PhenoSys RFID Tools

INTRODUCTION THIS IS A PRE-SOLICITATION NON-COMPETITIVE (NOTICE OF INTENT) SYNOPSIS TO AWARD A CONTRACT OR PURCHASE ORDER WITHOUT PROVIDING FOR FULL OR OPEN COMPETITION (INCLUDING BRAND-NAME). The National Institutes of Health, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), Office of Acquisitions (OA) on behalf of the on behalf of the National Institute of Digestive, Diabetes & Kidney Diseases intends to award a purchase order without providing for full and open competition (Including brand-name) to PHENOSYS GMBH for PhenoSys RFID Tools. NORTH AMERICAN INDUSTRY CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM (NAICS) CODE The intended procurement is classified under NAICS code 334516 with a Size Standard of 1,000. REGULATORY AUTHORITY The resultant contract will include all applicable provisions and clauses in effect through the Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) FAC 2020-07 effective August 31, 2020. This acquisition is conducted under the procedures as prescribed in FAR subpart 13'Simplified Acquisition Procedures at an amount not exceeding the simplified acquisition threshold ($250,000). STATUTORY AUTHORITY This acquisition is conducted under the authority of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 13'Simplified Acquisition Procedures, Subpart 13.106-1 (b) (1), Soliciting from a single source and is not expected to exceed the simplified acquisition threshold. Contracts awarded using FAR Part 13'Simplified Acquisition Procedures are exempt from the requirements of FAR Part 6'Competition Requirements. BACKGROUND The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) conducts and supports research on many of the most serious diseases affecting public health. The Institute supports much of the clinical research on the diseases of internal medicine and related subspecialty fields, as well as many basic science disciplines. The Institute's Division of Intramural Research encompasses the broad spectrum of metabolic diseases such as diabetes, obesity, inborn errors of metabolism, endocrine disorders, mineral metabolism, digestive and liver diseases, nutrition, urology and renal disease, and hematology. Basic research studies include biochemistry, biophysics, nutrition, pathology, histochemistry, bioorganic chemistry, physical chemistry, chemical and molecular biology, and pharmacology. NIDDK extramural research is organized into 4 divisions: Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Metabolic Diseases; Digestive Diseases and Nutrition; Kidney, Urologic, and Hematologic Diseases; and Extramural Activities. The Institute supports basic and clinical research through investigator-initiated grants, program project and center grants, and career development and training awards. The Institute also supports research and development projects and large-scale clinical trials through contracts. ? PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES Mice are social organisms and live in large colonies to maximize survival. Despite this knowledge, mice are studied in the laboratory in social isolation, individually to ensure careful assessment of behaviors such as feeding. This caveat of physiological investigation stems from an inability to keep track of the movement and interaction between groups of animals. PhenoSys offers an opportunity to achieve just that, employing RFID/antennae technology to pinpoint the position of each individual mouse as it moves throughout a large arena. This technology will permit far more physiological examination into the behavior of social organisms, which has tremendous translational crossover given that humans too are social animals. Without the use of RFID, there is no way to track multiple moving targets over extended periods of time. No video software as developed the appropriate algorithms to segregate out individual animals after close interactions. We plan to utilize this technology to explore the natural behaviors of mice under a lab umbrella, putting us in a unique position to make novel discoveries that supports the NIH mission of understanding how the brain encodes complex, motivated behaviors. The objective is to procure a system to track the precise spatial and temporal position of each individual mice living in a grouped setting in a large arena. This more realistically mimics the living conditions of these mammals, akin to humans, that form complex social structures. Even equipped with the knowledge that rodents are social organisms that live and interact together in large colonies or groups, the large majority of neuroscience research studies individual behavior in isolation to better control variables. However, as expected natural behavior will differ when an animal is examined in isolation versus living in more ethological conditions of a grouped setting. This system will allow us to study complex, motivated behaviors such as foraging and feeding in individual mice living in a social structure. Understanding the complexity of eating behavior and the brain circuits contributing to this complex, yet necessary endeavor to procure calories and ensure survival, is a key mission goal of NIDDK. This system will allow us to study feeding behavior (as well as a number of other motivated behaviors including drinking, thermoregulation, sex, ect.) in large groups of mice simultaneously. As stated above, this is always done in isolation to control for variability despite the knowledge that mice, like humans, are social organisms that live in large groups and depend on each other for survival. The RFID tools provided by PhenoSys will enable us to study individual behavior in a large group of animals occupying a shared, interconnected arena. Specifically, the NIDDK requires the following tasks: TASK AREAS: TASK AREA 1 - The order will be shipped and delivered upon approval of the purchase order. 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 as prescribed in FAR Part 10'Market Research. Only one source is available: Per FAR 13.106-1(b)(1) the Contracting Officer has determined PHENOSYS GMBH to be the only reasonably available source to provide ColonyRack 08-RFID sensors, ColonyRack08-cage rack, ColonyRack08-connecting tubes, ColonyRack- cage customization, transponder kit, and computer with PhenoSoft applications the NIDDK requires. The purpose of this acquisition is to acquire the technology to track multiple animals across space and time in a precise fashion in order to study feeding behavior in a more natural environment. The technology provided by PhenoSys is a custom-built RFID strategy employed to map the movement of multiple animals within a shared, contained space. This is the only commercial source of this technology specifically built and assembled for this purpose. Having the ability to individually track animals will allow us to study their natural behavior and lead to discoveries related to social feeding behaviors. We have been searching for a company that has developed this technology for over 3 years and PhenoSys is the first and only commercial company to offer such a system. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE Within 180 Days of Award Place of Performance National Institutes of Health National Institute of Digestive, Diabetes & Kidney Diseases 10 Center Drive Bethesda MD 20814 CLOSING STATEMENT This synopsis is not a request for competitive proposals. However, interested parties may identify their interest and capability to respond to this notice. Responses to this notice shall contain sufficient information to establish the interested parties bona-fide capabilities for fulfilling the requirement and include: descriptive literature, delivery timeframe, warranties and/or other information that demonstrates that the offer meets all the foregoing requirements, 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. 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. 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. - All responsible sources may submit a bid, proposal, or quotation which shall be considered by the agency. All responses to this notice shall be submitted electronically by 9:00 am Eastern Standard Time, on Tuesday, September 15, 2020 to the Contract Specialist, Amber Harris, at contact@example.gov . Assessment of Capability Lowest Price Technically Acceptable