NOTICE OF INTENT TO SOLE SOURCE
SOLICITATION NUMBER:
NIH-NIMH-NOI-20-003635

TITLE: 
Siemens Gold Service Contract for Magnetom Prisma

CLASSIFICATION CODE:
J066    Maintenance and Repair of Instruments and Laboratory Equipment

NAICS CODE:
811219 – Other Electronic and Precision Equipment Repair and Maintenance

RESPONSE DATE:
By June 25, 2020 at 12:00 p.m. EST

PRIMARY POINT OF CONTACT:
Michelle Cecilia, Contract Specialist
NIMH Contracts Management Branch, NIDA
[email protected]

DESCRIPTION:
THIS IS A PRE-SOLICITATION NOTICE OF INTENT TO AWARD ON A SOLE SOURCE BASIS.  THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR QUOTE/PROPOSALS. 

On behalf of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), the Office of Acquisitions Contracts Management Branch Red, NIMH Section of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), intends to solicit on a sole-source basis by a request for quotation to Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc. to acquire maintenance services for a Siemens Prisma 3T MRI Scanner with an award date on or about  July 6, 2020. The purpose of this acquisition is to acquire preventative maintenance and service for an existing Government-owned Prisma 3T MRI scanner that was originally manufactured by Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc. These maintenance services shall be provided by an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM)-Authorized Service Provider of the Siemens Prisma 3T MRI Scanner, and all maintenance services shall be performed by OEM certified factory-trained technicians using OEM certified parts. 

NORTH AMERICAN INDUSTRY CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM (NAICS) CODE and SET ASIDE STATUS

The intended procurement is classified under NAICS code 811219 with a Size Standard of $22M.

This acquisition is NOT set aside for small businesses, but rather is a sole-source acquisition to Siemens Medical Solutions.

REGULATORY AUTHORITY 

This acquisition is conducted under the authority of section 4202 of the Clinger-Cohen Act of 1996. 

BACKGROUND, PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES OF REQUIREMENT

Research in the Neurophysiology Imaging Facility (NIF) centers on cutting edge functional imaging in awake monkeys for a broad range of investigators. Scanning in the facility involves the use of a Siemens Prisma 3T scanner specialized for monkey imaging. Considerable effort has been made so that brain scans can be accomplished in monkeys that are awake and performing a behavioral task. This goal has provided several challenges, since it requires that all the equipment, implants, and task-related elements of the research are fabricated from plastic, fiberglass, or other MR compatible material. Monkey imaging is particularly challenging because their heads are small, and the required spatial resolution is therefore much higher than in humans. Alert monkey scanning poses a particular set of challenges for functional imaging. The comparatively small head combined with the frequent movements in the chair, most notably of the jaw during juice acquisition, and of body during postural readjustments, result in frequent dynamic geometrical distortions and signal dropout. The Prisma scanner has been specifically modified to scan nonhuman primates, which has made its performance at the cutting edge for monkey imaging in the world. Because of the need for changing parts that may fail or need to be replaced, and thereby incur many thousands of dollars of repair costs, we will need service
contract. This level of service contract is critical to the efficient functioning of the NIF facility and associated research projects, particularly in light of the new, and uniquely customized scanner that is installed in the facility.

Description of Requirement: 
This is a service and maintenance requirement for the MAGNETOM Prisma 3T scanner. Independently and not as an agent of the Government, the Contractor shall furnish all the necessary services, qualified personnel, material, equipment, and facilities, not otherwise provided by the Government as needed to provide preventative maintenance and service for the Siemens Magnetom Prisma 3T MRI scanner, including the magnet, computer, and all other electrical components and accessories supplied by Siemens for the NIF. The Contractor shall supply all replacement parts (good-as-new) to maintain the equipment at OEM specifications. The Contractor shall provide on-site remedial service and maintenance as well as regular scheduled maintenance inspections and adjustments for all subsystems of the scanner. The contractor shall provide technical support and remote diagnostics as well as checks of the system error logs. The Contractor shall provide all necessary documentation, repair parts, spare parts, accessories, maintenance supplies, all special tools, test and support equipment, travel and transportation, personnel skill requirements, and other related services required in performance of maintenance tasks to keep the equipment in good operating condition. 

CONTRACTING WITHOUT PROVIDING FOR FULL OR OPEN COMPETITION (INCLUDING BRAND-NAME) DETERMINATION

The Siemens Magnetom Prisma 3T MRI Scanner is an advanced MRI system comprised of proprietary components and highly specialized subsystems. Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc. (Siemens) is the only source for factory trained and certified technicians to maintain and service the 7T MRI scanner.  Siemens engineers have unique knowledge of this proprietary scanner because they have been specially trained to service this equipment. The proprietary software updates and upgrades for Siemens equipment can only be provided by Siemens. Siemens is the only company that can provide remote Diagnostic Services fully compatible with Siemens Healthineers equipment functionality and operating requirements. 

Due to the exclusive design of the Siemens Magnetom Prisma 3T MRI scanner, the MRI Scanner can only be repaired and serviced with compatible Siemens components.  Only an OEM-authorized service provider has access to the latest services and support information. Replacement parts or accessories must be compatible with the existing scanner, and only Siemens can certify compatibility. An OEM-authorized service provider is the only source with direct access to these parts, labor and software.  

The intended source is:
Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc.    
40 Liberty Blvd
Malvern, PA, 19355-1418 

Estimated Period of Performance: 

Base Period: July 6, 2020 – July 5, 2021
Option Period 1: July 6, 2021 – July 5, 2022
Option Period 2: July 6, 2022 – July 5, 2023
Option Period 3: July 6, 2023 – July 5, 2024

Place of Performance:

National Institutes of Mental Health
Building 49, Room B2-106
49 Convent Drive
Bethesda, MD 20892

Contract Type: 

A firm-fixed price type contract with option periods is planned for this acquisition, consistent with commercial practices. 

CLOSING STATEMENT

THIS NOTICE OF INTENT TO AWARD ON A SOLE-SOURCE BASIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR COMPETITIVE PROPOSALS. However, interested parties may identify their interest and capability to respond to this notice. 

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

Responses to this notice shall contain sufficient information to establish the interested parties' bona-fide capabilities for fulfilling the requirement and include: unit price, list price, shipping and handling costs, the delivery period after contract award, the 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 provide evidence that they can provide equipment that meets all the requirements in this announcement.

All responses must be received by the closing date and time of this announcement and must reference the solicitation number, NIH-NIMH-NOI-20-003635. Responses must be submitted electronically to Michelle Cecilia, Contract Specialist, Contracts Management Branch – Red, NIMH Section, NIDA, at [email protected] and [email protected].  U.S. Mail and Fax responses will not be accepted.