Preventive and Emergency Maintenance and Support Services for One (1) Government-owned Bruker Avance Neo 700 NMR Spectrometer

1.0 DESCRIPTION The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Cancer Institute (NCI) Center for Cancer Research (CCR), Urologic Oncology Branch (UOB), plans to procure, on a sole source basis, preventive and emergency maintenance and support services for one (1) Government-owned Bruker Avance Neo 700 NMR Spectrometer from Bruker Biospin Corp., 15 Fortune Dr., Billerica, MA 01821-3923, USA. The response close date of the notice for this requirement is in accordance with FAR 5.203(b). This acquisition will be processed under FAR Part 12 - Acquisition for Commercial Items and will be made pursuant to the authority in FAR Part 13.106-1(b)(1); and is exempt from the requirements of FAR Part 6. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code is 811219, and the small business size standard is $34.0 million. It has been determined there are no opportunities to acquire green products or services for this procurement. 2.0 BACKGROUND The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Cancer Institute (NCI) Center for Cancer Research (CCR), Urologic Oncology Branch (UOB), conducts clinical and basic research designed to develop better methods for detecting, preventing and treating patients with kidney cancer, prostate cancer and bladder cancer. The CCR, UOB Metabolomics Core requires preventive and emergency maintenance service and support for one (1) Government-owned Bruker Avance Neo 700 nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometer (Labscape Complete). This instrument is used for the metabolic analysis of cultured cells and of bio samples from NIH clinical patients undergoing surgical procedures. 3.0 SCOPE The Contractor shall provide all labor, material, parts and equipment necessary to maintain the Government-owned equipment specified herein. The Contractor shall provide preventative and emergency service, replacement parts, software updates and support, and technical support services, in accordance with section 4, for the following equipment: One (1) Bruker Avance Neo 700 NMR spectrometer, Serial Number 10280140, to include coverage of the following configured items: - NMR console, - NMR cryoplatform, - NMR probe, - NMR cooled samplejet, and - NMR bay control unit (BCU). All services performed under this purchase order shall be performed onsite and/or remotely, as specified herein, in accordance with the Original Equipment Manufacturer's (OEM) current commercial maintenance procedures, by OEM-authorized and trained service personnel. All travel, labor and related charges shall be included. All services performed under this purchase order shall be provided during standard business hours, defined as 8:00 am - 5:00 pm EST, Monday through Friday; except, when critical issues are unable to be resolved remotely and/or during standard business hours, the Contractor shall perform services during extended hours, defined as 5:00 pm - 9:00 pm EST, Monday through Friday. Services may not be performed during Federal Holidays found at www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/federal-holidays. The Contractor shall not be responsible for any repairs necessitated by abuse, neglect, vandalism, Acts of God, fire or water. 4.0 PURCHASE ORDER REQUIREMENTS/TASKS The Contractor shall perform the following tasks: 4.1 PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE The Contractor shall perform one onsite (1) planned preventive maintenance inspection (PMI) during each 12-month period of performance. The service shall consist of a thorough cleaning, calibration, adjusting, inspection, and testing of all equipment in accordance with the OEM's current commercial maintenance procedures. Bruker software updates for the UNIX workstation and console may be performed during PMIs if necessary (see section 4.4). All equipment shall be operationally tested through at least one (1) complete operating cycle at the end of the preventive maintenance inspection to assure optimum and efficient performance. Specifically, each PMI shall include the following: - Replacement of air filters on the console, BCU-I and BCU-II units, - Replacement of the nitrogen separator for the variable temperature gas supply, - Replacement of the coldhead unit within the Cryoplatform, and - Replacement of seals and fittings on the roughing pump. In addition to the above PMI requirements, if option period 1 is exercised, PMI service during option period 1 shall include the following: - Replacement of the adsorber unit, and - Replacement of the Sumitomo compressor unit. All reagents used for failed runs resulting from hardware malfunctions shall be replaced by the Contractor at no additional cost to the Government. A report indicating the work performed shall be provided to NCI's Technical Point of Contact (TPOC) within three (3) business days of completion of each PMI. 4.2 EMERGENCY SERVICE Unlimited onsite emergency repair services shall be provided during each 12-month period of performance at no additional cost to the Government. Upon receipt of notice that any part of the equipment is not functioning properly, the Contractor shall provide a same-business day confirmation of receipt of the Government's service request; and, within three (3) business days of the Government's service request, the Contractor shall provide an onsite response by OEM-authorized and trained service personnel to inspect the equipment and perform all repairs and adjustments necessary to restore the equipment to normal and efficient operating condition. Emergency service calls shall not replace the necessity for PMIs. Within three (3) business days of the completion of any emergency repair services performed, the contractor shall provide a brief emergency service report to the TPOC stating the equipment malfunction that occurred, the repair efforts, and the duration that was required to restore the equipment to operation. 4.3 REPLACEMENT PARTS The Contractor shall furnish all required replacement parts at no additional cost to the Government, with the exception of consumables. All parts shall meet original equipment manufacturer (OEM) specifications. Upon identification of required parts, they shall be delivered within three (3) business days, or the following business day should the request fall on a Friday or preceding a Federal Holiday. If delivery of parts will exceed 3 business days for any reason, the Contractor shall provide the TPOC with a notification stating the reason and estimated delivery timeframe immediately upon identification of delivery delay. The Contractor shall provide the NCI Technical Point of Contact (TPOC) with tracking information to anticipate delivery to the best extent possible. 4.4 SOFTWARE UPDATES/SERVICE Software updates and associated support services shall be provided remotely when possible; or, during onsite repair and/or PMIs when necessary. The Contractor shall provide and install all OEM critical and non-critical software upgrades, updates and mandatory safety releases in accordance with the OEM's current commercial service procedures. The Contractor shall receive advance approval from the Government prior to installing software updates and revisions. Defective software shall be replaced and/or re-installed at no additional cost to the Government. The Contractor shall provide technical support services and remote diagnostics for software in accordance with section 4.5 below. The Contractor shall provide an electronic report to the TPOC within one (1) business day of successful implementation of software updates. This report must also include the reason for the updates, and any effect it may have on equipment operation. 4.5 TECHNICAL SUPPORT The Contractor shall provide unlimited real-time technical support, via toll-free telephone, email and remote diagnostics, by OEM-authorized and trained technical support personnel for use of program software, troubleshooting the instrument operating systems, and technical application support. All technical support services shall be available to the end user during standard business hours and extended hours, as defined in section 3. For all technical support services, the Contractor shall provide the end user with a ticket number for reference. The Contractor shall track, manage, and provide the end user updates regarding the status of the ticket until the issue has been fully resolved. Remote diagnostics support shall be provided to the end user through a secure connection. Technical support shall include a diagnosis of the issue encountered by the end user. If the issue can be corrected remotely, the Contractor shall perform remote corrective maintenance or walk the end user through any simple adjustments and corrections necessary to resolve the issue. Toll-free telephone and email support shall include real-time remote technical support to the end user. The Contractor shall use its best efforts to respond to all technical support requests reported via telephone and email immediately. If the Contractor is unable to answer and assist immediately, the Contractor shall respond to the end user and provide support within one (1) hour after the technical support request call/email is made/sent by the end user. If the Contractor cannot resolve a technical support request remotely by phone, email or remote connection to the instrument terminal computer within three (3) business days, the Contractor shall, on the fourth (4th) business day, provide onsite emergency troubleshooting and repair services, in accordance with section 4.2. Within three (3) business days of the completion and resolution of any technical support services performed, the contractor shall provide a brief service report to the TPOC stating the equipment malfunction that occurred, the repair efforts, and the duration that was required to restore the equipment to operation. 5.0 TYPE OF ORDER This shall be a firm fixed-price purchase order. 6.0 SEVERABLE SERVICES The services acquired under this purchase order are severable services. Funds are only available for use for the line item to which they are obligated. Unused funds from one period (line item) may not roll over for use in other periods. 7.0 PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE The Period of Performance shall consist of one (1) 12-month base period, plus two (2), 12-month option periods as follows: Base Period: June 1, 2024 to May 31, 2025 Option Period 1: June 1, 2025 to May 31, 2026 Option Period 2: June 1, 2026 to May 31, 2027 8.0 PLACE OF PERFORMANCE Service shall be performed remotely, when possible, from the Contractor's facility. If onsite service is required, service shall be performed at the following location: Bldg. 10, Rm. B3B32 10 Center Dr. Bethesda, MD 20892 Note that access to the NIH campus is restricted. As such, all Contractor personnel may be required to access campus via designated entrances where they are subject to security screening. Please refer to the NIH Security and Access site for more details: (www.nih.gov/about-nih/visitor-information/campus-access-security). 9.0 UNIQUE QUALIFICATIONS OF THE CONTRACTOR The Metabolomic Core at the Urologic Oncology Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health (NIH), utilizes the Bruker Avance Neo 700 nuclear magnetic resonance NMR spectrometer on a daily basis for clinical and research metabolomics applications. The NMR spectrometer is crucial for the metabolic analysis of cultured cells and of biosamples from NIH clinical patients undergoing intraoperative infusion of stable isotope tracers. The equipment cannot be out of service for a prolonged time without causing severe delays to a significant number of clinical and research efforts across the branch. Bruker Biospin Corp. is the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), and the sole provider of preventive maintenance service, emergency service, proprietary software and software upgrades, replacement part installation, and OEM-authorized and trained technical service personnel for real-time troubleshooting and diagnosing issues that arise during regular operation of the instrument. No other entity is capable of providing the proprietary software upgrades or authorized to perform any of the required services as specified herein. 10.0 SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS This notice is not a request for competitive quotations. However, if any interested party believes it can meet the above requirements, it may submit a proposal or quote for the Government to consider. The response and any other information furnished must be in writing and must contain material in sufficient detail to allow NCI to determine if the party can perform the requirement. All responses must be sent via email to Contracting Officer, Megan Kisamore, at megan.kisamore@nih.gov by no later than 3:00 PM EST, on Wednesday, February 28, 2024 (2/28/24). A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed requirement based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Information received will be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. In order to receive an award, Contractors must be registered and have valid certification in SAM.gov. Reference: 75N91024Q00049 on all correspondence.