Service Agreement for the NCATS/SCTL SelecT Compact Automated Cell Culture Systems

PRE-SOLICITATION NOTICE OF INTENT NON-COMPETITIVE
Notice of Intent: 75N95022R00069 INTRODUCTION
PURSUANT TO FAR Subpart 5.2—Synopses of Proposed Contract Actions, THIS IS A PRE- SOLICITATION NOTICE OF A PROPOSED CONTRACT TO ACTION.

THIS IS A PRE-SOLICITATION NON-COMPETITIVE NOTICE OF INTENT TO AWARD A CONTRACT OR PURCHASE ORDER WITHOUT PROVIDING FOR FULL OR OPEN COMPETITION (INCLUDING BRAND-NAME).

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), Office of Acquisitions, Contracts Management       t Branch Blue, NCATS Section on behalf of the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences intends to negotiate and award a contract for planned hardware Preventative Maintenance
(PM) to Sartorius North America Inc., 565 Johnson Avenue, Bohemia, NY 11716.

NORTH AMERICAN INDUSTRY CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM (NAICS) CODE
The intended procurement is classified under NAICS Code 811219: Other Electronic and Precision Equipment Repair and Maintenance with a Size Standard of $22 million.

Set-aside Status: Small Business set-aside restriction is not applicable.

Competition Status:  This requirement is posted as non-competitive.

REGULATORY AUTHORITY
The resultant contract will include all applicable provisions and clauses of the Federal acquisition Regulation (FAR) in effect through the Federal Acquisition Circular 2022-06, dated   May 26, 2022.

STATUTORY AUTHORITY
This acquisition is conducted under the authority of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 13—Simplified Acquisition Procedures, Subpart 13.106-1 (b) (1), Soliciting from a single  source.

DESCRIPTION OF REQUIREMENT

Project Description

Hardware PM
    
This contract provides for planned hardware Preventative Maintenance
(PM). SSNA recommends at least two PM visits per annum to ensure that efficient operation of the equipment is maintained. These visits are arranged by SSNA for times mutually convenient to all parties concerned. SSNA reserves the right to charge additional hourly rates for weekend work or travel required to reach or depart site according to Customer requests. The services are carried out by SSNA personnel, or authorized and approved contractors, in conjunction with the customer and representatives of other companies supplying major system components. The size and complexity of the system will determine the content and duration of the inspections. The SSNA engineer will follow the Lock Out/Tag Out and any other prescribed Customer safety procedures during any service or repair visit. Examples of activities included in the hardware preventative maintenance services are:

· Checking all wear and tear parts
· Checking that all safety features are operating as intended
· Checking function, alignment and calibration of robots, conveyors and carousels
· Checking Customer spare parts stock levels against recommended lists
Software PM

SSNA recommends systems are kept at the most current version of the software. The system software and firmware is under periodic improvement and review, leading to the release of revised versions. If the Customer is entitled to receive updates to the system software and firmware free of charge when they become available (excluding extensions to functionality). SSNA will inform Customer when a relevant release is available, including release notes to enable Customer to assess the changes, and will strive to coordinate the installation of software changes during scheduled hardware PMs. Third-party software is not covered in this contract.

Examples of activities included in the software maintenance services are:

· Assessing and upgrading the system software for the removal of ‘bugs’
· Assessing the suitability of configuration data for the use being made of the system
· Performing checks on operating and network system parameters for efficient function
· Assessing workstation PC’s hard disk usage

The Customer may choose not to accept new or upgraded software but the Customer should bear in mind that in order to provide continued assistance with non-current versions, SSNA will need to apply additional charges to future Service and Support Contracts.

Support

Operations Support

SSNA will provide assistance to answer questions and resolve problems using various methods, examples of which are:
· Advising, helping and assisting operators and supervisors in the day-to-day use of the system
· Advising, helping and assisting technicians in maintaining the system

SSNA will try to assist in all aspects of the system where possible. Should it be necessary to engage an outside vendor to assist in handling integrated components, additional charges may apply. SSNA is not responsible for work performed by customer representatives and may charge hourly rates to repair Customer work except where work is performed under the direction of SSNA personnel. Support provisions and response times are detailed in section 4. Support is limited to SSNA trained operators, and designated personnel within this contract. SSNA reserves the right to deny support to non-SSNA-trained personnel.

Hardware Support

Provides access to SSNA hardware engineers for advice, help and assistance during core hours. Following all service and repair visits and prior to handing the equipment back to the Customer, the
SSNA engineer will conduct documented tests to show that there has not been any effect to the system’s functional capabilities. All service actions will be documented, including all test results, and copies of these documents will be passed to the operator/supervisor as notification that the system is now ready to be used.

General Requirements
Independently and not as an agent of the Government, the Contractor shall furnish all the necessary services, qualified, personnel, material, equipment, and facilities not otherwise provided by the Government as needed to perform the Specific Requirements below:

Statement of Work
See Attached

Period of Performance
The period of performance is from July 5, 2022 – July 4, 2023. 

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.

The respondents must submit clear and convincing evidence that their product is equivalent or superior to the product specified in this notice. The response shall include: the unit price, list price, shipping and handling costs, delivery days after contract award, delivery terms, prompt payment discount terms, F.O.B. Point (Destination or Origin), product or catalog number(s); product description; and any other information or factors that may be considered to determine the method of acquisition. The response must also indicate the country of manufacturer of components and country of assembly (not necessary for IT and Maintenance purchases).

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. 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.

All responses must be received by June 30, 2022 at 3:00 PM Eastern Time and must reference number 75N95022R00069,

Responses must be submitted electronically to Michelle Cecilia, Contracting Officer, at michelle.cecilia@nih.gov, and must reference the solicitation number 75N95022R00069, on your electronic request. FAX requests are not accepted.

“All responsible sources may submit a capability statement, proposal, or quotation, which shall be considered by the agency.”