Service Contract for the Airyscan880 confocal microscope

The National Institutes of Health intends to negotiate on a sole source basis with Carl Zeiss Microscopy.

The Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, Section on Human Genetics, performs basic biological research on hearing disorders and competes against other labs throughout the world in the field of audiology.  The research results are published in scientific journals and are subjected to strict peer review.  In order for the lab to remain competitive, the equipment used for experiments must be kept in top working condition so that errors are not introduced into the data and downtime from broken instrumentation is kept to a minimum.  Under this task order, the contractor will independently provide repair and preventative maintenance (PM) services to satisfy the overall operational objectives of the Laboratory of Molecular Genetics.   The primary objective is to provide a service contract with PM services for the LSM880 Airyscan FAST confocal microscope.

Responses
The proposed acquisition action is for items and services for which the Government intends to solicit and negotiate with only one source under the authority of FAR 13.106-1 (b).  If you believe you can provide the items or services requested, all responsible sources may submit a capability statement, which shall be considered by the agency, to the Contracting Officer, Anne Mineweaser, at  anne.mineweaser@nih.gov  referencing notice number NIH-OLAO-OD3-NOI5558460 by  10:00A.M. on February 28, 2020.  A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed contract acquisition based upon responses to the notice is solely within the discretion of the Government.  Information received will normally be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement.

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. Information provided will be used to assess tradeoffs and alternatives available for the potential requirement and may lead to the development of a solicitation. 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.

Any solicitation resulting from the analysis of information obtained will be announced to the public in Federal Business Opportunities in accordance with the FAR Part 5. However, responses to this notice will not be considered adequate responses to a solicitation.  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).