Annual Service Contract for NextSeq 550 Instrument

INTRODUCTION
THIS IS A PRE-SOLICITATION NON-COMPETITIVE (NOTICE OF INTENT) SYNOPSIS TO AWARD A CONTRACT OR PURCHASE ORDER WITHOUT PROVIDING FOR FULL OR OPEN COMPETITION (INCLUDING BRAND-NAME).

The National Institutes of Health, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), Office of Acquisitions (OA) on behalf of the on behalf of the National Institute of Digestive, Diabetes & Kidney Diseases intends to award a purchase order without providing for full and open competition (Including brand-name) to ILLUMINA INC for an Annual Service Contract for NextSeq 550 Instrument. 

NORTH AMERICAN INDUSTRY CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM (NAICS) CODE
The intended procurement is classified under NAICS code 811219 with a Size Standard of $22.0.

REGULATORY AUTHORITY
The resultant contract will include all applicable provisions and clauses in effect through the Federal Acquisition Circular 2022-04 Effective January 30, 2022.

This acquisition is conducted under the procedures as prescribed in FAR subpart 13—Simplified Acquisition Procedures at an amount not exceeding the simplified acquisition threshold ($250,000).

STATUTORY AUTHORITY
This acquisition is conducted under the authority of 41 U.S.C. 253(c) under provisions of the statutory authority of FAR Subpart 6.302- FAR 6.302-1—Only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements 41 U.S.C. 253(c)(1).

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE
Base Year:  04/30/2022 - 04/29/2023
Option Year 1:  04/30/2023 - 04/29/2024
Option Year 2:  04/30/2024 - 04/29/2025
Option Year 3:  04/30/2025 - 04/29/2026
Option Year 4:  04/30/2026 - 04/29/2027
        
Place of Performance
National Institutes of Health 
National Institute of Digestive, Diabetes & Kidney Diseases 
8 Center Drive
Bethesda, MD 20892  
 

DESCRIPTION OF REQUIREMENT

The National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) has a requirement to obtain services to maintain the operation of DNA sequencing instruments located in Building 8 on the NIH Bethesda Main Campus. The NIDDK Genomics Core Laboratory provides next-generation sequencing (NGS) services for the entire Institute. The NextSeq 550 sequencing instrument is used to provide those services. Continuous operation of the instrument is essential to our user base. As such, the Genomics Core Laboratory requires a maintenance contract to minimize disruptions to the NGS service provided for the Institute.
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PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES

The objective of this request is to procure a base plus four (4) option years NextSeq 550 Silver Support plan for the NextSeq 550 instrument (S/N: NB552189). The vendor will provide a qualified technician to perform maintenance as needed on the Illumina NextSeq 550. The service plan includes all parts, labor, and replacement parts.

SALIENT / REQUIRED FEATURES AND SPECIFICATIONS
Illumina NextSeq 550 Silver Support Plan for functional instrument operation at original manufacturer’s specifications.

TASKS AREAS
Independently, and not as an agent of the Government, the contractor shall perform all of the detailed Task Areas listed below:

Task Area 1 – Remote Technical Support will provide a response with four hours of a request; there is a two-business day on-site response.

Task Area 2 – The instruments where work will be performed are in the NIDDK Genomics Core Facility located in Building 8, Room 1A11 on the NIH Bethesda Main Campus.

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

The determination by the Government to award a contract without providing for full and open competition is based upon the market research conducted as prescribed in FAR Part 10—Market Research.  Only one source is available: Per FAR 13.106-1(b)(1) the Contracting Officer has determined OZGENE PTY LTD to be the only reasonable available source to provide services for the Generation of THRB-Cre-ERT2 Knock-In Mouse.   

This acquisition was pursued on a sole source basis centered on the following. Illumina, Inc. is the manufacturer and sole authorized service provider for the NextSeq 550 sequencing instrument. 

CLOSING STATEMENT
This synopsis is not a request for competitive proposals. However, interested parties may identify their interest and capability to respond to this notice. Responses to this notice shall contain sufficient information to establish the interested parties’ bona-fide capabilities for fulfilling the requirement and include: descriptive literature, delivery timeframe, warranties and/or other information that demonstrates that the offer meets all the foregoing requirements, 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.”

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. 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.

All responses to this notice shall be submitted electronically by 9:00 am Eastern Standard Time, on Wednesday, March 30, 2022 to the Contract Specialist, Amber Harris, at amber.harris@nih.gov .

Assessment of Capability
Lowest Price Technically Acceptable