Notice of Intent to Sole Source: NIMH Water Pretreatment System Replacement

NOTICE OF INTENT to Sole Source

1. SOLICITATION NUMBER: NIMH-25-004230-NOI
2. TITLE:  NIMH-Water Pretreatment System Replacement
3. CLASSIFICATION CODE: J - Maint, Repair, Rebuild Equipment
4. NAICS CODE: 541990 - All Other Professional, Scientific and Technical Services
5. RESPONSE DATE: 9/2/25
6. PRIMARY POINTS OF CONTACT:

Contract Specialist: Kyle Miller
Kyle.Miller2@nih.gov

Contracting Officer: Christine Frate
Christine.Frate@nih.gov
7. 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 Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) intends to negotiate on a sole source bases with Neu-Ion, Inc. for maintenance related to the replacement of the water pre-treatment system.

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

The intended procurement is classified under NAICS code 541990 - All Other Professional, Scientific and Technical Services.

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) 2025-05 dated August 07, 2025.

DESCRIPTION OF REQUIREMENT

The National Institute of Mental Health requires a central Reverse Osmosis System that provides and delivers RO water to the Central Animal Facility (CAF) and all the multi-IC laboratories thought building 49. Pre Treatment is part of the RO water system which includes multimedia filter system, carbon filter system and softener system. Pretreatment is required to remove contaminants, reduce fouling and scaling and ultimately protect the RO membranes, ensuring the RO system’s efficiency and longevity. The current multimedia filter and softener system have leakage which is affecting their performance which in turn affects the efficiency and performance of the RO system.

The NIMH currently manages the IC responsible services in NIH Building 49.  The centralized Reverse Osmosis (RO) water system provides and delivers RO water to the Central Animal Facility (CAF) and all the multi-IC laboratories throughout Bldg 49 since the building was first occupied in 1993.  This past winter there was a leakage in the multimedia and softener system and attempts were made to fix the leakage. Since tanks are very old the leakage couldn’t be fixed.  For the RO water system to operate effectively we need to replace the entire pretreatment system.

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. Current equipment requires that any material or service must be compatible in all aspects to the existing equipment. Neu-Ion is the only distributor of the current Reverse Osmosis water systems and allowing any other vendor to supply parts and or services will void equipment warranties.

The intended source is:

Neu-Ion, Inc.
7200 Rutherford Road, Suite 100
Baltimore, MD. 21244

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.

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, the delivery period after contract award, the prompt payment discount terms, the F.O.B. Point (Destination or Origin), the Unique Entity Identifier ID (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, NIMH-25-004230-NOI. Responses must be submitted electronically to Kyle Miller, Contract Specialist, at kyle.miller2@nih.gov and Christine Frate, Contracting Officer, at Christine.Frate@nih.gov. U.S. Mail and fax responses will not be accepted.