U.S. Customs and Border Protection is seeking to acquire three portable cannabis analyzers capable of measuring 18 cannabinoids for use in field laboratories and mobile operations.
The agency published a notice of intent September 8 announcing plans to purchase three LightLab3 analyzers and warranties from New Hampshire-based Orange Photonics.
According to a sole-source determination accompanying the notice, the devices can measure 14 standard cannabinoids and four semi-synthetic cannabinoids using liquid chromatography, allowing them to separate, identify and quantify individual compounds in marijuana and other cannabinoid-containing samples.
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said its Laboratories and Scientific Services division plans to deploy the analyzers at field laboratories, forward-operating laboratories and during mobile operations.
The agency said it identified the LightLab3 as the only product meeting its requirements for technical capabilities, law enforcement use and cybersecurity.
Many competing portable analyzers rely on near-infrared or ultraviolet spectroscopy and can provide information on only three or four cannabinoids, according to the federal document. Other devices can detect additional cannabinoids but require connections to smartphones or computers, which CBP said creates cybersecurity concerns.
The LightLab3 instead operates as a stand-alone device.
“The LightLab3 is the only instrument that separates, identifies, and quantifies multiple cannabinoids (over 10 different ones),” the agency said in its sole-source determination.
CBP said the equipment is needed to provide accurate and rapid results in operational environments.
The proposed acquisition is a firm-fixed-price purchase order. The anticipated cost was redacted from the publicly released sole-source document, and the three analyzers are expected to be delivered within 30 days of an award.
Although CBP intends to purchase the equipment from Orange Photonics, the September 8 notice is not a final contract award. Other companies that believe they can meet the agency’s requirements were given until September 15 to submit capability statements. CBP said it retains discretion to determine whether to open the acquisition to competition based on any responses received.
The procurement would expand CBP’s existing use of LightLab equipment. Orange Photonics announced in 2022 that CBP had selected the LightLab3 following a multi-phase evaluation of the portable testing system.
