Specifications include, but are not limited to: A. The laboratory shall conduct all laboratory analyses in accordance with all federal, state and local regulations. The laboratory shall have in their possession, and maintain for the duration of the contract, all State of Arizona certifications required to perform the analysis specified on the price schedule. If a subcontracted laboratory performs an analysis, this subcontractor must maintain the proper State of Arizona certifications. Any samples not analyzed by a State of Arizona Certified Laboratory will not be accepted by the City. Consequently, the City will not pay for any expenses associated with the analyses of such samples. B. The laboratory shall provide, at no additional cost, all necessary preserved and non-preserved sample containers jars, glassware, metal sleeves, summa canisters, Tedlar bags, and plastic containers to the City within 48 hours of a request. The City acknowledges that the sample containers provided by one specific laboratory will not be utilized to place sample media for analysis by another laboratory. Along with the sample containers, the laboratory shall provide, at no additional cost, Chain of Custody forms and heavy-duty ice chest(s) to contain and transport samples. If the laboratory is not located within the City of Tucson, the laboratory shall provide, at no additional cost, a means of transporting the samples to the laboratory within a reasonable timeframe (i.e.: air-bills with the laboratories account number provided). The City has no means of securing storage for samples. C. The laboratory shall have a currently reviewed Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC) program. If the awarded laboratory cannot provide the analytical service specified in the price list within their own facility and would sub-contract the services to another laboratory, the subcontracted laboratory shall meet or exceed all of the specifications outlined in this RFP. The City must be provided with the subcontracted laboratory’s accreditations, and they must meet or exceed the Primary Laboratory's accreditations. D. If requested, the laboratory shall provide verbal, email, or fax draft analytical results to the City when 80% of the specified turnaround time (TAT) has elapsed. An original report (signed and certified by the laboratory manager) shall be provided to the City on the next business day following 100% of the requested TAT or within twenty-one (21) calendar days of sample collection/submittal to the laboratory, whichever is less. The laboratory shall specify standard TAT for all analyses in your proposal. The final Laboratory Reports shall include all duplicates, matrix spikes (MS), matrix spike duplicates (MSD), QA and QC information. Reports shall use the Laboratory Data Qualifiers provided by the Arizona Department of Health Services. Original Chain of Custody sheets shall be attached.
