DESCRIPTION

THIS IS A COMBINED SYNOPSIS/SOLICITATION FOR COMMERCIAL ITEMS PREPARED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE FORMAT IN FAR SUBPART 12.6-STREAMLINED PROCEDURES FOR EVALUATION AND SOLICITATION FOR COMMERCIAL ITEMS-AS SUPPLEMENTED WITH ADDITIONAL INFORMATION INCLUDED IN THIS NOTICE. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONSTITUTES THE ONLY SOLICITATION; QUOTATIONS ARE BEING REQUESTED, AND A SEPARATE WRITTEN SOLICITATION DOCUMENT WILL NOT BE ISSUED.  THE SOLICITATION IS BEING ISSUED USING SIMPLIFIED ACQUISITION PROCEDURES UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF FAR PARTS 12 AND 13.

This solicitation is a Request for Quotation (RFQ). The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) FAC 2021-06 effective July 12, 2021.

The associated North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code for this procurement is 334516- Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing with a small business size standard of 1000 Employees. This acquisition is being procured as a Total Small Business Set Aside. 

Quoters must possess an ACTIVE registration in the System for Award Management system, www.SAM.gov, when submitting a quotation and shall continue to be registered until time of award, during performance, and through final payment of any contract resulting from this solicitation. The Contracting Officer will confirm that quoters have an “active” registration at the www.sam.gov website upon receipt of the quotation. If the SAM.Gov registration is not active, the quotation will not be considered for award.

The Organic Chemical Measurement Science Group within the Chemical Sciences Division (CSD) of the Material Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology is responsible for chemical measurements leading to the certification of a large number of food, botanical, environmental, and forensic Standard Reference Materials (SRMs).  Currently, the Organic Chemical Measurement Science Group is developing analytical methods and candidate reference materials for important chemical species and contaminants in natural product samples including botanical dietary supplements and Cannabis (hemp and marijuana) materials.  One of the tools available to the CSD for the characterization of SRMs and other complex samples is the gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer (GC/MS).  Through its use of 15 m to 100 m long fused capillary columns, this instrument enables the separation of complex natural mixtures.  In addition, the mass spectrometer can selectively detect specific target analytes as well as screen for and tentatively identify non-targeted species.  This type of instrument has been used for the characterization of specific organic species in a wide variety of SRMs. A new GC/MS with a flame ionization detector (FID) would significantly upgrade the group’s capabilities for targeted and untargeted analytes in cannabis related samples and other SRM support measurements, as well as enable remote access for method development, data analysis, and up-to-date IT security.

The objective of this solicitation is to establish a Firm-Fixed-Price purchase order for a gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer with source pressure readout meeting the specifications described in the attached Statement of Requirements (SOR).

SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS

Responsible quoters shall provide a quotation for the following Contract Line Items (CLINs), in accordance with the specifications outlined in the attached Statement of Requirement. All equipment must be new. Used or remanufactured equipment will not be considered for award:

BASE LINE ITEMS:

• Line Item 0001: (Quantity 1 Each) Gas Chromatograph with Mass Spectrometric and Flame Ionization Detectors and Liquid Autosampler, inclusive of an operations and maintenance manual, in accordance with the Statement of Requirements.
• Line Item 0002: (Quantity 1 Each) Installation and report, in accordance with the Statement of Requirements.
• Line Item 0003: (Quantity 1 Each) Training, in accordance with the Statement of Requirements.
• Line Item 0004: (Quantity 1 Year) Initial Warranty, in accordance with the Statement of Requirements.

OPTION LINE ITEMS:

• Line Item 0005: (Quantity 1 Year) Option Period 1: Extended Warranty, in accordance with the Statement of Requirements.
• Line Item 0006: (Quantity 1 Year) Option Period 2: Extended Warranty, in accordance with the Statement of Requirements.
• Line Item 0007: (Quantity 1 Year) Option Period 3: Extended Warranty, in accordance with the Statement of Requirements.

DELIVERY TERMS

Delivery terms shall be FOB Destination. The Quoter shall pack and mark the shipment in conformance with carrier requirements, deliver the shipment in good order and condition to the point of delivery specified in the purchase order, be responsible for loss of and/or damage to the goods occurring before receipt and acceptance of the shipment by the consignee at the delivery point specified in the purchase order; and pay all charges to the specified point of delivery.

EVALUATION CRITERIA & BASIS FOR AWARD:

The Government intends to award a purchase order resulting from this solicitation to the responsible Quoter whose quotation, conforming to the solicitation, results in the best value to the Government, price and other factors considered. 

The following will be used to evaluate quotations:

1) Technical Capability and 2) Price

Technical Capability shall be more important than price.

An Offeror's failure to address any factor may be considered indicative of the Offeror's lack of understanding of the Government's requirements and may result in the offer being determined unacceptable.

For the Evaluation of Technical Capability:

Evaluation of technical capability shall be based on the information provided in the quotation.  NIST will evaluate whether the offeror has demonstrated that its proposed equipment meets AND/OR exceeds all minimum requirements. If an offeror does not indicate how its proposed equipment meets or exceeds a certain minimum requirement, NIST will determine that it does not.

NIST will give stronger consideration to systems that exceed the following requirement:

NIST Requirements Specification “h” (under physical characteristics and instrument specifications):

h.) Features offered that would enhance remote access for instrument control and data acquisition including both software and hardware.  Examples of software features would include those allowing complete remote control of instrument operation including tuning and data acquisition.  Related hardware features would include a temperature controlled vial tray that would preserve samples in the tray (see “f” of Statement of Requirement) and a camera that would allow the operator to monitor instrument operation remotely.
 

For the Evaluation of Price:

The proposed price will be evaluated. The evaluation will determine whether the proposed prices are reasonable in relation to the solicitation requirements. Prices must be entirely compatible with the technical portion of the quotation.
 

INSTRUCTIONS:

Completed Solicitation Provisions

A completed version of all required solicitation provisions (see attached provisions/clauses document – required submissions highlighted in blue). 

Due Date for Quotations and Questions

All quotations must be submitted, via e-mail, to Sadaf Afkhami, Contract Specialist, at [email protected] with a carbon copy (cc) to Donald Graham, Contracting Officer, at [email protected]. Submissions must be received no later than 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time on September 7, 2021. FAX quotations will not be accepted.  Quoters must reference the RFQ number in the subject line of the e-mail submission.   Quotes shall not be deemed received by the Government until the quotation has entered the e-mail inbox of the individual(s) set forth above.

Questions: All questions regarding this notice must be submitted via e-mail to Sadaf Afkhami, at [email protected], with a carbon copy (cc) to Donald Graham, Contracting Officer, at [email protected], no later than 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time on August 27, 2021.

Quotation Preparation Instructions

Each quotation shall consist of two (2) separate electronic files: (1) Technical Quotation; and (2) Pricing Quotation. See details below:

(1.) Technical Quotation:

1. Technical description and/or product literature.  Quoters shall include the manufacturer, make and model of the product, manufacturer sales literature or other product literature which CLEARLY DOCUMENTS that the offered products meet or exceed all specifications outlined in the statement of requirements. It is the responsibility of the quoter to ensure that submitted documentation clearly addresses all specifications and requirements.
2. If product literature does not address any given specification, the Quoter must provide a discussion of how it will meet or exceed that required specification. Any modifications must be discussed. It is the responsibility of the Quoter to ensure that the discussion clearly addresses the modification and how the required specification(s) will be met with the quoted modification. 
3. The quoted delivery timeline for the deliverables.
4. A description of the quoted training.
5. A description of the quoted warranty.

 (2.) Price Quotation:

1. All Quoters shall submit a firm fixed price, FOB Destination, price quotation for the base and option line items. The quotation must include a unit price and the aggregate price for all line items.
2.  The price quotation shall include a cover page with the following information:
3. The solicitation number 1333ND21QNB640497;
4. The name and address, of the Quoter;
5. The name, phone number, and email address of the Quoter’s point of contact;
6. DUNS # for Quoter’s active SAM.Gov registration.
7. Any applicable discount terms.
8. A statement that the Quoter agrees to all terms, conditions, and provisions included in the solicitation. If the Quoter objects to any of the terms and conditions contained in this solicitation, the Quoter shall state “The terms and conditions in the solicitation are acceptable to be included in the award document with the exception, deletion, or addition of the following:” [Quoter shall list exception(s) and rationale for the exception(s)].  It is the sole responsibility of the Quoter to identify in their quote any exceptions to the terms and conditions of the solicitation. 
9. A statement that the quotation is valid for a minimum of 60 days from the response deadline of this solicitation.

 
Please note that this procurement IS NOT being conducted under the GSA Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) program or another Government-Wide Area Contract (GWAC).  If a Quoter submits a quotation based upon an FSS or GWAC contract, the Government will accept the quoted price.  However, the terms and conditions stated herein will be included in any resultant Purchase Order, not the terms and conditions of the Quoter’s FSS or GWAC contract.
 
PROVISIONS AND CLAUSES:
The provisions and clauses applicable to this solicitation are identified in Attachment 2 titled “Applicable Clauses & Provisions”. The full text of a Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) provision or clause may be accessed electronically at  www.acquisition.gov/far.  The full text of a Department of Commerce Acquisition Regulation (CAR) provision or clause may be accessed electronically at or http://www.osec.doc.gov/oam/acquistion_management/policy/.

ATTACHMENTS:
The following attachments apply to this solicitation:
1. Statement of Requirements
2. Applicable Clauses & Provisions