Inactive Total Small Business Set-Aside (FAR 19.5)

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Cancer Institute (NCI), Center for Cancer Research (CCR), Experimental Immunology Branch (EIB) req... The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Cancer Institute (NCI), Center for Cancer Research (CCR), Experimental Immunology Branch (EIB) requires the procurement of a Microelectrode Current and Voltage Clamp Amplifier and Digitizer System. This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items, prepared in accordance with the format in FAR 12.6 as supplemented with additional information included in this notice, and shall be processed in accordance with FAR Part 13 - Simplified Acquisition Procedures. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation, and a separate written solicitation will not be issued. This solicitation, 75N91021Q00032, is issued as a request for quote (RFQ) and includes all applicable provisions and clauses in effect through FAR Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2021-03 (02-16-2021), simplified acquisition procedures for commercial items. The North American Industry Classification System code is 334516 and the business size standard is 1,000 employees. THIS IS A TOTAL SMALL BUSINESS SET-ASIDE. 1.0 BRAND NAME OR EQUAL This requirement is for the procurement of the brand name or equivalent instruments described in Section 4.0. 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 National Cancer Institute (NCI), Center for Cancer Research (CCR), Experimental Immunology Branch (EIB) has established an electrophysiology platform to examine enteric neurons and intestinal enteroendocrine cells. EIB has been performing patch clamp recordings in a collaborator’s laboratory outside of EIB for the past two years and have recently published a manuscript about intestinal enterochromaffin cells (Immunity, In press). Based on these works, EIB will continue to do electrophysiology experiments to study intestinal physiology and pathophysiology. Therefore, to continue with these experiments, it will be significantly more efficient and appropriate for EIB to set up a rig system in a EIB laboratory. The rig system, inclusive of the required instruments and equipment rack described in Section 4.0, is based on working experiences and specific laboratory needs. EIB has experienced scientists in electrophysiology, well-trained in neuroscience, and are very familiar with the required instruments. Additionally, EIB has trained staff scientists to operate and maintain the rig system based on the past two years’ experience. Considering the substantial amount patch clamp recordings EIB are about to do, the required equipment will improve our working efficiency significantly. 3.0 TYPE OF ORDER This is a Firm-Fixed-Price Purchase Order. 4.0 REQUIRED PRODUCTS / FEATURES / SALIENT CHARACTERISTICS 4.1 The following product features/characteristics are required for one (1) MultiClamp 700B current and patch clamp amplifier or equivalent: The instrument shall be able to use either an external trigger command or user-programmable voltage threshold for rapid, automatic mode switching between current and voltage clamp. For example, by pre-setting a voltage threshold in current-clamp mode, the amplifier shall automatically switch to voltage-clamp mode when the membrane potential reaches the threshold voltage. The instrument shall allow for a user specified delay to be programmed allowing further customization of recording procedures. Sudden changes in membrane or pipette parameters may result in undesirable oscillations during whole-cell recordings. To overcome this, the required instrument shall detect current or voltage oscillations and automatically disables or intelligently reduces compensation settings to protect the cell from damage. Slight voltage drift, often due to changing electrode properties, may contaminate an otherwise decent current clamp recording. To maintain the membrane potential at a consistent level, the instrument shall automatically inject a compensatory current over a user-defined time course. 4.2 The following product features/characteristics are required for one (1) Digidata 1550B0 data acquisition system or equivalent. The required instrument shall be a low noise data acquisition system and shall include a HumSilencer or equivalent that is supported by, at a minimum, pCLAMP 10.6 data acquisition and analysis software. This ensures an easy upgrade path for the large number of pCLAMP electrophysiology labs around the world. The instrument shall be able to eliminate 50 or 60 Hz line-frequency noises and associated high frequency harmonics up to four channels, thus enabling cellular network studies without signal distortion. The instrument shall contain low-noise, high-precision 16-bit analog outputs for precise stimulation. The instrument shall have 8 separate digital to analog converters (DACs), allowing 8 simultaneous waveforms for higher throughput or more complex neuronal network experiments than were possible with previous generations of the digitizers. The instrument shall operate at the maximum sampling rate of 500 kHz per channel on all 8 input channels simultaneously. This provides a very high aggregate throughput of 4 MSamples/s. The instrument shall connect to computers via a standard USB 2.0 port. This makes both desktop and laptop installation extremely simple and easy. The instrument shall be rack-mount ready for a standard 2U rack. The front panel shall provide convenient access to almost all functionalities. 4.3 The contractor shall include pCLAMP 11 software or equivalent that is compatible with the instruments identified in sections 4.1 and 4.2 above. The required software is an electrophysiology data acquisition and analysis program for control and recording of voltage-clamp, current-clamp, and patch-clamp experiments. The software shall be a comprehensive electrophysiology software in which all types of data (action potentials (Aps), minis (EPSPs), single-channel currents, whole-cell current and voltages, LTP/LTD) can be acquired, analyzed, and graphed in the same consistent software. The software shall have an event detection analysis mode, in which multiple views of data are all dynamically linked together. This allows researchers to attend to the most interesting form of data, and to be able to double-check alternative views of the data easily and quickly (raw, graphed, spreadsheet, and captured events). The software shall come with Clampfit Advanced Analysis Module or equivalent, enabling automatic detection and analysis of population spikes and action potentials. The module shall come with Batch Data Analysis Macros or equivalent, which allow users to save pre-defined settings and apply to additional experimental data automatically, thus saving time and reducing repetitive labor. 4.4 The required instruments will be part of a larger rig system and therefore one (1) floor standing equipment rack with the following specifications shall be included with the Purchase Order: Shall contain the maximum dimensions of 63" tall x 19" wide rack x 16.5" to fit in the available laboratory space. Shall be capable of rack mounting narrow equipment or items that do not have rack mounting capabilities. Shall be load-bearing weight of up to 1,000 pounds. Shall contain adjustable rack mount rails. 4.5 DELIVERY Delivery shall be within 30 business days of the purchase order award. All shipping/handling (including FOB) and delivery/installation fees shall be included in the vendor’s quote. The Contractor shall coordinate delivery and tracking information with the NCI Technical Point of Contact (TPOC), TBD at award, with tracking information to anticipate delivery to the best extent possible. The Contractor shall deliver the equipment at the following address: ATTN: TBD at award National Cancer Institute 10 Center Drive, Building 10, Room 4B17 Bethesda, MD 20892 Please see Section 5.0 below for SPECIAL DELIVERY INSTRUCTIONS DUE TO COVID-19. 4.6 WARRANTY The Contractor shall warrant that any instruments, equipment, components, or other supplies (“Supplies”) procured by this purchase are free of defects in design, material, or manufacture for a period of at least one (1) calendar year from date of acceptance by the Government. The Contractor shall warrant that all consumables or expendable parts are free of defects in design, material or manufacture for a period of at least 90 calendar days from date of acceptance by the Government. Supplies which are repaired or replaced shall be warranted for the remainder of the initial warranty period or for 90-days – whichever is greater. 5.0 SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS/EVALUATION QUESTIONS Questions must be submitted electronically via email to Contracting Officer, Adam Hernandez, at adam.hernandez@nih.gov in MS Word or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF), no later than 11:00 A.M. ET, Thursday, March 04, 2021 (03/04/2021). Please be advised that the Government reserves the right to transmit any questions and answers of a common interest to all prospective Contractors. QUOTATIONS Quotations must be submitted electronically via email to Contracting Officer, Adam Hernandez, at adam.hernandez@nih.gov in MS Word or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF), no later than 11:00 A.M. ET, Thursday, March 11, 2021 (03/11/2021). Reference 75N91021Q00032 on all correspondence. BASIS FOR AWARD & EVALUATION The purchase order will be awarded to the firm that submits the Lowest Price Technically Acceptable (LPTA) quotation. A technically acceptable quote is one in which the quoter(s) complies with the Statement of Need (SON) and does not take exception, nor object to any of the terms of the RFQ. Quotes that are not technically acceptable will not be considered for award. Award will be made on an all or none basis. If you are providing an “equal” product, you must submit additional documentation that highlights and describes how your offering is equal in accordance with FAR Clause 52.211-6. Evaluation and award will be conducted in accordance with the requirements of FAR 13.106. The technical evaluation will be a determination based on information furnished by the Contractor. The Government is not responsible for locating or securing any information which is not identified in the quotation. The Government intends to evaluate quotations and make a single award. Quotations should contain the quoter’s best terms from a price and technical standpoint. However, the Government reserves the right to request quote revisions that seek additional price discounts, provide revisions to the technical quote, or clarify aspects of the quote. In the event quote revisions are requested, the Government will not necessarily be seeking revisions from all quoters. The Government may reject any or all quotes if such action is in the public interest; accept other than the lowest quote; and waive informalities and minor irregularities in quotes received. GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS This Request for Quotation (RFQ) does not commit the Government to pay any cost for preparation and submission of a quote. In addition, the Contracting Officer is the only individual who can legally commit the Government to the expenditure of public funds in connection with this proposed acquisition. By submitting a quote in response to this solicitation, it is understood that your firm’s quote shall become a part of the official contract file. The Vendor’s quote must stipulate that it is predicated upon all the terms and conditions of this RFQ and signed by an official authorized to bind your organization. In addition, it must contain a statement to the effect that it is firm for a period of at least 60 days from the date of receipt thereof by the Government. Quotes shall be submitted with a completed copy of FAR 52.204-24 Representation Regarding Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment, located in Section 8.0 attached to this RFQ. Price Quote: The price quotation must contain all information necessary to allow for a comprehensive evaluation of the prices quoted. The quote must also contain the following information: a. Federal Tax Identification Number (TIN); b. Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) Number; c. Business Size (e.g., small or large) SPECIAL DELIVERY INSTRUCTIONS DUE TO COVID-19 Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, please pay close attention to the following delivery instructions and ensure that sufficient information is included in the quote to be considered for an award. Please be aware that due to the fluidity of the existing pandemic, instructions may be updated as needed after award. All quotes must include confirmation that equipment is or will be available for delivery by the due date indicated in Section 4. Quoters must confirm: Willingness to store or hold equipment until NCI is ready to accept the equipment at no additional cost. The equipment will not be sold to another company in the event NCI is not ready to accept delivery due to unanticipated changes related to COVID-19. Training as identified in Section 4 may be made available and provided to required staff at different times and dates at no additional cost. Communicate and follow instructions from the Technical Point of Contact (TPOC) to coordinate delivery, installation, and training. The delivery address and TPOC’s information will be provided at time of award and must be included as part of the order/shipping label.