Reference Material 8121

AMENDMENT I: The purpose of this Amendment is two-fold: 1.) to extend the quotation due date from August 14, 2020 to 8: 00 am EST on August 18, 2020 and 2.) to provide a response to the below clarification question submitted. Question: Does NIST have a suggested testing laboratory for the cTnI? Answer: NIST does not have a mandatory or a specific recommendation for which testing laboratory should be used for testing the cTnI concentration in the pools. DESCRIPTION: THIS IS A COMBINED SYNOPSIS/SOLICITATION FOR COMMERCIAL ITEMS PREPARED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE FORMAT IN FAR SUBPART 12.6-STREAMLINED PROCEDURES FOR EVALUATION AND SOLICITATION FOR COMMERCIAL ITEMS-AS SUPPLEMENTED WITH ADDITIONAL INFORMATION INCLUDED IN THIS NOTICE. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONSTITUTES THE ONLY SOLICITATION; QUOTATIONS ARE BEING REQUESTED, AND A SEPARATE WRITTEN SOLICITATION DOCUMENT WILL NOT BE ISSUED. THE SOLICITATION IS BEING ISSUED USING SIMPLIFIED ACQUISITION PROCEDURES UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF FAR PART 13 SIMPLIFIED ACQUISITION PROCEDURES. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Biomolecular Measurement Division of the Material Measurement Laboratory (MML) provides measurement science and reference materials to promote innovation and confidence in measurements needed to advance clinical diagnostics, bioscience research, and precision medicine. The International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (IFCC) Working Group for the Standardization of Cardiac Troponin I (WG-cTnI) has identified a need for a reference material to support the accuracy and comparability of routine clinical measurements for ruling in or ruling out myocardial infarction. NIST is meeting this clinical measurement need by developing a reference material intended to facilitate the harmonization of cTnI quantification in human plasma. The objective of this solicitation is to establish a Firm-Fixed-Price purchase order to produce a multi-Level (Level A-D) pooled, human plasma reference material (RM) for cTnI, based on specifications developed from a collaboration with the IFCC Working Group. This solicitation is a Request for Quotation (RFQ). The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2020-08, effective July 14, 2020. The associated North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code for this procurement is 325413 with a small business size standard of 1250 employees. This acquisition is being procured as a full and open competition. SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS All Offerors shall provide a Firm-Fixed-Price quotation for the following line items: Line Item 0001: Monthly Progress Report in accordance with deliverable 1 in the Statement of Work. Line Item 0002: Vialed Pooled Plasma in accordance with deliverable 2 in the Statement of Work. Line Item 0003: Documentation in accordance with deliverable 3 in the Statement of Work. INSTRUCTIONS: Offerors are required to meet all solicitation requirements, including representations and certifications, terms and conditions, and technical requirements. The submission shall consist of three (3) separate parts; Part I - Technical Quotation, Part II - Price Quotation, and Part III - Past Performance Information. System for Award Management Registration In accordance with FAR 52.204-7, the awardee must be registered in the System for Award Management (www.sam.gov) prior to award. Refusal to register shall forfeit award. Completed Solicitation Provisions A completed version of all required solicitation provisions (see attached provisions/clauses document - required submissions highlighted in blue). Due Date for Quotations and Questions All quotations must be submitted via e-mail to Sadaf Afkhami, at contact@example.gov with a carbon copy to Donald Graham, at contact@example.gov. Submissions must be received no later than 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time on August 14, 2020. FAX quotations will not be accepted. Please reference the RFQ number in the subject line of e-mail communications. Offerors quotations shall not be deemed received by the Government until the quotation has entered the e-mail inbox of the individual(s) set forth above. Questions: All questions regarding this notice must be submitted via e-mail to Sadaf Afkhami, at contact@example.gov, with a carbon copy to Donald Graham, at contact@example.gov, no later than 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time on August 5, 2020. Quotation Preparation Instructions Technical Quotation: The offeror shall submit an electronic copy of the technical quotation, which shall fully describe its technical approach to completing the requirements of the attached Statement of Work (SOW), such that it clearly demonstrates its ability to fulfill all SOW requirements. The technical quotation shall include a cover page with the following information: The solicitation number NB6450802001184. The name, address, and telephone number of the offeror. A statement that the Offeror agrees to all terms, conditions, and provisions included in the solicitation. Quotations that fail to furnish required representations or information, or reject the terms and conditions of the solicitation may be excluded from consideration. A statement that the quotation is valid for a minimum of 90 days from the response deadline of this solicitation. Price Quotation: The offeror shall submit an electronic copy of the price quotation, which shall entail a separate Firm-Fixed-Price, FOB Destination, for each CLIN. The price quotation shall include a cover page with the following information: The solicitation number NB6450802001184. The name, address, and telephone number of the offeror. A total firm-fixed price for the requirement, which shall be the sum of the firm-fixed prices proposed for each of the required line items. Any applicable discount terms. A statement that the Offeror agrees to all terms, conditions, and provisions included in the solicitation. Quotations that fail to furnish required representations or information, or reject the terms and conditions of the solicitation may be excluded from consideration. A statement that the quotation is valid for a minimum of 90 days from the response deadline of this solicitation. Past Performance: The offeror shall provide, no more than five (5) Past Performance Questionnaires, of its most relevant Past Performance information, demonstrating: Quality control of goods/services; Quality of communications between acting parties; Timeliness of delivery of goods/services; and Proactive management in resolving issues. Past Performance Questionnaires shall be submitted via email, by the Respondent, on or before 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time on August 14, 2020, to Sadaf Afkhami, at contact@example.gov, with a carbon copy to Donald Graham, at contact@example.gov. Past Performance Questionnaires may not be submitted directly by the Offeror. Any Past Performance Questionnaire submitted directly by the Offeror will not be accepted. EVALUATION CRITERIA & BASIS FOR AWARD: This is a competitive best value source selection in which competing offerors' past performance history will be evaluated on a basis significantly more important than price considerations. All technically acceptable offers shall be treated equally except for their prices and performance records. All contractors who can clearly demonstrate one (or more) successful and highly relevant experience(s) shall be considered for the award. Contractors who can clearly demonstrate more than one successful and highly relevant experience shall receive priority for this award over those demonstrating only one experience. If more than one bid meets the same criteria level, those with more than one experience shall have priority, followed by those with only one such demonstrable experience, and the Contractor who then offers the lowest price bid shall receive the award. The Government intends to award a purchase order resulting from this solicitation. Technical Approach: Evaluation of Technical Approach shall be based on a pass/fail basis, assessing (a) the methods that will be used to accomplish the requirements and achieving the objectives stated in the SOW and (b) the degree to which the technical approach demonstrates an understanding of the requirements and the likelihood of effectively meeting the requirements. Price: Price shall be evaluated for fairness and reasonableness, consistent with the Contractor's technical submissions. Past Performance: The Past Performance information will be evaluated based on (1) Past Performance Questionnaires and (2) data independently obtained from other government and commercial sources. Past Performance will be rated as follows: 1 (UNSATISFACTORY): Performance did not meet most contractual requirements. There were serious problems and the contractor's corrective actions were ineffective. 2 (MARGINAL): Performance did not meet some contractual requirements. There were problems, some of a serious nature, for which corrective action was only marginally effective. 3 (SATISFACTORY): Performance met contractual requirements. There were some minor problems and corrective actions taken by the contractor were satisfactory. 4 (VERY GOOD): Performance met all contract requirements and exceeded some to the government's benefit. There were a few minor problems, which the contractor resolved in a timely, effective manner. 5 (EXCEPTIONAL): Performance met all contract requirements and exceeded many to the government's benefit. Problems, if any, were negligible and were resolved in a timely, highly effective manner. 6 (NEUTRAL): No record of past performance or the record is inconclusive. Please note that this procurement IS NOT being conducted under the GSA Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) program or another Government-Wide Area Contract (GWAC). If a contractor submits a quotation based upon an FSS or GWAC contract, the Government will accept the quoted price. However, the terms and conditions stated herein will be included in any resultant Purchase Order, not the terms and conditions of the contractor's FSS or GWAC contract, and the statement required above shall be included in the quotation. PROVISIONS AND CLAUSES: The clauses and provisions applicable to this solicitation can be found under Applicable Clauses & Provisions. The full text of a FAR provision or clause may be accessed electronically at https://farsite.hill.af.mil or www.acquisition.gov/far. The full text of a CAR provision or clause may be accessed electronically at https://farsite.hill.af.mil or http://www.osec.doc.gov/oam/acquistion_management/policy/. ATTACHMENTS: The following attachments apply to this solicitation: 1. The Statement of Requirements 2. Applicable Clauses & Provisions 3. Past Performance Questionnaire