Experimental Neuroscientist Services for Molecular and Pathophysiological Studies of Parkinson’s disease Dementia
NON-COMPETITIVE COMBINED SYNOPSIS / SOLICITATION Title: Experimental Neuroscientist Services for Molecular and Pathophysiological Studies of Parkinson’s disease Dementia (i) This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in Subpart 12.6 as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; proposals are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. (ii) The solicitation number is 75N95021Q00063 and the solicitation is issued as a request for quotation (RFQ). This acquisition is for a commercial item or service and is conducted under the authority of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 13—Simplified Acquisition Procedures; FAR Subpart 13.5—Simplified Procedures for Certain Commercial Items; and FAR Part 12—Acquisition of Commercial Items, and is not expected to exceed the simplified acquisition teshold. THIS IS A NON-COMPETITIVE (NOTICE OF INTENT) COMBINED SYNOPSIS SOLICITATION TO AWARD A CONTRACT OR PURCHASE ORDER WITHOUT PROVIDING FOR FULL OR OPEN COMPETITION (INCLUDING BRAND-NAME). The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), Office of Acquisition (OA), on behalf of the National Institute on Aging (NIA), intends to negotiate and award a purchase order without providing for full and open competition (including brand-name) to HAWES, SARAH L, 12231 Saint James Road, Potomac, MD 20854 for experimental neuroscientist services. This acquisition is conducted as non-competitive for a commercial item or service and is conducted pursuant to FAR 13.106-1(b)(1). (iii) The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect tough Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) Number 2021-04, with effective date January 19, 2021. (iv) The associated NAICS code 541715 and the small business size standard 1,000. (v) This requirement is for the following services: The National Institute on Aging requires senior neuroscientist services for the live imaging, electrophysiology, and behavioral studies of mouse models resembling key clinical symptoms of Parkinson’s disease dementia (PDD). The neuroscientist will apply advanced sophisticated modern neuroscience experimental techniques, including – but not limited to – live imaging of neuronal activity in behaving mice with miniScope or fiber photometry, stereotactic injections and mouse survival surgery, immunohistochemistry and confocal microscope, and mouse behavioral testing. This work requires familiarity with MATLAB for data analyses. The neuroscientist will play an important role in assisting manuscript preparation and research training of other team members. In keeping with the general requirements above, the contractor will: Conduct full-time, independent research relating to the pathophysiological mechanisms of PDD, guided by the point of contact (Dr. Huaibin Cai) for 30 hours per week. Provide project updates weekly and ongoing. Data communication is essential in this role both for presenting projects to other scientists and journals but as well as internal oversight and project development. Ongoing project updates will account for roughly 2 hours per week and include time for meetings, presentations, manuscript drafting and revision. This will also help ensure that the scope of work and general requirements is being adequately fulfilled in a timely manner. Teach other team members crucial research skills for about 3 hours per week. Support LNG’s mission to share the results with the broader scientific community by uploading data to the respective data repositories. The senior neuroscientist must have a doctoral degree with tee or more years' postdoctoral training in neuroscience or a life science field. The neuroscientist is expected to be an expert in live imaging techniques in behaving mice, electrophysiology and neuroanatomy. Previous experience with basal ganglion physiology is a plus. For additional information, please refer to the attached document titled, “Statement of Work (Services)”. (vii) The Government anticipates award of a firm-fixed-price purchase order for this acquisition and the anticipated period of performance is one twelve-month base period of performance followed by one twelve-month optional period. (viii) The provision at FAR 52.252-1, Solicitation Provisions Incorporated by Reference (Feb 1998), applies to this acquisition. This solicitation incorporates one or more solicitation provisions by reference, with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make their full text available. The offeror is cautioned that the listed provisions may include blocks that must be completed by the offeror and submitted with its quotation or offer. In lieu of submitting the full text of those provisions, the offeror may identify the provision by paragraph identifier and provide the appropriate information with its quotation or offer. Also, the full text of a solicitation provision may be accessed electronically at these addresses: https://www.acquisition.gov/browse/index/far https://www.hhs.gov/grants/contracts/contract-policies-regulations/hhsar/index.html (End of provision) The following provisions apply to this acquisition and are incorporated by reference: FAR 52.204-7, System for Award Management (Oct 2018) FAR 52.204-16, Commercial and Government Entity Code Reporting (Aug 2020) FAR 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors-Commercial Items (Jun 2020) FAR 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial Items (Jan 2021) HHSAR 352.239-73, Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Notice (December 18, 2015) The clause at FAR 52.252-2, Clauses Incorporated by Reference (Feb 1998), applies to this acquisition. This contract incorporates one or more clauses by reference, with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make their full text available. Also, the full text of a clause may be accessed electronically at these addresses: https://www.acquisition.gov/browse/index/far https://www.hhs.gov/grants/contracts/contract-policies-regulations/hhsar/index.html (End of clause) The following clauses apply to this acquisition and are incorporated by reference: FAR 52.204-13, System for Award Management Maintenance (Oct 2018) FAR 52.204-18, Commercial and Government Entity Code Maintenance (Aug 2020) FAR 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions-Commercial Items (Oct 2018) FAR 52.217-8, Option to Extend Services (Nov 1999) FAR 52.217-9, Option to Extend the Term of the Contract (Mar 2000) HHSAR 352.222-70, Contractor Cooperation in Equal Employment Opportunity Investigations (December 18, 2015) The following provisions and clauses apply to this acquisition and are attached in full text: FAR 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders-Commercial Items (Jan 2021) NIH Invoice and Payment Provisions (2/2014) Instructions for Submitting Electronic Invoices via Email to the NIH Office of Financial Management (OFM) Effective April 23, 2020 (Updated October 30, 2020) (ix) The Government will evaluate offers for award purposes by adding the total price for all options to the total price for the basic requirement. The Government may determine that an offer is unacceptable if the option prices are significantly unbalanced. Evaluation of options shall not obligate the Government to exercise the option(s). A written notice of award or acceptance of an offer, mailed or otherwise furnished to the successful offeror within the time for acceptance specified in the offer, shall result in a binding contract without further action by either party. Before the offer’s specified expiration time, the Government may accept an offer (or part of an offer), whether or not there are negotiations after its receipt, unless a written notice of withdrawal is received before award. (x) The Offeror is to include a completed copy of the provision at FAR clause 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial Items, with its offer. (xi) The clause at FAR 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions-Commercial Items, applies to this acquisition. (xii) The clause at FAR 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders-Commercial Items, applies to this acquisition and is attached in full text. (xiii) The following additional contract requirement(s) or terms and conditions as determined by the contracting officer are necessary for this acquisition and consistent with customary commercial practices. There are no additional contract requirement(s) or terms and conditions applicable to this acquisition. (xiv) The Defense Priorities and Allocations System (DPAS) are not applicable to this requirement. Responses to this solicitation must include clear and convincing evidence of the offeror’s capability of fulfilling the requirement as it relates to the technical evaluation criteria. The price proposal must include the labor categories, an estimate of the number of hours required for each labor category, fully loaded fixed hourly rate, rationale for other direct costs or materials, if applicable, and the total amount. The Dun & Bradstreet Number (DUNS), the Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN), and the certification of business size must be included in the response. All offerors must have an active registration in the System for Award Management (SAM) www.sam.gov. All quotations must be received by 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time, on Friday, February 12, 2021, and must reference Solicitation Number 75N95021Q00063. Responses must be submitted electronically to Renee Dougherty, Contracting Officer, at Dougherr@nih.gov. Fax responses will not be accepted. (xvi) The name and telephone number of the individual to contact for information regarding the solicitation: Renee Dougherty, Contracting Officer, 301-827-8453, or email at Dougherr@nih.gov. 75N95021Q00063 Department of Health and Human Services National Institutes of Health National Institute on Drug Abuse
2/2/21, 4:54 PM Experimental Neuroscientist Services for Molecular and Pathophysiological Studies of Parkinson’s disease Dementia
This is a Small Business Sources Sought notice. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. The purpose of this notice is to obtain information regarding: (1) the availability and capability of qualified small business sources; (2) whether they are small businesses; HUBZone small businesses; service-disabled, veteran-owned small businesses; 8(a) small businesses; veteran-owned small businesses; woman-owned small businesses; or small disadvantaged businesses; and (3) their size classification relative to the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for the proposed acquisition. Your responses to the information requested will assist the Government in determining the appropriate acquisition method, including whether a set-aside is possible. An organization that is not considered a small business under the applicable NAICS code should not submit a response to this notice. This notice is issued to help determine the availability of qualified companies technically capable of meeting the Government requirement and to determine the method of acquisition. It is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government to issue a solicitation or ultimately award a contract. Responses will not be considered as proposals or quotes. No award will be made as a result of this notice. The Government will NOT be responsible for any costs incurred by the respondents to this notice. This notice is strictly for research and information purposes only. Background: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is typically characterized as a degenerative movement disorder, clinically manifested with distinct motor disturbances, including slowness of movement, resting tremor, rigidity, and postural instability, resulting from extensive loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta of midbrain. Besides motor symptoms, PD patients often develop cognitive dysfunctions, which leads to Parkinson’s disease dementia (PDD). Approximately 75% of PD patients develop dementia within 10 years of diagnosis, and the prevalence of PDD is 0.3-0.5% in general population older than 65 years. There is no cure for PDD. The exact pathogenic mechanisms of PDD are largely unknown. An important step in intervening complexed neurological disorder like PDD, is to elucidate the functional roles of different neural circuits responsible for specific behavioral phenotypes. Purpose and Objectives: The objective of this work is to investigate the synaptic inputs and physiological functions of a specific subpopulation of midbrain dopaminergic neurons in declarative memory formation. The knowledge gained from this study will provide cell type and circuit specific mechanisms of PDD and lay the foundation for designing new therapeutic interventions for treatment of cognitive impairments in PDD. Project requirements: The National Institute on Aging requires senior neuroscientist services for the live imaging, electrophysiology, and behavioral studies of mouse models resembling key clinical symptoms of Parkinson’s disease dementia (PDD). The neuroscientist will apply advanced sophisticated modern neuroscience experimental techniques, including – but not limited to – live imaging of neuronal activity in behaving mice with miniScope or fiber photometry, stereotactic injections and mouse survival surgery, immunohistochemistry and confocal microscope, and mouse behavioral testing. This work requires familiarity with MATLAB for data analyses. The neuroscientist will play an important role in assisting manuscript preparation and research training of other team members. In keeping with the general requirements above, the contractor will: Conduct full-time, independent research relating to the pathophysiological mechanisms of PDD, guided by the point of contact (Dr. Huaibin Cai) for 30 hours per week. Provide project updates weekly and ongoing. Data communication is essential in this role both for presenting projects to other scientists and journals but as well as internal oversight and project development. Ongoing project updates will account for roughly 2 hours per week and include time for meetings, presentations, manuscript drafting and revision. This will also help ensure that the scope of work and general requirements is being adequately fulfilled in a timely manner. Teach other team members crucial research skills for about 3 hours per week. Support LNG’s mission to share the results with the broader scientific community by uploading data to the respective data repositories. The senior neuroscientist must have a doctoral degree with tee or more years' postdoctoral training in neuroscience or a life science field. The neuroscientist is expected to be an expert in live imaging techniques in behaving mice, electrophysiology and neuroanatomy. Previous experience with basal ganglion physiology is a plus. For additional information, please refer to the attached document titled, “Draft Statement of Work (Services)”. Anticipated period of performance: Consists of a twelve (12) month base period followed by one (1) twelve (12) month optional period. Other important considerations: The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code is 541715 with a size standard of $1,000.00. Capability statement /information sought: Respondents to this notice must provide, as part of their responses, a capability statement to include the following: (1) information regarding the respondents' (a) staff expertise, including their availability, experience, and formal and other training; (b) current in-house capability and capacity to perform the work; (c) prior completed projects of similar nature; (d) corporate experience and management capability; and, (e) examples of prior completed Government contracts, references, and other related information; (2) respondents' DUNS number, organization name, address, point of contact, and size and type of business (e.g., 8(a), HUBZone, etc.) pursuant to the applicable NAICS code; and, (3) any other information that may be helpful in developing or finalizing the requesting program’s acquisition requirement. Information submission instructions: One (1) copy of the response is required and must be in Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF format using 11-point or 12-point font, 8-1/2” x 11” paper size, with 1” top, bottom, left and right margins, and with single or double spacing. The information submitted must be in an outline format that addresses each of the elements of the project requirement and in the capability statement /information sought paragraphs stated herein. A cover page and an executive summary may be included but is not required. The response is limited to ten (10) page limit. The 10-page limit does not include the cover page, executive summary, or references, if requested. The response must include the respondents’ technical and administrative points of contact, including names, titles, addresses, telephone and e-mail addresses. All responses to this notice must be submitted electronically to the Contracting Officer. Facsimile responses are NOT accepted. The response must include the Sources Sought Notice Number 75N95021Q00037 in the subject line and be submitted electronically to Renee Dougherty, Contracting Officer at e-mail address renee.dougherty@nih.gov. The response must be received on or before January 11, 2021, 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time. Disclaimer and Important Notes: This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in response. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine the organization’s qualifications to perform the work. Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted. After a review of the responses received, a solicitation may be published in beta.SAM.gov. However, responses to this notice will not be considered adequate responses to a solicitation. Confidentiality: No proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included in your response. The Government reserves the right to use any non-proprietary technical information in any resultant solicitation(s). 75N95021Q00037 Department of Health and Human Services National Institutes of Health National Institute on Drug Abuse
12/22/20, 3:43 PM