This Small Business Sources Sought Notice (SBSS) is for information and planning purposes only and shall not be construed as a solicitation or as an obligation on the part of the National Cancer Institute (NCI).

The purpose of this Sources Sought Notice is to identify qualified small business concerns including 8(a), HUBZone or Service-Disabled Veteran-owned business concerns that are interested in and capable of performing the work described herein. The NCI does not intend to award a contract based on responses received nor otherwise pay for the preparation of any information submitted. Your responses to the information requested will assist the Government in determining the appropriate acquisition 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. This requirement is assigned North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code 334516 with a size standard of 1,000 employees is being considered.

NCI may issue a request for quotation (RFQ) as a result of this Sources Sought Notice. THERE IS NO SOLICITATION AVAILABLE AT THIS TIME. However, should such a requirement materialize, no basis for claims against NCI shall arise as a result of a response to this Sources Sought Notice or the NCI’s use of such information as either part of our evaluation process or in developing specifications for any subsequent requirement.

1.0 BRAND NAME OR EQUAL

This requirement is for the procurement of the brand name or equivalent instrument described in section 3.0. The Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) provision FAR 52.211-6, Brand Name or Equal (AUG 1999) is applicable to this requirement.

2.0 BACKGROUND

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Cancer Institute (NCI), Center for Cancer Research (CCR), Molecular Imaging Program (MIP) requires the purchase of a Becton Dickinson FACSLyric flow cytometer, or equivalent. The required instrument will replace an existing Becton Dickinson FACS Calibur flow cytometer that is 10 years old and has become increasingly difficult to repair. A flow cytometer is an essential piece of equipment for the pre-clinical group in the MIP and is used to analyze optical probes and cell receptors.

3.0 PRODUCT FEATURES/SALIENT CHARACTERISTICS

The following product features/characteristics are required.

The instrument shall:

• Include non-touch screen monitor that is a minimum of 27” and a separate desktop computer. The monitor size is required so the end users can easily view their gating results which can have several graphs for results. The separate desktop is required so the end users can easily set up their studies, analyze their data and copy to flash drive if needed. 
• Include polystyrene beads dyed with fluorochromes that allows the software to characterize, track, and report performance measurements for the flow cytometer. Beads shall consist of equal quantities of bright, mid, and dim beads in phosphate buffered saline with sodium azide.
• Perform automated single tube QC (quality control) with dyed polystyrene beads instead of requiring manual QC using single color beads.
• Include bead dilution buffer, cleaning agent for daily use, and fluid for running the instrument
• Include at no charge fluorescent beads containing the following dyes:  FITC, PE, APC, PerCP-Cy5.5, PE-Cy7, APC-Cy7, PerCP, and dyes with absorptions of 415nm and 404nm and emission peaks of 500nm and 448nm, respectively.  The beads need only to be run every 60 days and enable the software to determine spillover values (SOVs) for fluorescence compensation and calculate a fluorescence compensation matrix during setup of flow cytometer.
• Have a minimum of 3 lasers (red, blue and violet) and be capable of detecting a minimum of 8 dyes.  The 8 dyes shall include followings; FITC, PE, PCP-Cy5.5 and PE-Cy7 from blue laser, APC or Alexa Fluor 647, APC-Cy7 from red laser, and dyes capable of being detected with a violet laser with maximum absorptions between 404-407nm and 405-415nm and emission peaks between 421-448nm and 500-510nm, respectively. 
• Offer on-site upgradability to detect an additional 4 dyes for a total of 12 dyes.  The additional dyes shall include Alexa Fluor 700, and dyes optimized and excited by a violet laser with the following absorption and emission wavelengths: 405nm, 407nm, 407nm and 600-602nm, 702-711nm, 780-786nm, respectively.  This increases the instrument’s flexibility.
• Offer the option to self-perform laser alignment with a click of a button.  Slight drifts of laser can occur over time and reduces downtime for end user to perform the alignment themselves instead of waiting for a service technician. 
• Offer a manual sample acquisition capable of accepting tubes 12 x 75-mm tubes, microcentrifuge tubes, (~500-μL) or large (up to 50-mL) conical tubes.   Manual acquisition is useful if you only have a few samples or samples that aren’t in 96 well plates or 12x75mm tubes.
• Provide software with the ability to automate the process of compensating the spectral overlap of fluorochromes used in the lab. The software shall allow the user to export the user-defined assays in given format so that users can reproduce assays at different times.
• Capable of collecting sample data up to a maximum of 35,000 events (data from cells) per second.  This allows several events to be collected rapidly. 
• Be capable of acquiring unlimited events per sample so the users can collect data from rare cell populations effectively.
• Include a system that uses a gel coupled flow cell for superior sensitivity to detect low intensity signal effectively.
• Capable of a High Sensitivity Mode (flow rate 50uL/min; fluid velocity 2.7meters/second) in order to accommodate samples that contain rare populations. This mode allows the cells to travel through the laser beam at half the usual sheath velocity and allows for a two-fold increase in sensitivity
• Use the heptagon fluorescence collection system which minimizes the number of times fluorescence signals shall pass through dichroic mirrors, maximizing signal intensity and eliminating alignment of fluorescence channels
• Include electronic IDs (chip coded) for each filter-mirror combination, ensuring that the configuration is as expected for a given experiment. In case of mismatch the user can identify that before collecting data, ensuring accurate results.       
• Be capable of setting multiple parameter threshold.  The ability to threshold on more than one parameter is a very powerful tool when working with small particles or sample preps with large amounts of unwanted particles.
• Include a universal sample loader capable of running 12x75mm tubes and 96 well plates and automated on board vortexing of tubes and plates for mixing and resuspension of cells.  The automated vortexing prevents the cells from settling at the bottom of the tube.  Strength and duration of vortexing can be determined by the end user in the software program
• Include 30 and 40 tube (12x75mm) racks for sample loader
• Offer a minimum of 21 different loading options including using 3 different types of tube racks, 16 different types of 96 well plates, and 2 different types of 384 well plates using the sample loader.
• Contain a loader that is equipped with barcode scanner that can match rack barcode and tube barcodes to what is expected per the software program and provide error management capabilities in case of mismatch. This allows the user to walk away after the start of the multi-tube or plate run.
• Be capable of programming an automated start up and auto shutdown and power off to increase productivity
• Include a system that operates using Windows 10

3.1 DELIVERY / INSTALLATION

Delivery shall be within 90 days of purchase order award. All shipping/handling (including FOB) and delivery/installation fees shall be included in the quote. Upon delivery, the Contractor shall notify the NCI Technical Point of Contact (TPOC), TBD at award, to schedule the installation date and time that shall occur within 5 days after delivery. Installation shall be performed by, or under the direct supervision of, a certified operator.

The Contractor shall deliver and install the equipment at the following address:

9000 Rockville Pike
Building 10, Room 1B40
Bethesda, MD 20892

3.2 TRAINING

Within 14 days after installation, at least one day of training will be provided on-site for at least one primary user of the instrument. All training expenses, including materials and/or travel expenses, shall be included in the quoted price.

3.3 WARRANTY

A minimum of 12-months warranty from the date of installation shall be included, which covers the cost of repair and/or replacement, including labor or any defect in workmanship or parts. At least one one-site preventative maintenance visit during the warranty period shall be provided. Phone support, remote diagnostics and troubleshooting, and field service shall be included in the warranty.

4.0 RESPONSE DELIVERY POINT

All information furnished must be in writing and must contain enough detail to allow the NCI to determine if it can meet the unique specifications described herein. All questions must be in writing and should be emailed to Adam Hernandez, Contract Specialist at [email protected] by 11:00 A.M. EST on Friday, April 3, 2020 (04/03/2020). A determination by the Government not to compete this requirement based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Information received will be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. In order to receive an award, contractors must have valid registration and certification in the System for Awards Management (SAM) at www.sam.gov. No collect calls will be accepted. Please reference number 75N91020Q00044 on all correspondence.

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, an RFQ may be published. However, responses to this notice will not be considered adequate responses to a solicitation(s).