Sources Sought Notice_SAM.gov.pdf

SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE (SSN)

Maintenance contract for the Vanquish (LC) – Q Exactive Plus (MS) LCMS Instrument

Agency: NIH/National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIIEHS)

Office: Office of Acquisitions (OA)

SSN Document #: 75N96024Q00046

Purpose

This announcement constitutes a Sources Sought Notice (SSN) in accordance with FAR Part

15.201(e) – Exchanges with Industry. THIS SSN DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A

SOLICITATION (e.g., Invitation for Bids (IFB), Request for Proposal (RFP), Request for

Quotation (RFQ), etc.) nor is it to be construed as a commitment by the Government. The information requested may be used as market research for planning purposes and to facilitate decision making (i.e., acquisition strategy determinations, availability of capable small business concerns, etc.). The information submitted will not be disclosed outside the Government.

Proprietary information submitted shall be appropriately marked (see SSN Section 6 – Other

SSN Administrative Information for additional information relating to Contractor proprietary information).

Despite being a Small Business Sources Sought / SSN, NIEHS does encourage responses from capable businesses of all sizes (i.e., small and large business concerns), to include all the socioeconomic categories.

NOTE: The Government will not be responsible for any costs incurred by interested parties in responding to this SSN (or any possible Government follow-up questions / meetings relating to this SSN).

Not responding to this SSN does not preclude participation in any potential future solicitation.

1 DESCRIPTION

The National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

(NIEHS) is seeking sources to provide certified Thermo Fisher personnel who are factory trained to perform comprehensive preventative maintenance including inspection, preventive maintenance, repair service, and software updates/maintenance as required for the Vanquish

(LC) – Q Exactive Plus (MS) LCMS Instrument owned by the National Institute of

Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. The

Statement of Work (SOW) has been attached for reference purposes and includes additional requirement details.

PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

The Government expects all work to be performed at the Government’s physical location:

NIEHS Campus

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

111 T.W. Alexander Drive

Research Triangle Park, NC USA 27709

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

September 30, 2024 – September 29, 2027

2 BACKGROUND

2.1 PROGRAM INFORMATION

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), located in the Research

Triangle Park, North Carolina (RTP), is one of the 27 Institutes and centers composing the

National Institutes of Health (NIH). The mission of NIEHS is dedicated to reducing the burden of diseases and dysfunctions associated with the environment. This mission is accomplished by conducting basic and applied research into the effects of environmental exposures on biological systems and human health; on the identification of susceptible human subpopulations; and on the interaction between the environment, genetics and age.

2.2 CURRENT CONTRACT

Incumbent Contract Number: 75N96021P00336

Incumbent Contractor: THERMO ELECTRON NORTH AMERICA LLC

Incumbent Contract Type: Firm Fixed Price (FFP)

Incumbent Award Value: $145,038

Incumbent Contract Acquisition Strategy: Sole Source

Incumbent Contract Period of Performance: 09/30/2021-09/29/2024

3 INFORMATION REQUESTED

Interested Parties in assisting NIEHS with this market research are requested to submit the following information in the format of a White Paper outlined below. The response should be concise (no more than 20 pages), 11 pt Calibri font, and address only the information requested below. Bulleted lists and summaries are acceptable. (Note: title pages, cover letters, etc., will not count against the total page limit).

Generic capability statements will not be provided to the requirements team for review.

Interested Parties shall provide the following information:

I. COMPANY INFORMATION

a. Company Name

b. Unique Entity Identifier (UEI)

c. CAGE Code

d. Point of Contact Name, Phone Number, and E-mail Address

e. Company Website

f. ALL government contract vehicles under which the Company holds contracts (e.g., GSA Federal Supply Schedule (FSS), NITAAC, OASIS, etc.)

II. BUSINESS SIZE

a. The anticipated NAICS for this effort is 811210 (Electronic and Precision Equipment

Repair and Maintenance). The Small Business Administration (SBA) small business size standard for this NAICS code is $34M.

b. Based on the NAICS 811210, identify your business size as Small or Large.

c. If a small business concern, identify which, if any, of the below small business socio-economic categories are applicable:

Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB

Woman-Owned Small Business (WOSB)

Economically Disadvantaged Woman-Owned Small Business

(EDWOSB)

Veteran-Owned Small Business (VOSB)

Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB)

HUBZone Small Business (HZ)

d. If your company is an Other Than Small Business (OTSB) concern (i.e., large business), have you partnered or subcontracted with small business concerns to provide the same or similar services as this requirement?

III. CAPABILITIES

a. Generally, describe your company’s capabilities in fulfilling the requirements of the attached Statement of Work.

b. Specifically, address the information below:

i. Concisely describe your company’s ability to perform the work described in the below areas. Include supporting information which demonstrates your company’s knowledge / capability to meet the requirements of the SOW tasks.

Supporting information shall not reiterate the language of the tasks provided in the SOW; rather it shall provide details regarding your company’s knowledge/capability to execute these tasks. NIEHS is not asking for disclosure of specific or detailed innovative solutions; however, specific examples would assist the Government with this SSN.

If your company does not have direct experience, please explain how you would perform tasks utilizing experienced subcontractors, through a proposed contract teaming arrangement (CTA) or hiring qualified personnel.

The specific areas are the following:

1- Technical Capabilities

The responder shall demonstrate its understanding of and capabilities to fulfill the requirements delineated in the Statement of Work (SOW) (Attachment I).

The submission should address:

1) Establishment and maintenance of a preventive maintenance schedule for all covered instruments

2) Preventive maintenance and instrument repair program

3) Service call placement, and response procedure

4) Geographic proximity and/or other asset that will ensure timely response

5) 24/365 technical availability

6) Instrument-specific experience and capability

7) Repair part availability

8) Maintenance of a history file on all services performed

9) Service and summary reports

10) Quality assurance system to ensure that services conform to the requirements.

2 - Personnel

The responder shall demonstrate experience, qualifications, and availability of the personnel. The submission should address the experience and understanding of personnel of this and similar type of services in terms of size, scope, and complexity and shall include the following:

1) Relevant proof of training as well as a description of previous experience with and sound performance of projects of similar complexity.

2) Availability of personnel to fulfill the administrative requirements for successful contract monitoring and reporting.

3) Responders should demonstrate experience, qualifications, and availability of the proposed personnel that would be appointed to any potential contract for this effort.

4) Technical personnel trained and experienced with demonstrated ability to maintain the types of instruments listed in Attachment I and preparation of service reports.

3 - Facilities and Equipment

Submission should demonstrate adequate facility and equipment resources sufficient to perform the service described herein. The submission should address the following:

1) Availability of specialized tools

2) Availability of Test equipment

3) Availability of Parts meeting or exceeding OEM standards

4) Availability of Supplies

5) Availability of Equipment resources

ii. Has your company performed work of the same or similar scope as this requirement within the last three (3) years? Please explain.

For any contracts or projects for the same or similar work performed by your company within the last three (3) years, please provide the following information relating (no more than three (3) examples; government or commercial contracts):

• Brief Description of the Contract/Project

• Contract Number

• Period of Performance

• Contract Type(s) (e.g., FFP, T&M, Labor-Hour (LH), etc.)

• Commercial or Non-Commercial Requirement?

• Was your company a prime or subcontractor?

• Contract/Project Dollar Value

• Scope of the portion of the effort your company supported

iii. Provide additional relevant experience/ information that demonstrate your company’s capabilities.

4 SSN SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

4.1 QUESTIONS

Questions regarding this SSN shall be received no later than 12:00 PM (Noon) Eastern

Standard Time (EST) on June 4, 2024. Questions received by the due date/time will be answered and provided to all respondents in the form of an SSN Amendment. Questions received after the due date/time may not be answered.

Questions shall be submitted in writing via e-mail to Odessa McGlown at

Odessa.mcglown@nih.gov and shall reference this SSN.

4.2 SSN RESPONSES

Responses to this SSN shall be received no later than 12:00 PM (Noon) EST on June 11, 2024 as identified the SSN’s online posting. (If there is a difference in SSN response date/time between this document and the online posting, the online posting shall take precedence.)

All SSN responses will be reviewed and utilized for market research.

mailto:Odessa.mcglown@nih.gov

4.3 SSN POINTS OF CONTACT

Contract Specialist: Odessa McGlown

Contracting Officer: Odessa McGlown

5 OTHER SSN ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

All information received in response to this notice that is marked “Proprietary” will be handled accordingly. The Government reserves the right to use any non-proprietary information submitted by, or obtained from, a Respondent in any manner NIEHS determines is appropriate including, but not limited to, the creation of a competitive solicitation. Any proprietary data that is included in the response must be marked appropriately at the paragraph level (or at a more granular level as required; page level is acceptable for full page table, graphs, etc.). Any response marked proprietary at the document level will not be considered.

NIEHS personnel may contact any company responding to this SSN to clarify its capabilities/product/ other matters as part of its market research.

Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to Responders with respect to any information submitted. Responses to this notice will not be returned.

6 ATTACHMENT(S)

• Attachment 1:Statement of Work (SOW)

7 FAR PROVISIONS

The following provision is applicable to this notice and is hereby incorporated by reference:

FAR 52.215-3: Request for Information or Solicitation for Planning Purposes (Oct 1997).

The full text of this provision is available at: https://www.acquisition.gov/far/52.215-3.

https://www.acquisition.gov/far/52.215-3

Statement of Work (SOW)

Maintenance contract for the

Vanquish (LC) – Q Exactive Plus (MS) LCMS instrument

BACKGROUND

This requirement is for a maintenance contract for the Vanquish (LC) – Q Exactive Plus (MS)

LCMS instrument, which is critical for analyzing experimental samples produced in the lab. The maintenance agreement provides for routine maintenance, which is necessary for keeping the instrument in reliable working order and provides for timely repair in case of malfunction so that samples may be processed in the required timeframe.

SCOPE

This contract will serve to keep the LCMS system in full working order at instrument manufacturer specifications. Instruments included in this maintenance agreement include:

▪ Q Exactive Plus Mass Spectrometer SN03655L

▪ Vanquish Binary Pump H SN:8301638

▪ Vanquish Split Sampler HT SN: 8301691

▪ Vanquish Column Compartment H SN: 6300623

OBJECTIVES

Contract will keep LCMS system in full working order at instrument manufacturer specifications. Having this contract helps to greatly limit down time when an instrument repair is needed.

REQUIREMENTS

SERVICE PLAN shall include:

• a Certified Thermo Fisher Field Service Engineer’s labor and travel. The certified service engineer must diagnose and perform corrective maintenance procedures using the latest digital remote support tools.

• One (1) scheduled annual standard Preventive Maintenance visit

• Parts required for corrective maintenance visits with a targeted response time of 72 hours.

Attachment 1.

Statement of Work (Template)

• Service engineer will be onsite within 72 hours to fix any issues with the LCMS instrument that cannot be fixed over phone via technical support.

• A minimum of 10% discount on spare parts (not covered by corrective maintenance);

accessories, and consumables for the instruments covered under the contract and during the effective period of the contract.

• Software and firmware updates upon request and in conjunction with a scheduled

Preventive Maintenance or Corrective Maintenance visit

SCHEDULE

Service will be delivered for LCMS instrument maintenance over the following performance period (dependent upon renewal of option years):

Base Year: 09/30/2024 - 09/29/2025

Option Year 1: 09/30/2025 - 09/29/2026

Option Year 2: 09/30/2026 - 09/29/2027

PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

For maintenance that cannot be performed at the contractor’s location, the Government expects performance at its location, which is 111 TW Alexander Drive, Research Triangle Park, NC

27709.

GOVERNMENT FURNISHED PROPERTY

No government-furnished property will be provided to the contractor.

SECURITY REQUIREMENTS

No special security requirements.