Intent to award to single source - qiagen

NOAA's NMFS, Alaska Fisheries Science Center intends to negotiate, on a sole source basis, under authority of FAR 13.106-1(b) (1), to Qiagen, for annual preventative maintenance service contract (with three additional option years) for the Qiagen QiaCube (serial number: 5896) and the Corbett CAS 1820 (serial number: A070705) DNA  robot extractors

The Auke Bay Laboratories Genetics Program uses a plethora of next-generation sequencing protocols,  including but not limited to environmental DNA (eDNA), Genotyping-in-Thousands by sequencing (GT seq), and restriction site-associated DNA sequencing (RAD-seq), all of which are processed on Qiagen DNA extractor robots. Annual preventative maintenance on this instrument by highly-trained specialist engineers is crucial for continued production of high-quality, reproducible next-generation sequencing for fish species identification and genetic stock identification, which are crucial to our agency’s mission.  

Award will be issued for an annual preventative maintenance service contract (with three additional option years) for the Qiagen QiaCube (serial number: 5896) and the Corbett CAS 1820 (serial number: A070705) DNA  robot extractors. The service requirement is to include full support within 72 hours for all parts failures due to normal wear and tear (parts, labor, travel), one preventative maintenance visit per year (parts, labor,  travel), unlimited software and firmware updates, and unlimited telephone support. Preventative maintenance includes travel to and from the site, annual inspection, re-calibration, performance verification of  subassembly and electro-mechanical components, and certification that the instrument is performing to  specifications.  

Third Party Service Provider will not be considered.  Having a direct source to Qiagen, the sole source available to performrepairs and  maintenance on these instruments, is in the federal government’s best fiscal interest, and allows the Genetics Program to continue production of high-quality, reproducible next-generation sequencing for fish species  identification and genetic stock identification in a timely and efficient process. 

Single Source Justification:  Only one source is capable of providing the services required at the level of quality required because the supplies or services are unique or highly specialized. Qiagen is the manufacturer of the DNA extractor robot instruments and is the only company that services and provides supplies for the Qiagen platform. These instruments are highly specialized scientific equipment used in our genetics laboratory to sequence DNA. 

Award for this requirement will be in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 13. Anticipated value will be under the Simplified acquisition procedures with an estimated value of less than $150,000.00. THIS NOTICE OF INTENT IS NOT A REQUEST FOR COMPETITIVE PROPOSALS. No known potential alternate sources exist which could satisfy these requirement. 

Questions regarding this notification can be emailed to the attention of Heather Mahle at heather.mahle@noaa.gov.   Subject line should include reference number ABL-23085.