Sources Sought_75N91021Q00030.pdf

Title: Small Business Sources Sought for Maintenance Services of Gatan Imaging Filter (GIF) Quantum LS and its Associated Instrumentation

Document Type: Sources Sought

Reference Number: 75N91021Q00030

Posted Date: 02/23/2021

Response Date: 03/04/2021

Classification Code: J066 – Maintenance, Repair, and Rebuilding of Equipment

Instruments and Laboratory Equipment

NAICS Code: 811219 – Other Electronic and Precision Equipment Repair and

Maintenance

Contracting Office Address:

Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute, Office of Acquisitions, 9609 Medical Center Drive, Room 1E136, Rockville, MD

20892, UNITED STATES.

Description:

This is a Small Business Sources Sought Notice for a maintenance services requirement. This notice is for information and planning purposes only. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals or quotations and shall not be construed as an obligation on the part of the Government.

The purpose of this Sources Sought Notice is to identify qualified small business concerns, including 8(a), HUBZone or Service-Disabled Veteran-owned business concerns, that are interested in and capable of performing the work described herein. Responses to this notice will not be considered as proposals or quotes. No award will be made as a result of this notice. The Government will NOT be responsible for any costs incurred by the respondents to this notice.

This notice is strictly for market research and information purposes only. The responses to this notice shall be used to assist the Government in determining the appropriate acquisition method, including whether a set-aside is possible. An organization that is not considered a small business under the applicable NAICS code should not submit a response to this notice. This requirement is assigned North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code 811219 – Other Electronic and Precision Equipment Repair and Maintenance and the business size standard is $22 million.

As a result of this Sources Sought Notice, the Government may issue a Request for Quotation (RFQ) through beta.SAM.gov. THERE IS NO SOLICITATION AVAILABLE AT THIS TIME. However, should such a requirement materialize, no basis for claims against the Government shall arise as a result of a response to this Sources Sought Notice or the Government’s use of such information as either part of our evaluation process or in developing specifications for any subsequent requirement.

The purpose of this requirement is to purchase commercially available maintenance services for the government-owned Gatan Imaging Filter (GIF) Quantum LS and its associated instrumentation for the Laboratory of Cell Biology (LCB) within the Center for Cancer Research (CCR) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Cancer Institute (NCI).

BACKGROUND

The National Cancer Institute (NCI), Center for Cancer research (CCR), Laboratory of Cell Biology (LCB) owns a Gatan Imaging Filter (GIF) Quantum LS and Gatan K2 digital camera used for high-resolution electron microscopy. These instruments acquire high-quality images of biological specimens including cells, viruses, and protein complexes at high resolution. The GIF Quantum LS, which is equipped with the Gatan K2 digital camera, produces ultra-high clarity and low noise images of biological specimen at high magnification. The Gatan K2 digital camera detects and records electrons instead of light with unprecedented sensitivity and precision. It played a major role in the recent breakthrough in cryo electron microscopy solving protein structure at atomic resolution.

SCOPE

The Contractor shall provide all labor, material and equipment necessary to provide preventive maintenance and emergency service for the following government-owned equipment:

• one (1) Gatan Imaging Filter (GIF) Quantum LS Model Number: Quantum 967 Serial Number: SP.025964

• one (1) Gatan K2 digital camera Model Number: K2-Summit Serial Number: 14041701W1000

PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE

The Contractor shall perform one (1) annual preventive maintenance inspection (PMI) during each 12-month performance period. Services shall be performed by technically qualified Gatan factory-trained personnel or service providers authorized by Gatan. Service shall consist of a thorough cleaning, calibration, adjusting, inspection, and testing of all equipment in accordance with the manufacturer’s latest established service procedures. All equipment shall be operationally tested through at least one (1) complete operating cycle at the end of the preventive maintenance inspection to assure optimum and efficient performance. Fees for labor, travel, and preventative maintenance replacement components shall be included at no additional cost to the Government. Reports indicating the work performed shall be issued to the NCI Technical Point of Contact (TPOC) within five (5) business days of service in an electronic format, such as Word or as a PDF.

EMERGENCY SERVICE

On-site, emergency repair service visits shall be provided on an unlimited basis during each 12-month performance period at no additional cost to the government. Emergency service shall be provided by Gatan factory-trained personnel or service providers authorized by Gatan during normal working hours, 8AM to 6PM EST, Monday through Friday excluding Federal Holidays.

Emergency service requests shall be made via telephone to Technical Support. Emergency service calls shall not replace the necessity for planned preventative maintenance. Costs for all labor, travel, and OEM parts shall be included. Reports indicating the work performed shall be issued to the TPOC within five (5) business days of service in an electronic format, such as Word or as a PDF.

SUPPORT

The Contractor shall have the capability to provide remote, online/telephone support. During standard business hours and extended hours, the Contractor shall provide telephone, email, and web-access technical support for troubleshooting the equipment, at no additional cost to the Government. Upon receipt of notice that any part of the equipment is not functioning properly, the Contractor shall provide same-day telephone support within normal working hours to resolve the issue. If the issue cannot be resolved over the phone then qualified Gatan factory-trained personnel or service providers authorized by Gatan shall be dispatched to arrive onsite within 24 hours of notice to inspect the equipment and perform all repairs and adjustments, or order parts, necessary to restore the equipment to normal and efficient operating condition.

REPLACEMENT PARTS

The Contractor shall furnish all required replacement parts, with the exception of consumable parts, at no additional cost to the Government. Parts, including cables, digizier, processors, and control computer components, shall be certified OEM parts that are new or remanufactured to original equipment manufacturer specifications. Parts will be delivered within 24 hours, or the next business day should the request fall on a Friday or a day preceding a Federal Holiday.

SOFTWARE UPDATES/SERVICE

In the event that OEM software updates are available, the Contractor shall provide Software Service and all critical/non-critical firmware upgrade/updates/maintenance releases in accordance with the manufacturer’s latest established service procedures, to include remote access (email and telephone) to technical support for use of program software and troubleshooting of the operating systems, at no additional cost to the Government. The Contractor shall receive advance approval for the installation of all software updates and revisions from the Government. Defective software shall be replaced/re-installed at no additional cost to the government.

SERVICE EXCLUSIONS

The Contractor shall not be responsible for any repairs necessitated by abuse, neglect, vandalism, Acts of God, fire or water.

PERSONNEL QUALIFICATIONS

Personnel shall have a minimum of three (3) years in-the-field experience with Gatan Imaging Filters, along with up-to-date Gatan factory-training. Only technically qualified, factory-trained personnel shall perform service to the Gatan Imaging Filter (GIF) Quantum LS and associated components. All primary service personnel shall have at least one backup support person with at least the same level of expertise on the equipment. Upon request, the Contractor shall provide a copy of the certificate of service personnel that will be performing the work.

PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

Onsite services shall be performed at the following location:

NIH, NCI, Laboratory of Pathology, Flow Cytometry Unit 9000 Rockville Pike Bethesda, MD 20892

Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, the Contractor must pay close attention to all instructions from the Technical Point of Contact (TPOC) regarding building access. Please be aware that due to the fluidity of the existing pandemic, instructions may be updated as needed.

HOW TO SUBMIT RESPONSES:

1. Page Limitations:

Interested qualified small business organizations should submit a tailored capability statement for this requirement not to exceed 10 single sided pages including all attachments, resumes, charts, etc. (single spaced, 12 point font minimum) that clearly details the ability to perform the requirements of the notice described above. All proprietary information should be marked as such. Responses should include a minimum of two pages demonstrating experience over the past two years meeting the requirements of this notice. Statements should also include an indication of current certified small business status; this indication should be clearly marked on the first page of your capability statement (preferably placed under the eligible small business concern’s name and address). Responses will be reviewed only by NIH personnel and will be held in a confidential manner.

2. Due Date:

Capability statements are due no later than 3:00PM EST on March 4, 2021.

3. Delivery:

The statement of capabilities and any other information furnished must be in writing and must contain material in sufficient detail to allow the NCI to determine if the party can perform the requirement. All responses and questions must be in writing and emailed to Lena Lee, Contract Specialist, via electronic mail at lena.lee@nih.gov. Information received will be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a small business set-aside. No collect calls will be accepted. In order to receive an award, Contractors must be registered and have valid, current Entity Record, including current Representations and Certifications, in the System for Award Management (SAM) through SAM.gov. Reference: 75N91021Q00030 on all correspondence.

mailto:lena.lee@nih.gov

DISCLAIMER AND IMPORANT NOTES:

This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the preparation of any information submitted. The Government reserves the right to use information provide by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine the organization’s qualifications to perform the work. Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted. After a review of the responses received, an RFQ may be published on beta.SAM.gov. However, responses to this notice will not be considered adequate responses to a solicitation.