noi.pdf

07/18

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

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 (INCLUDING BRAND-NAME).

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), Office of Acquisitions (OA) on behalf of the National Institute of Arthritus and Musculoskelteal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) intends to negotiate and award a Purchase Order without providing for full and open competition to Williams Newcomb for Electron Microscopy and X-Ray Crystallographer Services.

NORTH AMERICAN INDUSTRY CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM (NAICS) CODE

The intended procurement is classified under NAICS code 541990 with a Size Standard of $15 Million.

REGULATORY AUTHORITY

The resultant contract will include all applicable provisions and clauses in effect through the Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2021-05 Effective March 10, 2021.

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).

STATUTORY AUTHORITY

This acquisition is conducted under the authority of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 13—Simplified Acquisition Procedures, Subpart 13.106-1 (b) (1), Soliciting from a single source and is not expected to exceed the simplified acquisition threshold.

Contracts awarded using FAR Part 13—Simplified Acquisition Procedures are exempt from the requirements of FAR Part 6—Competition Requirements.

DESCRIPTION OF REQUIREMENT

Tite: Electron Microscopy and X-Ray Crystallographer Services

Background The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the nation’s medical research agency—making important discoveries that improve health and save lives. The mission of the National

Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) is to support research into the causes, treatment, and prevention of arthritis and musculoskeletal and skin diseases; the training of basic and clinical scientists to carry out this research; and the dissemination of information on research progress in these diseases. The Protein Expression Lab (PEL) in the Intramural Research Program (IRP) of the National Institutes of Arthritis is committed to a comprehensive program of innovative scientific research into the structure and assembly of macromolecular complexes including, in particular, viral capsids, that requires specialized assistance from the Contractor in the preparation, manipulation, and analysis of capsids by electron microscopy and other biophysical techniques. The PEL requires the services of a Contractor with demonstrated experience and skills in handling and analyzing capsids of herpes simplex virus, and related proteins and protein complexes via microscopy techniques and x-ray crystallography. The Contractor will report to the Chief of the PEL and will interact on a collaborative basis with other members of the PEL.

Purpose and Objectives The National Institute of Arthritus and Musculoskelteal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) seeks the services of a contractor to work closely with the Chief and other staff, including fellows, staff scientists and collaborating scientists, in imaging projects that deal with electron microscopy, computational image processing, and x-ray crystallography. The Contractor will be involved in generating preparations of purified viral particles and sub- viral particles and viral proteins for structural analysis.

Period of Performance Base Year: May 14, 2021 - May 13, 2022 Option Year 1: May 14, 2022 - May 13, 2023 Option Year 2: May 14, 2023 – May 13, 2024

Project Description The Contractor shall perform the following tasks:

1. Prepare fresh and structurally homogeneous preparations of viral protein complexes.

2. Prepare HBV and HIV viral related complexes intended for structural studies by cryo-EM and X-Ray crystallography.

3. Prepare virions depleted of their envelopes and designated tegument components as well as such particles to which other proteins have been specifically bound;

4. Isolate the 336-kDa viral protein UL36 and study its structure by EM;

5. Isolate complexes of UL36 with other viral proteins - UL37, UL17 and UL25. Map their binding sites;

6. Advise and assist in crystallization project(s) of the triplex complexes of herpes simplex and other herpesviruses using electron microscopy, computational image processing, and x-ray crystallography.

7. Enter purchase requests and re-stock supplies for the laboratory.

8. Monitor and maintain contracts for laboratory equipment.

General/Personnel Requirements:

The candidate must have the following credentials/experiences:

• Master's Degree in Microbiology with extensive experience (25+ years) working with Herpes Simplex, Adenovirus, Vesicular Stomatitis Virus, Bovine Papilloma virus, SV40, T-4, Lambda phage viruses

• Extensive working experience (25+ years) with growth, isolation and characterization of sub-viral structures, extraction and purification of viral and plasmid, preparations of the procapsid of herpes simplex virus and virions, isolation of viral proteins, mapping of binding sites, and crystallization of herpes simplex triplex complexes;

• Extensive working experience (25+ years) with electron tomography, electron microscopy, computational image processing, fluorescence microscopy and x-ray crystallography;

• Extensive experience (25+ years) with microscopy techniques such as negative and positive staining, thin section analysis, immuno-electron microscopy, fine platinum shadowing of DNA and protein complexes, preparation of carbon coated grids;

• Extensive experience (25+ years) with biochemistry techniques such as sucrose gradient ultracentrifugation, column chromatography, Fast Protein Liquid Chromatography (anion, cation and size exclusion FPLC);

• Extensive experience (25+ years) with molecular biology techniques such as immunoprecipitation, western blotting, tissue culture (Vero, Hela, L cells, BHK, and insect cells), DNA, characterization of monoclonal antibodies, epitope identification techniques and use of radioisotopes, metabolic and enzymatic labeling of proteins, DNA and RNA;

• Extensive experience (25+ years) operating and maintaining needed equipment, such as freezers, refrigerators, centrifuges, incubators, tissue culture equipment, power supplies, gel and immunoblotting equipment, water baths, pH meters, balances, electron microscopes, spectrophotometers, and equipment for chromatography;

• Strong communications skills, both oral and written;

• Excellent organizational and time management skills.

Deliverables:

Upon request, the contractor shall provide documentation evidence of any and/or all work product, including, but not limited to, the following tasks:

• Work products and documents related to preparations of the procapsid of herpes simplex virus and virions

• Work products and documents related to isolation of viral proteins UL36, UL37, UL17 and UL25

• Work products and documents related to UL36 structure by EM and map of binding sites of UL37, UL17 and UL25

• Work products and documents related to recommendations and assistance in crystallization project(s) of the triplex complexes of herpes simplex and other herpesviruses

• Work products and documents related to electron tomography, electron microscopy, computational image processing, and x-ray crystallography experiments

• Work products and documents related to the purchase of supplies and tracking and maintaining contracts for laboratory equipment

CONTRACTING WITHOUT PROVIDING FOR FULL OR OPEN COMPETITION

(INCLUDING BRAND-NAME) DETERMINATION

The determination by the Government to award a contract without providing for full and open competition is based upon the market research conducted as prescribed in FAR Part 10—The incumbent contractor’s candidate is uniquely qualified to perform the required services due his extensive knowledge and experience in the structure and assembly of macromolecular complexes including, particularly in, viral capsids. The incumbent contractor’s candidate is familiar with the cohorts in the various lab techniques and equipment.

The requires specialized experience in the preparation, manipulation, and analysis of capsids by electron microscopy and other biophysical techniques will require 3 to 4 years, to properly train a new candidate to be at similar proficiency to the incumbent and will cost NIAMS thousands of dollars. In addition to the cost, lack of familiarity and expertise with specific lab techniques and equipment, will result in delays and inconsistencies in the labs programs and that will affect Protein Expression Lab (PEL)’s missions and NIAMS mission as a whole.

CLOSING STATEMENT

This synopsis is not a request for competitive proposals. However, interested parties may identify their interest and capability to respond to this notice. Responses to this notice shall contain sufficient information to establish the interested parties’ bona-fide capabilities for fulfilling the requirement and include: unit price, list price, shipping and handling costs, the delivery period after contract award, the prompt payment discount terms, the F.O.B. Point (Destination or Origin), the Dun & Bradstreet Number (DUNS), the Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN), and the certification of business size. All offerors must have an active registration in the System for Award Management (SAM) www.sam.gov.”

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 responses must be received by May 5, 2021 1200 noon EST. Responses must be submitted via the FedConnect webportal (www.fedconnect.net). Potential Offerors do not need to register to view a notice; however, in order to submit questions and/or response to this Notice, an account will need to be established. Should you require a waiver not to use FedConnect, please contact the Contracting Officer listed in this notice.

“All responsible sources may submit a bid, proposal, or quotation which shall be considered by the agency.”

http://www.sam.gov/ http://www.fedconnect.net/