HTP-APP_RFI-Sources Sought.pdf

Telephone (509) 375-2529 Email: Samantha.Ernst@pnnl.gov

May 17, 2024

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) / SOURCES SOUGHT / EXPRESSION OF INTEREST (EOI)

and

DRAFT REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP)

Microbial Molecular Phenotyping Capability (M2PC) – High-Throughput Automated Phenotyping Platform (HTP-APP)

Introduction:

The Pacific Northwest Division of Battelle Memorial Institute (Battelle), Management and

Operating Contractor of the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), on behalf of the

Department of Energy, is issuing this request for information (RFI)/sources sought/expression of interest (EOI) announcement as a means of conducting market research to identify companies/contractors having interest in and the resources to develop and provide an automated

High Throughput (HTP) Microbial Molecular Phenotyping Capability (M2PC), with maximum modularity, flexibility, and expandability, at PNNL’s Environmental Molecular Sciences

Laboratory (EMSL) in Richland, WA.

THERE IS NO SOLICITATION AT THIS TIME.

This request for information does not constitute a solicitation/request for proposals and submission of any information in response to this market survey is purely voluntary. This RFI/Sources

Sought/EOI is released pursuant to FAR

5.201(e), Exchanges with Industry, and is issued for the purpose of conducting market research as described in FAR 10.002. As such, nothing in this request shall be interpreted as a commitment on the part of Battelle to enter into a contract with any respondent. Battelle assumes no financial responsibility for any costs incurred.

Battelle will evaluate market information to ascertain potential market capacity and potential interested contractors capable of providing services consistent with those described in this

RFI/Sources Sought/EOI. Telephone inquiries will not be accepted or acknowledged, and no feedback or evaluations will be provided to companies regarding their submissions.

Additionally, Battelle is releasing the Draft Request for Proposal (RFP) for the acquisition of a High-

Throughput Automated Phenotyping Platform (HTP-APP). The purpose of the Draft RFP is to solicit questions and comments from all interested parties, and to assist Battelle in developing a Final RFP for this procurement. During the development of the Final RFP, Battelle will consider the comments received from interested parties in response to the Draft RFP.

BATTELLE IS NOT REQUESTING PROPOSALS AT THIS TIME AND INTERESTED PARTIES

SHALL NOT SUBMIT PROPOSALS IN RESPONSE TO THE DRAFT RFP. BATTELLE WILL NOT

EVALUATE ANY PROPOSALS RECEIVED IN RESPONSE TO THE DRAFT RFP. PROPOSALS

SHALL BE SUBMITTED ONLY IN RESPONSE TO THE FINAL RFP, CURRENTLY ANTICIPATED

TO BE ISSUED IN QUARTER 1 OF CALANDER YEAR 2025.

Figure 1. Conceptual rendering of M2PC HTP Capability mailto:Samantha.Ernst@pnnl.gov

A Performance Specification is not available at this time; however, the major elements of scope are identified in Attachment 1, “HTP-APP_Technical Brief”. The various major elements of scope have descriptive statements that indicate Battelle’s desired outcome associated with the acquisition of the

HTP-APP – this is intended to provide the interested contractors with insight regarding Battelle’s perspective on the objectives that need to be accomplished and Key Performance Parameters

(KPPs) that are to be met.

Project Overview:

A key component for one of EMSL’s strategic objectives is to increase the throughput and data content, quality, and reproducibility of its analyses. To create this capability, Battelle seeks to acquire an automated microbial molecular phenotyping system which is a fully functional automated platform that enables researchers to investigate a wide variety of microbial growth conditions using a variety of analytical methods with minimal need for operator intervention.

At this time, Battelle is actively seeking experienced contractors who are interested in the design development, testing, and delivery/installation of a state-of-the-art, fully automated system that provides M2PC HTP capability that meets specific key performance parameters.

Description of Work:

Battelle anticipates the scope of work associated with the acquisition of the M2PC HTP-APP will entail and require the Contractor to complete, perform, or provide the following:

- System Design and Development

- Purchasing and fabrication of multiple instruments and integrate instrument and components as a complete system

- Assemble complete system to demonstrate modularity, flexibility and expandability

- Off Site Assembly and Factory Acceptance Testing

- Delivery and Installation

- System Commissioning and Acceptance Testing

- Software Development/Installation and Laboratory Information Management System

(LIMS) Connection/Integration

- Post-Installation Technical Support

Procurement Information:

Battelle anticipates awarding a Firm Fixed Price contract for this effort.

Industry Briefing – Project Overview:

Battelle will host a virtual industry briefing event to provide a more detailed overview of the project and additional project related information to interested potential offerors. This will provide an opportunity for Battelle to have discussions and dialogue with industry in order to garner additional insight and elicit interest in the future procurement opportunity. This event will take place via

Microsoft Teams on Friday May 24, 2024 at 10:30am Pacific Time and can be accessed as follows:

Link: https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_OWNlMGMyODQtNjkzMi00NjZhLThkYzMtYzI5YTc0YzAxMWFl

%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%22d6faa5f9-0ae2-4033-8c01-

30048a38deeb%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%22f8855f5d-c069-4439-8d7f-

51c7c0376d6a%22%7d mailto:Samantha.Ernst@pnnl.gov https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_OWNlMGMyODQtNjkzMi00NjZhLThkYzMtYzI5YTc0YzAxMWFl%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%22d6faa5f9-0ae2-4033-8c01-30048a38deeb%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%22f8855f5d-c069-4439-8d7f-51c7c0376d6a%22%7d https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_OWNlMGMyODQtNjkzMi00NjZhLThkYzMtYzI5YTc0YzAxMWFl%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%22d6faa5f9-0ae2-4033-8c01-30048a38deeb%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%22f8855f5d-c069-4439-8d7f-51c7c0376d6a%22%7d https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_OWNlMGMyODQtNjkzMi00NjZhLThkYzMtYzI5YTc0YzAxMWFl%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%22d6faa5f9-0ae2-4033-8c01-30048a38deeb%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%22f8855f5d-c069-4439-8d7f-51c7c0376d6a%22%7d https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_OWNlMGMyODQtNjkzMi00NjZhLThkYzMtYzI5YTc0YzAxMWFl%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%22d6faa5f9-0ae2-4033-8c01-30048a38deeb%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%22f8855f5d-c069-4439-8d7f-51c7c0376d6a%22%7d https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_OWNlMGMyODQtNjkzMi00NjZhLThkYzMtYzI5YTc0YzAxMWFl%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%22d6faa5f9-0ae2-4033-8c01-30048a38deeb%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%22f8855f5d-c069-4439-8d7f-51c7c0376d6a%22%7d

Meeting ID: 295 226 709 784

Passcode: ZcABBb

Phone Number: (509) 408-1681

Conference ID: 234 306 579#

Submission Instructions:

Interested parties who consider themselves capable to perform the above-listed services and provide a fully functioning and operational HTP-APP are invited to:

➢ Submit response and capability statement

➢ Thoroughly examine the Draft RFP in its entirety and submit comments

Responses and comments are to be submitted no later than 4:00pm Pacific Time, June 11, 2024.

The response and capability statements as well as comments to the Draft RFP shall be no more than a total of fifteen (15) pages. All responses and comments must be emailed to

Samantha.Ernst@pnnl.gov.

At a minimum, responses to the RFI/Sources Sought/EOI portion of this request shall contain the following information:

1) Organization name, DUNS number, address, email address, web site address, and telephone number.

2) Company's Business Size (Large or Small) and socioeconomic type (i.e., HUBZone, Service-

Disabled Veteran Owned, 8(a), Woman-Owned, etc.) – Based on the following NAICS codes:

a. 334516 “Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing” with a size standard of

1,000 Employees.

3) Tailored capability, qualification, and experience statements addressing the particulars of this effort which includes but is not limited to:

a. A detailed description of no more than three (3) contracts that your company has performed within the last five (5) years that showcase your qualifications and experience in developing automated life science research systems. Include the project name, project owner and contact information (this person may be contacted for further information), project scope, project size, project dollar value, and start and completion dates.

b. Describe specific technical and scientific skills, capabilities, and key personnel your company possess to provide a high throughput automated multi-omics platform and perform the requirements described under description of work.

4) Reviewer questions and/or comments on the attached Technical Brief including areas of concern, confusion, or suggestions for Battelle’s consideration.

5) Statement regarding ability to propose and perform the scope on a Firm Fixed Price basis and provide feedback on the following:

a. Potential areas that may present significant pricing challenges and risks (include rational/basis).

b. Identify the information that would be required in a Battelle Request for Proposal

(RFP) to support development of a fixed price proposal.

c. Provide examples of previous experience, if any, performing similar work within in a fixed price environment and any actions taken in response to challenges or risk of performing in that environment.

6) Statement regarding the commerciality of the services and system (including equipment and software) as described in the technical brief and the Draft RFP.

a. What areas/elements, if any, are considered Commercial Items/Services as defined by FAR 2.101 and provide the basis, rationale, and/or evidence to support the believed commerciality.

With regards to the Draft RFP, Battelle is seeking comments and feedback from interested parties on the following:

1) Battelle is envisioning a 20-business day proposal preparation period for Step 1 proposals and a 50-business day preparation period for Step 2 once the Final RFP is released. Does your entity believe the proposal development durations allotted for Steps 1 and 2 are reasonable?

Can the durations be reduced without negatively impacting proposal quality?

2) Due to the extensive DOE review and approval time anticipated between receipt of proposals and contract award, Battelle envisions an 8-to-9-month proposal validity period. Would your firm be willing to hold proposed pricing for this length of time while also taking into consideration the 4.5 year contract/project period of performance duration?

3) To encourage high-quality submissions in Step 2, Battelle anticipates paying stipends to the

Offerors who are selected to submit Step 2 proposals. What does your firm believe is an appropriate stipend amount?

4) Due to potential funding limitations, does your entity believe there would be any issues or concerns with conforming with the funding profile identified in the Draft RFP?

5) Does your entity have feedback or preference on whether payments should or can reasonably be made based on a set negotiated milestone payment schedule or based on a schedule of values and percent of work complete?

6) Are the instructions within the Proposal Submission Requirements attachment clear and consistent with each other?

7) Does your entity have any input regarding the level of detail requested within each evaluation criteria factor and/or the relative importance of the evaluation criteria that Battelle should consider in making this contractor selection?

8) Regarding the Draft RFP evaluation criteria (Step 2 – Technical Evaluation Criteria 1E) and pricing specific to stretch goals vs. base requirements, is the strategy and approach clear?

9) Are pricing instructions and price proposal worksheet clear and understandable? If not, what is unclear and what improvements can be made?

10) Are there any additional specific technical or programmatic documents and/or information that you think would be helpful and should be posted/provided with the Final RFP in order to assist in preparation of proposals?

11) Does the Draft RFP contain any potential restrictive barriers to competition? Do barriers exist

(Battelle imposed or otherwise) that would hinder your firm from participating in this acquisition? Which, if any, of the requirements contained in the Draft RFP do you believe are unnecessary or represent barriers to successful contract performance?

12) Does your firm have any other comments, suggestions, or feedback for Battelle’s consideration?

Battelle reserves the right to use any and all information submitted by, or obtained from, an interested party in any manner Battelle determines is appropriate, including, but not limited to, the creation of competitive solicitations/RFPs. An interested party should avoid including any classified, business confidential, and/or proprietary information in its response. However, if an interested firm must submit such information, the information must be clearly marked, and the interested firm must provide sufficient justification as to why such information is business confidential and/or proprietary. Battelle will review the information and safeguard it appropriately.

Not responding to this announcement does not preclude participation in any future solicitation(s), should any be issued. If solicitations are released, they will be posted on https://ebs.pnnl.gov/advertised.aspx. It is the responsibility of the potential offerors to monitor this site for additional information pertaining to related upcoming opportunities.

Battelle looks forward to hearing from you regarding this request.

Sincerely, Samantha Ernst

Senior Contract Specialist

Attachments:

(1) HTP-APP_Attach 1_Technical Brief

(2) HTP-APP_Attach 2_Draft RFP_Instructions and Draft Contract

(3) HTP-APP_Attach 3_Draft RFP_Draft RFP_Proposal Submission Requirements

(4) HTP-APP_Attach 4_Draft RFP_Draft RFP_Evaluation Criteria

(5) HTP-APP_Attach 5_Draft RFP_ Price Proposal Worksheet https://ebs.pnnl.gov/advertised.aspx