Service Maintenance Agreement for QTRAP5500 Mass Spectrometer

This is a Small Business Sources Sought notice. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. The purpose of this notice is to obtain information regarding: (1) the availability and capability of qualified small business sources; (2) whether they are small businesses; HUBZone small businesses; service-disabled, veteran-owned small businesses; 8(a) small businesses; veteran-owned small businesses; woman-owned small businesses; or small disadvantaged businesses; and (3) their size classification relative to the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for the proposed acquisition. Your responses to the information requested will assist the Government in determining the appropriate acquisition method, including whether a set-aside is possible. An organization that is not considered a small business under the applicable NAICS code should not submit a response to this notice.

This notice is issued to help determine the availability of qualified companies technically capable of meeting the Government requirement and 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.

Background:  The National Institute on Aging (NIA), Laboratory of Clinical Investigation (LCI) requires the use of this instrument to do proteomic assays of plasma and csf samples in the lab. This agreement is needed to maintain equipment as well as to remedy unforeseen breakdowns of the equipment. Emergency repairs are needed, at times, which can result in significant delays. The maintenance agreement should allow for guaranteed on site repair two (2) business days (re. Assurance 2 pm Plan for the QTRAP5500 Mass Spectrometer) allowing for only minimal disruption in the workflow.

Purpose and Objectives: The purpose of this acquisition is to procure a service maintenance agreement for the AB SciEx QTRAP5500 Mass Spectrometer and software legacy plan.

Project requirements:

The purpose of this requirement is for a Contractor to provide service maintenance for the following instrument:

• QTRAP5500 Mass Spectrometer, Assurance 2PM, Serial Number: AU28501202
• QTRAP5500 Mass Spectrometer, Software Legacy Plan, Serial Number: V22030801

Other Considerations:

The service shall be provided by a qualified AB SciEx technician who has trained specifically on these instruments. The contractor is expected to provide personnel (AB SciEx Engineers) with the qualifications needed to work on the mass spectrometers and to provide all parts, materials, and equipment necessary to resolve any issues that compromise the full and proper functioning of this equipment.

In order to minimize instrument down-time, the contractor shall maintain a complete inventory of OEM-approved replacement parts for each of the instruments covered under the proposed service contract and shall have access to the most recent versions of the OEM’s operating and diagnostic software to install on each instrument to run and maintain that instrument. The contractor shall provide direct access by telephone and/or internet to OEM engineers capable of diagnosing hardware and software malfunctions and dispatching replacement parts and/or service technicians as needed to return the covered instruments to normal function.

Anticipated period of performance:

July 25, 2021 to July 24, 2022

Capability statement /information sought.

Respondents must provide, as part of their response, a capability statement that clearly identifies information regarding: (a) staff expertise, including their availability, experience, and formal and other training; (b) current in-house capability and capacity to perform the work; (c) prior completed projects of similar nature; (d) corporate experience and management capability; and (e) examples of prior completed Government contracts, references, and other related information.

Please note that NIA is particularly interested in small business sources. If you are a small business, please state the type of small business (small business; HUBZone; service-disabled, veteran-owned; 8(a); veteran-owned; woman-owned; or small disadvantaged businesses) and your size classification relative to the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for the proposed acquisition. Your responses to the information requested will assist the Government in determining the appropriate acquisition method, including whether a set-aside is possible.

The respondent must also provide their  DUNS number, organization name, address, point of contact, and size and type of business (e.g., 8(a), HubZone, etc., pursuant to the applicable NAICS code and any other information that may be helpful in developing or finalizing the acquisition requirements.

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 an outline format that addresses each of the elements of the project requirements 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) pages.  The 10-page limit does not include the cover page, executive summary, or references, if requested.

The response must include the respondents’ technical and administrative points of contact, including names, titles, addresses, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail addresses.

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

The response must be submitted to Jeanette Russell, Contract Specialist, at e-mail address Jeanette.Russell@nih.gov.

The response must be received on or before June 16, 2021 at 10:00 am, 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 Federal Business Opportunities. 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).”