Instruments & Laboratory Equipment / Various Models of Lasers

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID, Vaccine Research Center (VRC) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) intends to negotiate on an other than full and open competition bases with Becton, Dickinson and Company, BD Service Contract Administration, 2350 Qume Drive, San Jose, CA, 95131 a service contract renewal for various models of lasers that is specifically designed to use with BD Biosciences FACSAria Cell Sorters and High Throughput Sampler Flow Cytometers. All lasers models include the following: 1) Sapphire 488-100 Blue Lsr #640100, NO-SERIAL-2827, 2) COHR Compass Green 315M-150 Lsr, #640102, NO-SERIAL-2828, 3) LSR Red Laser, #660881, NO-SERIAL-8165, 4) Laser Violet 405-100, #647316, NO-SERIAL-2830, 5) Sapphire 488-100 Blue Lsr, #640100, NO-SERIAL-6024, 6) Laser Violet 405-100, #647316, NO-SERIAL-6026, 7) COHR Compass Green 315M-150 Lsr, #640102, NO-SERIAL-6025, and 8) Red Laser MPB 628-200, #660881, NO-SERIAL-6027. This acquisition will be processed under FAR Part 12 - Acquisition for Commercial Items and will be made pursuant to the authority in FAR Part 13.501(a)(1).

Only one award will be made as a result of this solicitation. This will be awarded as a firm-fixed price type of contract.

Period of performance is for one (1) year starting January 1, 2018 through December 31, 2018. Service shall be performed in Bethesda, MD 20892.

The VRC requires a service agreement renewal for various models of lasers specifically designed to be used with FACSAria Cell Sorter and High Throughput Sampler Flow Cytometers. The lasers must be compatible with existing equipment and no substitutions are allowed. As the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) Becton, Dickinson and Company deems necessary to maintain the equipment in accordance with their required specifications without the lasers the above reference instruments will be rendered non-functional. There are no known lasers offered that will physically fit inside the instruments to provide the optimal signal strength and power to accommodate the functioning of the instrument. To use a different vendor for these lasers will cause the instruments to not be able to be calibrated to optimal specifications such that samples between experiments will not be able to be analyzed and compared. This would adversely affect the function of the lab and its mission.

The statutory authority for this sole source requirement is 41 U.S.C. 253 (c) (1) as implemented by FAR 6.302-1 only one source available, no substitutions possible. THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION FOR COMPETITIVE QUOTATIONS. All responsible sources who can provide the required service agreement renewal may submit a response that could be considered by email (subject line to reference NIAID-NOI-18-1880457) to Tonia Alexander at talexander@niaid.nih.gov, by 10:00 am eastern standard time Thursday, December 14, 2017. All information furnished must be in writing and must contain sufficient detail to allow NIAID to determine if it can meet the above specifications described herein. All responses received by the closing date of this solicitation will be considered by the Government. A determination not to compete this requirement, based upon responses to this notice, is solely within the discretion of the Government.