Trade Agreement: NAFTA/AIT/Canada FTAs with Peru/Colombia/Panama
Tendering Procedures: Generally only one firm has been invited
to bid
Attachment: None
Non-Competitive Procurement Strategy: Government Objectives
Representing Best Interests/Value to Govt
Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement: No
Vendor Name and Address:
Bio-Rad Laboratories (Canada) Ltd.
1329 Meyerside Drive
Mississauga Ontario
Canada
L5T1C9
Nature of Requirements:
Digital PCR System (ddPRC)
31029-133315/A
Allard, Ken
Telephone No. - (204) 983-4920
Fax No. - (204) 983-7796
An ACAN is a public notice indicating to the supplier community
that a department or agency intends to award a contract for
goods, services or construction to a pre-identified supplier,
thereby allowing other suppliers to signal their interest in
bidding, by submitting a statement of capabilities. If no
supplier submits a statement of capabilities that meets the
requirements set out in the ACAN, on or before the closing date
stated in the ACAN, the contracting officer may then proceed
with the award to the pre-identified supplier.
Background:
Molecular genetics and genomics research at National Research
Council (NRC) - Saskatoon involves a broad suite of activities.
Researchers apply genetic approaches using molecular tools,
conduct transgenic studies, investigate plant development and
physiology, characterise plant and conduct metagenomics studies
of microbial populations. A common essential need in these
research projects is to quantify nucleic acids with high
precision, sensitivity, and specificity at a high throughput
level, as related to determining native- and trans-gene copy
number, detecting and quantifying genetic variants and target
nucleic acids in complex mixtures, and determining gene
expression levels. These investigations often involve very
limited amounts of nucleic acid samples, as from micro-dissected
tissues. The new emerging Digital PCR (dPCR) technology offers
very robust system for absolute quantification of nucleic acids
and is required to meet the research needs at PBI/NRC-Saskatoon.
Any interested supplier must demonstrate by way of a statement
of capabilities that its product/equipment/system meets the
following requirements:
Criteria for assessment of the Statement of Capabilities -
Minimum Essential Performance Specifications:
1. The dPCR system is of a "benchtop" scale must read samples in
standard 96-well format plates to enable incorporation into our
existing workflows and use standard thermocyclers already
present at NRC-Saskatoon. Existing workflows utilise a
temperature gradient PCR step to optimise assay conditions and
the requested new dPCR system must be able to incorporate a
temperature gradient PCR step. The temperature gradient ability
must NOT require any additional pipetting or liquid handling
steps as these will introduce additional errors into the
experiment.
2. The dPCR system must analyze 96 unique samples in less than 5
hours, including the steps of 1) partitioning of sample assays
into 12,000 to 20,000 reaction partitions, 2) PCR amplification
and 3) reading and scoring reaction partitions. Note: This
requirement is necessary in order to analyze multiple samples at
once without introducing potential source of error by single
tube analyses. Also, these features are needed to meet sample
throughput requirements of the multiple users from several NRC
research programs as well as potential industrial partners at
Saskatoon.
3. This dPCR system should include droplet generator and droplet
reader. The droplet reader must incorporate a 96-well
auto-sampler so that unattended operation is possible to
maximize sample throughput.
4. The dPCR system must produce 12,000 to 20,000 reaction
partitions per sample for 96 unique samples in 30 minutes or
less.
5. The dPCR system that is compatible with DNA binding
chemistries (e.g. Evagreen) as well as hydrolosis probe
chemistry using FAM and/or HEX dyes and must detect
fluorescence signals corresponding to those derived from VIC-,
HEX-, Evagreen-, or FAM-labeled PCR probes.
6. The dPCR system must distinguish between gene copy number
variants of 11 vs. 10 and less using two or less sample assay
reactions of one reaction well each (equivalent to one chamber
or panel of a reaction chip) with an input of nucleic acid
template equivalent to 100 ng of plant or microbse' genomic DNA
or less so as to minimise amount of nucleic acid sample size
required per assay and cost of consumables. This ability must be
achieved without the need for a preamplification step which can
cause a significant measurement bias by distorting the abundance
and relative presence of target nucleic acids.
7. The dPCR system must enable gene expression analysis and
quantification of DNA copies with +/- 10% precision to meet the
requirements of the multiple users from several research
programs. The system must include gene expression module that
can analyze and produce accurate gene expression levels in the
sample.
8. The dPCR system must detect a specific genetic variant at a
level as low as 0.001% abundance in a sample mixture that
includes other genetic variants, and enable a linear
quantification of this variant over four orders of magnitude of
abundance of this variant in a complex mixture of nucleic acids.
9. The dPCR system must NOT require development of standard
curves or need an external calibrator to estimate relative
abundance of target nucleic acids, thereby minimizing the number
of samples to be prepared and analyzed. Rather, the instrument
must generate digital data reflecting absolute quantification of
target nucleic acid abundance.
10. The digital PCR system must have a reaction partition
volume of 1 nL or less.
11. The relative expanded uncertainty of the dPCR system from
the data for 20,000 reaction partitions is required to be 5% or
less to achieve the data precision required by the research
programs.
12. The dPCR system must generate 12,000 to 20,000 reaction
partitions from a 20 microlitre sample reaction volume.
13. The dPCR system must NOT require use of specialized liquid
handling equipment or robotic liquid handlers that would
typically require specialized training and a dedicated
technician to operate since the system will be used by numerous
researchers from multiple programs.
14. The dPCR system must generate and assay reaction partition
in a manner that minimize the dead volume of the partition
holder and reader to
