D_RFQ_SF18_NIHDA201800450.doc

Solicitation No. NIHDA201800450

Standard Form 18, Request for Quotation (RFQ)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PART I – INSTRUCTIONS

ARTICLE 1 – General …………………………………………………………………….2

ARTICLE 2 - Quote Submission …………………………………………………………3

ARTICLE 3 - Socio-Economic Small Business Set-Aside Program …………………3

ARTICLE 4 - Price Reductions …………………………………………………………..3 ARTICLE 5 - Evaluation of Quotes and Award Determination ……………………….3 ARTICLE 6 - Evaluation Criteria …………………………………………………………4

ARTICLE 7 – Period of Performance/Delivery ………………………………………….5

ARTICLE 8 - Price Quote ………………………………………………………………

ARTICLE 9 - Technical Approach / Plan ………………………………………….....….5 ARTICLE 10 - Quote Packaging and Delivery Instructions ……………………..…….6

PART II: CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION ……………………………………………………

PART III: PURCHASE DESCRIPTION / SPECIFICATIONS / SCOPE OF WORK / STATEMENT OF WORK ……………………………………………………………………………………….….11 Standard Form 18, Request for Quotation (RFQ)

PART I – INSTRUCTIONS

ARTICLE 1 – General

This request for quote is issued in accordance with the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) Part 13 – Simplified Acquisition Procedures.

This request for quote does not commit the Government to pay any cost incurred in the submission of quotes or make necessary studies or designs for the preparation thereof, nor to procure or contract for the articles or services. It is also brought to your attention that the Contracting Officer is the only individual who can legally commit the Government to the expenditure of public funds in connection with this proposed acquisition. Any other commitment, either explicit or implied, is invalid.

In addition to the clauses/provision of this request for quote, the resultant purchase order shall include any clauses/provisions required by Public Law, Executive Order, or acquisition regulations, in effect at the time of execution of the award.

Responses’ to this RFQ are not to be considered an offer that can be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. The actual purchase order award is considered the offer by the Government to the contractor and the contractor's written acceptance of the purchase order, or the commencement of performance under the purchase order, is the contractor's indication of their acceptance of the offer.

THE GOVERNMENT RESERVES THE RIGHT TO MAKE AN AWARD WITHOUT FURTHER DISCUSSIONS OF THE QUOTES RECEIVED. THEREFORE, IT IS IMPORTANT THAT THE QUOTE IS INITIALLY SUBMITTED ON THE MOST FAVORABLE TERMS FROM BOTH THE TECHNICAL AND COST STANDPOINTS.

All communications must be directed to the attention of the Contract Specialist / Contracting Officer.

All documents and deliverables described in this RFQ and amendments or modifications, shall be submitted in a professional manner and on the prime contractor's letterhead. All work (hardware, software and services) will be Year 2000 Compliant.

ARTICLE 2 - Quote Submission

Responses to this RFQ are due on September 7, 2018 at 4:00 PM Eastern Standard Time.

The Contractor must submit with their quote the following:

· Cost-Price Quote

· Technical Specifications or Technical Plan, if applicable;

· Dun and Bradstreet Number (DUNS); and

· Verification of System for Award Management (SAM) Registration www.sam.gov.

ARTICLE 3 - Socio-Economic Small Business Set-Aside Program

1. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this requirement is 334516 and the size standard is 1000 employees.

2. This requirement contains no set-aside restrictions.

ARTICLE 4 - Price Reductions

Vendors are expected to propose pricing that is fair and reasonable and should consider offering price reductions which are guided by the complexity, scope and estimated value of the requirement.

ARTICLE 5 - Evaluation of Quotes and Award Determination

1. The Government will evaluate all responses received on using the evaluation criteria set forth in the article titled: “Evaluation Criteria” equally weighted.

2. Each quote will be evaluated in strict conformity with the evaluation factors, utilizing written critiques. The evaluation will be based upon the demonstrated capabilities of the prospective contractor in relation to the needs of the project as set forth in the RFQ and will use an adjectival evaluation scheme based on the following ratings:

_Excellent; _Good; _Acceptable; _Marginal; _Unacceptable; _Neutral

3. The price quoted will also be evaluated taking into consideration any price reductions, the level of effort and the mix of labor proposed to perform the task(s) being ordered. A price reasonable determination will be made and a best value analysis will be performed. The best value analysis will take into consideration the results of the technical evaluation, price evaluation, and the ability to complete the work within the Government's required schedule. The analysis will document that the award represents the lowest overall cost alternative (considering price, special features, administrative costs, etc.) to meet the Government’s needs. The Government reserves the right to issue an order to the best value of the Government, technical merit, price, and other factors considered.

4. All aspects of a quote are subject to discussion, including price, technical approach and terms and conditions. At the completion of discussions, the contractor will ensure his technical plan and price quote reflects the mutual understandings of the requirement and if requested, submit a revised technical plan and price quote to the Contracting Officer. The technical plan should consist of the contractor’s intent and approach to this particular effort, any considerations that should be made by the government, as well as any additional information that expresses the Contractor’s position above others for this effort.

5. The Government may request clarifying information from the schedule contractor, as it relates to its quote.

6. If an award will be made without conducting discussions, schedule contractors may be given the opportunity to clarify certain aspects of their quote or to resolve minor or clerical errors.

7. The Government reserves the right to make a single award, multiple awards, or no award at all as a result of the RFQ. In addition, the RFQ may be amended or canceled as necessary to meet the Government’s requirements.

ARTICLE 6 - Evaluation Criteria Technical Evaluation Criteria

1. Technical Approach

a. Understanding of the work, including creativity and thoroughness shown in understanding the objectives of the SOW and planned execution of the project.

b. Evidence of specific methods and techniques for completing each discrete task, to include such items as quality assurance, customer-service and other performance metrics as detailed in the RFQ.

c. Ability to address anticipated potential problem areas, and creativity and feasibility of solutions to problems and future integration of new processes and technology enhancements.

d. Degree to which the offerors quote demonstrates an understanding of logistics, schedule, and any other miscellaneous issues in which the Government should be aware.

e. Quality and effectiveness of the allocation of personnel and resources.

2. Organizational Experience

a. Evidence that the organization has current capabilities; and for assuring performance of this requirement.

b. Appropriate mix and balance of education and training of team members.

c. The organizations history of successful completion of projects; history of producing high-quality reports and other deliverables; history of staying on schedule and within budget.

d. The quality of cooperation between key individuals within your organization and with your clients.

e. The organization’s specific past performance on prior similar efforts specified within this SOW; vendor shall highlight and provide reference for previous work and experience with specific laboratory needs similar to this requirement.

ARTICLE 7 - Period of Performance/Delivery Date All deliverables shall be delivered to the Client in one (1) set no later than 120 days after receipt of an order. A Fixed-Price type of Purchase Order contract is anticipated to be awarded as a result of this requirement.

ARTICLE 8 - Price Quote The Vendor shall submit a price quote with the following:

1. Unit fixed-price

2. Total fixed-price proposed

3. All other relevant information and documentation that the item(s) quoted meets the salient physical, functional, or performance characteristics as specified in the purchase description, brand name or equal description, or brand name only description.

ARTICLE 9 - Technical Approach / Plan

1. Instructions

The Contractor must submit a technical plan and price quote for this requirement to the Contract Specialist / Contracting Officer cited herein.

The total number of pages, (combination of technical plan and price quote) must not exceed 25 pages in length, excluding resumes. The Contractor shall submit its quote electronically in a “read only” format.

A detailed work plan must be submitted indicating how each aspect of the requirement is to be accomplished. Your technical approach should be in as much detail as you consider necessary to fully explain your proposed technical approach or method. The technical plan should reflect a clear understanding of the nature of the work being undertaken. The technical plan must include information on how the project is to be organized, staffed, and managed. Information should be provided which will demonstrate your understanding and management of important events or tasks.

Plans which merely state that the tasks will be conducted in accordance with the requirements of the Government's scope of work will not be eligible for further consideration. The schedule contractor must submit an explanation of the proposed technical approach in conjunction with the deliverables to be provided in achieving the project objectives.

The technical plan shall include:

· Technical Approach of how the work will be performed.

· Facilities and /or resources used.

2. Technical Plan Format The suggested outline for the technical plan is as follows:

a. Work Scope

b. Objectives. State the overall objectives and the specific accomplishments you hope to achieve. Indicate the rationale for your plan, and relationship to comparable work in progress elsewhere. Review pertinent work already published which is relevant to this project and your proposed approach. This should support the scope of the project as you perceive it.

c. Approach. Discuss the possible or probable outcome of approaches proposed.

d. Methods. Describe in detail the methodologies you will use for the project, indicating your level of experience with each, areas of anticipated difficulties, and any unusual expenses you anticipate.

e. Schedule. Provide a schedule for completion of the work and delivery of items specified in the statement of work. Performance or delivery schedules shall be indicated for phases or segments, as applicable, as well as for the overall program. Schedules shall be shown in terms of calendar months from the date of authorization to proceed or, where applicable, from the date of a stated event, as for example, receipt of a required approval by the Contracting Officer. Unless the request for quotes indicates that the stipulated schedules are mandatory, they shall be treated as desired or recommended schedules. In this event, Plans based upon the schedule contractor's best alternative schedule, involving no overtime, extra shift or other premium, will be accepted for consideration.

f. Personnel. Describe the experience and qualifications of personnel who will be assigned for direct work on this project. Information is required which will show the composition of the task or work group, its general qualifications, and recent experience with similar equipment or programs.

ARTICLE 10 - Quote Packaging and Delivery Instructions

The quote must be submitted in accordance with Part I - "Instructions.”

PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION CAREFULLY:

Responses to the Request for Quote are due on the specified closing date at local prevailing time. The response must be submitted in a “read-only” electronic format via e-mail to the Contract Specialist citing the RFQ number and the name of firm in the subject line. In the event that an electronic copy cannot be submitted, a print copy must be received by the due date and addressed in accordance with the instructions below.

The external package marking of the print copies, shall be marked with the RFQ Number cited in block 1 on the SF18 Request for Quotation.

RFQ packages shall be delivered only via electronic format to Mr. Hunter Tjugum, Contract Specialist, at hunter.tjugum@nih.gov.

PART II

CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION

Price and Costs

The total estimated amount of this contract shall not exceed $<to be specified>.

1.

Contact Points Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) / Project Officer (PO):

A COR shall be appointed at time of award.

Contract Specialist:

Hunter Tjugum, Contract Specialist

6001 Executive Blvd

Room 3157, NSC, SSSA, NIDA, NIH

Rockville, MD 20852

Telephone Number: 301-827-5304

Email Address: hunter.tjugum@nih.gov

Contracting Officer:

To be specified The Vendor’s primary contact after award will be with the COR/PO, who will provide information, clarifications to the requirement, and answer questions. All correspondence, letters, reports, and other deliverables will be submitted to the COR/PO for acceptance.

The Contracting Officer (CO) is the only person with authority to act as agent of the Government. Only the CO has authority to: (1) direct or negotiate any changes; (2) modify or extend the period of performance; (3) change the delivery schedule; (4) authorize reimbursement to the Contractor any costs incurred during the performance; or (5) otherwise change any terms and conditions of the award.

2.

Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR)/Project Officer (PO) A COR/PO shall be appointed at time of award.

The COR is responsible for: (1) monitoring the Contractor's technical progress, including the surveillance and assessment of performance and recommending to the Contracting Officer changes in requirements; (2) interpreting the statement of work and any other technical performance requirements; (3) performing technical evaluation as required; (4) performing technical inspections and acceptances required by this contract; and (5) assisting in the resolution of technical problems encountered during performance.

The Contracting Officer is the only person with authority to act as agent of the Government under this contract. Only the Contracting Officer has authority to: (1) direct or negotiate any changes in the statement of work; (2) modify or extend the period of performance; (3) change the delivery schedule; (4) authorize reimbursement to the Contractor for any costs incurred during the performance of this contract; or (5) otherwise change any terms and conditions of this contract.

The Government may unilaterally change the COR designation.

3. Invoice and Payment Provisions (2/2014)

The following clause is applicable to all Purchase Orders, Task or Delivery Orders, and Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) Calls: Prompt Payment (Jul 2013) FAR 52.232-25. Highlights of this clause and NIH implementation requirements follow:

I Invoice Requirements A. An invoice is the Contractor's bill or written request for payment under the contract for supplies delivered or services performed. A proper invoice is an "Original" which must include the items listed in subdivisions 1 through 12, below, in addition to the requirements of FAR 32.9. If the invoice does not comply with these requirements, the Contractor will be notified of the defect within 7 days after the date the designated billing office received the invoice (3 days for meat, meat food products, or fish, and 5 days for perishable agricultural commodities, dairy products, edible fats or oils) with a statement of the reasons why it is not a proper invoice. (See exceptions under II. below.) Untimely notification will be taken into account in the computation of any interest penalty owed the Contractor.

1. Vendor/Contractor: Name, Address, Point of Contact for the invoice (Name, title, telephone number, e-mail and mailing address of point of contact).

2. Remit-to address (Name and complete mailing address to send payment).

3. Remittance name must match exactly with name on original order/contract. If the Remittance name differs from the Legal Business Name, then both names must appear on the invoice.

4. Invoice date.

5. Unique invoice #s for all invoices per vendor regardless of site.

6. NBS document number formats must be included for awards created in the NBS: Contract Number; Purchase Order Number; Task or Delivery Order Number and Source Award Number (e.g., Indefinite Delivery Contract number; General Services Administration number); or, BPA Call Number and BPA Parent Award Number.

7. Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) or DUNS + 4 as registered in the Central Contractor Registration (CCR).

8. Federal Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN). In those exceptional cases where a contractor does not have a DUNS number or TIN, a Vendor Identification Number (VIN) must be referenced on the invoice. The VIN is the number that appears after the contractor’s name on the face page of the award document.

9. Identify that payment is to be made using a three-way match.

10. Description of supplies/services that match the description on the award, by line billed.*

11. Freight or delivery charge must be billed as shown on the award. If it is included in the item price do not bill it separately. If identified in the award as a separate line item, it must be billed separately.

12. Quantity, Unit of Measure, Unit Price, Extended Price of supplies delivered or services performed, as applicable, and that match the line items specified in the award.*

* NOTE: If your invoice must differ from the line items on the award, please contact the Contracting Officer before submitting the invoice. A modification to the order or contract may be needed before the invoice can be submitted and paid.

B. Shipping costs will be reimbursed only if authorized by the Contract/Purchase Order. If authorized, shipping costs must be itemized. Where shipping costs exceed $100, the invoice must be supported by a bill of lading or a paid carrier's receipt.

C. Mail an original and 1 copy of the itemized invoice to:

National Institutes of Health

Office of Financial Management, Commercial Accounts

2115 East Jefferson Street, Room 4B-432, MSC 8500

Bethesda, MD 20892-8500

For inquiries regarding payment call: (301) 496-6088

D. In order to facilitate the prompt payment of invoices, the vendor must submit an electronic copy of the invoice to the “Consignee” designated for the acquisition in blocks 6A – 6E of the face page of the Order/Award document at NIDASSSAPurchaseRequ@mail.nih.gov

II.

Invoice Payment A. Except as indicated in paragraph B., below, the due date for making invoice payments by the designated payment office shall be the later of the following two events:

1.

The 30th day after the designated billing office has received a proper invoice.

2.

The 30th day after Government acceptance of supplies delivered or services performed.

B.

The due date for making invoice payments for meat and meat food products, perishable agricultural commodities, dairy products, and edible fats or oils, shall be in accordance with the Prompt Payment Act, as amended.

III.

Interest Penalties

A.

An interest penalty shall be paid automatically, if payment is not made by the due date and the conditions listed below are met, if applicable.

1.

A proper invoice was received by the designated billing office.

2.

A receiving report or other Government documentation authorizing payment was processed and there was no disagreement over quantity, quality, or contractor compliance with an term or condition.

3.

In the case of a final invoice for any balance of funds due the contractor for supplies delivered or services performed, the amount was not subject to further settlement actions between the Government and the Contractor.

B. Determination of interest and penalties due will be made in accordance with the provisions of the Prompt Payment Act, as amended, the Contract Disputes Act, and regulations issued by the Office of Management and Budget.

IV. PROVIDING ACCELERATED PAYMENT TO SMALL BUSINESS SUBCONTRACTORS, FAR 52.232-40 (December 2013)

a. Upon receipt of accelerated payments from the Government, the Contractor shall make accelerated payments to its small business subcontractors under this contract, to the maximum extent practicable and prior to when such payment is otherwise required under the applicable contract or subcontract, after receipt of a proper invoice and all other required documentation from the small business subcontractor.

b. The acceleration of payments under this clause does not provide any new rights under the prompt Payment Act.

c. Include the substance of this clause, include this paragraph c, in all subcontracts with small business concerns, including subcontracts with small business concerns for the acquisition of commercial items. (End of Clause)

In order to facilitate the prompt payment of invoices, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, Station Support Contracts and Simplified Acquisition Branch request the Contractor / Vendor to submit an electronic copy of the invoice to the “Consignee” designated for the acquisition in blocks 6A – 6E of the face page of the Order/Award document.

4. FAR Clauses incorporated as attachments:

52.213-4, Terms and Conditions--Simplified Acquisitions (Other Than Commercial Items). (JUL 2018)

PART III – PURCHASE DESCRIPTION / SPECIFICATIONS

/ SCOPE OF WORK / STATEMENT OF WORK

SCOPE OF WORK

Title of Project: Generation and acquisition of 4000 custom 1536-Well NC Membrane Assay Plates.

Project Purpose or Objectives:

NCATS is in need of specific custom High Throughput Screening (HTS) Nitrocellulose (NC) Membrane Assay Plates for our 1536-well assays. This plate has been developed at NCATS for immunochemical and other array-based assays and is not commercially available. NCATS is currently using it for the development of reverse phase protein array (RPPA) assays but is also considering additional experimental applications. This requirement seeks a contractor to perform a custom-build of this plate and generate a large number of them for NCATS to use in multiple projects, thereby streamlining NCATS protocols.

The NC membrane plate prototype must meet certain user criteria, and must be compatible with all transport, storage, and robotic subsystems and components of the current in-house HTS systems. This NC membrane plate prototype is compatible with the 1536-well automation and instrumentation currently in use at NCATS.

Background Information:

The National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) was officially established in fiscal year 2012 to transform the translational science process so that new treatments and cures for disease can be delivered to patients faster. NCATS, one of 27 Institutes and Centers (ICs) at NIH, strives to develop innovations to reduce, remove or bypass costly and time-consuming bottlenecks in the translational research pipeline in an effort to speed the delivery of new drugs, diagnostics and medical devices to patients.

Various programs and labs within NCATS have been given the directive to perform different types of high throughput screens to evaluate some biological activity and to potentially develop new therapeutics or therapeutic combinations in some cases or in others to determine the relative toxicity of chemical compounds under test. To do this, a biological experiment is performed in the presence of hundreds of thousands of chemical compounds at various concentrations, requiring that millions of samples be tested for each experiment. This requires that these experiments be run in a high density well plate, to both minimize the total reagent volume used per experiment and to facilitate lesser total plates be used to perform an entire assay. Typically, one experiment might consist of screening 500,000 compounds at 5 different total concentrations for a total of 2,500,000 samples. If this experiment is run using a 1536 well plate, meaning 1536 samples can be tested at a time, this requires nearly 1650 plates. The only way to accomplish handling this many well plates for an experiment is high throughput screening (HTS), which requires a high degree of robotic automation.

Over the past 10 years, NCATS has made a substantial investment in HTS systems; the two most active systems at the center are the Kalypsys Primary Screening system that was put into service in 2005 and the Tox21 Robotic Screening system that was put into service in 2007. Each of these systems requires the use of well plates, with the plate type to be used determined by the type of experiment being run. A white assay plate is typically used for a luminescence based experiment, while a black plate is used for a fluorescence based experiment. All plates used must be compatible with the HTS systems present at NCATS. Vendor’s plates must have been verified to be compatible with our systems.

This requirement is to obtain contractor-generated custom nitrocellulose (NC) membrane plates to be used on multiple robotic screening systems currently in use in NCATS in addition to the traditional wet lab research conducted for assay optimization and validation. Multiple labs within the institute have been given the directive to screen, identify, and distribute to the research community small molecule compounds, and data on their activities, to accelerate translation research of the completed human genome into advancements in human health. Components of NCATS include a repository of up to 500,000-1,000,000 chemical compounds, assay development capacity, robotic compound HTS screening, medicinal chemistry to transform ‘hits’ identified by HTS into workable chemical probes, chem-informatics capacity for data mining and virtual screening; and distribution capacity to efficiently disseminate the reagents to the biomedical research community.

SCOPE OF WORK

General Requirements:

Independently and not as an agent of the Government, the Contractor shall furnish all the necessary services, qualified personnel, material, equipment, and facilities, not otherwise provided by the Government as needed to achieve the following specific requirements.

Project Requirements:

NCATS is in need of development, manufacture and delivery of 4,000 nitrocellulose membrane plates. They will be fabricated using three elements:

1. A 1536-well plate with no bottom element

2. Adhesive applied to well field top wall in the form of double sided sticky tape.

3. Nitrocellulose membrane (75mm X 110mm) applied to top surface of plate with adhesive providing bonding means to the well frame it is disposed upon.

The plate assay area must be capable of immobilizing a nitrocellulose membrane the same size as, or slightly larger, than the total well field on standard 1536-well assay plates using liquid or aerosol adhesive, double-sided adhesive tape, or other physical methods (sonic welding). The membrane is fully immobilized onto the plate frame top surface to give rigidity to the membrane and minimize distortion of the membrane material during spotting, blotting, washing and detection imaging development. The plate assay area must be a smooth top surface capable of providing a fixture to apply the nitrocellulose membrane securely to the top surface, and must be the same size or slightly larger than the total well field on standard 1536-well assay plates (75mm X 110mm).

The plate shape and dimensions are identical to normal high- or low-base 1536-well assays plates and will be compatible with plate storage and plate mobility (e.g. plate carousels, Kalypsys robotic arms), liquid handling (e.g. EDC Biosystems ATS), and reader/data acquisition instrumentation (e.g. Typhoon FLA 9500, Odyssey CLx, ViewLux, Envision) that are currently utilized at NCATS.

The nitrocellulose membrane plate must be capable of receiving small volumes of biological liquids in 384- and 1536-well array format (2.5nL – 1uL) using methods that include dispensing by acoustic droplet ejection or transfer by pin- or tip-based liquid handling instrumentation. The membrane blotting protocol conditions require immersion in fluids for extended periods of time. This aspect was tested thoroughly to show that the membrane remained fully bonded during the protocol steps.

The 1536-well plate must have the same footprint as a standard 96-well microplate to be adaptable to the existing UHTS robotic systems. The plate contains a membrane that is adhered to the frame of the 1536 wells, providing an open area under each well location for spotting of proteins and biomolecules onto the solid support.

1. Incubators, plate carousels, High Resolution and Kalypsys robotic arms, storage hotels

2. Liquid handling (e.g. EDC Biosystems ATS)

3. Reader/data acquisition instrumentation (e.g. Typhoon 9500, Odyssey CLx, ViewLux, Envision) currently utilized at NCATS

4. The current imaging method is placing the plates/membranes face down and using laser scanning instrumentation such as the GE Typhoon 9500 or Odyssey CLx. The preferred imaging method will involve automation-compatible readers such as the top-reading instruments ViewLux and Envision.

Essential features of plate size and dimensions follow:

a. The plates must conform to the size and dimensions of normal 384- and 1536-well assay plates currently in use to enable its compatibility with plate storage and handling, liquid handling, and reader/data acquisition currently utilized at NCATS

b. The plates should be barcoded using a method that is resistant to 24 hours of agitation in 1X TBS-T (50mM Tris-HCl pH 7.4, 150mM NaCl, 0.1% Tween-20)

c. The plate bottom support onto which the nitrocellulose membrane will be immobilized should be clear to enable visualization of spotting during transfer of liquid onto the plate using acoustic droplet ejection.

d. The nitrocellulose membrane should be pure nitrocellulose membrane and not “supported nitrocellulose membrane”

e. The nitrocellulose is cut to 75mm X 110mm and covers completely the well field.

f. The nitrocellulose membrane must have a maximum pore size of 0.45µm

g. Current source of nitrocellulose membrane: GE Amersham Protran Premium 0.45µm Nitrocellulose Membrane, 300mm x 4m 1 roll/pack.

h. The nitrocellulose membrane must be immobilized with liquid adhesive, double-sided adhesive tape or other physical methods that do not leach chemicals or background signal onto the nitrocellulose membrane

i. For physical immobilization methods, the nitrocellulose membrane must be mounted in a manner that withstands the inversion and dispensing process that occurs during acoustic droplet ejection by keeping the membrane stationary/in contact with the plate bottom support

j. The adhesive used must not fluoresce in far-red or near-infrared spectral ranges

k. The adhesive used must not dissolve or degrade nitrocellulose when used in the quantity needed for this application

l. The adhesive used must withstand a minimum of 24 hours in 1X TBS-T buffer with agitation (50mM Tris-HCl pH 7.4, 150mM NaCl, 0.1% Tween-20)

m. The nitrocellulose surface should contain the highest percentage of nitrocellulose obtainable to maximize binding capacity

n. The nitrocellulose surface should be as homogeneous across the plate as possible to minimize variability

o. The nitrocellulose surface used must not fluoresce in far-red or near-infrared spectral ranges

p. The nitrocellulose surface used must withstand a minimum of 24 hours in 1X TBS-T buffer with agitation (50mM Tris-HCl pH 7.4, 150mM NaCl, 0.1% Tween-20)

The COP material used to construct the 1536-well plate frame should be chemically inert, show low thermal deformation, be resistant to sterilization procedures, and be dimensionally stable. It should also minimize electrostatic effects. This may include the use of graphite-based polymers for electrical grounding or other electrostatic discharge methods. It should be of low autofluorescence black pigment to minimize background during detection and imaging of the NC membrane surface. The COP plastic will not be surface treated with RF microwave plasma.

Each 1536-well plate will be tracked in UHTS via its barcode label. The barcode shall be on a white label, one inch by 0.25 inches in dimension. There shall be a unique Code-128 barcode preprinted on the label. The label will be attached on the leading edge of the 1536-well plate (short edge) that faces the barcode readers in each UHTS subsystem.

The manufacturing process will occur in a clean room environment with special hoods and fixtures to enable dust free assembly of the NC membrane plate. Currently, the two key components of the product are brought together on the manufacturing line in a laminar hood (1536 COP frames and properly cut NC membrane in a stack separated by clean lint free sheet material).

GOVERNMENT RESPONSIBILITIES

The Government will deliver all design requirements, protocols and test requirements needed for fabrication of custom plate to the successful contractor after receipt of any contract resulting from this solicitation.

DELIVERY OR DELIVERABLES

4,000 each 1536-Well NC Membrane Assay Plates, Barcoded, with plate lids

REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

All electronic concerns or progress reports should be delivered to NCATS via email.

TRAVEL

No travel cost shall be incurred by the contractor nor reimbursed by the Government.

KEY PERSONNEL

N/A

Confidentiality of Information:

Contractor will keep the details of the fabrication confidential.

DATA RIGHTS

NCATS shall have unlimited rights to and ownership of all deliverables provided under this contract, including reports, recommendations, briefings, work plans and all other deliverables. This includes the deliverables provided under the basic contract and any optional task deliverables exercised by the contracting officer. In addition, it includes any additional deliverables required by contract change. The definition of “unlimited rights” is contained in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 27.401, “Definitions.” FAR clause 52.227-14, “Rights in Data-General”, is hereby incorporated by reference and made a part of this contract/order.

Technical Evaluation / Selection Criteria (Trade-Off) The Government will award a contract resulting from this solicitation to the responsible offeror whose offer conforming to the solicitation will be most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered. Price is an unscored component. Technical Evaluation criteria when combined are significantly more important when compared to price. Each quotation will be evaluated in strict conformity with the evaluation factors, utilizing written critiques.

The evaluation will be based upon the demonstrated capabilities of the prospective contractor in relation to the needs of the project as set forth in the RFQ and will use an adjectival evaluation rating scheme based on the following responses:

Excellent (Risk level: Very low); Good (Risk level: Low); Acceptable (Risk Level: Neutral); Marginal (Risk level: High); Unacceptable (Risk level: Very high).

The following factors shall be used to evaluate offers, listed in order of relative importance:

· Technical Approach

· Understanding of the work, including creativity and thoroughness shown in understanding the objectives of the SOW and planned execution of the project.

· Evidence of specific methods and techniques for completing each discrete task, to include such items as quality assurance, customer-service and other performance metrics as detailed in the RFQ.

· Ability to address anticipated potential problem areas, and creativity and feasibility of solutions to problems and future integration of new processes and technology enhancements.

· Degree to which the offerors quote demonstrates an understanding of logistics, schedule, and any other miscellaneous issues in which the Government should be aware.

· Quality and effectiveness of the allocation of personnel and resources.

· Organizational Experience

· Evidence that the organization has current capabilities; and for assuring performance of this requirement.

· Appropriate mix and balance of education and training of team members.

· The organizations history of successful completion of projects; history of producing high-quality reports and other deliverables; history of staying on schedule and within budget.

· The quality of cooperation between key individuals within your organization and with your clients.

· The organization’s specific past performance on prior similar efforts specified within this SOW; vendor shall highlight and provide reference for previous work and experience with specific laboratory needs similar to this requirement.