Presol_NOTICE OF INTENT to Sole Source - AutoMate- Final.docx

NOTICE OF INTENT TO SOLE SOURCE

SOLICITATION NUMBER:

75N95023Q00405

TITLE:

2 (two)Patch clamp amplifiers

CLASSIFICATION CODE:

DA10 - IT AND TELECOM - BUSINESS APPLICATION/APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT SOFTWARE AS A SERVICE

NAICS CODE:

541512- Computer Systems Design Services

RESPONSE DATE:

7/7/2023

PRIMARY POINT OF CONTACT:

Shivani Patel, Contracts Specialist NINDS Contracts Management Branch, NIDA Shivani.patel@nih.gov

DESCRIPTION:

THIS IS A PRE-SOLICITATION NOTICE OF INTENT TO AWARD ON A SOLE SOURCE BASIS. THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR QUOTE/PROPOSALS.

The purpose of this requirement is to acquire, two new 1550B patch clamp amplifiers for electrophysiology and pharmacological experiments. The Digidata 1550B and pClamp 11 software suite are used extensively by NINDS in many experiments. The software and equipment were damaged in the flood at NIH Building 35 in December 2022.

NIH intends to award on a sole-source basis to AutoMate Scientific, Inc.

NORTH AMERICAN INDUSTRY CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM (NAICS) CODE and SET ASIDE STATUS

The intended procurement is classified under NAICS code 541512 with a Size Standard of $30M.

This acquisition is NOT set aside for small businesses.

REGULATORY AUTHORITY

The resultant contract will include all applicable provisions and clauses of the Federal acquisition Regulation (FAR) in effect through the Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2022-08, dated 9/26/2022.

BACKGROUND, PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES OF REQUIREMENT

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is an agency of the Department of Health and Human Services and the Federal focal point for health research. Its mission is to seek fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems and apply that knowledge to enhance health, lengthen life, and reduce illness and disability.

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), The Laboratory of Circuits, Synapses, and Molecular Signaling (LCSMS) studies fundamental issues of synaptic transmission, neuronal excitability, neuromodulation, and neural circuit activity using animal models (principally, the mouse). A major line of research employs patch clamp electrophysiology, fluorescence imaging, and optogenetic stimulation in brain slices. For this research, the LCSMS requires two (2) low-noise patch clamp amplifiers, suitable for single channel recording and whole cell patch recording from neurons in brain slices. The amplifiers must also be compatible with extracellular recording.

CONTRACTING WITHOUT PROVIDING FOR FULL OR OPEN COMPETITION (INCLUDING BRAND-NAME) DETERMINATION

The Axon Digidata1550B is the only digitizer that works with pCLAMPTM 11 Software for data acquisition and analysis. This hardware and software are routinely used by NINDS for acquiring and analyzing electrophysiological activity and is essential for its’ electrophysiology experiments. Market research has indicated that there is only vendor that sells this hardware and software together.

As there is no viable alternative source, the Government intends to issue an award on a sole-source basis to the following contractor:

AutoMate Scientific, Inc.

812 Page St, Berkeley, CA 94710

Contract Type:

A firm-fixed price type contract is planned for this acquisition, consistent with commercial practices.

CLOSING STATEMENT

THIS NOTICE OF INTENT TO AWARD ON A SOLE-SOURCE BASIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR COMPETITIVE PROPOSALS. However, interested parties may identify their interest and capability to respond to this notice.

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. All responsible sources may submit a capability statement, proposal, or quotation which shall be considered by the agency. 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.

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. All responses must provide evidence that they can provide equipment that meets all of the requirements in this announcement.

All responses must be received by 7/7/2023 by 5:00 PM EST and must reference the solicitation number, 75N95023Q00405. Responses must be submitted electronically to Shivani Patel, Contracts Specialist, Contracts Management Branch – Red, NINDS Section, NIDA, at Shivani.patel@nih.gov. U.S. Mail and Fax responses will not be accepted.