Maintenance Agreement for MiLabs VECTor

Introduction 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. Project Summary The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has constructed and is operating a biological high- containment BSL-4 (Biological Safety Level 4) Integrated Research Facility (IRF) at Fort Detrick, Maryland, to enable the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) researchers to track disease processes and clinical outcomes of select agents and other emerging infectious diseases. The IRF contains BSL-2, 3, and 4 lab and support space with an advanced Imaging Core facility inside BSL-4 containment. Commissioning and operating imaging suites within the BSL-4 containment area is unprecedented. The Imaging Core is a central point of research activity at the IRF, focusing on whole-animal imaging to understand and monitor disease progression. The Imaging Core in the BSL-4 facility is equipped with several imaging scanners. The MiLabs VECTor scanner, is a key tool housed inside the IRF-Frederick BSL-4 area. The MiLabs VECTor scanner is instrumental in IRF- Frederick research, allowing the lab to gain crucial insights into disease progression. Specifically, NIAID, IRF-Frederick is seeking maintenance service for various equipment listed below: Equipment Information Part Number MiLabs VECTor NIH Decal # 01969230 The service of the MiLabs VECTor listed above must meet the following minimum requirements: 1. The contractor shall provide all service reports, and all materials, parts, test equipment, transportation, labor, and all other related services for servicing the imaging equipment at the IRF. 2. No charge for planned maintenance visits and/or for repairs. 3. Software maintenance, technical support, and upgrades when possible. 4. Guaranteed priority response time after receipt of a service call during working days and unlimited telephone and email support, excluding during holidays. 5. Priority telephone and email access to instrument technical support. 6. Contractor shall provide Customer Services Mondays through Fridays, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm customer local time, excluding Federal Holidays (Service Coverage). 7. Labor, travel, software patches and updated, and unlimited telephone technical assistance to maintain the equipment. 8. Contractor must return all calls for service with two (2) hours and must be on-site within four (4) hours for emergency repairs. 9. Reporting Requirements: The contractor shall provide the following reports to NIAID within thirty (30) days of occurrence: a. Minutes of any meetings relating to equipment performance or service issues. b. Detailed reports of all service calls. c. Validation test reports. d. Quality and Regulatory status reports. e. Other reasonable reports as identified. f. Factory testing and validation is required for all material to be used in the containment area. g. Testing, validation, and maintaining operation of peripheral accessories connected to the Philips imaging equipment includes but not limited to ECG gating capabilities and power injectors. h. All interim testing and validation results will be reviewed, witnessed, and proved by the Government, its contractors, or its representatives before being used for any system modification. Contractors shall provide seven (7) business days notice of such test. Anticipated Period of Performance It is anticipated that an award will be made on or about October 31, 2024. The estimate base period of performance is from date of award through October 30, 2029. The period of performance shall be one (1) base year with four (4) one-year option periods. Capability Statement/Information Sought If your organization has the potential capacity to provide a MiLabs VECTor which meets the minimum salient characteristics listed above, please provide the following information: 1. Organization name, address, point of contact, email address, website address, telephone number, UEI number 2. Type of business (e.g., 8(a), HUBZone, Other than Small, etc.) pursuant to the applicable NAICS code 3. Identification of any Best-in-Class contract vehicles including Government Wide Acquisition Contracts (GWAC) (e.g., GSA schedule, NITAAC) they may possess or are aware of that would support this possible requirement. If your organization does not provide the products/services under a GWAC, please identify availability as OPEN MARKET ONLY. 4. Tailored capability statement addressing the capability of the instrument to meet NIAID's minimum salient characteristics. Capability document shall be no more than six pages. The priority scheduling and/or response time must be provided with your response. 5. Evidence that the organization is an authorized reseller or manufacturer of the instrument. Only Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) products are acceptable. Submission Instructions Interested businesses who consider themselves qualified to provide the above listed MiLabs VECTor are invited to submit a response to this Sources Sought Notice by August 15, 2024, at 3:00 PM EST. All responses under this Sources Sought Notice shall be emailed to Hershea Vance at hershea.vance@nih.gov. Disclamer 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).