Custom sgRNA CRISPR Library

NOTICE OF INTENT to Sole Source

1. SOLICITATION NUMBER:  75N95024Q00270

1. TITLE:  Custom sgRNA CRISPR Library

1. CLASSIFICATION CODE:

Q301– MEDICAL- LABORATORY TESTING

NAICS CODE: 325414 – Biological Product (except Diagnostic) Manufacturing

RESPONSE DATE:

May 9, 2024, at 12:00 PM EST

1. PRIMARY POINT OF CONTACT:

Michele Pastorek

Michele.pastorek@nih.gov

Phone: 301.827.1739

1. DESCRIPTION:

INTRODUCTION

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

The National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) intends to negotiate on a sole source basis with Synthego Corporation for a User-defined CRISPR sgRNA Library, human 150 pmol, 1 copy, 384 well ECHO plate.

NORTH AMERICAN INDUSTRY CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM (NAICS) CODE and SET ASIDE STATUS

The intended procurement is classified under NAICS code 325414 – Biological Product (except Diagnostic) Manufacturing with a Size Standard of $1,250 Employees.  

REGULATORY AUTHORITY

This acquisition is conducted under the authority of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 13—Simplified Acquisition Procedures. Contracts awarded using FAR Part 13—Simplified Acquisition Procedures are exempt from the requirements of FAR Part 6—Competition Requirements. FAR Subpart 13.106-1 (b) Soliciting from a single source provides that: For purchases not exceeding the simplified acquisition threshold, Contracting officers may solicit from one source IF the contracting officer determines that the circumstances of the contract action deem only one source reasonably available (e.g., urgency, exclusive licensing agreements, brand-name OR industrial mobilization).

The resultant contract will include all applicable provisions and clauses in effect through the Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) Number 2024-04, with effective date 05/01/24.

DESCRIPTION OF REQUIREMENT

PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES:

The National Institutes of Health has established an RNAi/CRIPSR Cas9 screening facility to provide intramural researchers with access to the equipment and expertise necessary to conduct genome-wide RNAi/ CRIPSR Cas9 screens in mammalian cells. This facility works as a collaborative resource for doing RNAi/ CRIPSR Cas9 assay development, screening, and initial follow up.  Our facility works with investigators to develop and optimize their assays for screening, conducts the screens and related informatics analyses, and then performs follow-up screens on promising leads.  Further work is done with the PI to do the downstream biology required to get the quality publications and the kind of groundbreaking results needed.  This is required for this facility to develop a flexible functional genomics platform that offers complementary and orthogonal RNAi and CRISPR Cas9 screens to NIH intramural investigators.

SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS:

NCATS will supply a gene list to Synthego Corporation and they will provide NCATS with a 384-well cell plate which contains sgRNAs targeting our gene of interest in an arrayed format.

Period of Performance: 12 Weeks ARO

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. Specifically, Synthego Corporation is the only vendor in the marketplace that can provide the service required by NCATS. Only this suggested source can furnish the requirements, to the exclusion of other sources, because Synthego Corporation is the only provider of a proprietary multiplex guide design algorithm which leads to higher confidence of a functional knockout of the target gene.  Synthego’s synthetic sgRNA is manufactured via a proprietary methodology created and utilized by Synthego for efficient small-scale RNA synthesis of high purity.  Synthego is the sole provider of arrayed CRISPR screening utilizing multiplexed synthetic single guide RNA (sgRNA).

The intended source is:

Synthego Corporation

3696 Haven Ave Ste A

Redwood City, CA 94063-46004

CLOSING STATEMENT

THIS SYNOPSIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR COMPETITIVE PROPOSALS. However, interested parties may identify their interest to receive a Request for Quotation (RFQ) 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. All responsible sources may submit a capability statement, proposal, or quotation which shall be considered by the agency. 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.

Responses to this notice shall contain sufficient information to establish the interested parties' bona-fide capabilities for fulfilling the requirement and include: unit price, list price, shipping and handling costs, the delivery period after contract award, the prompt payment discount terms, the F.O.B. Point (Destination or Origin), the Unique Entity Identifier (UEI), 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.

All responses must be received by the closing date and time of this announcement and must reference the solicitation number, 75N95024Q00270. Responses must be submitted electronically to Michele Pastorek, Contracting Officer at michele.pastorek@nih.gov.  U.S. Mail and fax responses will not be accepted.