SOURCES SOUGHT: DNA methylation microarray processing services for the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA)

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, and availability of domestic sources manufactured in the United States in sufficient and reasonably available commercial quantities and of a satisfactory quality.  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.

For equipment/supply requirements, small business responses must include: (1) the place of manufacturing (i.e. address if supply/equipment is a domestic end product and include country of manufacture), as well as (2) the size status of the manufacturer under the applicable NAICS code (i.e. address Non-Manufacturer Rule).

Background:  Epigenetic change has been proposed as a ‘hallmark’ of aging and an element of the biological mechanisms underlying the aging process. DNA methylation is the most commonly studied epigenetic mark and has been associated with aging phenotypes and age-related diseases in cross-sectional studies. However, longitudinal characterization of DNA methylation has been limited. Archived samples from the BLSA offer a unique opportunity to fully describe the trajectory of DNA methylation over time and across the life course as well as the ability to relate change in DNA methylation to a broad range of aging phenotypes. To capture potential nonlinear change in DNA methylation this project will interrogate genome-wide DNA methylation using serial samples from a large number of BLSA participants collected over several follow-up visits. To address the volume of samples required to characterize trajectories microarray processing services are required to evaluate genome-wide DNA methylation in stored DNA samples.

Purpose and Objectives: The purpose of this requirement is to obtain laboratory and related analytic services for the evaluation of genome-wide methylation in archived DNA samples of the BLSA using DNA methylation microarrays.

Project requirements: The Contractor shall perform genome-wide DNA methylation microarray assays for 2,240 archived DNA samples from the BLSA.

1. The Contractor shall provide all necessary microarrays, reagents, consumables and equipment. The investigators and study staff of the BLSA prefer use of the Illumina Infinium MethylationEPIC BeadChip for compatibility with existing DNA methylation data.
2. The Contractor shall implement and document quality assurance and quality control procedures suitable to the specifics of the project.
3. The Contractor shall complete bisulfite conversion and microarray processing for provided DNA samples and appropriate controls.
4. The Contractor shall repeat assays where assay failure is due to a technical issue other than DNA sample quantity or quality as appropriate.

Anticipated period of performance: The period of performance shall be 12 months from receipt of samples.

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 Hashim Dasti, Contract Specialist, at e-mail address hashim.dasti@nih.gov.

The response must be received on or before May 17, 2024 at 11AM 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).