Inactive

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 Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)... 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 Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), the Office of Acquisitions Contracts Management Branch Red, NINDS Section of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), intends to solicit on a sole-source basis by a request for quotation to Micro Photonics, Inc. to acquire maintenance services for the Bruker Skyscan 1272 X-Ray Micro-CT Scanner on or around January 15, 2021 with an award issued on or around January 27, 2021. The purpose of this acquisition is to acquire preventative maintenance and service for an existing Government-owned Bruker Skyscan 1272 X-Ray Micro-CT Scanner that was originally manufactured by Micro Photonics, Inc. These maintenance services shall be provided by an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM)-Authorized Service Provider of the Bruker Skyscan 1272 X-Ray Micro-CT 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 Micro Photonics, Inc. REGULATORY AUTHORITY The purpose of Amendment 001 is to correct the Regulatory Authority as follows: This acquisition is conducted under the authority of the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) Subpart 13.106-1 (b) Soliciting from a single source. BACKGROUND, PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES OF REQUIREMENT The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Strokes (NINDS) supports research into the causes, treatment, and prevention of neurological disorders and stroke. This request originates from the NIH Mouse Imaging Facility (MIF). The MIF owns and operates a Bruker Skyscan 1272 X-Ray Micro-CT Scanner that is used by the NIH research community. This system is used for ongoing preclinical biomedical research studies. To continue to support cutting-edge research using high-resolution 3D X-ray microscopy performed by the NIH scientific community, it is essential to maintain and service this equipment on a regular maintenance schedule. CONTRACTING WITHOUT PROVIDING FOR FULL OR OPEN COMPETITION (INCLUDING BRAND-NAME) DETERMINATION Micro Photonics Inc., as the authorized partner of Bruker Skyscan1272 MicroCT, is the only contractor authorized and capable of providing the necessary maintenance support service to the Bruker Skyscan1272 MicroCT because the equipment is proprietary. Micro Photonics Inc. is the only source for factory trained and certified technicians to maintain and service the equipment. The equipment requiring maintenance is continually used for research purposes. Non-functional equipment, inappropriately calibrated equipment, or equipment with incorrect parts, software updates, or other unsupported service provided by a non-authorized vendor, would void data standardization and cause irreparably damage to NIH research data. Furthermore, use of any other contractor for maintenance would void equipment warranties and jeopardize system integrity and functionality. 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 equipment, and only Micro Photonics can certify compatibility. An OEM-authorized service provider is the only source with direct access to these parts and labor. Micro Photonics is the only source authorized by the OEM to provide maintenance services for this equipment. Because of the significant investment by NINDS in the purchase of this equipment, using an OEM-Authorized Service Provider is essential for maintaining the integrity of the system. In accordance with FAR part 10, extensive market research was conducted to reach this determination. Specifically, contact with knowledgeable individuals both in industry and Government, as well as reviews of available product literature, revealed no other sources. A review of the GSA Advantage, Dynamic Small Business Search, and previous Government acquisitions returned no results that meet all requirements. A letter from the OEM confirmed that Micro Photonics is the only OEM-authorized service provider for this equipment. Therefore, only Micro Photonics Inc., is found to be capable of meeting the needs of this requirement. The intended source is: Micro Photonics Inc. 1550 Pond Road, Suite 110 PO Box 3129 Allentown, PA 18104 Salient characteristics: This is a service and maintenance requirement for the Bruker Skyscan1272 MicroCT. 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, including onsite engineer calibrations and onsite engineer services, for the Bruker Skyscan1272 MicroCT. The Contractor shall supply all replacement parts 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, any travel and transportation, personnel skill requirements, and other related services required in performance of maintenance tasks to keep the equipment in good operating condition. Estimated Period of Performance: Base year: 1/27/2021-1/26/2022 Option year 1: 1/27/2022-1/26/2023 Option year 2: 1/27/2023-1/26/2024 Option year 3: 1/27/2024-1/26/2025 Option year 4: 1/27/2025-1/26/2026 Place of Performance: Room B1D-229 National Institutes of Health 10 Center 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 of 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-NINDS-NOI-21-003045. Responses must be submitted electronically to Shayna Simpson, Contract Specialist, Contracts Management Branch – Red, NINDS Section, NIDA, at Shayna.Simpson@nih.gov. U.S. Mail and Fax responses will not be accepted.