Bruker BioSpin 8-channel Mouse Body Array Coil with Parallel Receiver Upgrade

Added: Sep 15, 2017 5:50 pm Bruker BioSpin 8-channel Mouse Body Array Coil with Parallel Receiver Upgrade

Pre-Solicitation Notice of Intent to Sole Source
HHS-NIH-NIDA-SSSA-NOI-17-386

INTRODUCTION
This is a combined synopsis/pre-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. This acquisition is being conducted in accordance with the procedures of FAR Part 13--Simplified Acquisition Procedures and FAR Part 12--Acquisition of Commercial Items.

The solicitation number is HHS-NIH-NIDA-SSSA-NOI-17-386 and the solicitation is issued as a PRE-SOLICITATION, NOTICE OF INTENT, to award a contract on a noncompetitive basis to Bruker BioSpin Corporation located at 15 Fortune Drive Building 2 Billerica, MA 01821.

REGULATORY & STATUTORY AUTHORITY
This acquisition is conducted under the authority of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 13--Simplified Acquisition Procedures, Subpart 13.106-1, only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements, and FAR Part 12--Acquisition of Commercial Items and is NOT expected to exceed the simplified acquisition threshold. Contracts awarded using FAR Part 13--Simplified Acquisition Procedures are exempt from the requirements of FAR Part 6--Competition Requirements.

The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2005-95, dated January 19, 2017.

NORTH AMERICAN INDUSTRY CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM (NAICS) CODE
The associated NAICS code for this requirement is 334516 with size standard of 1,000 employees.

CONTRACTING WITHOUT PROVIDING FOR FULL OR OPEN COMPETITION (INCLUDING BRAND-NAME) DETERMINATION
The non-competitive determination is based upon the market research conducted as prescribed in FAR Part 10--Market Research, which indicates that only Gilson Inc is capable of providing the necessary support services. Specifically, Bruker BioSpin is the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) of the instruments requiring service and the instruments are proprietary to this company. As such, only Bruker BioSpin is authorized to provide service and parts for this equipment. Use of any other contractor would place equipment integrity in jeopardy which would then risk continuity of science; should the equipment not remain fully operational to original equipment manufacturer standards, standardization of longitudinal research study data would be jeopardized and any loss of this data would be to the serious detriment of the National Institute on Aging mission. Accordingly, only Bruker BioSpin is capable of providing the required support services.

This synopsis is not a request for competitive proposals. However, interested parties may identify their interest and capability to respond to this notice.

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.

DESCRIPTION OF REQUIREMENT

Background
This upgrade offers several new capabilities not found in the current instrument. This instrument allows for invivo scanning of mice and also increase the capability from four to eight channels to take advantage of the eight parallel array channels in the new coil.
This upgrade will facilitate the safe and effective usage of the scanner by postdoc and postbac fellows lacking an extensive background in operating MRI scanners.

Purpose and Objectives
The proposed upgrade will accelerate the acquisition of MR images of the whole mouse body, liver and abdomen by simultaneously sampling data from multiple coils with different views ("parallel imaging"). The office currently performs these studies using a single-channel volume coil, so the use of eight parallel channels is expected to shorten scan time considerably, reducing the duration of anesthesia for each mouse and improving throughput. Moreover, parallel acquisition of body images can also be used to improve spatial resolution and signal-to-noise ration without excessive scan times. Finally, this accelerated sampling facilitates dynamic contrast enhanced (DCE) studies, in which images must be acquired rapidly as an injected contrast agent distributes through the body. MRI studies of fat content and distribution in the whole mouse body (visceral vs. subcutaneous fat) and liver (hepatic steatosis) are a mainstay of our collaborative research efforts. Specific studies include the SLAM project (TGB), intermittent fasting in Parkinson's disease model mice (LNS) and CB1 receptor knockout and overexpression in a mouse model of lipoatrophy (LCI). Purchase of the 8-channel mouse body array coil and it's required console hardware will directly benefit these and all other studies involving abdominal imaging and body composition measurements.

Project requirements:
Independently and not as an agent of the Government, the Contractor shall furnish all the necessary services, qualified personnel, professional liability insurance, material and equipment not otherwise provided by the Government as needed to perform the below stated requirements.

Purchase Description
- Parallel Receiver Upgrade: 4  8 Channels (This parallel receiver upgrade extends the number of receive channels from 4 to 8).
- Mouse Body Array Coil - 8 Channels (Anatomically shaped eight element mouse body array coil).

Key Personnel
The contractor will be responsible for ensuring that the personnel assigned for delivery, installation and training have the technical competence required to fulfill the requirements. In addition, personnel need to be certified by the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM).

Level of Effort
Not applicable

Government Responsibilities
Government will provide Contractor personnel reasonable access to delivery location for installation. The Government will cooperate with Contractor personnel so that delivery/installation can be performed efficiently and without interruption.

The Government will not be obligated to pay any federal, state, or local tax imposed upon or measured by contractor's net income. Applicable tax will be invoiced unless we receive a tax exemption certificate will be provided which acceptable to the taxing authorities.

Period of Performance/Delivery Requirements
9 months ARO

Reporting Requirements
There are no reporting requirements.

Non-Personal Service Statement
In accordance with FAR 37.104, this requirement is for non-personal services and does not include any inherently governmental functions; functions that are closely associated with inherently governmental functions; unauthorized personal services; critical and/or core functions.

Place of Performance
The place of performance shall be 251 Bayview Blvd Suite 100 Room 09C218 Baltimore, Maryland 21224.

Contract Type
A Firm Fixed Price Purchase Order is contemplated. The order shall be sourced via the Open Market on a single-source basis and is not expected to exceed $150,000.

RESPONSE INSTRUCTIONS
Responses to this solicitation must include sufficient information to establish the interested parties' bona-fide capabilities of providing the product or service. Offerors must provide both 1) a technical response and 2) a separate price quote. 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; and maintenance availability.

PLEASE ENSURE THAT ALL EVALUATION CRITERIA ARE SPECIFICALLY ADDRESSED IN ANY RESPONSE(S) SUBMITTED.

EVALUATION CRITERIA
FAR clause 52.212-2, Evaluation - Commercial Items (October 2014) applies to this acquisition and the specific evaluation criteria to be included in paragraph (a) of that provision are as follows:

The Government will award a contract resulting from this requirement on the basis of best value, technical factors and price considered. Technical factors together shall be considered more important than price and all technical evaluation factors are detailed below.

Factor 1: Technical Approach
The contractor shall detail in its technical proposal how it shall meet each of the project requirements.

Factor 2: Delivery
The contractor shall detail in its technical proposal how it shall meet the delivery requirements.

Factor 3: Past Performance
The Contractor shall provide a list of one (1) purchase orders completed during the past five (5) years, similar in size and scope to the equipment requirements outlined in the Statement of Work maintenance requirements outlined in the above stated requirements section. Experience must be specific and similar in scope to the above stated requirement and shall include the following information for each contract or purchase order listed:
a. Name of Contracting Organization
b. Total Contract Value
c. Description of Requirement
d. Contract Period of Performance

Past Performance shall be evaluated for relevance to the current requirement.

Technical proposals will be evaluated using a summary adjectival rating in accordance with the following scale:

Pass
The proposal demonstrates a sound approach which is expected to meet all requirements and objectives. This sound approach includes advantageous characteristics of substance, and few relatively minor disadvantages, which collectively can be expected to result in satisfactory performance. The risk of unsuccessful performance is low as the proposal contains solutions which are considered feasible and practical. These solutions are further considered to reflect low risk in that they are clear and precise, supported, and demonstrate an understanding of the requirements. Risk Level: Low

Fail
The proposal demonstrates an approach which, based on a very high risk, will very likely not be capable of meeting all requirements and objectives. This approach has several disadvantages of substance, and advantages which, if they exist, are outweighed by disadvantages. Collectively, the advantages and disadvantages are unlikely to result in satisfactory performance. The risk of unsuccessful performance is very high as the proposal contains solutions which are not feasible and practical. The solutions may also be considered to reflect very high risk in that they lack any clarity or precision. Risk Level: Very High

APPLICABLE TERMS AND CONDITIONS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
The FAR clauses and provisions below shall apply to this solicitation.

1. All Offerors MUST be actively registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) www.sam.gov.

2. The provision at FAR clause 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors - Commercial Items (JAN 2017), applies to this acquisition.

3. A completed copy of the provision at FAR clause 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications - Commercial Items (JAN 2017), is required with any offer submitted. This requirement may be met by completion of the provision in the System for Award Management.

4. FAR Clause 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions - Commercial Items (JAN 2017) is applicable to this acquisition.

5. FAR Clause 52.212-5 Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders - Commercial Items (JAN 2017) apply to this acquisition. The following clauses shall be checked/included in this clause:

52.204-10, Reporting Executive Compensation and First-Tier Subcontract Awards (Oct 2015)
52.209-6, Protecting the Government's Interest When Subcontracting with Contractors Debarred, Suspended, or Proposed for Debarment. (Oct 2015) (31 U.S.C. 6101 note).
52.217-5, Evaluation of Options (July 1990).
52.217-9 Option to Extend the Term of the Contract. (March 2000).
52.219-4, Notice of Price Evaluation Preference for HUBZone Small Business Concerns (OCT 2014) (if the offeror elects to waive the preference, it shall so indicate in its offer)
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 (Feb 2016)
52.222-21, Prohibition of Segregated Facilities (Apr 2015).
52.222-26, Equal Opportunity (Sept 2016)
52.222-36, Equal Opportunity for Workers with Disabilities (Jul 2014)
52.222-50, Combating Trafficking in Persons (Mar 2015)
52.222-53, Exemption from Application of the Service Contract Labor Standards to Contracts for Certain Services-Requirements (May 2014)

52.223-18, Encouraging Contractor Policies to Ban Text Messaging While Driving (AUG 2011)
52.225-13, Restrictions on Certain Foreign Purchases (June 2008)
52.232-33, Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer-System for Award Management (Jul 2013)

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

In addition, the Dun & Bradstreet Number (DUNS), the Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN), and the certification of business size must be included in the response.

CLOSING STATEMENT
All responsible sources may submit a bid, proposal, or quotation which shall be considered by the agency. All responses must be received by the closing date of this announcement must reference solicitation number HHS-NIH-NIDA-SSSA-NOI-17-386.

Responses shall be submitted electronically to jermaine.duncan@nih.gov. Fax responses will not be accepted. For information regarding this solicitation, contact Jermaine Duncan by email at jermaine.duncan@nih.gov or by phone at (301) 827-7515.