Preventative Maintenance for Agilent MR400 Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectrometer

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 on Drug Abuse (NIDA), Office of intends to award a sole source contract under the authority of Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Subpart 13.106-1 (b) Soliciting from a single source. 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. This contract(s) will be awarded to:

Agilent Technologies, Inc.
2850 Centerville Road, Wilmington DE 19808-1610

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

The intended procurement is classified under NAICS code 811210 Electronic and Precision Equipment Repair and Maintenance with a Size Standard of $34.0M. 

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) 2024-05 dated April 22, 2024.

URPOSE AND OBJECTIVES:

The Drug Design and Synthesis Section, MTMDB, requires an onsite and fully functional NMR to further maximize the sections productivity in synthesizing and structurally characterizing novel compounds for the research and treatment of drugs of abuse. Spectroscopic data obtained by NMR are absolutely necessary in order to publish chemistry manuscripts or patents, since NMR are mandatory and requirement for research publication. The NMR spectra provide key analytical data that is essential for chemical structure determination and provides required reproducibility when repeating synthetic strategies.This equipment requires routine adjustments through the year that the chemists in DDSS are not trained to provide. The most integral part of our medicinal chemistry program and especially organic synthesis is the ability to structurally characterize the novel molecules that are prepared in the Drug Design and Synthesis Section. A critical tool for this characterization is a sophisticated high field NMR. Every chemist in the Drug Design and Synthesis 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 skills, a quick and efficient service turnaround is essential to limit the instrument downtime which in turn limits the research downtime. Our NMR was sold and built by Varian and later acquired by Agilent after initial installation. Parts forour current MR 400 MHz NMR are exclusive to one vendor. Agilent has since closed their NMR division and parts for our magnet are becoming less available and as such not easily available to outside parties if found. All hardware and software are proprietary. In past years, service was needed multiple times a year for maintenance, hardware and software repair and upgrades that only one vendor and their specially trained engineers can provide. These engineers know our instrument as they installed and have been maintaining since original acquisition. This familiarity and expertise are quintessential for the quick repair and needed upkeep of this highly sensitive instrument.

NIDA requires preventative maintenance and on call service repair for a Varian/Agilent MR400 Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectrometer (NMR). The anticipated period of performance shall include one 12-month base period and two (2) 12-month option periods as follows: Base - 09/24/2024-09/23/2025; Option Period 1 - 09/24/2025-09/23/2026; and Option Period 2 - 09/24/2026-09/23/2027.

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. Agilent is the exclusive service provider for technical support, software, and parts for this instrument. Research has not yielded any viable alternatives with the advanced skills, knowledge, and access to OEM parts that are exclusive to Agilent. Additionally, due to the age of the NMR it is imperative that we have experienced service to extend the life of our NMR as long as possible and parts are available and limit the immediate need for instrument replacement. The market research found that only Agilent is capable of satisfying all the procurement requirements list above.

The intended source is:

Agilent Technologies, Inc.
2850 Centerville Road
Wilmington DE 19808-1610

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, shipping and handling costs, the delivery period after contract award, the prompt payment discount terms, the F.O.B. Point (Destination or Origin), the Unique Entity 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, 75N95024Q00294. Responses must be submitted electronically to Llakim Dubroff, Contract Specialist, at Llakim.Dubroff@nih.gov U.S. Mail and Fax responses will not be accepted.