NIH-PCA-NINDS-05708 Solicitation.docx

Bulk Oxygen, Nitrogen, and Carbon Dioxide Solicitation Notice Number: NIH-PCA-NINDS-05708

This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in FAR Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; proposals are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. Offerors shall submit all questions concerning this solicitation in writing to Luz Casey, Program Specialist (Luz.Casey@nih.gov). Questions must be in writing and are due by Thursday, July 23, 2026 at noon EST. Proposals are due Monday, August 03, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. EST. Please reference solicitation number NIH-PCA-NINDS-05708 on all emails for questions and proposals. Quotations must be good for 90 days after close of solicitation.

The solicitation number is NIH-PCA-NINDS-05708 and the solicitation is issued as a request for proposal (RFP).

The associated NAICS code is 325120 and small business size standard is 1,200 employees.

TYPE OF ORDER

This is a Firm Fixed-Price IDIQ contract on the basis of best value tradeoff for Offerors who meet minimum requirements.

The base year period of performance is expected to begin on 09/27/2026 and end on 09/26/2027.

The period of performance for the option years are listed below:

Option Number Option Period

1) 09/27/2027 – 09/26/2028

2) 09/27/2028 – 09/26/2029

3) 09/27/2029 – 09/26/2030

4) 09/27/2030 – 09/26/2031

Pursuant to FAR Clause 52.217-9 (Option to Extend the Term of the Contract.) set forth in the task order, the Government may, by unilateral modification, require the Contractor to perform the Option Period(s) specified in the Statement of Work. If the Government exercises this/these option(s), notice must be given before the expiration date of the contract. Specific information regarding the time frame for this notice as it is set forth in the FAR Clause 52.217-9.

TITLE

Bulk Oxygen, Nitrogen, and Carbon Dioxide

BACKGROUND

The National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) is seeking small businesses with the ability to provide a comprehensive bulk gas solution for the procurement of gases and related products and services for use in biomedical research.

SPECIAL ORDER REQUIREMENTS

PRODUCT FEATURES/SALIENT CHARACTERISTICS

The following salient characteristics describe the minimum technical and performance requirements necessary to meet the Government’s research needs.

The primary objective of this contract is to provide the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) with a comprehensive bulk gas solution for the procurement of gases and related products and services for use in biomedical research. Specifically, the Government requires medical grade bulk oxygen (gas), nitrogen (liquid), and carbon dioxide (gas) and associated support on an indefinite-delivery indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) basis. The period of performance for this requirement shall be five years from the effective date of award.

NINDS seeks an innovative approach for this Requirement that ensures accuracy and cost-effectiveness. The Contractor shall provide all resources necessary to accomplish the tasks and deliverables described in this Statement of Work (SOW).

1. Bulk Gas

The Contractor shall provide bulk gases which meet the specifications detailed below.

a. Nitrogen NF (Medical Grade, Approved for Human Drug Use):

b. Oxygen USP (Medical Grade, Approved for Human Drug Use):

The overall maximum estimated bulk gas requirements are detailed in Table 1 below. The minimum contract quantities are detailed in Table 2.

Table 1: Overall Maximum Estimated Requirements

(Usage estimated to increase 3% year over year) 1,439,208 Cubic Feet

(Usage estimated to increase 3% year over year) 752,904 Pounds

Table 2: Minimum Quantity to be Ordered for the Life of the Contract

2. Bulk Gas Management

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) owns bulk gas tanks with telemetry monitoring systems for liquid nitrogen, oxygen, and carbon dioxide. The Contractor shall provide the required bulk gases to the NINDS-owned tanks and shall supply all equipment necessary for delivery of the gases into the tanks. Please find tank information detailed below:

1. One (1) Oxygen 1500-gallon tank

2. One (1) Nitrogen 6000-gallon tank

3. One (1) Carbon Dioxide 6-ton tank

A spill pad is included on the CO2 tank, and a safety wall exists between the oxygen and liquid nitrogen tanks.

3. Customer Support

The Contractor shall respond to telephone to support requests within 30 minutes during business hours (9:00 AM to 5:00 PM) and shall provide on-site support during business hours as necessary within 24 hours following a telephone request. The Contractor must have one or more mechanisms available to process emergency orders (e.g., emergency phone line, website portal, etc.) and the ability to fulfill emergency orders within 4 hours.

Support will include diagnosis of equipment when pressure fluctuations occur or any other equipment concern arises, removal of ice balls when they impair access to tank valves and gauges, and visual inspection of tank-telemetry equipment and gas levels during delivery. Visual inspections shall be provided as part of the overall bulk gas solution. Should repairs be required, the Contractor shall provide a budgetary quote and description of the diagnosed problem for consideration.

The Contractor shall monitor levels of all three gas tanks on at least a twice weekly basis and make recommendations when observed gas levels are at a quarter tank or lower. The Contractor shall also make recommendations when observed gas levels are at a point that tank safety may be in question.

4. Delivery

In accordance with an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract, each bulk gas shall be delivered a minimum of twice monthly or at a maximum of five deliveries per month as demand necessitates. The Contractor must accommodate a 6:00 AM, Bethesda, MD local time, or earlier, delivery schedule to offset loading dock constraints as required.

Delivery must be made within 24-48 hours after order placement. In the event of an emergency, however, ordered quantities must be delivered on the day of order placement. Emergency same-day deliveries shall not exceed four (4) per year. The Contractor must have one or more mechanisms available to process emergency orders (e.g., emergency phone line, website portal, etc.) and the ability to fulfill emergency orders within 4 hours.

5. Ordering and Receiving

The maximum quantity that the Government may order over the life of the IDIQ contract is detailed in column three of Table 1. The minimum quantity to be ordered for the life of the contract is detailed in Table 2. Please note that the minimum quantity might not be ordered in one record of call, but would be ordered over the life of the contract.

Orders issued under this contract may be placed in writing or via electronic mail (e-mail) by the authorized designee(s). The authorized designee(s) shall be identified at time of award. The Contractor representative(s) authorized to receive and accept orders placed by telephone shall be identified at time of award. Each delivery must be accompanied by evidence of delivery/performance. Orders shall not be made more than once every two weeks. Orders may be set up to be recurring, at the discretion of the authorized Federal designee but each delivery must be individually accepted by the authorized Federal designee. Ordered quantities must be delivered within 24-48 hours after order placement.

In the event of an emergency, however, ordered quantities must be delivered on the day of order placement. Emergency same-day deliveries shall not exceed 4 per year. The Offeror must have one or more mechanisms available to process emergency orders (e.g., emergency phone line, website portal, etc.) and the ability to fulfill emergency orders within 4 hours.

All orders delivered under this contract must be verified by the authorized Federal designee(s). The authorized Federal designee shall formally document all orders received. Toward this end, the Contractor shall provide the Government with two copies of a statement of delivery each time an order is delivered. The authorized Federal designee shall verify and sign off on these statements and the authorized Federal designee shall retain one for Government records. This written documentation of approved receiving shall be necessary to authorize Contractor payment.

Bulk gas delivery shall be performed at National Institutes of Health, 9000 Rockville Pike, Building 35 Back Loading Dock, Bethesda MD 20892.

The Contractor shall employ a technical approach, utilize organizational resources, and implement management controls to achieve the cost, schedule, and performance requirements throughout the execution of the Contract Requirements. The Contractor shall be responsible for providing, managing, and overseeing its personnel, as well as any subcontractor/consultant efforts used in the performance of the Contract Requirements. All shipping/handling (including FOB) and delivery/installation fees, parts and labor, shall be included. The Contractor shall notify the NINDS Technical Point of Contact, to schedule delivery and the installation date and time.

PAYMENT

Payment shall be made in full upon successful delivery, installation, and acceptance of the service.

EVALUATION CRITERIA

The Government will award an IDIQ contract resulting from this requirement on the basis of best value tradeoff for Offerors who meet minimum requirements.

Mandatory Criteria (Pass/Fail) Offerors who do not demonstrate the ability to meet these minimum requirements will not be considered.

1. Ability to provide the desired product. The Offeror must document that its gases meet or exceed the gas specification requirements in the solicitation.

2. Ability to deliver desired quantity. The Offeror must document the ability to provide the quantities of gases noted in this solicitation.

Tradeoff Criteria Technical proposals will be evaluated using a summary adjectival rating in accordance with the following scale. The Offeror’s proposed costs will be weighed against the following evaluation criteria.

Technical Capability The Offeror’s proposal shall address each area of the statement of work requirements in sufficient detail to demonstrate a clear understanding of the statement of work and ability to fulfill the contract requirements.

· The Offeror must document its ability to meet the customer support requirements detailed in this solicitation.

· The Offeror must document its ability to meet the delivery and ordering & receiving requirements detailed in this solicitation to ensure that the government does not run low or run out of the bulk gases. The Offeror must provide evidence of real-time telemetry monitoring to ensure that this requirement is met.

Past Performance References The Offeror shall provide a list of at least two (2) past performance references with knowledge of the Offeror’s relevant skills and experience related to the requirements outlined in this Statement of Work. References shall include the following information:

a. Name of organization

b. Description of Offeror’s responsibilities as they relate to this SOW

c. Period of performance

d. Point of contact name, title, telephone number, email

Past performance references will be evaluated in context to their relevance to the current requirement.

The date and time offers are due Monday, August 3, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. EST. Attention: Ms. Luz Casey, Program Specialist, luz.casey@nih.gov, 6701 Rockledge Dr., Bethesda, MD 20892. Please email an original technical and one original business proposals to Luz.Casey@nih.gov. The technical proposal shall be separate file from the business proposal.

The name and email of the individual to contact for information regarding the solicitation: Luz Casey, Email: Luz.Casey@nih.gov This is a Firm Fixed-Price IDIQ contract.

The period of performance will be one year from award date for the base contract and 4 option years.

Quotations must be good for 90 days after close of solicitation.

To be eligible for an award, offeror must be registered with the System for Award Management (SAM) at website https://sam.gov. The full text of a FAR provision or clause may be accessed electronically at http://acquisition.gov/comp/far/index.html. The selected offeror must comply with the following commercial item Terms and Conditions, which are incorporated herein by reference: FAR 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Condition Commercial Items, applies to this acquisition; FAR 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders Commercial Items, 52.204-13 SAM, 52.222-3, Convict Labor; 52.222-19 Child Labor - Cooperation With Authorities And Remedies; 52.222-21, Prohibition of Segregated Facilities; 52-222-26, Equal Opportunity; 52.222-36, Affirmative Action for Workers with Disabilities; 52.223-18, Contractor policy to ban text messaging while driving; FAR 52.225-5 Trade Agreements, 52.225-13 Restriction on Certain Foreign Purchases, applies to this acquisition.

Proposals are due promptly Monday, August 3, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. EST to Luz Casey, Program Specialist, by email Luz.Casey@nih.gov. Please reference NIH-PCA-NINDS-05708 on all correspondence.