Q--DEVELOPMENT OF MOUSE KNOCKOUT

This is a combined synopsis / solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONSTITUTES THE ONLY SOLICITATION DOCUMENT THAT WILL BE PROVIDED WITH RESPECT TO THIS REQUIREMENT. VENDORS INTERESTED IN PROVIDING THE REQUIRED SERVICES MUST RESPOND TO THIS NOTICE WITH A PRICE QUOTATION AND TECHNICAL INFORMATION ABOUT PAST EXPERIENCE IN PROVIDING SIMILAR SERVICES TO BE CONSIDERED FOR AWARD. Award will be made using simplified acquisition procedures in accordance with FAR part 13. No telephone requests for further information about this requirement will be accepted, and any questions about this notice should be sent by e-mail to the Contracting Officer at contact@example.gov Because of the urgency of this requirement, questions should be submitted not later than September 22, 2010. Vendors desiring to provide a quotation in response to this notice must provide a firm fixed price quotation, together with information documenting their ability to provide the required services (such as information about past experience in providing the same or similar services to research activities). The government expects to award a purchase order for this requirement to the vendor whose proposed services best satisfy the VA requirements, provided that the proposed price is determined to be fair and reasonable. This requirement is set aside for small businesses. The applicable NAICS for determining business size is 541711 and the small size standard is 500 employees. The vendor selected to provide this requirement must make a signed representation to the effect that it is a small business concern or must have a current representation to that effect in the online representations and certifications system (ORCA) http://orca.bpn.gov This is a requirement for a contractor to create and supply one (1) mouse conditional knockout model and two (2) F1 heterozygote germline transmission mice lacking the neomycin selection cassette in somatic cells for a research purposes. Specific services required in the base firm fixed price shall include: construction of conditional targeting vector and cloning of mouse genomic DNA, and insertion of lox-p & FRT sites; Electroporation of HYBRID (129xC57BL/6) ES cells, tissue culture, and antibiotic selection of ES clones; Screening of ES clones to identify positives & confirmation of homologous reconombinant clones; Blastocyst injection of recombinant clones, implantation, and birth of chimeras; Housing and breeding of chimeras to C57BL/6 FLP transgenic mice to produce somatic NEO deletion, heterozygous animals and identification of germline transmission knockout; and shipping of one container of live animals (FOB destination) to the VA Medical Center, Baltimore, MD. The vendor shall also provide pricing for optional items that it is capable of providing such as providing additional knockout mice, removal of neomycin selection cassette in germ cells, additional housing for mice, specific experiments. Pricing shall include all charges related to creating and shipping mice to the VAMC Baltimore, MD. Pricing must be based on VA having full ownership of mice upon receipt with vendor retaining no intellectual property rights to any of the animals that the vendor generates for the VA. Vendor must provide the proposed date of delivery of the required live animals. Vendor may propose performance payments that the VA will be required to pay to the vendor upon satisfactory completion of specific milestones. In the absence of agreement by the VA and the vendor on a schedule of performance payments, payment will be of the total firm fixed priced following receipt of all required services. Submitted quotations shall include the RFQ number, the proposed pricing for the required items, company name and point of contact (address, phone number, fax number or e-mail address), tax identification number, DUNS number, and business size representation. Attention: Vendors must be registered in the Central Contractor Registration database to be considered for award (go to http://www.ccr.gov or call +1 (555) 000-0000 or +1 (555) 000-0000 for more information). Offers are to be received no later than 4:00 pm (EST) on September 24, 2010. Quotations will be accepted by e-mail only. Send quotes to contact@example.gov.