Service/Maintenance Agreement for three (3x) Cryostor Units

NOTICE OF INTENT to Sole Source

1. SOLICITATION NUMBER:  75N95024Q00223
2. TITLE:  Service/Maintenance Agreement for three (3x) Cryostor Units
3. CLASSIFICATION CODE: J066- Maintenance/Repair/Rebuild of Equipment- Instruments and Laboratory Equipment

NAICS CODE: 811210 - Electronic and Precision Equipment Repair and Maintenance

1. RESPONSE DATE:

April 23, 2024, at 4:00 PM ET

1. PRIMARY POINT OF CONTACT:

Maggie Brant

Maggie.brant@nih.gov

Phone: 301.827.1771

1. DESCRIPTION:

INTRODUCTION

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

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), Early Translation Branch (ETB) intends to negotiate on a sole source basis with Azenta US Inc. to provide Service/Maintenance Agreement for three Performance Blue B3C Cryostor Systems.  The circumstances that limit the availability of this service is that Azenta, as the manufacturer and only authorized provider is the only contractor authorized and capable of providing the necessary repairs and support services on the Azenta B3C Cryostore units because the equipment is proprietary. Azenta is the only source for factory trained and certified technicians to provide these services and to maintain and service the equipment.

NORTH AMERICAN INDUSTRY CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM (NAICS) CODE and SET ASIDE STATUS

The intended procurement is classified under NAICS code 811210 - Electronic and Precision Equipment Repair and Maintenance Dollars or Number of Employees: $34 million.  

REGULATORY AUTHORITY

This acquisition is conducted under the authority of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 13—Simplified Acquisition Procedures. Contracts awarded using FAR Part 13—Simplified Acquisition Procedures are exempt from the requirements of FAR Part 6—Competition Requirements. FAR Subpart 13.106-1 (b) Soliciting from a single source provides that: For purchases not exceeding the simplified acquisition threshold, Contracting officers may solicit from one source IF the contracting officer determines that the circumstances of the contract action deem only one source reasonably available (e.g., urgency, exclusive licensing agreements, brand-name OR industrial mobilization).

The resultant contract will include all applicable provisions and clauses in effect through the Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2024-03 dated February 23, 2024.

DESCRIPTION OF REQUIREMENT

PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES:

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the nation’s leading medical research agency and the primary Federal agency whose mission is to seek fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems and the application of that knowledge to enhance health, lengthen life, and reduce illness and disability, conducting, supporting, and making medical discoveries that improve people’s health and save lives. 

The NCATS ETB/SCTL program works with small molecule chemical compounds, which can be used to test or “probe” the effects of increasing or decreasing the activity of a biological target in cells or animals, are some of the most powerful tools for target validation, which is the process of demonstrating that engaging a target provides meaningful therapeutic benefit. Probes enable researchers to investigate protein and cell functions and biological processes. If appropriate, probes can be optimized to become potential drug candidates.

Generating these chemical probes requires specialized expertise and facilities. The ETB/SCTL scientists routinely cryogenically preserve cell lines, proteins, stem cells. To this end, ETB/SCTL has acquired ultra-cold liquid nitrogen freezers that allow scientists to work with cells with higher vitality, recovery, and proliferation since the BioStore III automated storage systems ensure ultimate sample protection and full inventory control. NCATS needs to ensure the continued function of these cryostors. 

NCATS requires the following:

All the necessary services, qualified personnel, material, equipment, and facilities, not otherwise provided by the Government as needed to perform:

• Service/Maintenance Agreement for the following systems with the below coverage:
  • Performance Blue B3C Cryo (SN#2003CHE10091)
  • Performance Blue B3C Cryo (SN#1907CHE10713)
  • Performance Blue B3C Cryo (SN#2012CHE0210021)
• One (1x) Preventative Maintenance performed annually on covered instrument/system
• Inspection stickers will be affixed to each unit at the time of inspection
• An equipment status report will accompany the certificates, providing an overview of the inspection findings

ESTIMATED PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE:

Base Period: May 6, 2024 – May 5, 2025

Option Period 1: May 6, 2025 – May 5, 2026

Option Period 2: May 6, 2026 – May 5, 2027

Option Period 3: May 6, 2027 – May 5, 2028

CONTRACTING WITHOUT PROVIDING FOR FULL OR OPEN COMPETITION (INCLUDING BRAND-NAME) DETERMINATION

The determination by the Government to award a contract without providing for full and open competition is based upon the market research conducted. Specifically, Azenta US Inc. is the only vendor in the marketplace that can provide the services required by the NCATS. The circumstances that limit the availability of this service is that Azenta, as the manufacturer and only authorized provider is the only contractor authorized and capable of providing the necessary repairs and support services on the Azenta B3C Cryostore units because the equipment is proprietary. Azenta is the only source for factory trained and certified technicians to provide these services and to maintain and service the equipment.

The intended source is:

Azenta US Inc.

2910 Fortune Circle Rd. Ste E

Indianapolis, IN 46241-5502

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.

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

Responses to this notice shall contain sufficient information to establish the interested parties' bona-fide capabilities for fulfilling the requirement and include: unit price, list price, shipping and handling costs, the delivery period after contract award, the prompt payment discount terms, the F.O.B. Point (Destination or Origin), the Unique Entity ID (UEI), the Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN), and the certification of business size. All offerors must have an active registration in the System for Award Management (SAM) www.sam.gov.

All responses must be received by the closing date and time of this announcement and must reference the solicitation number, 75N95024Q00223. Responses must be submitted electronically to Maggie Brant, Contract Specialist, at maggie.brant@nih.gov.  U.S. Mail and fax responses will not be accepted.