Small Business Sources Sought: This is a Small Business Sources Sought notice. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. The purpose of this notice is to obtain information regarding: (1) the availability and capability of qualified small business sources; (2) whether they are small businesses; HUBZone small businesses; service-disabled, veteran-owned small businesses; 8(a) small businesses; veteran-owned small businesses; woman-owned small businesses; or small disadvantaged businesses; and (3) their size classification relative to the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for the proposed acquisition. Your responses to the information requested will assist the Government in determining the appropriate acquisition method, including whether a set-aside is possible. An organization that is not considered a small business under the applicable NAICS code should not submit a response to this notice. Background and Objectives: The Dale and Betty Bumpers Vaccine Research Center (VRC) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) was established to facilitate research in vaccine development. The VRC is dedicated to improving global human health through the rigorous pursuit of effective vaccines for human diseases including HIV and agents with bioterrorism potential. The resulting contract shall support the patient recruitment goals of the VRC's Clinical Trials Core (CTC), by providing a mobile clinic that can facilitate reaching intended audiences of potential research study participants in targeted areas of enrollment, advertising, provision of services, volunteer retention, and follow up. The use of a mobile clinic will reduce obstacles to enrollment, and is an effective tool for CTC staff to recruit, enroll, retain, and follow-up on research study participants. Project Requirements: The Contractor shall provide a fully-outfitted Mobile Clinic whose vehicle title will remain under the authority, and ownership, lease, or rental, of the Contractor at all times. The vehicle must include at least 152 Square Feet of usable space and clinical, IT, and emergency/security equipment necessary to . The contractor must provide secure parking for the vehicle with live electrical connections to allow all equipment on board to run without interruption when not in use. The Contractor shall also provide technical and administrative support services to acquire, outfit, operate, and maintain a Mobile Clinic. As part of this requirement, the Contractor will provide administrative services including provision of a qualified driver to operate the vehicle, maintenance services to ensure vehicle care, and acquisition of all necessary permits, licenses, and permissions to operate and park the vehicle in the jurisdictions of the Washington, DC metropolitan area. The Contractor shall make the vehicle available to VRC staff for CTC events and to other NIH institutes, as directed by the VRC Contracting Officer technical Representative (COTR). The driver shall be trained in CPR (cardio-pulmonary resuscitation) and be able to contact emergency responders in case of emergency. Anticipated period of Performance: One base year starting approximately in September of 2012, and including four 12 month option periods. Places of Performance: The primary target locations of operation for the Mobile Clinic will be inside the metropolitan area of Washington, DC, which includes counties in Maryland and Virginia. The Contractor must be licensed and available to provide service to all primary target locations. The VRC plans to include a requirement for additional services, to transport or provide an equally fitted mobile clinic unit as that described in the Vehicle Requirements section (below) at secondary locations in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, West Virginia, and North Carolina. The Government may activate its requirements for these additional services via the exercise of options during the base contract year and/or during any of the optional periods of performance for services at the primary target locations. Hours of Work: The Mobile Clinic will operate primarily on Monday through Friday for up to ten hours on days when in use. The Mobile Clinic may also be utilized on weekends and during relevant public events. Typical use is two to three days each week. Government-Furnished Equipment and Materials All laboratory/medical reagents, volunteer samples, medical charts, and computer equipment - to include hardware, software and network equipment - located within the Mobile Clinic shall be furnished by the VRC for restricted use by NIH personnel only. Such equipment and materials will remain the property of the Federal Government. Capability statement: Capability statements (limit of 15 numbered pages) must describe the ability to meet the above requirements and provide references for similarly equipped vehicles and services that the offeror has provided during the last three years, or is currently performing, the contract duration and dollar value. The statement must be submitted to Ivan Hernandez at ihernandez@niaid.nih.gov by December 29, 2011. Please CLEARLY INDICATE IN THE FRONT COVER OF THE CAPABILITY STATEMENT, the responding entity's DUNS NUMBER, BUSINESS SIZE based on the average annual receipts size criteria for NAICS code 485999 (see 13 CFR - 121.104) and the SMALL BUSINESS CLASSIFICATION [i.e. small businesses; HUBZone small businesses; service-disabled, veteran-owned small businesses; 8(a) small businesses; veteran-owned small businesses; woman-owned small businesses; or small disadvantaged businesses]. Disclaimer 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)."
