Compressed gases and gas mixtures

This is a Small Business Sources Sought notice for the furnishing of compressed gases and gas mixtures in NIH-owned cylinders on an as-needed basis. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. The purpose of this notice is to obtain information regarding: (1) the availability and capability of qualified small business sources; (2) whether they are small businesses; HUBZone Small Businesses; Service-Disabled, Veteran-Owned Small Businesses; 8(a) Small Businesses; Veteran-Owned Small Businesses; Woman-Owned Small Businesses; or Small Disadvantaged Businesses; and (3) their size classification relative to the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code (NAICS 325120) for the proposed acquisition. 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 of 325120 (Size Standard of 1000 employees) should not submit a response to this notice. This Sources Sought Synopsis is in support of market research being conducted by the National Institutes of Health (Bethesda, MD) to identify capable small business sources for a commercially available supply requirement for compressed gases and gas mixtures in NIH-owned cylinders and replacement cylinders for each of the gases. Required gases and estimated annual quantities are as follows: 1) Pure Atmospheric Air-288 cylinders; 2) Argon-168 cylinders; 3) Pure Atmospheric Air and Carbon Dioxide-48 cylinders; 4) Nitrogen-1,332 cylinders; 5) Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide-96 cylinders; 6) Oxygen Size E-1,164 cylinders; 7) Oxygen Size G-480 cylinders; 8) Nitrous Oxide-36 cylinders; 9) Carbon Dioxide-3,672 cylinders; and one replacement cylinder for each of the gases. The government requires delivery to be made the same day for orders received prior to 8:00 AM EST. The anticipated period of performance for the contract is a base twelve month period, plus four (4) twelve month option periods for a total not to exceed period of sixty months. ANY INTERESTED and CAPABLE small business should submit a capability statement of the company along with applicable product lists which demonstrate the firm's ability to supply the product described above. Responses must reference Sources Sought Number HHS-NIH-OD-OLAO-SBSS-10-002 and include the following: (1) Name and address of the organization, (2) Size and type of business: Small Business; HUBZone Small Business; Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business; 8(a) Small Business; Veteran-Owned Small Business; Woman-Owned Small Business; or Small Disadvantaged Business, (3) Point of contact with name, title, phone, fax and email, (4) DUNS number, (5) Contractor's capability statement addressing the required item, (6) List of organizations to whom the same or similar type of supply has been previously provided to include contract number, dollar value, name and phone number of Contracting Officer, (7) Applicable Product list. ALL INFORMATION SUBMITTED IN RESPONSE TO THIS ANNOUNCEMENT MUST BE RECEIVED ON OR BEFORE THE CLOSING DATE. THE CLOSING DATE FOR RESPONSES IS NOVEMBER 18, 2009 AT 2 PM Eastern Time. Emailed capability statements are authorized (either in Microsoft Word or PDF), but it is the responsibility of the vendor to make certain that the email was received. All questions and/or comments must be in writing and may be emailed to Elizabeth Leslie at lesliee2@od.nih.gov. Comments and questions will NOT be answered, but will assist in creating a solicitation for this requirement. Three (3) copies of the capability statement are required if submission is via mail. Submissions via mail shall be sent to: Elizabeth Leslie (Ref. HHS-NIH-OD-OLAO-SBSS-10-002), National Institutes of Health, Office of Acquisitions, 6011 Executive Blvd., Room 541D, (MSC 7663), Rockville, MD 20852 (NOTE: If you are using a courier service, Federal Express, UPS, or Express Mail, please note that the Post Office does not deliver Express Mail to this address). Facsimile copies will not be accepted. 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, a pre-solicitation synopsis and solicitation may be published in Federal Business Opportunities. However, responses to this notice will not be considered adequate responses to a solicitation. Confidentiality. No proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included in your response. The Government reserves the right to use any non-proprietary technical information in any resultant solicitation(s).