Inactive

DESCRIPTION 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 ... DESCRIPTION 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 423490 with a size standard of 150 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. BACKGROUND Cryopreservation is the use of very low temperature to preserve and store intact living cells and tissue. This is of particular importance for the clinical and research labs with the high demand to safely store both clinical (patient) and research samples. These include patient tissue, cell lines, and sample obtained from in vivo research projects. These extreme temperatures (-150°C) allow the researcher to safely store these invaluable samples and access them at a later time. These extreme cold temperatures preserve both their viability and their genetic material without any compromise in integrity over time. Cells (both cell lines and cell suspensions acquired from both clinical and research samples) and tissue can be store for many years without compromising viability or genetic profiles. The Pediatric Oncology Branch (POB) of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) at NIH owns multiple units. Several of these units have past their end of life expectancy. They are in need of replacement prior to a catastrophic event (controller error and/or weld-failure causing LN leakage). Two units are at least 34 years old while a third unit is manually filled (which is a risk in itself). The POB is looking to obtain two large units to replace one large unit and two smaller units (one of which is the manually filled unit). OBJECTIVE The primary objective of this requirement is to procure two cryogenic LN2 Vapor freezers with racks. PRODUCT FEATURES/SALIENT CHARACTERISTICS The following product features/characteristics are required for this requirement: Optimized design for size/capacity/usability – the capacity to hold up to 32 racks. See the dimensions in item 5 Touchscreen controller automatically maintains freezer conditions Ability to record critical data (can be pushed to the cloud, emailed or saved to USB drive) Supports independent temperature and liquid nitrogen level monitoring and control Increased capacity while maintaining footprint size of current units to optimize restricted space. Dimensions are: 59” height x 45” diameter Cryogenic LED and automatic fog-clear to enhance visibility and sample access Improved ergonomics allowing for safer/easier access to samples Cryogenic freezers must fit in space currently occupied by the units being replaced as floor space is limited. See the dimensions in item 5. 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 two pages demonstrating experience over the past two years meeting the requirements of this notice. Statements should also include an indication of current certified 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. Due Date: Capability statements are due no later than 4:00 PM. EST on August 12, 2021. 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. Written responses can be emailed to Jolomi Omatete, Contracting Officer at Jolomi.Omatete@nih.gov or mailed to the address located under Point of Contact. All questions must be in writing and submitted via email. 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 Representations and Certifications Application at www.sam.gov. No collect calls will be accepted. Please reference number SBSS_75N91021Q00178 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, an RFQ may be published. However, responses to this notice will not be considered adequate responses to a solicitation(s).