Maintenance Contract for NIDAs MR 400 Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectrometer system (NMR)

INTRODUCTION:
PURSUANT TO FAR Subpart 5.2-Synopses of Proposed Contract Actions, THIS IS A PRE-SOLICITATION NOTICE OF A PROPOSED CONTRACT TO ACTION.

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

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), Contracts Management Branch - Blue (CMB) on behalf of the NIDA, Intramural Research Program (NIDA-IRP) intends to negotiate and award a contract for preventative maintenance and on-call service repairs for NIDA's Agilent MR-400 Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectrometer without providing for full or open competition.

NORTH AMERICAN INDUSTRY CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM (NAICS) CODE
The intended procurement is classified under NAICS code 811219 with a Size Standard of $20,500,000.

REGULATORY AUTHORITY:
The resultant contract will include all applicable provisions and clauses of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) in effect through the Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2005-95.

STATUTORY AUTHORITY:
This acquisition is conducted as non-competitive under the authority of 41 U.S.C. 253(c) under provisions of the statutory authority of FAR Subpart 6.302-1 - only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements.

DESCRIPTION OF REQUIREMENT:

Project Description
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Intramural Research Program (IRP) Drug Design and Synthesis Section's (DDSS) major research direction is the elucidation of the structure and function of neurotransmitter systems in the mammalian central nervous system (CNS) in normal, drug-altered, and pathological states and the molecular mechanism of action of central nervous system (CNS) active drugs. Organic/medicinal chemistry is the foundation of the multidisciplinary approach utilized in these studies that requires the rational design and chemical synthesis of novel agonists, antagonists, imaging agents, affinity ligands, and other drugs for applications. The principal focus of DDSS is the application of these techniques to study the mechanism of action of drugs and the development of medications for the treatment and prevention of drug abuse. The most integral part of the DDSS medicinal chemistry program and especially organic synthesis is the ability to structurally characterize the novel molecules that are prepared in the DDSS. A critical tool for this characterization is a sophisticated high field NMR. Every chemist in the DDSS laboratory uses the NMR instrument multiple times daily making it an absolute necessity to maintain in optimum condition. When the instrument requires attention outside of the laboratories limited troubleshooting abilities, a quick and efficient service turnaround is essential to limit instrument downtime which in turn limits the research downtime.

A preventative maintenance and on call service repairs contract for NIDA's NMR system shall ensure that the service needs will be met, and the correct parts will be used if necessary. Agilent Technologies, Inc. is the exclusive service provider for technical support, software and parts for this instrument. Since all hardware and software are proprietary, and pursuant to the terms and conditions of the equipment's warranty, only authorized Agilent service professionals are permitted to perform repair and preventive maintenance service procedures to those instruments that are covered under the agreement. Any service or repair performed by a non-authorized Agilent service professional could void the warranty on the NMR.

Purpose and Objectives:
Independently and not as an agent of the Government, the Contractor shall furnish all the necessary services, qualified personnel, material, equipment, and facilities, not otherwise provided by the Government as needed to perform the Statement of Work.

The Contractor shall provide preventative maintenance and on-demand repair services for the Agilent 400MR NMR including, service coverage for the Console, Magnet, and up to four room temperature probes, telephone Support to isolate and resolve hardware and software problems, Service Center Repair or Exchange as applicable, and On-site Hardware Troubleshooting and Repair with Standard Response time. All labor, Service, and Parts shall be included. This service plan also shall provide one Preventive Maintenance visit, and shall include all travel within the specified travel area.

Period of Performance:
The estimated period of performance shall be 09/24/2019 through 09/23/2020. Additionally, four option periods shall also be quoted by the contractor. Option Period One (if exercised) shall be 09/24/2020 through 09/23/2021. Option Period Two (if exercised) shall be 09/24/2021 through 09/23/2022. Option Period Three (if exercised) shall be 09/24/2022 through 09/23/2023. Option Period Four (if exercised) shall be 09/24/2023 through 09/23/2024.

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

An interested Offeror must be able to demonstrate its capability to independently, and not as an agent of the Government, provide: preventative maintenance and on-demand repair services for the Agilent 400MR NMR including service coverage for the Console, Magnet, and up to four room temperature probes; telephone Support to isolate and resolve hardware and software problems; Service Center Repair or Exchange as applicable; On-site Hardware Troubleshooting and Repair with Standard Response time; and be services by official Agilent engineers and technicians.

Responses to this notice must include enough 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.

In addition, 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."
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.

All responses must be received by August 22, 2019, 12:01 p.m. Eastern Time and must reference number 75N95019Q00314.

Responses must be submitted electronically to Josh Lazarus, Contracting Officer at josh.lazarus@nih.gov and must reference the solicitation number 75N95019Q00314 on your electronic request. FAX requests are not accepted.

"All responsible sources may submit a capability statement, proposal, or quotation, which shall be considered by the agency."

.