NIA 23-001429

Submitted by mahonkg on
Post Date/ Solicitation Issue Date
Closing Response Date
Proposed Award Date
Project Title
Service Contract for the Cytation 5 Plate Imager
Contracting Office
National Institute on Aging (NIA)

Contact Points

Primary Contract Specialist

Lorraine
Gibbs
lorraine.gibbs@nih.gov
NAICS Code Number
811210
Other Electronic and Precision Equipment Repair and Maintenance
Small Business Size Standard
$30M
FPDS Classification Code
J066
Estimated Period of Performance
Base Period: 1/27/2023-1/26/2024; Option Year 1: 1/27/2024-1/26/2025
Competition Status
Non-Competitive
Vendor Name
Agilent Technologies, Inc.
Vendor Address
5301 Stevens Creek Blvd
Santa Clara, CA 95051

Single-Sole Source Determination
This notice of proposed acquisition is posted as an intent to award a purchase order on a non-competitive basis to Agilent Technologies. The Center for Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias (CARD) in the National Institute on Aging (NIA) owns a Cytation 5 plate reader and requires a maintenance and service contract that is only available from one source. Competition is precluded because, as the sole equipment manufacturer and ISO 9001-certified source for factory-authorized service for Agilent (Biotek) hardware and software, parts, training, technical support, and on-site service and support procedures, only Agilent service representatives are certified and authorized to perform services. Additionally, Biotek instruments require special tools for all repairs and only Agilent engineers have these OEM tools. Agilent Technologies has provided a sole source letter supporting this assertion.
Background/Description of Requirement

This acquisition is being conducted under Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) Part 13 – Simplified Acquisition Procedures, and FAR Part 12—Acquisition of Commercial Items, and the resultant contract award will include all applicable provisions and clauses in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2022-08 dated October 28, 2022.

The purpose of this requirement is to procure a -- maintenance and service agreement for the Cytation 5 Plate Imager serial no: 21011930, operated by CARD/NIA.

CARD/NIA owns a Cytation 5 plate reader, which is a specialized instrument that allows for the visualization of neurons necessary in the automated processes of growth and differentiation of neurons from ImmunoPleuripotent Stem Cells. Neurons and IPSCs are necessary for the study of neurodegenerative diseases. This sophisticated instrument requires frequent visits from service technicians to ensure the Cytation 5 is functioning properly, and that CARD continues to obtain consistent data and results for the many experiments.  This equipment requires maintenance to ensure continued full function and continuity of NIA research data. 


The contractor shall provide maintenance and repair support for the Cytation Plate Imager SN: 21011930.Maintenance and repair support shall include all labor, travel, and replacement parts necessary to provide preventative maintenance support, install new instrument software upgrades and train staff in use of the new software, and troubleshoot problems. Replacement parts and software upgrades provided must be Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) certified. Original manufacturer certified trained technicians are required to troubleshoot problems, install new software upgrades, train staff, and perform preventative maintenance tasks. Service technicians shall acknowledge repair requests within 24 business hours, and an onsite visit from a technician shall occur within 72 business hours.
 

LEVEL OF EFFORT:
One service agreement at fixed pricing is anticipated on an annual basis.

GOVERNMENT RESPONSIBILITIES
The government will provide workspace, desktop computers and telephones for the service technician. 

The equipment is housed at the NIH Bethesda Main Campus, 9000 Rockville Pike, Building T44, Bethesda, MD 20892.


DELIVERY OR DELIVERABLES
Timely completion of repair and maintenance essential to this requirement.

 
REPORTING REQUIREMENTS
The contractor is required to provide written reports on repair and annual maintenance on the Cytation 5 plate imager.


TRAVEL:
Reimbursable travel and per diem for the contractor’s employees performing work on a regular basis at this place of performance is not authorized. All travel should be included in the service agreement.  Any changes to this must be approved in advance by the contracting officer.

KEY PERSONNEL:
Key personnel must be original equipment manufacturer (OEM) factory trained, authorized technicians.

CONTRACT TYPE:
A Firm Fixed Price type order award not exceeding the Simplified Acquisition Threshold is anticipated to be awarded resulting from this requirement.
 
SUMMARY STATEMENT:
The Unique Entity Identifier (UEI), the Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN), certification of country of ownership, and the certification of business size must be included in the response.
 
All offerors must have an active registration in the System for Award Management (SAM) www.sam.gov.
 
Quoter Terms and Conditions (To be completed by the Offeror):
Period of Performance OR Delivery Date After Receipt of Order:
2. Shipping Point (F.O.B. OR Destination):
3. Payment Discount Terms:
4. Open Market; GSA FSS Contract Number; Other Government Agency (OGA) Contract Number, Government-wide Agency (GWAC) Contract Number; or National Institute of Health (NIH) Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) Number:
5. SAM UEI No:
6. Name of Company:
7. Street Address, City, State, Zip code:
8. Name of Person Authorized to Provide Quote:
9. Telephone Number and Email Address of Person Authorized to Provide Quote:
 

ADDITIONAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS, PROVISIONS, AND REPRESENTATIONS 
The FAR Clauses are incorporated by reference and are provided in full text at https://www.acquisition.gov/
 
1. FAR Provision 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors-Commercial Items (Nov 2021) is applicable to this solicitation. 
2. FAR Provision 52.212.2 Evaluation-Commercial Items (Nov 2021) is applicable to this solicitation. The Government will evaluate quotations or offers in accordance with FAR 13.106-2 and award a purchase order from this solicitation to the responsible offeror whose quote conforming to the solicitation will be most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered. The following factors shall be used to evaluate quotes: Technical capability of the item offered to meet the Government requirement; Price; and Past performance [see FAR 13.106-2(b)(3)] 
3. FAR Provision 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial Items (May 2022), is applicable to this solicitation 
4. FAR Clause 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions-Commercial Items (November 2021), is applicable to this solicitation.
5. FAR clause at 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders-Commercial Items (October 2022) is applicable to this solicitation. 

 

In addition, the following FAR provisions and clauses are applicable to this solicitation and incorporated by reference: 
52.204-7 System for Award Management (Oct 2018), 
52.204-13 System for Award Management Maintenance (Oct 2018), 
52.204-16 Commercial and Government Entity Code Reporting (Aug 2020), 
52.204-18 Commercial and Government Entity Code Maintenance (Aug 2020).
HHSAR 352.239-73, Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Notice (December 18, 2015).

The following provisions and clauses apply to this acquisition and are incorporated as an attachment. Offerors MUST complete the provision at 52.204-24 and 52.204-26 and submit a completed copy as a separate document with their quotation.
1. FAR 52.204-24, Representation Regarding Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment (Nov 2021) 
2. FAR 52.204-25, Prohibition on Contracting for Certain Video Surveillance Services or Equipment (Nov 2021)
3. FAR 52.204-26, Covered Telecommunications Equipment or Services Representation (Oct 2020)
4. NIH Invoice and Payment Provisions

 

All responses must be received by December 19, 2022, at 5:00pm EST and must reference announcement solicitation number NIA 23-001429. Responses may be submitted electronically to Lorraine Gibbs (Lorraine.Gibbs@nih.gov).  Fax responses will not be accepted.

Interested parties may identify in writing their interest and capability in response to this requirement. 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 be received by closing date and must reference the announcement. Responses may be submitted electronically to the attention of the contract specialist. Fax responses will not be accepted.

All responsible sources may submit a bid, proposal, or quotation which shall be considered by the agency.