Inactive

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Cancer Institute (NCI), Center for Cancer Research (CCR), Laboratory of Genome Integrity (LGI), re... The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Cancer Institute (NCI), Center for Cancer Research (CCR), Laboratory of Genome Integrity (LGI), requires the procurement of one (1) Sony Biotechnology ID7000 spectral cell analyzer or equivalent to replace an older, much less capable Sony Biotechnology SA3800 spectral analyzer. 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 subpart 13.5 - Simplified Acquisition Procedures for Certain Commercial Items. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation and a separate written solicitation will not be issued. This solicitation, 75N91021Q00084, is issued as a request for quote (RFQ) and includes all applicable provisions and clauses in effect through FAR Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2021-05 (03-10-2021), simplified acquisition procedures for commercial items. The North American Industry Classification System code is 334516 and the business size standard is 1,000 employees. 1.0 BRAND NAME OR EQUAL This requirement is for the procurement of the brand name or equivalent instrument 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 Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Nactional Cancer Institute (NCI), Center for Cancer Research (CCR), Laboratory of Genome Integrity (LGI), Flow Cytometry Core Facility in Building 37 (CCR LGI FC37) provides technical expertise and instrument support to flow cytometry applications in cancer research. The CCR LGI FC37 is the largest, fully open shared flow cytometry facility at NCI. Recent technological advances in high-dimensional spectral flow cytometry and the unmet need to allow advanced cancer research to take advantage of this technology at NCI necessitates the purchase of a state-of-the-art high dimensional spectral cell analyzer. The purpose of the proposed acquisition is to bring this advanced technology to NCI to allow cancer investigators, especially in the field of cancer immunology, to utilize it in their research. Importantly, the new analyzer will replace an older, much less capable Sony Biotechnology SA3800 spectral analyzer (S/N 2000020), and shall provide seamless continuity between the existing and new instruments such that data from existing assay formats, produced on current instrumentation will be identical to that from the new instrument. 3.0 TYPE OF ORDER This is a Firm-Fixed-Price Purchase Order. 4.0 PRODUCT FEATURES/SALIENT CHARACTERISTICS The following product features/characteristics are required: The instrument shall be a benchtop high-end fluorescent spectral flow cytometer that meets the following minimum specifications. The instrument shall: Be capable of acquiring cells in flow up to 40,000 events per second rate and provide high throughput acquisition of 147 fluorescence parameters plus forward and 90o angle side light scatter. From this raw spectra data, calculate relative intensities of up to 60 fluorescent components. Be capable of calculating multiple autofluorescent properties from raw data. Be capable of illuminating cells with a minimum of 5 lasers of high power of excitation wavelength of 355nm (ultra-violet), 405nm (violet), 488nm (blue), 561nm (green) and 637nm (red) to allow for the possible most versatile excitation of existing and future fluorochromes and fluorescent reagents. Offer additional optional laser lines of deep ultraviolet (UV) (320nm) and infrared (800nm) range. Lasers must be spatially separated and operate with a time-delay mechanism that allows the complete separation of all the detectors associated with each of the five lasers. Be capable of detecting fluorescence emitting cells with up to 147 (upgradable to 188) diode array fluorescent channels with spectral decomposition spanning the range of 360 - 800nm to allow for the possible most versatile detection of existing and future fluorochromes and fluorescent reagents. Provide simultaneous detection of up to sixty (60) fluorescent parameters utilizing a spectral unmixing algorithm. Use automatic laser time delay calculation using the instrument set-up software. Have and integrated laser control mechanism to allow the selective turning on and off of individual lasers (except for primary blue 488nm laser). Utilize acquisition software compatible with a Sony SA3800 spectral flow cytometer, so that users can seamlessly transition from existing moderate instruments to the new system. Utilize dedicated detector channels for each laser with an average number of minimum twenty-five (25) channels/laser for each of the five lasers for maximum spectral resolution. Provide fully integrated automatic sampling mechanism utilizing a single platform for 24 fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) (5mL) tube or microtiter plates (96 or 384 well) with operations controlled by the cytometer software for high throughput sample (HTS) acquisition purposes. This sample acquisition mechanism must be integrated into the system such that users can seamlessly transition from tube to plate mode operations without any additional hardware change. To support large and/or variable sample volumes, the system shall utilize a fluidic system that provides continuous sample flow from open tubes and wells, not a more limited volume capacity syringe-based sample drive. To preserve sample integrity during prolonged data acquisition runs, the system shall provide thermo-electric sample cooling for 5 mL FACS tubes and multi-well plates. Provide real time spectral unmixing and real time population statistics during data acquisition to support definitive stopping conditions. Come with a computer workstation containing the following brand name or equivalent minimum specifications: Windows 10 Pro 64 bit Operating System, Intel Xeon 6248 2.5 GHz 20 Core processor, 256 GB DDR4 memory, NVIDIA Quadro P2200 Graphics card, and 8TB x3 (RAID5:16TB) HDD storage space, equipped with 2 Ethernet ports, 4 display ports and DVD disc drive. 4.1 DELIVERY / INSTALLATION Delivery shall be within 90 calendar days of the Purchase Order award. The Contractor shall coordinate delivery and tracking information with the NCI Contracting Officer Representative (COR), TBD at award, and Technical Point of Contact (TPOC), TBD at award, with tracking information to anticipate delivery to the best extent possible. All shipping/handling (including FOB) and delivery/installation fees shall be included in the quote. Upon delivery, the Contractor shall notify the COR and TPOC to schedule the installation date and time which shall occur within 5 business days after delivery. Installation shall be performed by, or under the direct supervision of, an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) certified operator. The Contractor shall deliver and install the equipment at the following address: ATTN: TBD At award 37 Convent Drive Building 37, Room 6011, Bethesda MD, 20892 COR: TBD at award TPOC: TBD at award 4.2 TRAINING At the time of installation, the Contractor shall provide a familiarization and customer training for at least one (1) primary operator of the instrument. Within 14 business days after installation, the Contractor shall coordinate with the TPOC to provide additional training for at least five (5) users of the equipment. This training shall include at least two (2) full business days of consulting time by an experienced trainer at the customer site to help with assay development, implementation and data analysis using the instrument software. In the event that on-site training is not available due to COVID-19 restrictions, the Contractor shall provide remote training and reschedule the two (2) day on-site training for a later date at no additional cost to the Government. All training expenses, including materials and/or travel expenses shall be included in the quoted price. 4.3 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 12-months from date of installation. 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. At least one on-site preventative maintenance visit during the warranty period shall be included at no additional cost to the Government. Phone support, remote diagnostics and troubleshooting, and field service shall be included with the warranty and shall have a 48-hour on-site turnaround time by a designated OEM service engineer. Experimental planning, data analysis and interpretation assistance shall be included by remote access to the manufacturer’s experts for up to 12-months after purchase. 5.0 SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS/EVALUATION QUESTIONS Questions must be submitted electronically via email to Contract Specialist, Adam Hernandez, at adam.hernandez@nih.gov in MS Word or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF), no later than 1:00 PM ET Monday, May 17, 2021 (05/17/2021). 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 Contract Specialist, Adam Hernandez, at adam.hernandez@nih.gov in MS Word or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF), no later than 1:00 PM ET Monday, May 24, 2021 (05/24/2021). Reference 75N91021Q00084 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 4.0. 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 4.0 may be made available and provided to required staff at different times and dates at no additional cost. Communicate and follow instructions from the NCI TPOC to coordinate delivery, installation, and training. The delivery address and COR/TPOC’s information will be provided at time of award and must be included as part of the order/shipping label.