Service agreement for quanta 3D FEG instrument (ambis 2214574)

This is a Notice of Intent, not a request for proposal.  The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) intends to negotiate on an other than full and open competition basis with FEI Company, 5350 North East Dawson Creek Drive, Hillsboro, OR 97124-5793 to procure a service agreement for the Quanta 3D FEG 4 (dual bean electron microscope).

The purpose of the procurement is for the vendor to provide a service contract to obtain highly skilled scientific, operational and programmatic support services necessary to keep these extremely valuable pieces of equipment functioning at their highest levels.  Only FEI Corporation is capable of performing the proprietary services on their highly complex Electron Microscope equipment and can supply replacement parts.  FEI Corporation is the only source found who can provide the required services for the service contract.  A service agreement for the FEG Quanta 3D SEM microscope is crucial for sustaining maintenance and performance to prevent and down time.  If the SEM microscope is down, the NIAID, DCR, OCS-IRF lab will not be able to continue with the crucial experimentation.  The FEI Company (a Thermo Fisher Scientific company) is the only provider that can fully support their equipment and provide any and all parts as part of the service agreement.

The NIAID, IRF, DCR, OCS-IRF, located at Ft. Detrick, MD, is a specialized biocontainment facility with the appropriate infrastructure to support basic research and animal studies with various infectious disease agents including those requiring the highest level of biocontainment, (BSL-4). The Electron Microscopy Laboratory is one of the critical components of IRF. This specialized laboratory provides a wide range of conventional technologies and assays to support the microscopic and ultrastructural requirements of IRF scientists and outside collaborators and their biological research.  It is crucial the instrument is in working order at all times.

If submitting a capability statement, vendor must meet BSL-4 level safety practices.  Vendor must include evidence of being capable of providing and meeting the following requirements:

1. One (1) PM and inspection as required by OEM. Full coverage for OEM replacement parts, labor, and travel. Coverage includes all fees associated with repairs (labor and replacement parts) for any service or repairs performed.

1. Emergency repair service as required during the hours of 08:00am - 05:00pm, Monday through Friday.

1. Repairs (includes Parts and replacement parts, travel, labor, and any return shipping).

1. Guaranteed OEM Parts and OEM and Technicians only.

1. Coverage 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

1. As priority status is only available with a contract with FEI Corporation, quotes submitted by third-party vendors must also include a contract with FEI Corporation to be considered.

1. Documentation of OEM trained technicians:  All third-party service providers, must include a letter from OEM certifying service technicians or proof of OEM training.

1. 48-hour response time for onsite applications support (troubleshooting and repairs) - 48-hour response time for all emergency repairs and all on site visits.

1. Unlimited telephone support for instruments and applications and Remote Technical Support during business hours. Remote technical support involves the service engineer logging on remotely and troubleshooting the microscope over a secured RAPID connection that has been vetted by NIAID’s IT department.

1. Priority scheduling and onsite response for all repairs during the period of performance. Priority is defined as giving priority scheduling equal to a direct contract and guaranteeing the equivalent manufacturer’s priority onsite response. If you are a third-party service provider, the priority scheduling and/or response time, must be listed on a capabilities statement, as well as documentation of OEM trained technicians is required.

Period of Performance(s) are as follows:

• June 1, 2024 to May 31, 2025

Service shall be performed at the following location:  NIH/NIAID/DCR/OCS-IRF, 8200 Research Plaza, Frederick, MD  21702.

The statutory authority for this sole source requirement is 41 U.S.C. 253 (c) (1) as implemented by FAR 13.106-1 only one responsible source and no other supply of service will satisfy agency requirements. THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION FOR COMPETITIVE QUOTATIONS.  All responsible sources that could provide the required services may submit a capability statement that will be considered by email (subject line to reference NOI-NIAID-24-2214574 to Rita Davis at rita.davis@nih.gov, by 11:00am eastern standard time Friday, March 29, 2024.  All responses received by the closing date of this synopsis will be considered by the Government.  A determination not to compete this requirement, based upon responses to this notice, is solely within the discretion of the Government.