License Renewal of ChemAxon cheminformatics software applications for the NINDS Anticonvulsant Screening Program

THIS IS A PRE-SOLICITATION NOTICE OF INTENT TO AWARD ON A SOLE SOURCE BASIS. THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR QUOTE/PROPOSALS. The NINDS Contracts Management Section of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), intends to solicit on a sole-source basis a request for quotation to ChemAxon, LLC on or around September 10, 2018 with an award issued on or around September 20, 2018. The purpose of the resultant purchase order will be to provide the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) with software license renewal of the ChemAxon cheminformatics software applications or the NINDS Anticonvulsant Screening Program. NORTH AMERICAN INDUSTRY CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM (NAICS) CODE and SET ASIDE STATUS The intended procurement is classified under NAICS code 541511 with a Size Standard of $27.5 million. This acquisition is unrestricted. Type of Contract Contemplated: A firm fixed price base year purchase order with four one year options. REGULATORY AUTHORITY This acquisition is conducted under the authority of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 13-Simplified Acquisition Procedures. Contracts awarded using FAR Part 13-Simplified Acquisition Procedures are exempt from the requirements of FAR Part 6-Competition Requirements. FAR Subpart 13.106-1 (b) Soliciting from a single source provides that: For purchases not exceeding the simplified acquisition threshold, Contracting Officers may solicit from one source IF the Contracting Officer determines that the circumstances of the contract action deem only one source reasonably available (e.g., urgency, exclusive licensing agreements, brand-name OR industrial mobilization). BACKGROUND, PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES OF REQUIREMENT The purpose of the acquisition is to procure 500 user licenses for the Epilepsy Therapy Screening Program (ETSP). The objective is to procure these licenses from ChemAxon to screen compounds in order to continue on-going work in the Division of Translational Research. The contractor shall demonstrate the ability to provide the NINDS Division of Translational Research with annual licenses for the following software products: 1. JChem Base (500 Users) 2. JChem for Excel (5 Users) 3. Marvin Beans (500 Users) 4. Marvin JS (500 Users) 5. NMR Predictor Plug In (500 Users) 6. Partitioning Plug In Group (500 Users) 7. Protonation Plug In Group (500 Users) 8. Structure to Name (500 Users) CONTRACTING WITHOUT PROVIDING FOR FULL OR OPEN COMPETITION (INCLUDING BRAND-NAME) DETERMINATION The determination by the Government to award a contract without providing for full and open competition is based upon the market research conducted. Specifically, ChemAxon, LLC is the only known Vendor to provide the required Software License. The requirement is for a software license renewal of the ChemAxon cheminformatics software application license that is currently used in NINDS Epilepsy Therapy Screening Program (ETSP) screens compounds for seizure activity in a battery of well-established rodent models and was designed to encourage and facilitate the discovery of new therapeutic agents for epilepsy. The ETSP has previously used ChemAxon's cheminformatics software applications and services to draw, store and analyze chemical structures in an NINDS-supported database. In accordance with FAR part 10, extensive market research was conducted to reach this determination. The intended source is: ChemAxon, LLC CIC, 1 Broadway, 14th Floor Cambridge, MA 012142 CLOSING STATEMENT THIS SYNOPSIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR COMPETITIVE PROPOSALS. However, interested parties may identify their interest and capability by responding to this notice. 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. All responsible sources may submit a capability statement, proposal, or quotation which shall be considered by the agency. 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. 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 provide evidence that they can provide: preparation of high titter viruses and optimized protocols for expression of toxic proteins required by our laboratory. It is essential for the quality of proteins perpetration to maintain the same experimental procedures. Researchers in Cell Biology and Biophysics Unit (CBBU) need the new batches of proteins expressed in the past as well as new protein preparations in order to conduct their experiments. All responses must be received by the closing date and time of this announcement and must reference the solicitation number, NIH-NINDS-NOI-18-011260. Responses must be submitted electronically to Annette Carter, Contracting Officer, at cartera@mail.nih.gov. U.S. Mail and Fax responses will not be accepted.