On-chip Sort microfluidic cell sorter and accessories, brand name or equal

(i) This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in Subpart 12.6 as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; proposals are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued.
(ii) The solicitation number is 75N95019Q00119 and the solicitation is issued as a request for quotation (RFQ).
This acquisition is for a commercial item and is conducted under the authority of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 13-Simplified Acquisition Procedures; FAR Subpart 13.5- Simplified Procedures for Certain Commercial Items; and FAR Part 12-Acquisition of Commercial Items, and is expected to exceed the simplified acquisition threshold.
(iii) The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2019-101, dated January 22, 2019.
(iv) The associated NAICS code is 334516 and the small business size standard is 1,000 employees. This requirement is full and open with no set-aside restrictions.
Description
(v) The National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) at the National Institues of Health (NIH) seeks to purchase one (1) x On-chip Sort microfluidic cell sorter and accessories, or brand-name equal, for scientists to perform damage-free sorting of sensitive pluripotent stem cells for a range of end-point assays that require the highest possible level of viability preservation, especially single-cell genomic analyses like RNA sequencing and DNA copy number variant analysis.
This cell sorter leverages microfluidics to achieve low shear forces applied to cells. Unlike traditional cell sorters that put the sorted cells under a significant amount of stress (from high-pressure fluidics, application of a static charge to droplets encapsulating the cells, and the impact from a high travel speed from the nozzle to the target vessel into which the cells are being sorted), this sorter provides damage-free sorting that enables obtaining single-cell suspension with the highest level of viability preservation. This sorter achieves this at a fraction of the time that is normally needed for repeated manual washes of the suspension which compromises viability, genomic integrity and introduces drastic changes to the expression profiles. Three detection lasers allow for simultaneous sorting based on fluorescently labeled antibodies to obtain pure populations of interest. The resulting single-cell suspension will consequently have the highest possible quality and will enable accurate measurements reflecting the true biological mechanisms while leveraging the full potential of the existing single-cell analysis equipment.
See the attached Purchase Description for the list of brand name items and accessories (On-chip Biotechnologies Co., Ltd) and salient characteristics.
One or more of the items under this acquisition is subject to the World Trade Organization Government Procurement Agreement and Free Trade Agreements.
(vi) Delivery and installation are to occur within 16 weeks after receipt of order. The exact date and time of installation shall be coordinated with the NCATS Point of Contact listed on the purchase order. Delivery shall be made to the below address with FOB Destination.
National Center for the Advancement of Translational Sciences
9800 Medical Center Drive
Rockville, MD 20850
The total period of performance for the service contract is three years, including one 12-month base period and two 12-month option periods.
(vii) The Government plans to award a contract resulting from this solicitation. The resulting award will be made to the responsible offeror whose offer conforming to the solicitation will be most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered. The following factors shall be used to evaluate quotations: Technical Capability, Past Performance, and Price. Comparative evaluations will be conducted.
(viii) The anticipated award date is Friday, June 7, 2019.
Provisions and Clauses
(ix) The clause at FAR 52.217-8, Option to Extend Services (Nov 1999). The Government may require continued performance of any services within the limits and at the rates specified in the contract. These rates may be adjusted only as a result of revisions to prevailing labor rates provided by the Secretary of Labor. The option provision may be exercised more than once, but the total extension of performance hereunder shall not exceed 6 months. The Contracting Officer may exercise the option by written notice to the Contractor at anytime during the period of performance of this contract.
(x) The clause at FAR 52.217-9, Option to Extend the Term of the Contract (Mar 2000).
(a) The Government may extend the term of this contract by written notice to the Contractor at anytime during the period of performance of this contract; provided that the Government gives the Contractor a preliminary written notice of its intent to extend at least 30 days before the contract expires. The preliminary notice does not commit the Government to an extension.
(b) If the Government exercises this option, the extended contract shall be considered to include this option clause.
(c) The total duration of this contract, including the exercise of any options under this clause, shall not exceed 36 months.
(xi) The provision at FAR 52.252-1, Solicitation Provisions Incorporated by Reference (Feb 1998). This solicitation incorporates one or more solicitation provisions by reference, with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make their full text available. The offeror is cautioned that the listed provisions may include blocks that must be completed by the offeror and submitted with its quotation or offer. In lieu of submitting the full text of those provisions, the offeror may identify the provision by paragraph identifier and provide the appropriate information with its quotation or offer. Also, the full text of a solicitation provision may be accessed electronically at this/these address(es): www.acquisition.gov.
The following provisions apply to this acquisition and are incorporated by reference:
• The provision at FAR 52.204-7, System for Award Management (Oct 2018)
• The provision at FAR 52.204-16, Commercial and Government Entity Code Reporting (Jul 2016)
• The provision at FAR 52.211-6, Brand Name or Equal (Aug 1999)
• The provision at FAR 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors - Commercial Items (Oct 2018)
• The provision at 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial Items (Oct 2018)
(xii) The clause at FAR 52.252-2, Clauses Incorporated by Reference (Feb 1998). This contract incorporates one or more clauses by reference, with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make their full text available. Also, the full text of a clause may be accessed electronically at this/these address(es): www.acquisition.gov.
In addition to the clauses checked in FAR 52.212-5 (attached), the following clauses also apply to this acquisition and are incorporated by reference:
• The clause at FAR 52.204-13, System for Award Management Maintenance (Oct 2018)
• The clause at FAR 52.204-18, Commercial and Government Entity Code Maintenance (Jul 2016)
• The clause at FAR 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions - Commercial Items (Oct 2018)
• The clause at HHSAR 352.222-70, Contractor Cooperation in Equal Employement Opportunity Investigations (December 18, 2015)
(xiii) The following provisions and clauses apply to this acquisition and are attached in full text:
• Addendum to the clause at FAR 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions - Commercial Items (Oct 2018)
• The clause at FAR 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders-Commercial Items (Jan 2019)
• NIH Invoice and Payment Provisions (2/2014)
(xiv) There are no additional contract requirement(s) or terms and conditions applicable to this acquisition.
(xv) The Defense Priorities and Allocations System (DPAS) are not applicable to this requirement.
Post Award Evaluation of Contractor Performance
(xvi) Contractor performance evaluations: Interim and Final evaluations of Contractor performance will be prepared on this contract in accordance with FAR Subpart 42.15. The Final performance evaluation will be prepared at the time of completion of work. In addition to the Final evaluation, Interim evaluation(s) will be prepared Annually after the base and each option period.
Interim and Final evaluations will be provided to the Contractor as soon as practicable after completion of the evaluation. The Contractor will be permitted thirty days to review the document and to submit additional information or a rebutting statement. If agreement cannot be reached between the parties, the matter will be referred to an individual one level above the Contracting Officer, whose decision will be final.
Copies of the evaluations, Contractor responses, and review comments, if any, will be retained as part of the contract file, and may be used to support future award decisions.
(xvii) Electronic access to contractor performance evaluations: Contractors may access evaluations through a secure Web site for review and comment at the following address: http://www.cpars.gov.
Instructions
(xviii) Responses to this solicitation must include sufficient 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, product or catalog number(s); product description; what the warranty covers; 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.
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."
All responses must be received by 12:00pm EDT on Wednesday, June 5, 2019, and reference solicitation number 75N95019Q00119. Responses may be submitted electronically to Kimberly Espinosa, Contract Specialist, at kimberly.espinosa@nih.gov, with a copy to Jeff Schmidt, Contracting Officer, at Jeffrey.schmidt@nih.gov.
Fax responses will not be accepted.
(xix) The name and telephone number of the individual to contact for information regarding the solicitation is Kimberly Espinosa, Contract Specialist, 301-827-3546, kimberly.espinosa@nih.gov.
(xx) All responsible sources may submit a bid, proposal, or quotation which shall be considered by the agency..