Histopathology Services to Support On-going Small Animal Product Efficacy Studies for Viruses with Pandemic Potential

This notice is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items using Simplified Acquisition Procedures. This acquisition will be made in accordance with the format in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Subpart 12.6 - Streamlined Procedures for Evaluation and Solicitation for Commercial Items, as applicable, and as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation (a written solicitation will not be issued) and quotes are being requested. The Solicitation number is NIAID-RFQ-22-2133822 and the solicitation is issued as a Request for Quotes (RFQ). This acquisition will be processed under FAR Part 13 Simplified Acquisition Procedures (SAP). The solicitation documents and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular FAC 2022-07 Effective August 10, 2022. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this procurement is 541940 - Veterinary Services with a size standard of $9M. The Product or Service Code (PSC) is Q301 - Medical-Laboratory Testing. The requirement is being competed as full and open competition without a small business set-aside. The government intends to award a firm-fixed-price purchase order to the responsible offeror as a result of this RFQ that will include the terms and conditions set forth herein. By submitting a quote, the offeror is accepting that all government terms and condition shall prevail over the award. STATEMENT OF NEED The US Government has undertaken a broad effort to support the development of new products for use against viruses having the potential to cause future pandemics. As we saw during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, rapid response requires the use of small rodent infection models in which to evaluate promising candidate vaccines and therapeutics. Because one of the hallmarks of several viral infections is overt pathologic changes to infected tissues, representative images and a complete evaluation of affected tissue sections are critical to study outcomes and are often a necessary and critical component of product efficacy evaluations. Preparing stained slides from infected tissues, evaluating slides, and generating a report of observations is labor-intensive and frequently exceeds the capacity of contractors conducting the efficacy studies. Therefore, there is a bona fide need to support these product efficacy studies by engaging professional histopathology services. The Government seeks commercially available veterinary histopathology services to prepare hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) stained microscope slides from formalin-fixed tissue(s), evaluate and interpret the slides, capture photomicrographs of representative images and generate reports to meet the requirements of product efficacy testing. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE September 6, 2022 - September 5, 2023 for the base year and September 6, 2022 - September 5, 2024 for the whole contract duration. INSTRUCTIONS All interested vendors shall provide a quote for the requirement as outlined in Attachment 1 - Statement of Work (SOW). The Government may evaluate only those quotes that fully meet the requirements as outlined in the SOW and respond to the instructions and requirements below. Failure to furnish a full and complete quote as instructed may result in the Offeror's response being considered non-responsive and will therefore be eliminated from further consideration and award. Quotes are due by 1:00pm EST on August 25, 2022. Quotes must be emailed to Seth Schaffer, Contract Specialist, at Seth.Schaffer@nih.gov and to the Jillian Marconi, Contracting Officer, at Jillian.Marconi@nih.gov. Late quotes will not be considered. All responsible sources may submit an offer that will be considered by this Agency. Any questions or concerns regarding this combined synopsis/solicitation should be emailed to Seth.Schaffer@nih.gov and Jillian.Marconi@nih.gov. EVALUATION NIAID will evaluate quotes to determine the best value to the government. NIAID will make that determination based on technical acceptability and price. NIAID will evaluate price only for those quotes which are rated as technically acceptable. In the event quotes are evaluated as technically equal, price will become a major consideration in selecting the successful Vendor. SPECIAL NOTICE TO VENDORS Vendors are advised that the Government may share your information with non-government personnel who are assisting with the evaluation of quotes. The exclusive responsibility for source selection will reside with the Government. By submitting your quote, you will be consenting to disclosure of your quote to non-government personnel for purposes of evaluation. ELECTRONIC INVOICING The successful vendor may submit an invoice once a shipment is delivered. NIAID will only accept invoices for units that have been delivered to NIAID. NIH is using a phased transition approach from the NIH Office of Financial Management (OFM) Electronic Invoice Submission instructions to the Department of Treasury's Invoice Processing Platform (IPP). The Contractor shall submit invoices to the National Institutes of Health (NIH)/Office of Financial Management (OFM) via email at invoicing@nih.gov with a copy to the approving official until the Contractor has been notified of its transition to IPP. The Contractor must follow step-by-step instructions as stated in the NIH/OFM Electronic Invoicing Instructions for NIH Contractors/Vendors, which is included as an attachment on the website at https://oamp.od.nih.gov/DGS/DGS-workform- information/attachment-files. The invoice shall be transmitted as an attachment via email to the address listed above in one of the following formats: Word, or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). The Contractor must submit only one invoice per email. Do not submit supporting documentation (e.g., receipts, time sheets, vendor invoices, etc.) with your invoice unless specified elsewhere in the contract or requested by the Contracting Officer. REPRESENTATION REGARDING CERTAIN TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND VIDEO SURVEILLANCE SERVICES OR EQUIPMENT (SECTION 889) All offerors shall have current documentation showing representation of compliance with Section 889 provisions. Prior to award of delivery order resulting from solicitation, quoters shall be prepared to provide copy of section 889 compliance if requested by the Contracting Officer. SECTION 508 Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, as amended by the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (P.L. 105-220) requires that when Federal agencies develop, procure, maintain, or use information and communication technology (ICT), it shall be accessible to people with disabilities. Federal employees and members of the public who have disabilities must have access to, and use of, information and data that is comparable to people without disabilities. Vendors must identify whether a quoted Information and Communication Technology (ICT) product or service is compliant with the Section 508 accessibility standards at 36 CFR 1194. The quote must also identify where full details of compliance can be found (e.g., vendor's website or other exact location.) For more information on Section 508 standards visit https://www.section508.gov/. PROVISIONS AND CLAUSES The following Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) provisions and clauses apply to this acquisition: FAR 52.203-18 - Prohibition on Contracting with Entities that Require Certain Internal Confidentiality Agreements or Statements - Representations FAR 52.203-19 - Prohibition on Requiring Certain Internal Confidentiality Agreements or Statements FAR 52.204-7 - System for Award Management FAR 52.204-13 - System for Award Management Maintenance FAR 52.204-16 - Commercial for Government Entity Code Reporting FAR 52.204-21 - Basic Safeguarding of Covered Contractor Information Systems FAR 52.204-24 - Representation Regarding Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment FAR 52.204-25 - Prohibition on Contracting for Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment FAR 52.204-26 - Covered Telecommunications Equipment or Services-Representation. FAR 52.209-7 - Information Regarding Responsibility Matters FAR 52.212-1 - Instructions to Offerors - Commercial Items FAR 52.212-3 - Offeror Representations and Certification - Commercial Items FAR 52.212-4 - Contract Terms and Conditions - Commercial Items FAR 52.212-5 - Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Status or Executive Orders Statements - Representation FAR 52.217-5 - Evaluation of Options FAR 52.217-8 - Option to Extend Services FAR 52.217-9 - Option to Extend the Term of the Contract FAR 52.232-25 - Prompt Payment FAR 52.232-40 - Providing Accelerated Payments to Small Business and Subcontractors FAR 52.242-15 - Stop-Work Order FAR 52.252-2 - Clauses Incorporated by Reference By reference the Department of Health and Human Services Acquisition Regulation (HHSAR) provisions and clauses that are applicable to this requirement: HHSAR 352.203-70 Anti-lobbying HHSAR 352.208-70 Printing and Duplication HHSAR 352.222-70 Contractor Cooperation in Equal Employment Opportunity Investigations HHSAR 352.223-70 Safety and Health HHSAR 352.224-71 Confidential Information HHSAR 352.239-73 Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Notice By full text the Department of Health and Human Services Acquisition Regulation (HHSAR): HHSAR 352.232-71 - Electronic Submission of Payment Requests LIST OF ATTACHMENTS Attachment 1 - Statement of Work (SOW) Attachment 2 - FAR 52.212-5 Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Status or Executive Orders Statements - Representation 8/23/2022: Please see new attachment titled "RFQ QA" for vendor questions and government answers.