Assorted cell culture medium, substrate and supplements

This is a Small Business Sources Sought (SBSS) notice. 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; and (3) their size classification relative to the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for the proposed acquisition. 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 and type of qualified Small Business companies technically capable of meeting this potential 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. The notice is strictly for research and information purposes only.

The information requested will assist the Government in determining the appropriate acquisition method including small business socio-economic set-aside possibilities and to determine the availability of qualified Small Business companies technically capable of meeting the Government's potential requirement. All Small Business companies with the capability and availability to perform the requirement under the applicable NAICS code are invited to submit a response to this notice.

NORTH AMERICAN CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM (NAICS) CODE
The NAICS code applicable to this requirement is 334516 Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing with size standard 1,000 employees.

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 to enhance health, lengthen life, and reduce illness and disability. The National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) is a translational science center whose mission is to catalyze the generation of innovative methods and technologies that will enhance the development, testing and implementation of diagnostics and therapeutics across a wide range of human diseases and conditions.

The Division of Pre-Clinical Innovation (DPI) at NCATS plans, conducts and uses both internal and contract resources to advance collaborative research projects across the pre-clinical phases of the translational science spectrum. To establish and move stem cell technologies forward through a more centralized effort, NCATS has launched the Stem Cell Translation Laboratory (SCTL) within the DPI. SCTL scientists work to perform deep profiling of complex cell populations with high-throughput digital gene expression analysis of individual cells

Purpose and Objectives
The purpose of this potential acquisition is to obtain assorted cell culture medium, substrate and supplements on a Brand-Name-or-Equal basis to the items identified herein produced by Life Technologies Corporation, located at 3175 Staley Road, Grand Island, New York 14072, for the SCTL.

The SCTL has performed rigorous studies of a variety of stem cell culture systems using the stem cell culture system, assorted cell culture medium, substrate and supplements, manufactured by Life Technologies Corporation to support NCATS projects. This has included stem cell pluripotency maintenance, multi-lineage differentiation and 3-D culture. Any cell culture media used in this context must meet specific measurements of purity and consistency from batch to batch to provide consistent cell growth and viability. Numerous batches of cells have been grown using these consumables resulting in predictable growth of successful assays conducted at NCATS. These cell culture system consumables will allow SCTL scientists to study the molecular mechanisms regulating stem cell pluripotency and their multi-lineage differentiation capabilities, with a focus on defining optimum culture conditions for maintaining pluripotent stem cells and their conversion to homogeneous and mature population of differentiated cells.

Project Requirements
Offerors submitting a response to this Small Business Sources Sought notice shall possess the ability to achieve the essential government features specified herein. Products offered must include those salient physical, functional, or other characteristics of the items identified in this notice that are manufactured by Unchained Labs and deemed essential in meeting the government's needs.
Specifically, the following are considered essential features of this potential requirement:
1. Xeno-free and feeder-free medium specially formulated for the growth and expansion of human pluripotent stem cells (PSCs)
2. Support for iPSC growth >50 passages without any signs of karyotypic abnormalities
3. Maintenance of iPSCs ability to differentiate into all three germ line lineages
4. Reduction of cell variability compared to existing feeder-free culture media

Products offered must be essentially equal to the high-throughput mass spectrometer described in this solicitation, which specifically includes the following manufacturer item, catalog number, unit and quantity:
Essential 6 Medium Kit A1516401 500 ml 150
Essential 8 Medium Kit A1517001 500 ml 225
N2 Supplement, CTS, 5ml A1370701 5 ml 210
DPBS, 10 x 500 ml 14040182 10 x 500 ml 6
B-27 Supplement, w/o Vit A (50x), 10 ml 12587010 10 ml 210
RHVTN-N (RUO), 0.5 mg A14700 0.5 mg 1200
RHLaminin-521, 10x A29249 1 mg 15
DPBS, 10 x 500 ml 14190250 10 x 500 ml 30
Geltrex, HESC Qual, RTU, 50 ml A1569601 50 ml 270
B-27 Minus Insulin, 50 x, 10 ml A1895601 10 ml 270
DMEM/F-12, GlutaMAXTM supplement 10565042 10 x 500 ml 30
B-27 Supplement, 10 ml 17504044 10 ml 270
Stempro Accutase, 100 ml A1110501 100 ml 120
RPMI 1640, 500 ml 22400089 500 ml 120
Distilled Water, (Ultrapure), 10 x 500 ml 10977023 10 x 500 ml 15
Stemflex Medium Combo Kit A3349401 500 ml 120

Contractors submitting a response to this Small Business Sources Sought notice shall possess the ability to achieve the salient government essential features of this potential requirement. Specifically, Offerors to this Small Business Sources Sought notice shall document evidence of being able to provide the subject supply that will allow for the essential features described herein to be accomplished.

Delivery/Warranty
Offerors must indicate an estimated delivery time in full after receipt of an order and any other training or warranty or software licenses applicable. Delivery will occur within staggered segments throughout the 12-month contract period. A fixed-price contract is anticipated. Inspection and acceptance will be performed at NCATS located at 9800 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, MD 20852.

CAPABILITY STATEMENTS/INFORMATION SOUGHT
Interested parties are expected to review this notice to familiarize itself with the requirements of this project. Failure to do so will be at your firm's own risk.

Respondents must provide, as part of their response: (a) product, catalog, model, and/or part number(s); (b) product description; (c) all relevant information and documentation that the item(s) offered meets the salient physical, functional, or performance characteristics as specified in this announcement; (d) quantity; (e) shipping, handling, and/or installation instructions, and/or any special delivery conditions after receipt of an order.

Respondents that believe that they are manufacturers or authorized re-sellers of the equipment specified in this announcement must provide, as part of their response: (a) product, catalog, model, and/or part number(s); (b) product description; (c) all relevant information and documentation that the item(s) offered meets the salient physical, functional, or performance characteristics as specified in the purchase description; (d) quantity; (e) estimated price or cost; (f) shipping, handling, and/or installation charges; and delivery date after receipt of order.

The respondent must also provide their DUNS number, organization name, address, point of contact, and size and type of business (e.g., 8(a), HubZone, etc.) pursuant to the applicable NAICS code and any other information that may be helpful in developing or finalizing the acquisition requirements.

The information submitted must be in outline format that addresses each of the elements of this requirement. A cover page and an executive summary may be included but is not required.
The response is limited to ten (10) pages. The 10-page limit does not include the cover page, executive summary, or references, if requested.

The response must include the respondents' technical and administrative points of contact, including names, titles, addresses, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail addresses.
Respondents must reference the subject announcement number on all correspondence related to this Small Business Sources Sought notice. The response must be submitted to Hunter Tjugum electronically, at hunter.tjugum@nih.gov, and be received prior to the closing date specified in this announcement.

CONCLUDING STATEMENTS
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 pre-solicitation synopsis and solicitation may be published in Federal Business Opportunities. 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).

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