AMENDMENT III:

The purpose of Amendment III is to provide the corrected version of the revised Statement of Requirements dated 9/10/20 (see updated Attachment with four revisions highlighted in yellow). The revisions consist of the following four changes:

1. Minimum MRM dwell time not to exceed 1 ms
2. Mass stability: deviation less than 0.1 Da within 24 h.
3. Binary pump with 700 bar maximum pressure
4. Autosampler with temperature control from 4° C to ambient

Attachments

• Statement of Requirements (Revised Version Dated September 10, 2020)

All other terms and conditions remain

AMENDMENT II:

Pursuant to FAR 15.206 - Amending the Solicitation, the Government is issuing this Amendment as a result of changes that have been made to the requirements document. As such, the Government is providing a revised Statement of Requirements dated September 9, 2020 (see updated Attachment with revisions highlighted in yellow) and extending the quote submission due date. The impacted sections of the solicitation have been modified as follows:

Due Date for Quotations and Questions

Quotes: All quotations must be submitted via e-mail to Sadaf Afkhami, at [email protected] with a carbon copy to Donald Graham, at [email protected]. Submissions must be received no later than 8:00a.m. Eastern Time on September 16, 2020. FAX quotations will not be accepted. Please reference the RFQ number in the subject line of e-mail communications. 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 to Donald Graham, at [email protected], no later than 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time on September 11, 2020.

Attachments

• Statement of Requirements (Revised Version Dated September 9, 2020)

All other terms and conditions remain unchanged.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

AMENDMENT I:

The purpose of this Amendment is two-fold: 1.) to provide responses to timely submitted clarification questions, and 2.) to provide a revised Statement of Requirements dated 8/24/20 (see updated Attachment with revisions highlighted in yellow).

Question #1- Under Section III of the Statement of Requirements: “Minimum MRM dwell time not to exceed 0.5 ms” - Can the minimum dwell time requirement be changed to not to exceed 1 ms?

Answer: The Statement of Requirements has been revised to state the following: “Minimum MRM dwell time not to exceed 1 ms.”

Question #2- Under Section III of the Statement of Requirements: “Autosampler with temperature control from 1 °C to ambient.” Can the temperature control requirement be changed to 4 °C to -15 °C?

Answer: The Statement of Requirements has been revised to state the following: “Autosampler with temperature control from 4 °C to ambient.”

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 PART 13.5 SIMPLIFIED PROCEDURES FOR CERTAIN COMMERCIAL ITEMS.

The Bioanalytical Science Group of the Biomolecular Measurement Division is involved in the development of reference materials, primarily of protein and peptide analytes, for use in the in vitro diagnostics and biologic pharmaceutical industries.  This work entails the analytical chemistry characterization of several properties of the reference material including concentration, purity, density and post-translational modification state.   Determination of concentration of these materials is required to be performed by the most advanced methods having high accuracy, high precision, and traceability to the International System of units.  The accepted method for this measurement is isotope-dilution mass spectrometry which consists of a high-performance liquid chromatography system (HPLC) coupled to a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer.  An objective of the group is to provide reference materials at the same concentration level as found in the laboratory specimen, which are often at very low levels.  Therefore, it is also required that the triple quadrupole instrument be of the class having the greatest sensitivity.

The current procurement covers the purchase, installation, training and extended warranty of a system which will allow for isotopic-dilution mass spectrometry for the measurement of protein/peptide in a variety of backgrounds including, but not limited to water, composed buffer, serum, plasma, urine.

The objective of this solicitation is to establish a Firm-Fixed-Price purchase order based on the specifications described in the attached Statement of Requirements.

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) 2020-07, effective August 3, 2020.

The associated North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code for this procurement is 334516 with a small business size standard of 1000 employees. This acquisition is being procured as a total small business set-aside. 

SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS

All Quoters shall provide a Firm-Fixed-Price quotation for the following line items:

• Line Item 0001: Triple quadrupole mass spectrometer inclusive of any applicable shipping and installation, in accordance with the Statement of Requirements.
• Line Item 0002: High-performance liquid chromatography system inclusive of any applicable shipping and installation, in accordance with the Statement of Requirements.
• Line Item 0003: Computer and Software inclusive of any applicable shipping and installation, in accordance with the Statement of Requirements.
• Line Item 0004: Training in accordance with the Statement of Requirements.
• Line Item 0005: Warranty in accordance with the Statement of Requirements.
• Line Item 0006: Shipping in accordance with the Statement of Requirements.

INSTRUCTIONS:

System for Award Management Registration

In accordance with FAR 52.204-7, the awardee must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) (www.sam.gov) prior to award.  Refusal to register shall forfeit award.

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, at [email protected] with a carbon copy to Donald Graham, at [email protected]. Submissions must be received no later than 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time on September 1, 2020. FAX quotations will not be accepted. Please reference the RFQ number in the subject line of e-mail communications.  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 to Donald Graham, at [email protected], no later than 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time on August 21, 2020.

Quotation Preparation Instructions

Quoters will submit two separate documents, a Technical Quotation and a Price Quotation. Instructions for each document are described below:

1.  Technical Quotation: The Quoter shall submit an electronic copy of the technical quotation, which shall fully describe its technical approach to fulfilling the requirements of the attached Statement of Requirements (SOR). The technical quotation shall include technical description, product literature, and/or drawings for the system it is proposing. The Quoter must demonstrate that its proposed system meets or exceeds each minimum requirement described in the SOR by providing a citation to the relevant section of its technical description or product literature.  The contractor must not simply state they will meet or exceed the requirement; evidence must be provided.  No pricing information shall be included in the Technical Quotation.
    
2. Price Quotation: The Quoter shall submit an electronic copy of the price quotation, which shall entail a separate firm-fixed-price, FOB Destination, for each CLIN. All equipment must be new. Used or remanufactured equipment will not be considered for award. The price quotation shall include a cover page with the following information:

• The solicitation number 1333ND20QNB640574.
• The name, address, and telephone number of the Quoter.
• Active DUNS # for the SAM registration.
• A total firm-fixed price for the requirement, which shall be the sum of the firm-fixed prices proposed for each of the required line items.
• Any applicable discount terms.
• A statement that the Contractor agrees to all terms, conditions, and provisions included in the solicitation. If the Contractor objects to any of the terms and conditions contained in this solicitation, the Contractor 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:” [Contractor shall list exception(s) and rationale for the exception(s)].  It is the sole responsibility of the Contractor to identify in their quote any exceptions to the terms and conditions of the solicitation.  If the Contractor does not include such a statement, the submission of a quotation in response to this solicitation will be regarded as the Contractor’s acceptance of the Government’s terms and conditions for inclusion into the resultant purchase order.
• A statement that the quotation is valid for a minimum of 60 days from the response deadline of this solicitation.

EVALUATION CRITERIA & BASIS FOR AWARD:

The Government intends to award a purchase order resulting from this solicitation to the responsible Contractor whose quotation, conforming to the solicitation, results in the best value to the Government, price and other factors considered.  The Government reserves the right not to award a purchase order and to make an award without discussions based solely upon initial quotes.

Technical capability and price will be used to evaluate quotations, whereby 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.

Technical Approach: Evaluation of Technical Approach 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.

Price: Price shall be evaluated for fairness and reasonableness, consistent with the Contractor's technical approach.

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 contractor 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 contractor’s FSS or GWAC contract, and the statement required above shall be included in the quotation.

PROVISIONS AND CLAUSES:

The clauses and provisions applicable to this solicitation can be found under Applicable Clauses & Provisions. The full text of a FAR provision or clause may be accessed electronically at https://farsite.hill.af.mil or www.acquisition.gov/far.  The full text of a CAR provision or clause may be accessed electronically at https://farsite.hill.af.mil or http://www.osec.doc.gov/oam/acquistion_management/policy/.

ATTACHMENTS:

The following attachments apply to this solicitation:

1. The Statement of Requirements (Revised 8.24.20)

2. Applicable Clauses & Provisions