The Great Plains Area Indian Health Service intends to award a sole source purchase order for three Piccolo Xpress Analyzers with associated 5-year service, support and maintenance for the Lower Brule IHS Clinic located in Lower Brule, South Dakota to Abbott Point of Care.

Space is very limited in the laboratory requiring the department to have analyzers that take up a very small footprint. They require the units to have no specific training to operate, and no multi-year reagent agreement as is common in the industry. The clinical engineering staff has indicated preference for a model with available warranty coverage to maintain the equipment for an extended period of time should the need arise.

Purchasing from Abbott Point of Care allows for the purchase of 5-year warranty coverage, which will allow the unit to be repaired and/or replaced if issues arise without requiring a multi-year service contract. This warranty option is only available when the units are purchased from the manufacturer.