National Temporal Bone, Hearing and Balance Pathology Resource Registry

This is a sources sought synopsis seeking potential vendors that have the experience and capability to fulfill the attached requirement. This sources sought announcement is in support of market research being conducted by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to identify small business sources (including small business programs: 8(a), HubZone, and Service Disabled Veteran) that are capable of performing the requirements identified in the description and paragraphs below. The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communicable Disorders (NIDCD), National Institutes of Health (NIH), is soliciting proposals to maintain and further develop the NIDCD National Temporal Bone, Hearing and Balance Pathology Resource Registry (the Registry) that serves as a national resource for both the public and the biomedical research communities to promote research in the pathology underlying diseases and disorders of hearing and balance. The Registry serves the biomedical research community by establishing and maintaining a catalog of currently active and inactive human temporal bone and brain tissue collections and by conserving temporal bone and brain collections by brokering the transfer of tissue specimens from inactive collections to active research centers. It enables investigators to identify and locate all available processed temporal bones and related brain tissue specimens held in the United States by clinical and histopathologic diagnoses and other pertinent data so that further studies may be pursued. The Registry also provides information and outreach services to the public and to health care practitioners on the acquisition of temporal bone and related brain tissues for research purposes. Additional contract activities will continue to encourage the pursuit of research on the diseases and disorders of hearing and balance, particularly research utilizing the techniques of molecular biology and genetics and cellular biology by; 1) disseminating pertinent information to the auditory and vestibular research communities; 2) developing and fostering a program of professional education on pathology of the auditory and vestibular systems; and 3) encouraging investigator collaborations in the study of the human temporal bone and the related brain structures of hearing and balance. Technical Specifications: - Operating system: Microsoft Windows XP Professional - Database: Microsoft Access A five year, cost reimbursement type contract is anticipated with an award made on or about March 1, 2009. The solicitation will be issued on or about December 31, 2008, in an electronic format only, on this web site (https://www.fbo.gov). Offerors are responsible for routinely checking this web site for any amendments to the solicitation. No individual notification of amendments will be provided. Proposals will be due sixty days after the date of the issuance of the solicitation. All responsible sources may submit a proposal which shall be considered. The intended procurement will be classified under NAICS 541712. No collect telephone calls will be accepted. Interested small businesses are invited to submit a capability statement addressing the ability to satisfy the requirement. The capability statement shall reference sources sought synopsis number NIHDC2009006 and shall be 12 point Arial font with no less than one inch margins, no greater than 20 pages in length and shall include the following: (1) name and address of the company; size standard and small business program status of the company as listed under www.ccr.gov; (2) point of contact with name, title, telephone number, facsimile number, and e-mail address; (3) DUNS number; (4) contractor's capability statement that demonstrates the firm's ability, knowledge, and experience specific to the requirements set forth in the draft statement of work (NOTE: this item shall be 1.5 spaced); (5) lists of three clients to whom similar types of services have been previously provided within the last three years to include contract number, dollar value, and name and telephone number of point of contact; and (6) qualifications and experience of any key personnel likely to perform directly under any resultant contract (NOTE: this item shall be 1.5 spaced). Respondents will not be notified of the results of the evaluation. Information received will be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether sufficient small businesses possess the experience, expertise, and qualifications to ensure competition under a set-aside acquisition. A determination by the Government not to compete this requirement as a set-aside based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Interested firms are to mail two copies of their capability statement to either address identified in this synopsis. Statements should be received no later than 4:00 PM EST, October 29, 2008. Late, faxed or emailed responses will not be accepted. This is not a request for technical or cost proposals. No solicitation is available at this time and requests for solicitation packages will not receive a response. Primary Point of Contact: Mr. Louis A. Kuta, Sr., Contract Specialist, Telephone: 301-496-8024, FAX: 301-402-0178, email: kutal@od.nih.gov. Courier Address: 6100 Executive Boulevard Suite 6E01 Rockville, MD 20852 U.S. Postal Service Address: 6100 Executive Boulevard MSC 7540 Suite 6E01 Bethesda, MD 20892-7540 Secondary Point of Contact: Ms. Silver C. Jones, Contracting Officer, Telephone: 301-496-8504, FAX: 301-402-0178, email: joness@od.nih.gov.