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 339112, Surgical and Medical Instrument Manufacturing, with a size standards in number of employees of 500 for the proposed acquisition . Your response to the information requested will assist the Government in determining the appropriate 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.

Background:
NIAID, Vaccine Research Center (VRC) Flow Cytometry Facility provides research support to their members and collaborators. Support is provided using 8 instruments manufactured by BD Biosciences, 7 days per week to approximately 75 users. Each instrument is fully utilized and supports multiple experiments each day. The research projects supported are complex and varied. As such, the facility is required to maintain equipment that provides for a wide range of applications and that includes the ability to modify and adapt capabilities as new applications are developed.

Purpose and Objectives:
The purpose and objective of this requirement is to acquire 40 parameter capable flow cytometer analyzers with a wide range of laser excitation wavelengths and power outputs combined with the ability to custom configure fluorescence detector capabilities. The required equipment is BD Biosciences LSRFortessa Flow Cytometer analyzers for the compatibility and seamless continuity between the existing instruments and the new instruments.

Project Requirements:
Flow Cytometer analyzers:
The Contractor shall provide BD LSRFortessa, catalog# 647177 (Qty-8); and LSRFortessa, catalog# 650279 (Qty-8) - 40 parameter Flow Cytometer Analyzers with the following salient characteristics:
- Must have the ability to customize and configure fluorescence detector capabilities, including user access to, and ability to change, fluorescence band pass and long pass filters

- Must have forty (40) parameter simultaneous detection including FSC and SSC from five (5) lasers.

- Must be upgradable to simultaneous 7 laser capability

- Must contain simultaneous 40 parameter detection of 38 fluorescence markers plus forward scatter (FSC) and side scatter (SSC) signals

- Must have automatic time delay calculation using instrument set-up software.

- Must have variable detector configurations using reflected light decagon PMT arrays.

- Must have LED pulsing for Quality Control (QC) by measuring relative background and noise

- Must have integrated laser power control software that provides for turning power on/off and adjustable power level control for each of the software controllable lasers

- Must have up to 5- lasers with the following wavelength (nm) and power output maximum (milli watts):

a. 405 nm, 100 milliwatts
b. 488 nm, 400 milliwatts
c. 628 nm, 200 milliwatts
d. 532nm, 1 watt
e. 355nm, 60 milliwats

- Must provide fully integrated automatic sample injection from microtiter plates (96 or 384 well) with operation controlled by the cytometer software.

- Must have fluorescent resolution equal to or better of coefficient of variation (CV) area <3%, full G0-G1 peak for chicken erythrocyte nuclei (CEN) stained with propidium iodide (PI).

- Must achieve separation of 0.05 um beads from noise on side scatter (SSC) channel.

- Data acquisition rate of theoretical 70,000 events per second for typical operation of 20,000 events per second with sample concentration of 2 x 107 cells/ml at a sample flow rate of 60ul/ml.

Anticipated Period of Performance:
Delivery 120 days after receipt of purchase order (ARO)

Other Important Considerations:
This requirement is anticipated to be a firm-fixed price purchase order.

Capability statement/information sought:
Capability statement must reference the ability to provide all of the items. Potential offerors must include in their capability statement the point of contact, organization name, address, Dunn and Bradstreet number (DUNS), size and type of business pursuant to the applicable NAICS code. Interested qualified businesses must submit a capability statement in word or pdf format electronically to Sylvia Robinson at [email protected] to be received by April 20, 2015, 4:00pm (Eastern Time) and to reference solicitation# HHS-NIH-NIAID-SS-15-1727391 in the beginning of the email subject line. Facsimile responses will not be accepted.

Concluding:
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 pre-solicitation 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.

Bid Protests Not Available