A03- RFI Final Freezerworks Summit Server Software.docx

Request for Information (RFI)/Sources Sought (SS) Notice

Requiring Activity Name: The U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID)

Subject: This is a non-personal service(s) contract to provide preventive and corrective maintenance, upgrades, new version of software releases and customer support for the Freezerworks Summit Server.

In accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 15.201 -- Exchange with industry before receipt of proposals, this Sources Sought is for information and planning purposes only and at this time shall not be construed as a solicitation or as an obligation or commitment on the part of the Government nor will the Government pay for information solicited. No evaluation letters and/or results will be issued to the respondents.

This Sources Sought Notice is a Market Research tool used to determine the availability and adequacy of potential sources, prior to determining the method of acquisition and issuance of a solicitation.

The NAICS code for this requirement is 513210– Software Publisher

DISCLAIMER: This Request for Information (RFI)/Sources Sought (SS) Notice is NOT a Request for Proposals (RFP) or a Request for Quotations (RFQ). This RFI is issued solely for market research information and planning purposes only and does not constitute a solicitation.

Responses to the RFI will not be returned. Neither unsolicited proposals nor any other kind of offers will be considered in response to this RFI. Responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. No contract will be awarded from this announcement. No reimbursement will be made of any costs to provide information in response to this announcement or any follow-up information requests; responders are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this RFI. Availability of any formal solicitation will be announced under a separate announcement.

All information received in response to this RFI will be treated as confidential business information. Submitters should properly mark their responses if the information is confidential. All information received in response to this RFI that is marked Proprietary, will be handled accordingly.

At this time, questions concerning the composition and requirements for future solicitation will not be entertained.

RFI/SS Notice Response and due date: 10 March 2026, 1300, Eastern Time

Background: The purpose of this procurement is to ensure that USAMRIID is provided maintenance, upgrades, new version releases, and customer support for the existing Freezerworks Summit Server Software. The Contractor shall provide non-personal service(s). The Contractor shall provide maintenance support and upgrades for eight (8) concurrent user licenses. Services such as Freezerworks customer care program are needed to maintain access to customer support and to upgrades for our existing Freezerworks Client Server as additional uses and needs are realized. Dataworks Development is both the manufacturer and sole distributor of the software. The Freezerworks Summit Edition Client Server Upgrade has been designed as a compound management system to maintain inventory of all compounds, track storage of aliquots and results which is essential to ensure the quality and stability of all the compounds managed at the Therapeutic Discovery Branch in USAMRIID.

Instructions to Responders: Responses from capable and qualified Small Business sources are encouraged to respond to this request.

Review the Performance Work Statement (PWS) listed below. Respondents should address how they best can fulfil the requirements set forth in the PWS in their capabilities statement. Capability Statements or any other proprietary information relative to this RFI should adhere to the following formatting and outline instructions:

1. All submissions shall be made electronically and be in one of the following formats: Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF and shall not exceed 10 pages (Cover page excluded from page count).

2. Cover Page

· Title

· Organization

· Responders technical and administrative points of contact (names, addresses, phone, fax number and email addresses)

· Topic area(s) addressed

· Respondents shall be registered in www.sam.gov under the NAICS code of 513210.

· List all ordering vehicles held by respondents and associated contracting numbers (e.g. OMNIBUS IV, CHESS, GSA, etc.)

3. Response shall address whether the respondent is offering similar or like supplies/services in the commercial market to the general public.

4. Please note that the response shall provide sufficient technical data to determine how you fully meet the requirements as specified in PWS.

The requested information shall be submitted by the date and time specified above, via email, to Ryan Jorgensen, Contract Specialist, at ryan.r.jorgensen.civ@health.mil and Tonya Kreps, Contracting Officer, at tonya.r.kreps.civ@health.mil . Only electronic responses will be accepted. No evaluation letters and/or results will be issued to the respondents. Currently no solicitation exists; therefore, please do not request a copy of the solicitation. NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE.

Performance Work Statement Includes associated Performance Requirements Summary (PRS)

Preventive and Corrective Maintenance with Upgrades, New Version Releases and Customer Support for Freezerworks Summit Server

Part 1 General Information

1. General: This is a non-personal service(s) contract under which the personnel rendering the service(s) are not subject, either by the contract terms or by the manner of its administration, to the supervision and control usually prevailing in relationships between the Government and its employees.

1.1 Description of Services/Introduction: This is a non-personal service(s) contract to provide preventive and corrective maintenance, upgrades, new version releases and customer support for the Freezerworks Summit Server located in Building 1425 at Ft Detrick, Frederick, MD. This requirement supports the curation of a repository of candidate compounds evaluated for therapeutic efficacy against high-consequence pathogens, supporting 50 USC 1522 of the Chemical and Biological Defense Program, and aligning with the Institute’s mission to provide leading edge medical capabilities to deter and defend against current and emerging biological threat agents.

1.2 Background: The U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) collaborates closely with other U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command (USAMRDC) organizations, the Department of War, Interagency partners, and private companies. This cooperation is essential to fulfill its mission: protecting the Warfighter from biological threats and preparing to investigate disease outbreaks or public health emergencies. To support this mission, USAMRIID leverages over 45 years of experience in conducting hundreds of compound screenings. This critical research is managed by a modern Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) developed by the Division of Medicine (DoM) since late 2016. The LIMS platform provides enhanced tracking and accountability for legacy specimens and other critical resources used in biodefense countermeasure research. After undergoing a rigorous validation process, this system has received a Certificate of Networthiness from the Information Management Division, confirming its security and reliability.

1.3 Scope: The Contractor shall provide non-personal service(s). The Contractor shall provide LIMS maintenance support and upgrades for eight (8) concurrent user licenses. This PWS has been reviewed and contains no supplies and services that are inherently governmental functions as defined in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 2.1.

1.4 Objectives:

1.4.1. Provide unlimited expert costumer support through phone, email, or online remote sessions to ensure optimum performance, data integrity and efficient workflow.

1.4.2. Provide software updates and maintenance release at no extra cost, keeping system secure and functional.

1.4.3. Provide new version releases as they become available.

1.4.4. Provide customer support via phone call or email within two (2) to five (5) business days after the request is submitted.

1.5 General Information:

1.5.1 Quality Control Plan (QCP): The Contractor shall develop and maintain a QCP to ensure services are performed in accordance with (IAW) this PWS. The Contractor shall develop and implement procedures to identify, prevent, and ensure non-recurrence of defective services. The Contractor's QCP is the means by which it assures that the work provided complies with the requirements of the contract.

The Contractor’s QCP shall be submitted to the Contracting Officer (CO) through the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) for review within ten (10) days after date of contract award (Deliverable #1)

The Government will review and either notify the Contractor in writing of acceptance of the plan or return their comments to the Contractor within ten (10) days. If the Government has provided comments, the Contractor shall then have ten (10) days to submit a Final QCP. After receipt of the Final QCP, the Contractor may receive the CO’s acceptance in writing. Any proposed changes to the accepted QCP are required to be resubmitted for acceptance by the Contracting Officer no later than ten (10) days prior to the anticipated change and before implementation by the Contractor. The timeline noted above will apply for review and acceptance for proposed changes. At a minimum, the QCP must include and answer the following to be acceptable:

(a) A chart showing the organizational structure and lines of authority, the names, qualifications, duties, responsibilities, and classification of each member of the Contractor's Quality Control Team

(b) How the Contractor will monitor work to ensure performance complies with all deliverables (etc. timelines, deadlines, and goals);

(c) How the Contractor will monitor work to ensure performance complies with all specifications and requirements of the contract, including the contract’s clauses;

(d) How the Contractor will monitor and ensure staff qualifications remain current and valid including Department of Defense (DoD) Contractor Personnel Office (DOCPER) processes/approvals throughout contract performance;

(e) How the Contractor will inventory and track maintenance of all Government Provided Equipment / Materials;

(f) How the Contractor will identify, investigate, and correct any non-conforming performance and prevent similar deficiencies in the future; and

(g) How the Contractor will file and save all Quality Control related documents for the life of the contract plus 5 years.

1.5.1.1 An Analysis of Quality Control and Timeliness of Submittals (i.e. deliverables) shall be provided to the COR/TPOC within 30 calendar days upon completion of each option period.

1.5.1.2 The Contractor shall inform the COR/TPOC of issues or potential issues that might affect the performance within 24 hours and between working hours Monday to Friday between 8:00AM to 5:00PM EST identifying those issues. Verbal reports shall be followed up by written reports within 10 days

1.5.2 Quality Assurance: The Government will evaluate the Contractor’s performance under this contract in accordance with the Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP). This plan is primarily focused on what the Government must do to ensure that the Contractor has performed in accordance with the performance standards. It defines how the performance standards will be applied, the frequency of surveillance, and the acceptable quality levels (performance thresholds).

1.5.3 Recognized Holidays: The following provides information on recognized holidays for the purpose of the PWS. If submittal of any documentation (e.g. deliverables, submittals, etc.) deadlines fall on a holiday, the work day prior to the holiday will apply as the deadline for submittal.

1.5.3.1 U.S. Holidays: Work shall not be performed on U.S. federally recognized holidays occurring during the normal workweek unless otherwise directed by the Contracting Officer. When a U.S. holiday occurs on a Saturday or a Sunday, the holiday is observed on the preceding Friday or following Monday, respectively.

Juneteenth June 19th Independence Day July 4th Labor Day 1st Monday in September Columbus Day 2nd Monday in October Veteran’s Day November 11th Thanksgiving Day 4th Thursday in November Christmas Day December 25th

1.5.4 Operating Hours: The Government facility office hours, facility operating hours, and the Contractor support hour requirements often coincide, however, they may differ. Please refer to the following.

1.5.4.1 Government Facility Office Hours: The Government facility office hours are 0800-1600 Monday through Friday except U.S. Holidays identified in paragraph 1.5.3.1 above or when the Government facility is closed due to local or national emergencies, administrative closings, or similar Government directed facility closings.

1.5.4.2 Government Facility Operating Hours: The Government facility operating hours occur between the hours of 0600 to 1800, days Monday through Friday. The Government facility is close for operations during the recognized U.S. Holidays identified in paragraph 1.5.3.1 above. The Government facility may close due to local or national emergencies, administrative closings, or similar Government directed facility closings and will be communicated by the Contracting Officer to the Contractor.

1.5.4.3 Contractor Support Hours: The Contractor shall provide support between the hours of 0800 to 1600, the days Monday through Friday. The contractor shall not perform services on days designated as a Federal Holiday by Federal Status, Executive Order, Presidential Proclamation or Installation Commander. The Contractor shall maintain an adequate workforce at all times, for the uninterrupted performance of all tasks defined within this PWS when the Government facility is not closed for the above reasons. When hiring personnel, the Contractor shall keep in mind that the stability and continuity of the workforce is essential.

1.5.4.3.1 Contractor Work Plan: RESERVED

1.5.5 Place of Performance: The work to be performed under this contract will be performed on-line via intranet.

1.6 Security Requirements: RESERVED

1.6.1 Security Program: RESERVED

1.6.2 Personnel Security Clearance Requirements: RESERVED

1.6.3 Security

USAMRIID considers the safety of its employees, neighbors, and the surrounding community its number one priority. USAMRIID’s Biosecurity Program is governed by a broad set of Federal and DoD policies, which enables USAMRIID to safeguard both the biological materials used in the laboratories as well as the personnel who work here. USAMRIID is frequently inspected by those regulating agencies, and successful completion of those inspections is required for USAMRIID to continue its operation. It is therefore critical that all employees, including Contractor employees, meet standards and maintain compliance with all regulations, policies, and procedures that have been instituted for their protection and the protection of others. Security, training, and other requirements may be subject to change based upon changes in regulations and policies, and the Contractor shall be immediately responsive to those changes.

The Contractor shall not employ, or continue employment, of persons for work on this contract, if such employee is identified to the Contractor by the Contracting Officer as a potential threat to the health, safety, security, general well-being, or operational mission of the installation or its population.

1.6.3.1. Security Requirements.

The Contractor shall protect all Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) and unclassified information involved in the performance under this contract.

1.6.4. Installation Access. RESERVED

1.6.5 Background Checks: RESERVED

1.6.6 Physical Security: The Contractor shall safeguard all Government equipment, information, and property provided for Contractor use.

1.6.7 Operations Security (OPSEC) Requirements: RESERVED

1.7 Key Control: RESERVED

1.8 Post Award Conference/Periodic Progress Meetings: RESERVED

1.9 Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR): Refer to Part 2 of this PWS for the definition of a COR. As determined by the Contracting Officer, a COR will be appointed and identified by letter of designation, a copy of which will be provided to the Contractor by the Contracting Officer. The designation letter states the responsibilities and limitations of the COR, especially with regard to changes in cost or price, estimates, or changes in delivery dates. The COR is not authorized to change any of the terms and conditions of the resulting order. The COR monitors all technical aspects of the contract and assists in contract administration. The COR is not authorized to obligate the Government. If the work is not written in the contract, the COR is not authorized to request new work. The COR is authorized to perform the following functions: assure that the Contractor performs the technical requirements of the contract, perform inspections necessary in connection with contract performance, maintain written and oral communications with the Contractor concerning technical aspects of the contract, issue written interpretations of technical requirements, including Government drawings, designs, specifications, monitor Contractor's performance and notifies both the Contracting Officer and Contractor of any deficiencies, coordinate availability of Government property, and coordinate site entry of Contractor personnel.

1.10 Key Personnel: RESERVED

1.11. Identification of Contractor Employees: RESERVED

1.12 Contractor Travel: RESERVED

1.13 Other Direct Costs (ODCs): RESERVED

1.14 Data Rights: The Government has unlimited rights to all documents and materials produced under this contract. All documents and materials, to include the source codes of software, produced under this contract shall be Government owned and are the property of the Government with all rights and privileges of ownership and copyright belonging exclusively to the Government. These documents and materials may not be used or sold by the Contractor without written permission from the Contracting Officer. All materials supplied to the Government shall be the sole property of the Government and may not be used for any other purpose. This right does not abrogate any other Government rights.

1.15 Non-Disclosure Requirements: Performance under this contract may require the Contractor to access data and information proprietary to a Government agency, another Government Contractor, or of such nature that its dissemination or use other than as specified in this work statement would be adverse to the interests of the Government or others. The Contractor and Contractor personnel, shall not divulge or release data or information developed, or obtained under performance of this PWS, except to authorized Government personnel or upon written approval of the Contracting Officer. The Contractor shall not use, disclose, or reproduce proprietary data, which bears a restrictive legend, other than as specified in this PWS. All documentation showing individual names or other personal information shall be controlled and protected under the provisions of the Privacy Act of 1974, Public Law 93-579, 5 United States Code (U.S.C.) Section 552a.

1.16 Protection of Government and Contract Information: Per Public Use Notice of Limitations stated by Defense imagery Management operations Center and contained at www.dimoc.mil/resources/limitations/, the Contractor shall not cite any information (e.g., contract information, pictures, locations, etc.) obtained through this contract on any hard copy or digital marketing tools to include its company website.

1.17 Non-Disclosure Statements: The Contractor shall provide signed non-disclosure agreements to the Government no later than ten (10) days. Prior to commencement of work under the contract. Disclosure of information by Contractor personnel may result in removal of Contractor personnel from performance under this contract.

1.18 Organizational Conflict of Interest (OCI): Contractor and subcontractor personnel performing work under this contract may receive, have access to or participate in the development of proprietary or source selection information (e.g., cost or pricing information, budget information or analyses, specifications or work statements, etc.) or perform evaluation services which may create a current or subsequent OCI as defined in FAR Subpart 9.5. The Contractor shall notify the Contracting Officer immediately whenever it becomes aware that such access or participation may result in any actual or potential OCI and shall promptly submit a plan to the Contracting Officer to avoid or mitigate any such OCI. The Contractor’s OCI Mitigation Plan will be determined to be acceptable solely at the discretion of the Contracting Officer. In the event the Contracting Officer unilaterally determines that any such OCI cannot be satisfactorily avoided or mitigated, the Contracting Officer may affect other remedies as he or she deems necessary, including prohibiting the Contractor from participation in subsequent contracted requirements which may be affected by the OCI.

1.19 Phase In /Phase Out Period: RESERVED

1.20 Required Training: RESERVED

1.21 Government Property and Services: RESERVED

PART 2

DEFINITIONS & ACRONYMS

2. Definitions and Acronyms

2.1 Definitions: Although not inclusive of every term used within this PWS, the following provides a list of definitions used throughout this PWS and commonly used in the acquisition field.

Contracting Officer – means a person with the authority to enter into, administer, and/or terminate contracts and make related determinations and findings on behalf of the Government. Note: The only individual who can legally bind the Government.

Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) – As defined in DFARS 202.101, means an individual designated and authorized in writing by the Contracting Officer to perform specific technical or administrative functions. DoD Instruction (DoDI) 5000.72, Part II Definitions states the following when defining a COR: “Defined in subpart 202.101 of Reference (f). Any individual delegated responsibilities pursuant to subpart 1.602-2 of Reference (e), regardless of local terminology, must be certified in accordance with this instruction. For example, local terminology can be COR, Contracting Officer’s technical representative, technical point of contact, technical representative, alternate COR, administrative COR, assistant COR, line item manager, task order manager, quality assurance personnel, quality assurance evaluator, or COR management.”

Contractor – means a supplier or vendor awarded a contract to provide specific supplies or service to the Government. The term used in this contract refers to the prime.

Day – means, unless otherwise specified, a calendar day.

Defective Service – means a service output that does not meet the standard of performance associated with the Performance Work Statement.

Deliverable – means anything that can be physically delivered but may include non-manufactured things such as meeting minutes or reports.

Physical Security – means that part of security concerned with physical measures designed to safeguard personnel; to prevent unauthorized access to equipment, installations, material, and documents; and to safeguard against espionage, sabotage, damage, and theft.

Quality Assurance – (or Government contract quality assurance) means the various functions, including, inspection, performed by the Government to determine whether a Contractor has fulfilled the contract obligations pertaining to quality and quantity.

Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP) – means the key Government-developed surveillance process document, and is applied to Performance-Based Service Contracting (PBSC). The QASP is used for managing Contractor performance assessment by ensuring that systematic quality assurance methods validate that Contractor quality control efforts are timely, effective, and are delivering the results specified in the contract or task order. The QASP directly corresponds to the performance objectives and standards (i.e., quality, quantity, timeliness) specified in the Performance Work Statement (PWS). It provides specific details on how the Government will survey, observe, test, sample, evaluate, and document Contractor performance results to determine if the Contractor has met the required standards for each objective in the PWS. The QASP, with very few if any exceptions, is an internal to Government document.

Quality Control – means all necessary measures taken by the Contractor to assure that the quality of an end product or service shall meet contract requirements.

Statement – means the specific results-based activities required to satisfy each High Level Objective. A statement contains a result, the context of the statement, and the required action(s). Statements focus on “what” is to be accomplished; however they are not prescriptive in describing “how” the outcome is to be achieved. Each High Level Objective may have several statements to flesh out the areas necessary to meet the objective. Statements are similar to Level 3 in a Work Breakdown Structure.

Subcontractor – means one that enters into a contract with a prime Contractor. The Government does not have privity of contract with the subcontractor.

Work Day - The number of hours per day the Contractor provides services in accordance with the contract.

Work Week - Monday through Friday, unless otherwise specified.

2.2 Acronyms: Although not inclusive of every term used within this PWS, or that may be included in an acquisition, the following provides a list of acronyms commonly used in the acquisition field.

USAG United States Army Garrison

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