Description:

(i)         This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in Subpart 12.6 as supplemented with additional information included in this notice.  This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; proposals are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued.

(ii)        The solicitation number is :  HHS-NIH-NIDA-(SS/SA)-RFQ-14-482 and the solicitation is issued as a Request for Proposal (RFP).

This acquisition is for a commercial item or service and is conducted under the authority of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 13-Simplified Acquisition Procedures; and FAR Part 12-Acquisition of Commercial Items, and is not expected to exceed the simplified acquisition threshold.

(iii)       The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2005-76, dated July 25,2014.

(iv)       The associated NAICS code is 423450  Laboratory equipment, dental and medical, merchant wholesalers and the small business size standard is 100 employees.

(v)       Project Title: Microplate Washer/Dispenser

(vi)       Purchase Description:

The National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) is in need of a microplate washer/dispenser. The Stem Cell group is requesting washer/dispenser, for low-volume, high precision liquid dispensing and plate aspirating device.  One goal of the group is to incorporate and develop High Content Screens (HCS) in parallel and/or in conjunction with the center’s well established quantitative High Throughput Screens (qHTS); dubbed as the NCGC wells-to-cells paradigm. HCS will enable confirmation of true positive compounds obtained from the qHTS. In addition, it will provide an insight on the cyto-toxicity, morphological effect, and potential modes of action of the compound on growing cell lines. HCS involves multiple washing steps to fix and stain the cells. This requires the use of a robotic system capable of aspirating and dispensing cells and reagents alike in different plate formats. At the moment, the center has one GNF washer / dispenser shared by biologists for offline assay development and two on a HTS screening robot.  These washer / dispensers have been used to screen in the tens of thousands of plates; and their high level of performance and reliability make them the ideal choice to help the Stem Cell group run challenging assays. Purchase description:

—  Automated microplate liquid dispenser and washer

—  Compatible with SBS/SLAS/ANSI microplates in 96, 384 and 1536 well densities

—  Capable to dispense 1536 microplate in fewer than 25seconds.

—  Capable of magnetic bead preparation.

—  Interchangeable aspiration heads for 384 and 1536 plates.

—  Interchangeable dispense valve holders for vertical and angled dispenses.

—  Capable of automated washing of aspiration heads

—  Dispense Volumes as low as 0.5ul with CV <5%.

—  Capable to dispense no fewer than 8 reagents simultaneously.

—  Capable of 24/7 operation

—  Capable of operations through integration or by personal.

—  Ability to “teach” locations for all process locations and custom microplates through intuitive software.

—  Ability to generate custom protocols with parameters for

1.    Process order

2.    Motor Speeds

3.    Motor Acceleration

4.    Custom microplate selections

5.    Independent control of individual well volumes for each reagent.

6.Washing procedures

—  Safety systems in place to prevent personal injury while allowing appropriate access for operator.

Period of Performance: 90 days from receipt of award

Contract Type: The Government intends to issue a firm fixed priced contract unrestricted for this requirement.

i.              The place of performance will be at the contractor work site and the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, Bethesda Maryland. 

ii.             The provision of FAR clause 52,212-1, Instructions to Offerors—Commercial Items(Apr 2014), applies to this acquisition.      

iii.            The provision of FAR clause 52.212-2, Evaluation – Commercial Items (January 1999), applies to this acquisition.

iv.            The Government will award a contract resulting from this solicitation on the basis of best value in relation to pricing. The major evaluation factors for this solicitation include technical (which encompasses experience/capability and past performance factors), and cost/price factors. Evaluation will be made in accordance to the contractor’s ability of meeting each of the criteria listed in the purchase description. Although technical factors are of paramount consideration in the award of the contract, cost/price is also important to the overall contract award decision. All evaluation factors other than cost or price, when combined, are significantly more important than cost or price.

The price quoted will be evaluated taking into consideration any price reductions. A best value analysis will be performed taking into consideration the results of the technical evaluation, price evaluation, and the ability to complete the work within the Government’s required schedule.

The Government intends to make an award(s) to that offeror whose proposal provides the best overall value to the government.

v.             The Offeror must include a completed copy of the provision at FAR clause 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications – Commercial Items (August 2013), with its offer.   The FAR clause is located at http://www.acquisition.gov/far/.

vi.            FAR clause at 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions – Commercial Items (July 2013), applies to this acquisition.  

vii.           FAR clause at 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders–Commercial Items (September 2013), applies to this acquisition.  

viii.          There are no additional contract requirement(s) or terms and conditions determined by the contracting officer to be necessary for this acquisition and consistent with customary commercial practices.

ix.            The Defense Priorities and Allocations System (DPAS) are not applicable to this requirement.

x.             Responses to this notice shall contain sufficient information to establish the interested parties’ bona-fide capabilities for fulfilling the requirement and include: the technical proposal, cost-price proposal, prompt payment discount terms, the F.O.B. Point (Destination or Origin), the Dun & Bradstreet Number (DUNS), 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 September 22, 2014 12pm eastern standard time and must reference number HHS-NIH-NIDA-(SS/SA)-SBSS-14-482.  Responses may be submitted electronically to [email protected]  Attention: Farrin Stanton.  Fax responses will not be accepted.

(xix)     Contact Farrin Stanton at [email protected] for information regarding the solicitation.