Service and Maintenance on Single Cell Sorter

This is a Sources Sought notice. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. The purpose of this notice is to obtain information regarding the availability and capability of all qualified sources to perform a potential requirement.

This notice is issued to help determine the availability of qualified companies technically capable of meeting the Government requirement, to determine the method of acquisition.  It is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government to issue a solicitation or ultimately award a contract.  Responses will not be considered as proposals or quotes.  No award will be made as a result of this notice.  The Government will NOT be responsible for any costs incurred by the respondents to this notice.  This notice is strictly for research and information purposes only. Small businesses are encouraged to respond.

Background:  The National Institute on Aging (NIA) owns a single cell sorter manufactured by Scienion. This equipment is used by the Center for Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias and requires maintenance to ensure continued full function and continuity of NIA research data.
 

Purpose and Objectives: The purpose of this requirement is to procure repair and maintenance services for a single cell sorter.
 

Project requirements: The Contractor shall provide the NIA with maintenance and repair support for the following Scienion Instrument:

• CellenONE serial no. 230530

Maintenance and repair support shall include all labor, travel, and replacement parts necessary to provide preventative maintenance support, install new instrument software upgrades and train staff in use of the new software, and troubleshoot problems. Replacement parts and software upgrades provided must be Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) certified. Original manufacturer certified trained technicians from Scienion must be used to troubleshoot problems, install new software upgrades, train staff, and perform preventative maintenance tasks. Service technicians shall acknowledge repair requests within 24 business hours, and an onsite visit from a technician shall occur within 72 business hours.

Anticipated period of performance: The anticipated period of performance is for one (1) year after the date of award, with two additional 12 month option periods.

Other important considerations:

Reporting Requirements

The contractor shall provide written reports which detail all repair and annual maintenance on the single cell sorter.

Travel

The principal place of performance is the Center for Alzheimer’s and Related Diseases located at 9000 Rockville Pike, Bldg. T44, Bethesda, MD 20892. Accordingly, reimbursable travel and per diem for the contractor’s employees performing work on a regular basis at this place of performance is not authorized. Any changes to this must be approved in advance by the Contracting Officer.

Key Personnel:

Maintenance must be performed by original manufacturer certified trained Scienion service technicians.

In case domestic sources are available and capable of fulfilling the Government’s need, and a future solicitation is published, the Government will use evaluation preferences in accordance with FAR 25.

Capability statement /information sought.

Companies that believe they possess the capabilities to provide the required services should submit documentation of their ability to meet each of the project requirements to the Contracting Officer. The capability statement must specifically address each of the project requirements separately.  Additionally, the capability statement should include 1) the total number of employees, 2) the professional qualifications of personnel as it relates to the requirements outlined, 3) any contractor GSA Schedule contracts and/or other government-wide acquisition contracts (GWACs) by which all of the requirements may be met, if applicable, and 4) any other information considered relevant to this program. Capability statements must also include the Company Name, Unique Entity ID from SAM.gov, Physical Address, and Point of Contact Information. The response must include the respondents’ technical and administrative points of contact, including names, titles, addresses, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail addresses.

Interested companies are required to identify their type of business, applicable North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code, and size standards in accordance with the Small Business Administration. The government requests that no proprietary or confidential business data be submitted in a response to this notice. However, responses that indicate the information therein is proprietary will be properly safeguarded for Government use only. Capability statements must include the name and telephone number of a point of contact having authority and knowledge to discuss responses with Government representatives. Capability statements in response to this market survey that do not provide sufficient information for evaluation will be considered non-responsive. When submitting this information, please reference the solicitation notice number.

One (1) copy of the response is required and must be in Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF format using 11-point or 12-point font, 8-1/2” x 11” paper size, with 1” top, bottom, left and right margins, and with single or double spacing.

The information submitted must be in and outline format that addresses each of the elements of the project requirement and in the capability statement /information sought paragraphs stated herein.  A cover page and an executive summary may be included but is not required.

The response is limited to ten (10) page limit.  The 10-page limit does not include the cover page, executive summary, or references, if requested.

All responses to this notice must be submitted electronically to the Contract Specialist and Contracting Officer.  Facsimile responses are NOT accepted.

The response must be submitted to Eric McKay, at e-mail address eric.mckay@nih.gov.

The response must be received on or beforeOctober 23, 2023,4:00 pm, Eastern Time.

“Disclaimer and Important Notes:  This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in response. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine the organization’s qualifications to perform the work.

Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted. After a review of the responses received, a presolicitation synopsis and solicitation may be published in www.sam.gov. However, responses to this notice will not be considered adequate responses to a solicitation.

Confidentiality: No proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included in your response. The Government reserves the right to use any non-proprietary technical information in any resultant solicitation(s).