Assorted cell culture medium, substrate and supplements

(i) This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in Subpart 12.6 as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; proposals are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued.

(ii) The solicitation number is 75N95019Q00190 and the solicitation is issued as a Request for Quotation (RFQ) on a Full and Open competitive basis. This acquisition is for a commercial item or service and is conducted under the authority of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 13-Simplified Acquisition Procedures; FAR Subpart 13.5-Test Program for Certain Commercial Items; and FAR Part 12-Acquisition of Commercial Items. This acquisition is expected to exceed the simplified acquisition threshold of $250,000.00. A Fixed-Price type of contract is contemplated for any resulting contract entered into as a result of this solicitation.

(iii) The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) Number/Effective Date: FAC 2019-03 / 07-12-2019.

(iv) The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this procurement is 334516 Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing with size standard 1000 employees. No set-aside restriction is applicable.

(v) This requirement is for the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). NCATS has a requirement to obtain an Assorted cell culture medium, substrate and supplements on a BRAND-NAME-OR-EQUAL basis to the items described in this notice identified herein, or its equal, manufactured by Life Technologies Corporation, located at 3175 Staley Road, Grand Island, New York 14072.

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

(vi) The purpose of this 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.

Products offered must include those salient physical, functional, or other characteristics that are 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 items 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

Offerors submitting a quotation MUST: 1) clearly indicate if the line item or items being offered in their quote is a brand-name item to the brand name item described in this solicitation, or if the item or items being offered is an "or-equal" item; 2) include Shipping and handling cost in the quotation, or specify if it is included in the price; 3) indicate if items being quoted are warrantied in accordance with their standard commercial warranty practices, and the length of time of such warranty; 4) indicate an estimated delivery time in full after receipt of an order.
(vii) The Government anticipates award of a firm fixed-price purchase order for this acquisition, and the anticipated delivery date after receipt of order (ARO) shall be specified in the offeror's quote and will be determined prior to any award. Delivery will occur within staggered segments throughout a 12-month contract period anticipated to be made in three (3) separate shipments after receipt of order in months one, five, and nine. Delivery will be FOB - DESTINATION. The place of delivery and acceptance will be 9800 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, MD 20850.

(viii) The provision at FAR 52.252-1, Solicitation Provisions Incorporated by Reference (Feb 1998), applies to this acquisition. This solicitation incorporates one or more solicitation provisions by reference, with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make their full text available. The offeror is cautioned that the listed provisions may include blocks that must be completed by the offeror and submitted with its quotation or offer. In lieu of submitting the full text of those provisions, the offeror may identify the provision by paragraph identifier and provide the appropriate information with its quotation or offer. Also, the full text of a solicitation provision may be accessed electronically at these addresses: https://www.acquisition.gov/browse/index/far https://www.hhs.gov/grants/contracts/contract-policies-regulations/hhsar/index.html

(End of provision)

The following provisions apply to this acquisition and are incorporated by reference:
• FAR 52.204-7, System for Award Management (Oct 2018)
• FAR 52.204-16, Commercial and Government Entity Code Reporting (Jul 2016)
• FAR 52.211-6, Brand Name or Equal (Aug 1999)
• FAR 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors-Commercial Items (Oct 2018)
• FAR 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial Items (Oct 2018)
• HHSAR 352.239-73, Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Notice (December 18, 2015)

The clause at FAR 52.252-2, Clauses Incorporated by Reference (Feb 1998), applies to this acquisition. This contract incorporates one or more clauses by reference, with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make their full text available. Also, the full text of a clause may be accessed electronically at these addresses:
https://www.acquisition.gov/browse/index/far https://www.hhs.gov/grants/contracts/contract-policies-regulations/hhsar/index.html

(End of clause)

The following clauses apply to this acquisition and are incorporated by reference:
• FAR 52.204-13, System for Award Management Maintenance (Oct 2018)
• FAR 52.204-18, Commercial and Government Entity Code Maintenance (Jul 2016)
• FAR 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions--Commercial Items (Oct 2018).

The provisions of FAR clause at 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders-Commercial Items (OCT 2018) is applicable to this solicitation:

52.203-6 Restrictions on Subcontractor Sales to the Government (Sept 2006), with Alternate I (Oct1995)
52.204-10 Reporting Executive Compensation and First-Tier Subcontract Awards (Oct 2016)
52.209-6 Protecting the Government's Interest When Subcontracting with Contractors Debarred, Suspended, or Proposed for Debarment. (Oct 2015)
52.219-8 Utilization of Small Business Concerns (Nov 2016)
52.219-28 Post Award Small Business Program Rerepresentation (Jul 2013)
52.222-3 Convict Labor (June 2003)
52.222-19 Child Labor-Cooperation With Authorities and Remedies (Jan 2018)
52.222-21 Prohibition of Segregated Facilities (Apr 2015)
52.222-26 Equal Opportunity (Sep 2016)
52.222-35 Equal Opportunity for Veterans (Oct 2015)
52.222-36 Equal Opportunity for Workers With Disabilities (Jul 2014)
52.222-37 Employment Reports on Veterans (FEB 2016)
52.222-40 Notification of Employee Rights Under the National Labor Relations Act (Dec 2010)
52.222-50 Combating Trafficking in Persons (Mar 2015)
52.222-54 Employment Eligibility Verification (OCT 2015)
52.223-18 Encouraging Contractor Policies to Ban Text Messaging While Driving (Aug 2011)
52.225-1 Buy American - Supplies (May 2014)
52.225-13 Restriction on Certain Foreign Purchases (Jun 2008)
52.232-33 Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer-- System for Award Management (Jul. 2013)

The following provisions and clauses apply to this acquisition and are incorporated as an attachment:
• NIH Invoice and Payment Provisions (2/2014)

(ix) The provision at FAR clause 52.212-2, Evaluation - Commercial Items, applies to this acquisition. The following is an addendum to 52.212-2. Responses received to this RFQ will be evaluated on the basis of Lowest Price Technically Acceptable (LPTA). Offeror's submitting a response must provide a completed Price Quote to be evaluated and considered for award. Price quotes must indicate fixed unit pricing and total cost, including shipping cost and estimated time of delivery after receipt of order, and warranty and training considerations. Responses will be evaluated based on contractor's ability to meet the government's SALIENT CHARACTERISTICS stated in this notice and on ability to deliver required supplies. Responses to this solicitation must include clear and convincing evidence of the Offeror's capability of fulfilling the requirement as it relates to the essential government requirements stated in this solicitation. Under the lowest-price technically acceptable (LPTA) process, Offerors' will be determined to be "technically acceptable" or "technically unacceptable" based on an evaluation of responses against the following factor to determine if, as submitted, the proposal is technically acceptable.

(1) Technical Capability: Offerors shall clearly indicate possessing the technical capability to achieve the essential salient characteristic features of this requirement. The Offeror must indicate in its quotation the ability to provide all of the requirements. The Offeror must indicate in its quotation the ability to meet the delivery requirements. Offerors submitting a response with documented technical specifications and evidence of possessing the technical knowledge, qualifications and capability and management structure needed in successfully achieving the SALIENT CHARACTERISTICS identified in this requirement will be determined to be technically acceptable.

Respondents that believe that they are manufacturers or authorized resellers of any BRAND-NAME product 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; quantity; price or cost; shipping, handling, and/or installation charges; and delivery date after receipt of order.
A written notice of award or acceptance of an offer, mailed or otherwise furnished to the successful offeror within the time for acceptance specified in the offer, shall result in a binding contract without further action by either party. Before the offer's specified expiration time, the Government may accept an offer (or part of an offer), whether or not there are negotiations after its receipt, unless a written notice of withdrawal is received before award.

(x) The Offerors to include a completed copy of the provision at FAR clause 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial Items, with its offer.

(xi) The clause at FAR 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions-Commercial Items, applies to this acquisition.

(xii) The clause at FAR 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders-Commercial Items, applies to this acquisition and is incorporated in full text.

(xiii) The following additional contract requirement(s) or terms and conditions as determined by the contracting officer are necessary for this acquisition and consistent with customary commercial practices. There are no additional contract requirement(s) or terms and conditions applicable to this acquisition.

(xiv) The Defense Priorities and Allocations System (DPAS) are not applicable to this requirement.

(xv) Responses to this solicitation must include sufficient information to establish the interested parties' bona-fide capabilities of providing the product or service. The price quote shall include: unit price, list price, shipping and handling costs, delivery days after contract award, delivery terms, prompt payment discount terms, F.O.B. Point (Destination or Origin), product or catalog number(s), product description, and any other information or factors that may be considered in the award decision. Such factors may include: past performance, special features required for effective program performance, trade-in considerations, probable life of the item selected as compared with that of a comparable item, warranty considerations, maintenance availability, and environmental and energy efficiency considerations.

The Dun & Bradstreet Number (DUNS), the Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN), and the certification of business size must be included in the response. All offerors must have an active registration in the System for Award Management (SAM) www.sam.gov.

(xvi) All responses must be received no later than the date specified in this announcement. Late responses will not be accepted. All responses must reference the subject solicitation number. Responses must be submitted electronically to hunter.tjugum@nih.gov. Facsimile responses will not be accepted. For information regarding this solicitation, contact Hunter Tjugum by email at hunter.tjugum@nih.gov or by phone at 301-827-5304.

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