Maintenance Service Contract Renewal

This is a combined synopsis/solicitation Notice of Intent for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in FAR Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; proposals are not being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. The solicitation number for this acquisition is NIAIDNOI12055 and the solicitation is being issued as a Notice of Intent to award on a sole source basis. This solicitation document and its incorporated provisions are those in effect through the Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC 2005-56). This acquisition will be processed under Simplified Acquisition Procedures (SAP) and is not a Small Business Set-Aside. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID) intend to procure from BD Biosciences, 2350 Qume Drive, San Jose, CA 95131-1807; The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this requirement is 811219; which has a business size standard of 6.5M; This requirement is for a Maintenance Service Contract for (1) FACSAria II - 3 Laser System, Serial Number P07900144; and (1) FACSAria II - 3 Laser System, Serial Number P07900145. These instruments are manufactured by BD Biosciences; and BD Biosciences is the only vendor with the requisite parts inventory and technical expertise to meet our requirements which has the qualifications to repair and maintain the equipment and includes the following: 1) Labor, travel expenses and parts (excluding consumables), 2) 2 preventative maintenance inspections to be performed during a 12-month period, 3) 2 PM kits will be provided, 4) Software revisions released during the agreement term, 5) Unlimited service visits, M-F, excluding BD holidays, 6) Unlimited telephone support for instruments, reagents and applications will be provided at no additional charge; and 7) 48-hour guaranteed response to a request for emergency on-site service (Monday - Friday, excluding BD holidays). The Flow Cytometry Section of the Research Technologies Branch, NIH/NIAID performs flow cytometric analysis and sorting services for the DIR, NIAID and utilizes highly sophisticated instrumentation known as fluorescence activated cell sorters. These instruments are valued in excess of $250,000 each and require repair and maintenance performed in a timely manner. Our research requires continuous use of these instruments and this vendor has maintained the instrument since the expiration of its warranty in accordance with factory specifications. The period of performance will end 12/31/2012. The government will award a firm fixed-price contract and the FOB terms are "Destination" and Net 30. Award will be based on: 1) Technical capabilities to meet the required specifications; 2) Warranty and 3) Price. The FAR provisions and clauses that apply to this acquisition are: FAR 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors, Commercial Items; FAR52.212-2 Evaluation-Commercial Items, FAR 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial Items; FAR52.212-4 Contract Terms and Conditions Commercial Items: FAR 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders, Commercial Items; FAR 52.225-1, Buy American Act-Supplies; FAR 52.204-7, Central Contractor Registration; FAR 52.232-34, Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer- Central Contractor Registration. In order to be considered for an award, an offeror must have completed the online electronic Representations and Certifications located at http://orca.bpn.gov/ in accordance with FAR 4.1201(a). By submission of an offer, the offeror acknowledges the requirement that a prospective awardee shall be registered in the CCR at www.ccr.gov/ prior to award, during performance, and through final payment of any contract, basic ordering agreement, or blanket purchasing agreement resulting from this solicitation [Note: Lack of registration in the Central Contractor Registration will make an offeror ineligible for award.] This Notice of Intent is not a request for competitive proposals; Information received will normally be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a future competitive procurement. Offers must be submitted no later than 5:00 P.M. Eastern Time on Thursday, March 29, 2012. For delivery of responses through the Postal Service, the address is NIH/NIAID/AMOB, 10401 Fernwood Drive, Suite 2NE22C, MSC 4811 Bethesda, Maryland 20892-4812. E-mail and Fax submissions are not authorized. Requests for information concerning this requirement must be submitted in writing, and can be faxed to 301-480-0469, or e-mailed to kneppermi@mail.nih.gov. It is the vendor's responsibility to confirm receipt of all proposals and/or questions by the closing date of this announcement by contacting Mia Knepper at 301-402-6315. Collect calls will not be accepted.