part of the ENVEA Group. The purpose of this acquisition is to support residential wood heater research by providing a specialized gas analyzer that meets specific measurement requirements.

Work Details
The contract involves the procurement of a 4-channel gas analyzer capable of measuring carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon monoxide (CO), and oxygen (O2) within the following specified ranges:
- CO2: 0-20%
- CO: 0-5%
- CO: 0-5,000 ppm
- O2: 0-20%

Key specifications required for the gas analyzer include:
- Resolution: 0.1% of full scale
- Precision: less than 0.5% of full scale
- Linearity: less than 1.0% of full scale
- Response Time: 90% of full scale within 30 seconds.

Additionally, the analyzer must fit into a modular temperature-controlled instrument rack with a maximum height of 5.5 inches. The ZPA gas analyzer offered by CAI can be customized to meet these specifications and is compatible with the existing sampling system.

Incumbent Analysis (see Incumbents section for more detail)
This notice of intent to sole source for a paramagnetic 4-channel gas analyzer shows a confirmed incumbent, California Analytical Instruments (CAI), based on prior EPA awards 68HE0B23P0307 ($83,420, 04/11/23–10/31/23) for combustion gas analyzers measuring CO2, O2, and CO and 68HE0B23P0341 ($20,040, 05/01/23–10/31/23) for a CO/CO2 gas analyzer. The prior work appears closely related because it involves the same core gas measurement functions (CO2 and CO, with O2 also covered in one award) and likely supports continued use or replacement of compatible analyzer hardware for similar residential wood heater research sampling needs.