beta_SAM_-_Pre-Solicitation__75N94022Q00062_1.pdf

75N94022Q00062

INTRODUCTION

THIS IS A PRE-SOLICITATION NON-COMPETITIVE (NOTICE OF INTENT) SYNOPSIS TO AWARD A

CONTRACT OR PURCHASE ORDER WITHOUT PROVIDING FOR FULL OR OPEN COMPETITION.

The National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Child Health and Development (NICHD), in support of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) intends to award a purchase order without providing for full and open competition to Monell Chemical Senses Center for laboratory testing and genotyping services.

BACKGROUND

The main goal of this research project is to understand how humans perceive the flavor of ethanol (alcohol) and how this perception relates to liking using a twin experimental design. An essential component of this program is the evaluation of individual differences which arise because of inborn genotype especially in receptors specialized to detect odorants (olfactory receptor neurons), taste compounds (taste receptors) and free nerve endings which detect chemicals that cause sensations like heating and cooling (chemesthesis).

JUSTIFICATION

We will be evaluating the chemosensory function (taste and smell) of human twins and included in the testing battery is ethanol (alcohol) which is an essential stimulus for this test and for the science, which is to better understand how the sensory properties of ethanol affect the development of alcohol use disorder. Only the proposed contractor, Monell Chemical Senses Center, is capable of providing the requested services because there is no other vendor that provides the needed Monell Flavor Quiz or similar test in existence, based on extensive review of information via market research to try and identify alternative vendors and services.

The needed services include the Monell Flavor Quiz. To our knowledge the test is the only test that meets our needs and is unique to other chemosensory tests in the marketplace in three ways: (1) Contains alcohol, in addition to other canonical taste exemplars (e.g., sucrose for sweetness).

Alcohol and its chemosensory properties have not been included to date in standard chemosensory measurement tools. (2) Contains both taste and smell stimuli, unlike other tests, which are separate, e.g., has one type of test for smell (olfaction) and a different type of test for taste. The Monell Flavor Quiz has not only both types of tests, but it also includes tests of the common chemical sense, e.g., the burn of chili peppers and the cool of menthol. (3) Participants taking the test get feedback in real time on their ratings which provides engagement and incentive to provide high-quality data. Therefore, this test is non-substitutable. Also, we plan to compare data between this project with data from a previous project with the same vendor that used the same methodology, therefore a switch to an alternative testing service could affect our program goals.

Lastly, the Monell Center is the only vendor dedicated to taste and smell that is capable of providing the requested services because the infrastructure is already set for the population of interest.

PRE-SOLICITATION NON-COMPETITIVE (NOTICE OF INTENT) SYNOPSIS

75N94022Q00062

NORTH AMERICAN INDUSTRY CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM (NAICS) CODE

The intended procurement is classified under NAICS code 541380 with a Size standards in millions of dollars: $16.5.

REGULATORY AUTHORITY

The resultant contract will include all applicable provisions and clauses in effect through the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Circular (FAC) 2022-04 effective 01/30/2022. This acquisition is conducted under the procedures as prescribed in FAR subpart 13-Simplified Acquisition Procedures at an amount not exceeding the simplified acquisition threshold ($250,000) and FAR Subpart 12- Acquisition of Commercial Items.

STATUTORY AUTHORITY

This acquisition is conducted under the authority of FAR 13.106(b)(1) Soliciting from a single source - For purchases not exceeding the simplified acquisition threshold.

PLACE OF DELIVERY

NIH/NIAAA

BG 10-CRC

10 Center Dr Bethesda, MD, 20814

DESCRIPTION OF REQUIREMENT

The requirements for the needed laboratory testing and genotyping services are creation of testing materials; discovery, recruitment and testing of experimental subjects; collection of saliva samples for evaluation of genotype; data engineering and analysis; and providing data, samples and reports to the Government. The planned period of performance is 1-year from date of award.

CLOSING STATEMENT

This synopsis is not a request for competitive proposals. However, interested parties may identify their interest and capability in response to this notice and may submit a capability statement, which shall be considered by the agency. Responses to this notice shall contain sufficient information to establish the interested parties’ bona-fide capabilities for fulfilling the requirement.

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. 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.

All respondents must have an active registration in the System for Award Management (SAM) www.sam.gov. All responses to this notice shall be submitted electronically by 5:00 PM Eastern Standard Time, on March, 11th, 2022 to jacob.balenson@nih.gov and shall include pre-solicitation # 75N94022Q00062 in the subject line.

http://www.sam.gov/ mailto:jacob.balenson@nih.gov