INTRODUCTION
PURSUANT TO FAR Subpart 5.2-Synopses of Proposed Contract Actions, THIS IS A PRE-SOLICITATION NOTICE OF A PROPOSED CONTRACT ACTION.

THIS IS A PRE-SOLICITATION NON-COMPETITIVE NOTICE OF INTENT TO AWARD A CONTRACT OR PURCHASE ORDER WITHOUT PROVIDING FOR FULL OR OPEN COMPETITION (INCLUDING BRAND-NAME).

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), Station Support Contracts and Simplified Acquisitions Branch (SS/SA) on behalf of the National Institute on Aging intends to negotiate and award a contract for Clinical Chemistry Analyzer.

NORTH AMERICAN INDUSTRY CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM (NAICS) CODE
The intended procurement is classified under NAICS code 334516 with a Size Standard of 1,000 employees.

REGULATORY AUTHORITY
The resultant contract will include all applicable provisions and clauses of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) in effect through the Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2005-95 dated January 2017.

STATUTORY AUTHORITY
This acquisition is conducted as non-competitive under the authority of 41 U.S.C. 253(c) under provisions of the statutory authority of FAR Subpart 6.302-1 Only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirement.

DESCRIPTION OF REQUIREMENT

Project Description
The purpose of the research program of the Translational Gerontology Branch (TGB), NIA is to understand the basic biology of aging across species and to develop interventions that can improve healthspan and lifespan and be translated to humans. A staple of this kind of research is the ability to measure how markers in blood/serum and urine change with age and how these are related to human aging. Furthermore, we require an instrument that can do this using volumes of 2uL per test due to the small volumes we obtain from mice and a dead volume of 30uL. Understanding how important parameters change in mice and how they translate to humans is a staple of our research program. To date, we have been unable to perform basic clinical chemistry measurements in our mice. The purpose of this acquisition for the purchase of a Siemens DIMENSION® EXL® LM 200 50/60HZ Instrument is to allow for the measurement of important parameters in a cross-sectional and longitudinal approach in our mouse Aging Study with small volumes of blood. This will allow us to compare our data with the Jackson's Laboratory, the breeding facility of the mice and develop translational measures for mice and the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA).

Purpose and Objectives
Acquisition of this machine will allow for the measurement of clinical chemistry parameters across all species currently utilized by NIA investigators. The hardware and software will be available to all labs within NIA. Currently, the following laboratories have expressed interest: Laboratory of Molecular Gerontology, Laboratory of Neuroscience, Laboratory of Genetics, Laboratory of Clinical Investigation and the Comparative Medicine Section. The proposed acquisition is a Siemens DIMENSION® EXL® LM 200 50/60HZ Instrument is to allow for the measurement of important parameters in a cross-sectional and longitudinal approach in our mouse Aging Study. Furthermore, we require an instrument that can do this using volumes of 2uL per test due to the small volumes we obtain from mice and a dead volume of 30uL, which this instrument can provide. This is a resource that the NIA needs and does not currently have. As a goal of the TGB is to translate interventions from mice to humans, a required measurement is for assessment of blood/serum/urine measures and this acquisition would facilitate this goal as well as increase inter-laboratory collaborations. Furthermore, this machine will be available to the Comparative Medicine Section and Poolsville Non Human Primate facility for use in the ongoing veterinarian care of these animals (a resource that is currently not available to these cores).

Period of Performance
It is anticipated that a fixed price commercial item contract will be awarded, with expected delivery and installation within 30-60 days after receipt of award.

CLOSING STATEMENT
This synopsis is not a request for competitive proposals. However, interested parties may identify their interest and capability to respond to this notice.

Responses to this notice must include sufficient information to establish the interested parties' bona-fide capabilities of providing the product or service. The price quote shall include: unit price, list price, shipping and handling costs, delivery days after contract award, delivery terms, prompt payment discount terms, F.O.B. Point (Destination or Origin), product or catalog number(s); product description; and any other information or factors that may be considered in the award decision. Such factors may include: past performance; special features required for effective program performance; trade-in considerations; probable life of the item selected as compared with that of a comparable item; warranty considerations; maintenance availability; and environmental and energy efficiency considerations.

Respondents that believe that they are manufacturers or authorized resellers of the brand-name product specified in this announcement must provide, as part of their response: (a) product, catalog, model, and/or part number(s); (b) product description; (c) all relevant information and documentation that the item(s) offered meets the salient physical, functional, or performance characteristics as specified in the purchase description; quantity; estimated price or cost; shipping, handling, and/or installation charges; and delivery date after receipt of order.

In addition the Dun & Bradstreet Number (DUNS), the Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN), and the certification of business size must be included in the response. All offerors must have an active registration in the System for Award Management (SAM) www.sam.gov."

A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed contract based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. The information received will normally be considered solely for the purposes of determining whether to proceed on a non-competitive basis or to conduct a competitive procurement.

All responses must be received by 10:00 am Eastern Time, September 14, 2017. and must reference number HHS-NIH-NIDA-SSSA-17-767.

Responses must be submitted electronically to Stephanie Dewitt at [email protected] and must reference the solicitation number HHS-NIH-NIDA-SSSA-17-767, on your electronic request. FAX requests are not accepted.

"All responsible sources may submit a capability statement, proposal, or quotation, which shall be considered by the agency."