CFX Connect Real Time PCR

Trade Agreement: NAFTA/AIT/Canada FTAs with Peru/Colombia/Panama Tendering Procedures: Generally only one firm has been invited to bid Non-Competitive Procurement Strategy: Exclusive Rights Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement: No Vendor Name and Address: Bio-Rad Laboratories (Canada) Ltd. 1329 Meyerside Drive Mississauga Ontario Canada L5T1C9 Nature of Requirements:

PCR System 6D063-151141 Parker, LaVona Telephone No. (204) 293-0554 Fax No. (204) 983-7796 E-mail : Lavona.parker@pwgsc-tpsgc.gc.ca

Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) on behalf of The Public Health Agency of Canada, intends to negotiate with Bio-Rad Laboratories (Canada) Ltd for the supply of one (1) CFX Connect Real Time PCR System with the option to purchase four (4) additional units with a laptop. Any interested suppliers must demonstrate by way of a statement of capabilities that its product meets the following mandatory requirements: The Respiratory Viruses section of the Public Health Agency of Canada in Winnipeg, Manitoba requires the supply and installation of Bio-Rad CFX Connect Real-Time PCR Detection Systems for performing real-time PCR. The lab currently has Bio-Rad iCycler iQ5s that are used to efficiently identify and quantitate RNA extracted from clinical specimens such as SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and influenza. To date the lab has over twenty diagnostic real-time assays for a variety of respiratory viruses (coronaviruses including SARS and MERS, human metapneumovirus, rhinovirus, adenovirus, parainfluenza, human bocavirus, respiratory syncytial virus, and influenza) and over fifteen for subtyping influenza. All real-time PCR protocols have been previously optimized for the iCycler iQ5 system (previous generation of Bio-Rad real-time thermal cyclers) using dual probe fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) as well as SYBR Green technology. The primers and probes for each virus have been tested extensively to determine cross-reactivity, sensitivity, and specificity; any new, unrelated system implemented would require extensive re-optimization for each separate primer/probe set.

• To avoid time consuming optimization and validation processes and added expenses, the system must be consistent with the real-time PCR assays that have already been optimized and validated in our laboratory on the iCycler iQ5 system. Performing such re-optimization and validation activities would significantly increase our workload for multiple technicians over several months, which would negatively impact our sample turn-around times (sample receipt to reporting to the client) for our existing diagnostic/surveillance assays. • The system must use the 96-well x 0.2 ml format and standard reaction consumables. Pre-PCR steps involve extracting the RNA into a 96-well plate. To avoid contamination and pipetting errors and to save time during the setup process, the same 96-well format is required to enable multi-channel transfer of template RNA/DNA into the reaction plate. • The system must allow small reaction volumes of 25 ?l to minimize the amount of sample RNA/DNA required per reaction, as the volume of original sample is limited. • The system must use user-customizable LED excitation of samples in order to eliminate the need for user calibration, thus ensuring efficient use of time and to limit the chances of being unable to run ISO-accredited testing on machinesbecause calibration has expired. • The System must be able to illuminate fluorophores over a wide spectral range (~450-600 nm). The instrument must be able to detect fluorophores such as FAM and SYBR Green over a similar spectral range and be able to analyze protocols based on SYBR Green and Taqman probes. • It must be able to detect two different fluorophores/genomic targets in a single reaction (i.e. 2 different genomic targets can be detected per sample tube). In order to decrease reaction numbers,run time, and amount of sample consumed, the instrument must be capable of multiplexing at least 2 fluorophores per reaction tube, not including a passive reference dye. • It must have the capability of a real-time temperature gradient covering a largerange (at least 20°C). This allows for primer/probe/MgCl2 optimization, as well as single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) detection and the ability to run multiple primer/probe sets with different Tm values in the same heating block. A temperature gradient decreases the time required to optimize any new primer/probe set by allowing the testing of multiple annealing temperatures at the same time, thus decreasing the testing phase 8-fold. • It must be able to perform melt curves in conjunction with SYBRgreen technology to determine the specificity of primer sets. • It must be able to perform conventional PCR and quantitative PCR applications interchangeably without any hardware reconfiguration. • Due to lab space shortages, the platform must have a small footprint (13?W x 20?D or less) and multiple machines must be able to be run using one laptop interface. • The machine must be relatively lightweight (