Industrial Standard Grade Liquid Helium

Federal Business Opportunities (FBO) SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE Solicitation Number: NIMH21002794 Title: Industrial Standard Grade Liquid Helium Classification Code: 66 - Instruments and Laboratory Equipment NAICS Code: 424690 - Other Chemical and Allied Products Merchant Wholesalers Description: This is a Sources Sought notice. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. The purpose of this notice is to obtain information regarding the availability and capability of all qualified sources to perform a potential requirement. This notice is issued to help determine the availability of qualified companies technically capable of meeting the Government requirement and to determine the method of acquisition. It is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government to issue a solicitation or ultimately award a contract. Responses will not be considered as proposals or quotes. No award will be made as a result of this notice. The Government will NOT be responsible for any costs incurred by the respondents to this notice. This notice is strictly for research and information purposes only. Background: Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is one of the most impressive tools of mondern medicine, allowing for the viusualization of normal and pathological tissues in the body. In no field has imaging impacted biomedical research more than in the stufy of the brain, for which MR allows one to visualize not only neural structures but also neural function. Functional MR imaging, commonly known as fMRI, is typically used for research to interrogate diverse aspects of brain function in humans such as the neural underpinnings of perception, action, reward, and decision making. At the root of all such advanced research is basic science research in which animal models serve a vital role in developing and understanding MR techniques before they can be safely applied to humans. The Neurophysiology Imaging Facility (NIF) is a centralized core facility that brings together a broad range of techniques to provide the most integrated and efficient study of brain physiology in nonhuman primates. The NIF core facility is a shared intramural resource contributed by three instintutes at the NIH - NIMH, NINDS, and NEI - centering on a cutting edge 60 cm bore 4.7T vertical MR scanner. The superconducting magnet has an absolute requirement for cooling by constant replenishment of liquid helium. Improper maintenance of this instrument would result in catastrophic damage and an abrupt cessation of all associated research activities. Purpose: The Neurophysiology Imaging Facility (NIF) core maintains a 60 cm bore 4.7T vertical MRI scanner that has an absolute requirement for a steady supply of liquid helium to cool the superconducting magnet. We anticipate at least eigh (8) delivery orders for 250L of liquid helium to fill the magnet from May 2021 to May 2022. Project requirements: Industrial standard grade liquid helium Liquid Helium, 250L, shipped in a single dewar container of 250L, each dewar outfitted with a pressure gauge and an electric powered pressure builder to maintain 4 psi pressure. Salient characteristics - 250 L of industrial standard liquid helium in a single 250 L standard dewar - Dewars must have a pressure gauge and an electric pressure builder capable of maintaining 4 psi pressure - Vendor must be able to fulfill requests with a minimum lead time of one week but not to exceed two weeks. - Vendor must be able to fill a minimum of eight (8) delivery orders over the course of this contract (May 2021 to May 2022). - The above criteria represent the Government's minimum acceptable standards. Anticipated Period of Performance: May 13, 2021 through May 12, 2022 A minimum of eight (8) delivery orders Capability statement /information sought: Contractors that believe that they possess the ability to provide the required service, should submit documentation on their ability to meet each of the project requirements to the Contract Specialist. The Contractor should directly and specifically state in the, capabilities statement, which project requirements can be meet and/or supplied. The Contractor must also provide their DUNS number, GSA Federal Supple Schedule(If available), organization name, address, point of contact, and size and type of business (e.g., 8(a), HubZone, etc., pursuant to the applicable NAICS code and any other information that may be helpful in developing or finalizing the acquisition requirements. The information submitted must be must be in and outline format that addresses each of the elements of the project requirement and in the capability statement /information sought paragraphs stated herein. A cover page and an executive summary may be included but is not required. The response is limited to two (2) page limit. The 2-page limit does not include the cover page or executive summary. The response must include the respondents technical and administrative points of contact, including names, titles, addresses, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail addresses. All responses to this notice must be submitted electronically to the Contract Specialist. Facsimile responses are NOT accepted. The response must be submitted to Thien Nguyen, Contract Specialist, at Thien.Nguyen2@nih.gov. and Valerie Whipple, Contracting Officer, at Valerie.Whipple@nih.gov The response must be received on or before April 22, 2021 at 12 pm, Eastern Time. 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 presolicitation 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).