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SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE: Acquisition of a Brand Name or Equal Agilent 4200 TapeStation Instrument Notice Number: 75N91021Q00194 Issued By: National Cancer Institute (NCI), Office of Acquisitions (OA) ht... SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE: Acquisition of a Brand Name or Equal Agilent 4200 TapeStation Instrument Notice Number: 75N91021Q00194 Issued By: National Cancer Institute (NCI), Office of Acquisitions (OA) http://www.nci.nih.gov or http://rcb.cancer.gov/rcb-internet/ Key Dates: Capability Statement Due Date: August 4, 2021 by 12:00PM EST This Small Business Sources Sought Notice (SBSS) is for information and planning purposes only and shall not be construed as a solicitation or as an obligation on the part of the National Cancer Institute (NCI). The purpose of this Sources Sought Notice is to identify qualified Small Business concerns including 8(a), HUBZone or Service-Disabled Veteran-owned businesses that are interested in and capable of performing the work described herein. The NCI does not intend to award a contract on the basis of responses received nor otherwise pay for the preparation of any information submitted. Your responses to the information requested will assist the Government in determining the appropriate acquisition method, including whether a set-aside is possible. An organization that is not considered a small business under the applicable NAICS code should not submit a response to this notice. This requirement is assigned North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code 334516 with a size standard of 1000 employees. As a result of this Sources Sought Notice, the NCI may issue a Request for Quotation (RFQ). THERE IS NO SOLICITATION AVAILABLE AT THIS TIME. However, should such a requirement materialize, no basis for claims against NCI shall arise as a result of a response to this Sources Sought Notice or the NCI’s use of such information as either part of our evaluation process or in developing specifications for any subsequent requirement. Acquisition of a Brand Name or Equal Agilent 4200 TapeStation Instrument BACKGROUND The National Cancer Institute (NCI), Center for Cancer Research (CCR), Pediatric Oncology Branch (POB), laboratory employs an integrated multiparametric approach to better understand the dynamic relationships between osteosarcoma cells and their microenvironment in both murine models of disease and patient specimens. POB is specifically interested in the following: (1) Revealing the immunomodulatory effects of specific genomic alterations and the mechanisms by which these alterations function to promote immune escape; (2) Identifying actionable targets that increase the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibition and adoptive cell therapies in metastatic osteosarcoma to serve as the basis for combination immunotherapy; (3) The multi-omic analysis of clinically annotated pediatric sarcoma specimens to better define the microenvironmental and immuno-oncology landscape of different pediatric sarcomas to enable more precise treatment strategies for patients with metastatic and/or refractory disease. To truly understand and elicit the biology of cancer in these areas at of interest requires a deep dive into the genomics of both the cancer cells themselves and the host tissue/cells they interact with. Regardless of the assay or downstream application, the need to ascertain the quality of both DNA and RNA extracted from both cancer and host cells is paramount. When running specific assays, such as sequencing or preparing genomic libraries, knowing the size of the nucleotides fragments is extremely important. Running any experiment without knowing the quality of the DNA and RNA would lead to data that is questionable at best. Often, these assays and downstream applications are themselves extremely expensive (thousands of dollars per run) so, again, the need to ascertain the quality of one’s DNA and RNA is extremely critical. Additionally, because the comparative biology between experiments is often required (for example studying cells pre and post treatment), utilizing the same method of quality assessment of the DNA and RNA is important. All DNA and RNA samples from previous experiments were run on an Agilent 4200 Tapestation, allowing for data from multiple experiments to be compared and utilized for data analysis across these multiple experiments and projects. Although other instruments from different companies may offer potentially reliable results, these would have to be thoroughly tested to ascertain the reliability and historical samples would need to be re-tested to ascertain results are identical to previous tests run. Presently, the staff of the POB have been using an identical tape station instrument (same “make/model” as it is looking to purchase) at the CCR Genomics Core, which charges the labs per sample tested. Not only does the scientific staff or the POB need to reserve time to utilize the CCR Genomic Core’s instrument, the POB staff need to transport extremely temperature sensitive material to a separate building raising the risk to research material. Having a reliable system located within the branch that is reproducible that can test multiple samples in a time-efficient manner is crucial to the experiments. TYPE OF ORDER This will be issued as a Non-Severable Firm Fixed-Price Purchase Order. SPECIAL ORDER REQUIREMENTS PRODUCT FEATURES/SALIENT CHARACTERISTICS The following product features/characteristics are required for this requirement: Fully automated sample processing and ready-to-use “ScreenTape technology” flexible nucleic acid electrophoresis system that can analyze from 1 to 96 samples per run. Results are obtained from 1-2 minutes per sample or less than 90 minutes for 96 samples. ScreenTape technology, which yields objective quantitative and purity measurements of DNA or RNA samples Scalable throughput required allowing the number of samples per run to be anywhere between 1 and 96 samples with constant cost per sample. System must be able to analyze both DNA and RNA samples. Reproducible results must be obtained despite user-variability requiring minimal manual interventions. Requires only a minimal amount of sample (1µl – 2µl) for testing purposes, which results in more sample for downstream applications Elimination of cross-contamination between samples achieved through running each sample in a separate lane with individual loading tips used for each sample. DELIVERY / INSTALLATION Delivery shall be within 30 business days of the Purchase Order award. 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. All shipping/handling (including FOB) and delivery/installation fees shall be included in the quote. Upon delivery, the Contractor shall notify the TPOC to schedule the installation. The installation date and time shall occur within 7 business days after delivery. Installation shall be performed by, or under the direct supervision of, an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) certified operator. Bldg.10CRC, 1W-3872 10 Center Drive Bethesda, MD. 20892 A minimum 12-month manufacturer warranty must be included Shipping/Handling costs must be included in the quote. NCI will not be responsible in the event charges are not included in the quote. Installation charges must be included in the quote. Note: NCI plans to award a contract that has FOB origin delivery terms. 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 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. 12-months of Technical Support shall be included in the warranty. How to Submit a Response: Page Limitations: Interested qualified small business organizations should submit a tailored capability statement for this requirement not to exceed 10 single sided pages including all attachments, resumes, charts, etc. (single spaced, 12-point font minimum) that clearly details the ability to perform the requirements of the notice described above. All proprietary information should be marked as such. Responses should include a minimum of a one page resume of the individuals meeting the requirements, and up to two pages demonstrating experience over the past two years meeting the requirements of this notice. Statements should also include an indication of current small business status; this indication should be clearly marked on the first page of your capability statement (preferable placed under the eligible small business concern’s name and address). Responses will be reviewed only by NIH personnel and will be held in a confidential manner. Organizations shall demonstrate 1.) Technical Approach 2.) Personnel Requirements and Organizational Experience. Due Date: Capability statements are due no later than August 4, 2021 by 12:00PM EST Delivery Point: All information furnished must be in writing and must contain sufficient detail to allow the NCI to determine if it can meet the unique specifications described herein. All questions must be in writing and emailed to David.Romley@nih.gov. A determination by the Government not to compete this requirement based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Information received will be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. In order to receive an award, contractors must have valid registration and certification in the System for Award Management (SAM) at Beta.SAM.gov. No collect calls will be accepted. Please reference number 75N91021Q00194 on all correspondence. Disclaimer and Important Notes: This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in response. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine the organization’s qualifications to perform the work. Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted. After a review of the responses received, a RFQ may be published in beta.SAM.gov. However, responses to this notice will not be considered adequate responses to a solicitation(s). Point of Contact: Inquiries concerning this Notice may be direct to: David Romley at David.Romley@nih.gov. Confidentiality: No proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included in your response. The Government reserves the right to use any non-proprietary technical information in any resultant solicitation.