Service Maintenance Agreement Renewal

This is a NOTICE OF INTENT, NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL. A SOLICITATION DOCUMENT WILL NOT BE ISSUED AND PROPOSALS WILL NOT BE REQUESTED. This notice is being published by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 5.201 and 5.204 requiring notice of a proposed contract action. This posting is NOT a request for competitive proposals. The statutory authority for this sole source action is 41 U.S.C. 253(c) (1) as implemented by FAR 13.106-1(b). Only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. Award is subject to Sole Source Justification approval. The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) intends to issue a sole-source purchase order to Affymetrix, 3420 Central Expressway, Santa Clara, California 95051 pursuant to 41 U.S.C. 253(c)(1)----Only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy Agency requirements. This requirement will provide a service maintenance agreement for a one year for the the Affymetrix fluidics stations, Autoloader, Hybridization oven, and Microarray Scanner. The anticipated performance period will be from January 1, 2016 - December 31, 2016. The Molecular Genomics Core (MGC) utilizes the Affymetrix fluidics stations, Autoloader, Hybridization oven, and Microarray Scanner for performing experiments to assess gene expression changes. The MGC had a one year warranty with Nanostring that expires on December 31, 2015. This 1-year service contract shall ensure efficient long-term operation of our instrument and uninterrupted service coverage. Affymetrix is the sole source for the licensed selling, maintenance and care of their microarray equipment. Affymetrix utilizes a photolithographic manufacturing technology that enables consistent reproduction of probe array designs and reduces variation inherent in less sophisticated array manufacturing technologies. This feature is unique to Affymetrix and is covered by patents USP Nos. 5,424,186 and 5,510,270. The patent protection makes it impossible for any other vendor to provide materials for this system. The Affymetrix fluidics stations, Autoloader, Hybridization oven, and Microarray Scanner allows us to process the arrays and bundle the information for transfer to the proprietary, Affymetrix software that provides streamlined processing of the data. This seamless pipeline is necessary to provide the high- This service contract serves to maintain current working status, on-site visits for repair when necessary and software upgrades as needed. Failure to purchase this service agreement will mean that upgrades will not be performed and that service visits will need to be paid upon request, costing thousands of dollars for each visit. This service contract will enable the equipment to operate at optimal levels and generate data comparable to what has been historically produced. This service maintenance agreement at the NIEHS from January 1, 2016 - December 31, 2016 in support of the MGC and this anticipated action will provide a seamless and fluid transition in terms of maintenance for this critical equipment. This contract action is anticipated in FY 2016. This notice of intent is NOT a request for competitive proposals. However, the Government may consider responses received within fifteen calendar(15) days of this posting. A determination not to compete this requirement, based upon responses to this notice, is solely within the discretion of the Government. Written responses to this synopsis shall contain sufficient documentation to establish a bonafide capacity to fulfill this requirement. NIEHS will not be responsible for any costs incurred by interested parties in responding to this notice. Contracting Office Address: PO Box 12874 Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27709 Place of Performance: National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) -- Building 101 Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27709-0002 United States Primary Point of Contact: Dianne M. Gray, Procuring Contracting Officer graydi@niehs.nih.gov Phone: 9195417950 Secondary Point of Contact: Bernard Salter, Jr. Contracting Officer Bernie.salter@nih.gov Phone: 9195410426