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SOLICITATION NUMBER: NIH-NINDS-NOI-21-006651 TITLE: Maintenance Services for Tecniplast/IWT Cagewash Equipment for NIH Building 35 SAF CLASSIFICATION CODE: J066 Maintenance and Repair of Instruments a... SOLICITATION NUMBER: NIH-NINDS-NOI-21-006651 TITLE: Maintenance Services for Tecniplast/IWT Cagewash Equipment for NIH Building 35 SAF CLASSIFICATION CODE: J066 Maintenance and Repair of Instruments and Laboratory Equipment NAICS CODE: 811219 – Other Electronic and Precision Equipment Repair and Maintenance RESPONSE DATE: June 7, 2021 PRIMARY POINT OF CONTACT: Shayna Simpson, Contract Specialist NINDS Contracts Management Branch, NIDA Shayna.Simpson@nih.gov DESCRIPTION: 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on a sole-source basis by a request for quotation to Tecniplast USA to provide maintenance support service for the outdated equipment for the Animal Health Care Section (AHCS) on or around June 7, 2021, with an award issued on or around July 1, 2021. The purpose of this acquisition is to acquire maintenance support services, for 2 (two) IWT Rack Washers, 3 (three) IWT Tunnel Washers and 1 (one) IWT Multi-Magic 2 Semi-Automatic Bottle Processor (a total of six (6) cage and bottle processing machines). These services shall be provided by an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM)-Authorized Service Provider of the six (6) cage and bottle processing machines, 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 Tecniplast USA. REGULATORY AUTHORITY 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 This request originates from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Strokes (NINDS) Animal Health Care Section (AHCS). The Animal Health Care Section within NINDS provides a comprehensive program of animal care and use for NINDS scientists. The Animal Health Care Section (AHCS) has a need for a comprehensive service contract to provide parts and technical services for 2 (two) IWT Rack Washers, 3 (three) IWT Tunnel Washers and 1 (one) IWT Multi-Magic 2 Semi-Automatic Bottle Processor (a total of six (6) cage and bottle processing machines) located in the Building 35 Shared Animal Facility (SAF). Regular service and preventive maintenance are essential in order to keep these machines operational so that daily and weekly cage processing requirements are achieved. These six (6) cage and bottle processing machines were manufactured and installed by Tecniplast/IWT (Tecniplast USA). 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 Tecniplast USA, as the authorized provider of the Tecniplast USA’s IWT Rack Washers, IWT Tunnel Washers and IWT Multi-Magic 2 Semi-Automatic Bottle, is the only contractor that is OEM-authorized and capable of providing the necessary maintenance support service to the Tecniplast USA because the equipment is proprietary. Tecniplast USA is the only source for factory trained and certified technicians to provide these services and to maintain and service the equipment. Only Tecniplast USA is capable of providing the necessary maintenance support service because the equipment requiring maintenance is proprietary to this company, the original equipment manufacturer. Tecniplast USA does not authorize any other contractors to perform this work. Use of any other contractor would jeopardize the machines functionality by risking mechanical design and software control standards. Additionally, it would jeopardize the NINDS AHCS Animal Health Care Section accreditation. One of the criteria for maintaining accreditation, and to reduce experimental variables in study protocols, is the ability for the Building 35 SAF to effectively and efficiently clean and process large volumes of soiled animal caging and water bottles on a daily and weekly basis. The Building 35 SAF is, therefore, dependent upon the washing and processing equipment located in the cage wash and bottle processing space. This equipment must work each and every day with minimal downtime in order to meet the facility sanitation requirements and to remain compliant with regulating authorities. Accordingly, Tecniplast USA is the only contractor capable of meeting the needs of this requirement. Furthermore, use of any other contractor for the maintenance would void equipment warranties and jeopardize equipment’s 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 Tecniplast USA can certify compatibility. An OEM-authorized service provider is the only source with direct access to these parts and labor. Tecniplast USA is the only source authorized by the OEM to provide the support and 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. Therefore, only Tecniplast USA, is found to be capable of meeting the needs of this requirement. The intended source is: Tecniplast USA 1345 Enterprise Drive West Chester, PA 19380-5964 Salient characteristics: This is a service and maintenance requirement for 2 (two) IWT Rack Washers, 3 (three) IWT Tunnel Washers and 1 (one) IWT Multi-Magic 2 Semi-Automatic Bottle Processor. 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 six (6) cage and bottle processing machines. The Contractor shall supply replacement parts to maintain the equipment at OEM specifications. The Contractor shall provide on-site remedial service and maintenance as well as regularly scheduled maintenance inspections and adjustments for all subsystems of the six (6) cage and bottle processing machines. The Contractor shall provide technical support and remote diagnostics as well as checks of the system error logs. Additionally, 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 the performance of maintenance tasks to keep the equipment in good operating condition. Estimated Period of Performance: Base year: July 1, 2021 – June 30, 2022 Option year 1: July 1, 2022 – June 30, 2023 Option year 2: July 1, 2023 – June 30, 2024 Option year 3: July 1, 2024 – June 30, 2025 Place of Performance: Porter Neuroscience Research Center (PNRC) Building 35/35A; Rooms BB101- BBC104A 35 Convent Drive Bethesda, Maryland 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-21-006651. 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.