SOW_BD.pdf

STATEMENT OF WORK (SOW)

A. BACKGROUND INFORMATION

The VRC at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) conducts research that facilitates the development of effective AIDS vaccines. Activities include: 1) basic research to establish mechanisms of inducing long-lasting protective immunity against infectious diseases (e.g., HIV, Influenza, Ebola, SARS, COVID, malaria, zika and Respiratory Syncytial Virus) and other pathogens that present special challenges to vaccine development, 2) the conception, design, and preparation of vaccine candidates for infectious diseases (e.g., HIV, Influenza, Ebola, SARS, COVID, malaria, zika and Respiratory Syncytial Virus), and

3) laboratory analysis, animal testing, and clinical trials of such candidates. The VRC actively promotes the development, efficacy testing, and marketing of vaccines and the development of new methodologies and training opportunities that will benefit studied infectious diseases (e.g., HIV, Influenza, Ebola, SARS, COVID, malaria, zika and Respiratory Syncytial Virus) by the vaccine researcher staff. The potential scientific advances, methodologies, and resources also provide the basis for research on vaccines for other diseases.

The VRC has included all BD flow cytometers since the inception of this facility in 2000. This allows the flow cytometry core to produce the precision and reproducibility of data throughout this time (2000-present). It is critical to maintain this high level of precision and reproducibility of data and to ensure the operating software is consistent with the analysis tools currently used by all researchers at the VRC.

Therefore, to maintain this continuity and high level of advanced research it is imperative that we maintain the highest level of engineering services, which are supplied by BD. The optical bench alone is a proprietary and integral part of the functional operation of these instruments, substitutions cannot be made and in some cases these sections need to be upgraded and/or replaced. These parts and knowledge or service requirements can only by the BD technical engineers.

The work in infectious diseases (e.g., HIV, Influenza, Ebola, SARS, COVID, malaria, zika and Respiratory Syncytial Virus) involves advanced immunological procedure to include the T cell and B cell compartments of the immune system. In these systems it is critical to monitor and understand the mechanisms of immune escape from adaptive B cell or T cell immunity. In some cases, this involves the viral epitope mutation, which is a major obstacle to the development of vaccines that aim to elicit cellular immunity. In COVID and in HIV research the study of neutralizing antibodies is a key component if vaccine development and is huge part of the Flow Cytometry Core mission. The Flow Cytometry Core Laboratory operates under good laboratory practices within the VRC structure and works in close association with all other Immunology Laboratories in advancing and improving ways of measuring immune responses to vaccines. The practical consequences of our findings support vaccine strategies for understanding and monitoring protective immunity to elicit the best and most robust response to infectious diseases.

B. PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this acquisition is to provide a service agreement for five (5) FACSymphony A5 Flow Cytometers and twenty-five various lasers manufactured by Becton, Dickinson, and Company (BD).

Attached to the FACSymphony A5 Flow Cytometers are High throughput Systems (HTS). Research support is provided five (5) days per week to researchers at the Vaccine Research Center (VRC), and to collaborators campus wide. Each of the instruments support multiple experiments each day, and each instrument is fully utilized. Due to the heavy usage of the various BD instruments, they must be repaired, recalibrated, and returned to operation as soon as possible after failure. If systems were put out of action due to lack of maintenance or mechanical failure, the ability of the investigators in the VRC to conduct their research would be severely compromised. These unique parts and system integrity are required to maintain the highest quality of these instruments. To this end, the VRC requires a service agreement in place in the event an instrument should fail tolerances and are required by a service engineer. In addition, the service agreement provides a complete preventive maintenance program, which have proven to be the most efficient and reliable method to maintain research data quality.

C. SCOPE

The contractor shall perform preventive, remedial maintenance and repair services to maintain the equipment in good working condition in accordance with the equipment manufacturer's specifications.

D. CONTRACTOR REQUIREMENTS

a) The Contractor shall provide service coverage for the BD FACSymphony A5 that includes the following:

• parts, labor, and travel for remedial repair,

• 2 Preventative Maintenance Inspections to be performed during twelve-month period,

• 2 Preventative Maintenance Kits,

• Software Revisions released during the period of performance,

• Unlimited service visits, Monday-Friday,

• 48 hour-guaranteed response to a request for emergency on-site service Monday- Friday,

• Under this Agreement, CUSTOMER will be billed at the prevailing hourly rate for labor and travel for service provided on weekends and holidays, minimum 4 hours labor and travel combined, and

• Unlimited telephone support for instruments, reagents, and applications will be provided at no additional charge.

E. CONTRACTOR SUPPLIED MATERIALS

The Contractor shall provide all necessary parts and equipment necessary to perform repair and planned maintenance of the above equipment.

F. GOVERNMENT FURNISHED MATERIALS

Government furnished materials are not provided under this contract.

G. REPORTING REQUIREMENT AND DELIVERABLES

Technical support and remedial repair as needed and annual preventative maintenance.

H. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE AND TIMELINE

The period of performance is July 1, 2023 – June 30, 2024

I. INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

a) All work will be inspected and approved by a VRC representative at the completion of any repairs and at the completion of the annual maintenance.

b) All work will be completed in accordance with industry standards.