Notice of Intent.pdf

PRESOLICITATION NOTICE/Notice of Intent to Sole Source

Agency: U.S. Department of Commerce Operating Unit: National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Notice Type: Pre-solicitation Notice/Notice of Intent to Sole Source

Point of Contact

Contracting Officer: Donald Graham Address:

U.S. Department of Commerce National Institute of Standards and Technology Acquisition Management Division (AMD) 100 Bureau Drive Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899

Telephone: 301-975-6753 Email: donald.graham@nist.gov

Codes for Services or Supplies

Product Service Code (PSC): J066

NAICS Code: 811210 – Electronic & Precision Equipment Repair & Maintenance

Description

Description of Supplies or Services

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), U.S. Department of Commerce, anticipates procuring an Illumina Maintenance & Service Agreement.

The contractor will be required to provide a maintenance & service plan inclusive of remote technical support to ensure the MiSeq i100 (SN SH00843) system, a vital instrument for maintaining the mission, in Complex Microbial Systems Groups (CMSG) labs operate effectively. CMSG must ensure instrumentation is functioning properly and that the group has access to repairs by Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) certified engineers when needed in a timely manner such as to not interrupt or compromise the measurement process and ensure proper functionality of the instrumentation.

Instrument Repairs

• All repairs must result in the proper function and usability of each instrument;

• Should the instruments or computers malfunction at any time within the contract period all costs associated with parts (including lasers), labor, travel, reagents and consumables shall be the responsibility of the contractor;

• Repairs shall be performed on-site at NIST at Gaithersburg, MD campus by OEM certified technicians Monday through Friday, between 8:30am and 5:00pm except for Federal Holidays;

• OEM parts must be used for all repairs.

• If a part or the equipment needs to be repaired off-site, the Contractor shall be responsible for all packaging, shipping and transportation costs as well as liability for the shipment from and to NIST Gaithersburg;

• Upon completion of a service call and after each visit, a member of CMSG technical staff will meet with the contractor to discuss the status of the instrument;

• Response times for service and repairs will be as follows:

o Initial response to call for service – phone contact within 24 hours;

o On-site repair and/or evaluation – within five (5) business days of phone contact; & o Repairs shall be completed within one week of initial on-site evaluation

Instrument Controller Maintenance and Repairs

• The Contractor shall maintain and repair Illumina specified computers that serve as instrument controllers;

• The Contractor shall provide access to and install firmware updates to ensure optimal performance of all instrumentation;

• The Contractor shall install, or if NIST technical personnel can install the upgrades without compromising system performance make available for installation, all software upgrades for the purposes of instrument optimization not later than 60 days after any such upgrade is released;

• If contractor installation is necessary to ensure proper performance, prior to completion of the installation, the contractor shall test the equipment, review the equipment’s performance, and take necessary steps to ensure the equipment is functioning in accordance with the manufacturers’ specifications;

• All instrument controller repairs must result in the proper function and usability of each instrument.

Customer Support Services

• The Contractor shall provide direct phone and e-mail access to instrument and applications technical support Monday through Friday 8:30am to 5:00pm with a 24-hour response time to inquiries;

• The Contractor shall provide Field Applications support providing advice and troubleshooting for library preparation and instrument applications. Support will be provided Monday through Friday 8:30am to 5:00pm via phone, email or on-site visits with a 48-hour phone response time to inquiries.

Procedures for Award and Anticipated Award Date

The Government anticipates awarding the contract using Simplified Acquisition Procedures in accordance with applicable Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) requirements.

The anticipated contract type is Firm-Fixed Price.

The anticipated award date is September 2026

Noncompetitive Contract Action

The Government intends to negotiate a contract on a noncompetitive basis with Illumina Inc. in accordance with RFO Part 12-102(a).

The anticipated contract action is noncompetitive because market research indicates there are no alternative sources that are capable of meeting the requirements of the Statement of Work. Illumina is the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) of the MiSeq i100 (SNSH00843) for maintenance and repair. Illumina has no third party resellers and does not train third party vendors to perform the maintenance. Illumina Inc. is the sole source for repairs, parts, software updates, and reagent replacement for hardware failures and technical support for the MiSeq i100.

The Government does not anticipate soliciting other sources.

Responsible sources that believe they can satisfy the Government's requirement may submit information demonstrating their capability to provide the required supplies or services to the Contracting Officer at the address/email identified in this notice.

Additional Acquisition Information

Estimated Period of Performance: September 2026 – September 2031

Place of Performance: The primary location of performance is the NIST Gaithersburg campus, 100 Bureau Drive, Gaithersburg, MD 20899.

Important Notice

This pre-solicitation notice is not a request for proposals, quotations, or bids unless expressly stated otherwise. The Government is providing this notice to inform interested parties of its anticipated acquisition and to facilitate appropriate business planning. The Government reserves the right to modify the anticipated acquisition strategy, requirements, estimated value, contract type, solicitation schedule, or any other aspect of the acquisition.

Graham, Donald E. (Fed) I don’t understand this section, needs to be rewritten for clarity