Service maintenance and support for Philips Ingenia 3T MRI Scanner and associated chiller and uninterruptable power supply (UPS)

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 Laboratory of Clinical Investigation at the NIA operates the Clinical Unit at Harbor Hospital using a Philips 3T Ingenia MRI scanner to conduct studies on human subjects under NIA Clinical Trial protocols. As a Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-certified clinical diagnostic device, there are strict maintenance and quality control requirements for the continued operation of this scanner. Due to the restricted availability of replacement and upgrade parts, software, diagnostic tools and factory-trained technicians, this maintenance must be carried out by Philips-certified personnel.

In addition to providing comprehensive support for the scanner itself, including the MRI magnet, gradient and shim coils, console electronics and radio-frequency coils, the contract will need to cover the KKT cBoxX 100 chiller that provides cooling water to the magnet’s cold head refrigeration system, gradient coil and gradient amplifier and the Toshiba G8000 UPS that provides electrical power to run all system components without interruption by power outages. Maintenance on this ancillary equipment is subcontracted by the scanner manufacturer to OEM factory-trained technicians but must meet Philips’ specifications since the combination of the scanner, chiller and UPS must maintain certification for continued clinical use.

Purpose and Objectives: The goal of this procurement is to obtain a comprehensive service contract covering preventive maintenance, routine upgrades and remedial service for the National Institute on Aging (NIA) Philips 3T Ingenia MRI scanner and its associated system chiller and UPS, located at Medstar Harbor Hospital in Baltimore, MD. This is an existing government-owned laboratory equipment previously purchased from Philips Healthcare. The new service agreement shall be carried out by authorized Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) certified factory-trained technicians.

Project 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 Statement of Work attached to this Sources Sought notice.

Anticipated period of performance: The period of performance is from February 27, 2022 to February 26, 2023 with the option to exercise one (1) additional one-year performance period.

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 Wednesday, January 12, 2022 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 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).”