NOTICE OF INTENT to Sole Source_Leica.pdf

NOTICE OF INTENT to Sole Source

SOLICITATION NUMBER:

75N95024Q00139

TITLE:

Maintenance and Service Agreement for Leica Stellaris 8 Confocal Microscopy System

CLASSIFICATION CODE:

J066 Maintenance and Repair of Instruments and Laboratory Equipment

NAICS CODE:

811310 – Commercial and Industrial Machinery and Equipment Repair and Maintenance

RESPONSE DATE:

February 13, 2024

PRIMARY POINT OF CONTACT:

Shayna Simpson, Contract Specialist NINDS Contracts Management Branch, NIDA Shayna.Simpson@nih.gov

DESCRIPTION:

THIS IS A PRE-SOLICITATION NOTICE OF INTENT TO AWARD ON A SOLE

SOURCE BASIS. THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR QUOTE/PROPOSALS.

On behalf of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), the Office of Acquisitions Contracts Management Branch Red, NINDS Section of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), intends to solicit on a sole-source basis by a request for quotation to Leica Microsystems Inc. to acquire maintenance services for the Leica Stellaris 8 Confocal Microscopy System on or around February 14, 2024 with an award issued on or around February 22, 2024. The purpose of this acquisition is to acquire preventative maintenance and service for an existing Government-owned Leica Stellaris 8 Confocal Microscopy System that was originally manufactured by Leica Microsystems Inc. These maintenance services shall be provided by an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM)-Authorized Service Provider of the Leica Stellaris 8 Confocal Microscopy System, and all maintenance services shall be performed by OEM certified factory-trained technicians using OEM certified parts.

NORTH AMERICAN INDUSTRY CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM (NAICS) CODE and SET

ASIDE STATUS

mailto:Shayna.Simpson@nih.gov

The intended procurement is classified under NAICS code 811310 with a Size Standard of $8M.

This acquisition is NOT set aside for small businesses, but rather is a sole-source acquisition to Leica Microsystems Inc.

REGULATORY AUTHORITY

This acquisition is conducted under the authority of the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) Subpart 13.106-1 (b) Soliciting from a single source.

BACKGROUND, PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES OF REQUIREMENT

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the nation’s leading medical research agency and the primary Federal agency whose mission is to seek fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems and the application of that knowledge to enhance health, lengthen life, and reduce illness and disability, conducting, supporting and making medical discoveries that improve people’s health and save lives.

The mission of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) Molecular Neurobiology Section is to identify the signaling pathways important for neural regeneration after injury. The lab currently uses mouse olfactory epithelium, which has robust regenerative capacity, as a model for neural regeneration. A primary approach to understanding mechanisms of neural regeneration is to observe, using a confocal microscope, the expression and localization of specific genes and proteins labeled with fluorescent tags in sections of animal tissue. The confocal microscope system described here allows the MNS to observe specific genes and proteins in the olfactory epithelium of mice before and after injury.

In addition, it will allow for the evaluation of transgenic mice containing fluorescent reporters. The Leica Stellaris 8 Confocal Microscopy System provides state of the art imaging capabilities that are required for the investigations ongoing in the NINDS Molecular Neurobiology Section, Ngai Laboratory. The system requires routine preventative maintenance. This contract will ensure minimal downtime due to hardware and/or software malfunction. Additionally, the contract is required in order to maintain this research equipment in operable condition and prevent costly repairs.

CONTRACTING WITHOUT PROVIDING FOR FULL OR OPEN COMPETITION

(INCLUDING BRAND-NAME) DETERMINATION

Leica Microsystems Inc., as the authorized partner of Leica Stellaris 8 Confocal Microscopy System, is the only contractor authorized and capable of providing the necessary maintenance support service to the Leica Stellaris 8 Confocal Microscopy System because the equipment is proprietary. Leica Microsystems Inc is the only source for factory trained and certified technicians to maintain and service the equipment.

The equipment requiring maintenance is continually used for research purposes. The microscopy system with incorrect parts, or other unsupported service provided by a non-authorized vendor, would void data standardization and cause irreparably damage to NIH research data. Furthermore, use of any other contractor for maintenance would void equipment warranties and jeopardize system integrity and functionality.

Only an OEM-authorized service provider has access to the latest services and support information. Replacement parts or accessories must be compatible with the existing equipment, and only Leica Microsystems Inc. can certify compatibility. An OEM-authorized service provider is the only source with direct access to these parts and labor.

Leica Microsystems Inc is the only source authorized by the OEM to provide maintenance services for this equipment. Because of the significant investment by NINDS in the purchase of this equipment, using an OEM-Authorized Service Provider is essential for maintaining the integrity of the system.

In accordance with FAR part 10, extensive market research was conducted to reach this determination. Specifically, contact with knowledgeable individuals both in industry and Government, as well as reviews of available product literature, revealed no other sources. A review of the GSA Advantage, Dynamic Small Business Search, and previous Government acquisitions returned no results that meet all requirements. A letter from the OEM confirmed that Leica Microsystems Inc. is the only OEM-authorized service provider for this equipment. Therefore, only Leica Microsystems Inc., is found to be capable of meeting the needs of this requirement.

The intended source is:

Leica Microsystems Inc 10 Parkway North, Suite 300 Deerfield, IL 60015

Salient characteristics:

This is a service and maintenance requirement for the Leica Stellaris 8 Confocal Microscopy System. Independently and not as an agent of the Government, the Contractor shall furnish all the necessary services, qualified personnel, material, equipment, and facilities, not otherwise provided by the Government as needed to provide preventative maintenance, including onsite engineer calibrations and onsite engineer services, for the Leica Stellaris 8 Confocal Microscopy System. The Contractor shall supply all replacement parts to maintain the equipment at OEM specifications. The Contractor shall provide on-site remedial service and maintenance as well as regular scheduled maintenance inspections and adjustments for all subsystems of the equipment. The contractor shall provide technical support and remote diagnostics as well as checks of the system error logs. The Contractor shall provide all necessary documentation, repair parts, spare parts, accessories, maintenance supplies, all special tools, test and support equipment, any travel and transportation, personnel skill requirements, and other related services required in performance of maintenance tasks to keep the equipment in good operating condition.

Estimated Period of Performance:

Base Period: 02/22/2024 through 02/21/2025 Option Period One: 02/22/2025 through 02/21/2026 Option Period One: 02/22/2026 through 02/21/2027 Option Period One: 02/22/2027 through 02/21/2028

Option Period One: 02/22/2028 through 02/21/2029

Place of Performance:

Building 35 Room 2B-307 35 Convent Drive Bethesda, MD, 20892-1414

Contract Type:

A firm-fixed price type contract with option periods is planned for this acquisition, consistent with commercial practices.

CLOSING STATEMENT

THIS NOTICE OF INTENT TO AWARD ON A SOLE-SOURCE BASIS IS NOT A

REQUEST FOR COMPETITIVE PROPOSALS. However, interested parties may identify their interest and capability to respond to this notice.

A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed contract based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. All responsible sources may submit a capability statement, proposal, or quotation which shall be considered by the agency. The information received will normally be considered solely for the purposes of determining whether to proceed on a non-competitive basis or to conduct a competitive procurement.

Responses to this notice shall contain sufficient information to establish the interested parties' bona-fide capabilities for fulfilling the requirement and include: unit price, list price, shipping and handling costs, the delivery period after contract award, the prompt payment discount terms, the F.O.B. Point (Destination or Origin), the Dun & Bradstreet Number (DUNS), the Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN), and the certification of business size. All offerors must have an active registration in the System for Award Management (SAM) www.sam.gov. All responses must provide evidence that they can provide equipment that meets all of the requirements in this announcement.

All responses must be received by the closing date and time of this announcement and must reference the solicitation number, 75N95024Q00139. Responses must be submitted electronically to Shayna Simpson, Contract Specialist, Contracts Management Branch – Red, NINDS Section, NIDA, at Shayna.Simpson@nih.gov. U.S. Mail and Fax responses will not be accepted.

http://www.sam.gov/ mailto:Shayna.Simpson@nih.gov