Sources Sought Notice.pdf

SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE

1. Solicitation Number: 75N95024Q00139

2. Title: Maintenance and Service for Leica Stellaris 8 Confocal Microscopy

System

3. Classification Code: 6640

4. NAICS Code: 811310 – Commercial and Industrial Machinery and Equipment

Repair and Maintenance

5. Size Standard: 8 million

6. Description:

This is a Small Business Sources Sought notice for GSA contract holders. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations.

The purpose of this notice is to obtain information regarding: (1) the availability and capability of qualified small business sources; (2) whether they are small businesses; HUBZone small businesses; service-disabled, veteran-owned small businesses; 8(a) small businesses; veteran-owned small businesses; woman-owned small businesses; or small disadvantaged businesses; (3) their size classification relative to the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for the proposed acquisition; and (4) availability of domestic sources manufactured in the United States in sufficient and reasonably available commercial quantities and of a satisfactory quality.

For equipment/supply requirements, responses must include the place of manufacturing (i.e. address if supply/equipment is a domestic end product and include country of manufacture). For equipment/supply requirements, small businesses must also address the size status of the manufacturer under the applicable NAICS code (i.e. address Non-Manufacturer Rule).

Your responses to the information requested will 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 notice is issued to help determine the availability of qualified companies technically capable of meeting the Government requirement and to determine the method of acquisition. It is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government to issue a solicitation or ultimately award a contract. Responses 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 research and information purposes only.

This is a Sources Sought notice. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. The purpose of this notice is to obtain information regarding the availability and capability of all qualified sources to perform a potential requirement.

This notice is issued to help determine the availability of qualified companies technically capable of meeting the Government requirement, to determine the method of acquisition, and availability of domestic sources manufactured in the United States in sufficient and reasonably available commercial quantities and of a satisfactory quality. It is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government to issue a solicitation or ultimately award a contract. Responses 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 research and information purposes only. Small businesses are encouraged to respond.

For equipment/supply requirements, responses must include the place of manufacturing (i.e. address if supply/equipment is a domestic end product and include country of manufacture). For equipment/supply requirements, small businesses must also address the size status of the manufacturer under the applicable NAICS code (i.e. address Non-Manufacturer Rule).

Background:

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the nation’s leading medical research agency and the primary Federal agency whose mission is to seek fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems and the application of that knowledge. The mission of the NIH also includes enhancing health, lengthening life, reducing illness and disability, conducting, supporting and making medical discoveries that improves and saves people’s health and lives.

The mission of the NINDS Molecular Neurobiology Section (MNS) is to identify the signaling pathways important for neural regeneration after injury. The lab currently uses mouse olfactory epithelium, which has robust regenerative capacity, as a model for neural regeneration. A primary approach to understanding mechanisms of neural regeneration is to observe, using a confocal microscope, the expression and localization of specific genes and proteins labeled with fluorescent tags in sections of animal tissue.

The confocal microscope system described here allows the MNS to observe specific genes and proteins in the olfactory epithelium of mice before and after injury. In addition, it will allow for the evaluation of transgenic mice containing fluorescent reporters.

The Leica Stellaris 8 Confocal Microscopy System provides state of the art imaging capabilities that are required for the investigations ongoing in the NINDS Molecular Neurobiology Section, Ngai laboratory. The system requires routine preventative maintenance. This contract will ensure minimal downtime due to hardware and/or software malfunction. Additionally, the contract is required in order to maintain this research equipment in operable condition and prevent costly repairs. The Leica Stellaris 8 Confocal Microscopy System and software in this lab is the critical component in the carrying out the lab’s mission.

Purpose and Objectives:

The purpose of this requisition is a maintenance and service contract that shall cover maintenance of the government owned Leica Stellaris 8 Confocal Microscopy System and software located in the NINDS Molecular Neurobiology Section.

Project requirements:

Contractor shall provide all labor and replacement parts to maintain normal operation of the existing Leica confocal microscope Stellaris 8. Service shall be provided between the hours of 7 am and 6 pm, Bethesda, MD local prevailing time, Monday through Friday, unless indicated otherwise as follows:

• Contractor to provide all labor, material and equipment to provide preventive maintenance for government owned Leica confocal microscope Stellaris 8 (serial #8300000413), located in the Porter Neuroscience Research building, Room 2B-307, 35 Convent Drive. Maintenance services shall be performed in accordance with manufacturer’s standard commercial maintenance practices.

• Contractor shall provide phone support from a certified technician within 1 business day and on-site service within 3 business days after it is determined that the problem cannot be resolved through phone support.

• Preventive Maintenance: Contractor shall provide maintenance services and monitor this equipment’s performance to proactively maintain and monitor this equipment’s performance. Planned maintenance inspections are included to assure peak performance and reproducibility, and minimize costly down time. Service shall be performed by technically qualified factory trained personnel. Service shall consist of a thorough cleaning, calibration, adjustment, inspection, lubrication and testing of all equipment in accordance with the manufacturer's latest established service procedures.

• Included is 1 planned maintenance inspection per year, with labor, travel and replacement repair parts covered.

• Unlimited on-site repairs, including replacement for service parts, components, or modules necessary for repairs (excluding lasers, unless quoted separately)

•Prioritized on-site response time for remedial services (critical repairs)

• Unlimited access to Technical Support Center (standard working hours)

• 2-hour telephone call back

• Unlimited access to Remote Services (RemoteCare proactive monitoring)

• 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.

• Service Exclusions: The Contractor shall not be responsible for any repairs necessitated by abuse, neglect, vandalism, Acts of God, fire or water. These repairs shall be the subject of a separate purchase order and shall not be performed under this contract.

• Personnel Qualifications: Personnel shall be thoroughly trained according to Leica’s standard practices.

• Place of performance: Service shall be performed on the above listed equipment at the following location: The Porter Neuroscience Research building, Room 2B-307, 35 Convent Drive, Bethesda MD 20852.

Service shall be performed by a factory trained Field Service representative. Service shall consist of, but not limited to, examination of all functioning parts, replacement, or repair of worn or unserviceable parts, adjustment and calibration made with the expressed intent of maintaining the instrument to the manufacturer’s original specifications. When necessary, this includes complete dismantling, parts replacement, reassembly, and thorough testing and adjusting.

Anticipated period of performance:

Base Year - 02/22/2024 through 02/21/2025 Year One - 02/22/2025 through 02/21/2026 Year Two - 02/22/2026 through 02/21/2027 Year Three - 02/22/2027 through 02/21/2028 Year Four - 02/22/2028 through 02/21/2029

Other important considerations:

In case domestic sources are available and capable of fulfilling the Government’s need, and a future solicitation is published, the Government will use evaluation preferences in accordance with FAR 25.

Capability statement /information sought.

Companies that believe they possess the capabilities to provide the required products or services should submit documentation of their ability to meet each of the project requirements to the Contracting Officer. The capability statement must specifically address each of the project requirements separately. Additionally, the capability statement should include 1) the total number of employees, 2) the professional qualifications of personnel as it relates to the requirements outlined, 3) any contractor GSA Schedule contracts and/or other government-wide acquisition contracts (GWACs) by which all of the requirements may be met, if applicable, and 4) any other information considered relevant to this program. Capability statements must also include the Company Name, Unique Entity ID from SAM.gov, Physical Address, and Point of Contact Information. The response must include the respondents’ technical and administrative points of contact, including names, titles, addresses, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail addresses.

Interested companies are required to identify their type of business, applicable North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code, and size standards in accordance with the Small Business Administration. The government requests that no proprietary or confidential business data be submitted in a response to this notice.

However, responses that indicate the information therein is proprietary will be properly safeguarded for Government use only. Capability statements must include the name and telephone number of a point of contact having authority and knowledge to discuss responses with Government representatives. Capability statements in response to this market survey that do not provide sufficient information for evaluation will be considered non-responsive. When submitting this information, please reference the solicitation notice number.

One (1) copy of the response is required and must be in Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF format using 11-point or 12-point font, 8-1/2” x 11” paper size, with 1” top, bottom, left and right margins, and with single or double spacing.

The information submitted must be in and outline format that addresses each of the elements of the project requirement and in the capability statement /information sought paragraphs stated herein. A cover page and an executive summary may be included but is not required.

The response is limited to ten (10) page limit. The 10-page limit does not include the cover page, executive summary, or references, if requested.

The following information shall be included on the first page:

1. Name of Company

2. GSA Contract No.

3. DUNS No./CAGE Code

4. Street Address, City, State, Zip code

5. Name of Person Authorized to Provide Quote

6. Telephone Number and Email Address of Person Authorized to Provide Quote

All responses to this notice must be submitted electronically to the Contract Specialist and Contracting Officer. Facsimile responses are NOT accepted.

The response must be submitted to Shayna Simpson, Contract Specialist at e-mail address Shayna.Simpson@nih.gov.

The response must be received on or before Thursday, February 8, 2024, 10:00 AM, Eastern Time.

“Disclaimer and Important Notes: This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in response. The Government reserves the right to use information provided 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, a presolicitation synopsis and solicitation may be published in www.sam.gov. However, responses to this notice will not be considered adequate responses to a solicitation.

Confidentiality: No proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included in your response. The Government reserves the right to use any non-proprietary technical information in any resultant solicitation(s).”