NOI - MERSCOPE Kits and Gene Panels

PRE-SOLICITATION NON-COMPETITIVE –

Notice of Intent to Sole Source

SOLICITATION NUMBER: PCA-NIA-01370

TITLE: MERSCOPE Kits and Gene Panels

RESPONSE DATE: April 03,2026, at 4:00 pm EST.

PRIMARY POINT OF CONTACT:

           Elaine Estrella, Contract Specialist, Elaine.estrella@nih.gov

           Brian Lind, Contract Specialist, Brian.lind@nih.gov

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 Institute of Health Hospital Laboratory Support Service (NIHHLS) intends to negotiate and award a purchase order without providing for full and open competition to Vizgen, Inc . The purpose of this acquisition will be to provide the National Institute on Aging (NIA)  with kits and panels to perform spatial transcriptomic experiments on ovary sections using the MERSCOPE platform with the assistance of the Computational Biology and Genomics Core (CBGC) at the NIA. No other available kits are compatible with this platform.

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

NAICS code 334516 – Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing with a business size standard classification of 1000. This acquisition is NOT set aside for small businesses.

REGULATORY AUTHORITY

The resultant contract will include all applicable provisions and clauses in effect through the Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2024-07 dated 08-29-2024.

This acquisition is conducted under the procedures as prescribed in FAR subpart 13.5—Simplified Procedures for Certain Commercial Items and FAR subpart 12—Acquisition of Commercial Items at an amount exceeding the SAT, and not exceeding $7 million.

STATUTORY AUTHORITY

This acquisition is for a commercial item or service and is conducted under the authority of the FAR Subpart 13.5—Simplified Procedures for Certain Commercial Items and the statutory authority of [specify the applicable authority: (1) FAR 6.302-1—Only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements 41 U.S.C. 3304 (a)(1).

DESCRIPTION OF REQUIREMENT:

PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES:

The purpose of this acquisition will be to provide the National Institute on Aging (NIA) with kits and panels to perform spatial transcriptomic experiments on ovary sections using the MERSCOPE platform with the assistance of the Computational Biology and Genomics Core (CBGC) at the NIA. No other available kits are compatible with this platform.

The Experimental Gerontology Section (EGS) at the National Institute on Aging (NIA) requires MERSCOPE kits and gene panels to perform spatial transcriptomic experiments on ovary sections using the MERSCOPE platform.  These samples were collected as part of the ongoing SenNet study, and the fixation and preparation of the samples has already been completed. The CBGC has the Vizgen MERSCOPE instrument available to serve the NIA Intramural Research Program and as such the reagents are needed to facilitate the analysis of expression within individual cells in fresh frozen sections.

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, Vizgen Inc. is the only vendor in the marketplace that can provide the products required by NIA. The kits and gene panels are proprietary to its manufacturer, Vizgen Inc.

These kits and gene panels are manufactured and distributed exclusively by the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and are not available through any third-party suppliers. No alternate or generic products exist that meet the stringent compatibility and performance requirements of the MERSCOPE platform. Use of non-authorized kits and panels would compromise the integrity and reproducibility of the experimental data and may void manufacturer warranties or support agreements.

In accordance with FAR part 10, extensive market research was conducted to reach this determination. Additionally, contacts with knowledgeable individuals both in industry and Government, as well as reviews of available product literature, revealed no other sources. Finally, a review of the GSA Advantage, Dynamic Small Business Search, and previous government acquisitions returned no results that meet all of the requirements. Therefore, only Vizgen Inc. is capable of meeting the needs of this requirement.

The intended source is:

Vizgen, Inc.
61 Moulton Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States of America

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.

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. This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in response.

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 Dun & Bradstreet Number (DUNS), 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 April 03,2026, at 4:00 pm EST and must reference the solicitation number, PCA-NIA-01370. Responses must be submitted electronically to Elaine Estrella at elaine.estrella@nih.gov or Brian Lind at brian.lind@nih.gov . Fax responses will not be accepted.

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