BD Lyoplate Stains

INTRODUCTION THIS IS A PRE-SOLICITATION NON-COMPETITIVE (NOTICE OF INTENT) SYNOPSIS TO AWARD A PURCHASE ORDER WITHOUT PROVIDING FOR FULL OR OPEN COMPETITION. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), Office of Acquisitions (OA), intends to negotiate and award a purchase order on a noncompetitive sole source basis to BD Biosciences, 2350 Qume Drive, San Jose, CA 95131-1807 to provide the BD Lyoplate Stains to the NHLBI Division of Intramural Research (DIR) in accordance with the following information. BACKGROUND The Flow cytometry section of the Center for Human Immunology (CHI) in the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health, performs immunophenotyping studies as part of its mission. These studies use monoclonal antibody cocktails to stain cellular material from subjects enrolled in CHI protocols. The consistency and reproducibility of liquid cocktails is a significant issue in these types of studies due to reagent liability and increased risk of errors due to pipetting error. In order to eliminate these sources of variation this laboratory has made use of "stabilized" products prepared by lyophilization of the liquid cocktails into multi-well micro titer plates. PURPOSE The supply of product that has been used in past studies has been exhausted and it is necessary to replenish stock in preparation for upcoming projects. In order to ensure the new plates have no adverse effect on CHI's studies, the contractor shall provide CHI with two shipments of plates: one initial shipment of "test plates" (Batch 1), and one shipment of the full quantity of plates (Batch 2). If CHI finds the "test plates" suitable, it agrees to purchase a full quantity of plates from the contractor. CONTRACTOR REQUIREMENTS The contractor shall provide the following: - BD Lyoplate Stain 175 (Qty. 200) - BD Lyoplate Stain 176 (Qty. 5) - BD Lyoplate Stain 177 (Qty. 10) JUSTIFICATION The sole source determination is due to the fact that consumption lyoplates were ordered in the past from BD Biosciences and it is necessary to replenish stock of these specific reagents. The amount of work that has been done up to this point, in terms of validating these products, and using them in a number of CHI experiments and projects over the past several years is significant in terms of man-power and cost. Consistency must also be maintained in order for experiments and research to be successful. Otherwise it would be detrimental to the Government and the experiments in progress. REGULATORY AUTHORITY This acquisition is conducted under the authority of the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) Subpart 6.302-1, only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code is 325413, In-Vitro Diagnostic Substance Manufacturing, and the Small Business Size Standard is 500. However, this acquisition is not set-aside for small businesses. This acquisition is being conducted under FAR Part 13.5, Simplified Procedures for Certain Commercial Items, therefore the requirements of FAR Part 6, Competitive Requirements, are not applicable and the resultant award will include all applicable provisions and clauses in effect through the Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 05-83 (August 5, 2015). This synopsis is not a request for competitive proposals. However, interested parties may identify their interest and capability to respond to this notice. 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. 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. 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. All responses must be received by September 8, 2015 at 9:00am EST and must reference synopsis number NHLBI-CSB-(HL)-2015-176-JML. Responses shall be submitted to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, Office of Acquisitions, COAC Services Branch, 6701 Rockledge Drive, Room 6151, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-7902, Attention: Jonathan M. Lear. Responses may be submitted electronically to contact@example.gov. Faxes will not be accepted. Responses will only be accepted if dated and signed by an authorized company representative. "All responsible sources may submit a bid, proposal, or quotation which shall be considered by the agency."