Software Licenses for Cortexplore Neuronavigation System

INTRODUCTION THIS IS A PRE-SOLICITATION NON-COMPETITIVE (NOTICE OF INTENT) SYNOPSIS TO AWARD A CONTRACT WITHOUT PROVIDING FOR FULL OR OPEN COMPETITION (INCLUDING BRAND-NAME). The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), Office of Acquisition, on behalf of the Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) intends to negotiate and award a contract to Cortexplore Neurol Technologies. NORTH AMERICAN INDUSTRY CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM (NAICS) CODE and SET ASIDE STATUS The intended procurement is classified under NAICS code 541511 Custom Computer Programming Services with a Size Standard of $34M. REGULATORY AUTHORITY This acquisition is conducted under the authority of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 13'Simplified Acquisition Procedures. Contracts awarded using FAR Part 13'Simplified Acquisition Procedures are exempt from the requirements of FAR Part 6'Competition Requirements. FAR Subpart 13.106-1 (b) Soliciting from a single source provides that: For purchases NOT exceeding the simplified acquisition threshold, Contracting officers may solicit from one source IF the contracting officer determines that the circumstances of the contract action deem only one source reasonably available (e.g., urgency, exclusive licensing agreements, brand-name OR industrial mobilization). The resultant contract will include all applicable provisions and clauses in effect through the Federal Acquisition Circular 2024-01 dated November 14, 2023. DESCRIPTION OF REQUIRMENT Statement of Need and Purpose: The National Institutes of Mental Health, Division of Intramural Research Program's Laboratory of Neuropsychology, DIRP has a need for one navigation license and one planning license for our Cortexplore Neuronavigation System. Background and Objective: The Laboratory of Neuropsychology has validated and established a surgical neuronavigation system to enhance the accuracy of targeting of injections (such as replication-deficient viruses for molecular genetic tool expression and ibotenate for localized lesions) to small subcortical structures. The system makes use of cutting-edge technology, some of which has been customized by Cortexplore engineers to support our applications. The customized components require specialized software modules, and regular updates are supplied to support requested improvements and added functionality. To maintain system function and operability, and allow for continued development and enhancements, support from the vendor is required to keep the software working properly as operating systems are updated and to provide ongoing instruction to users. Product Description: Cortexplore SCI Navigation License and Cortexplore SCI Planning License Period of Performance: Base Period and four (4) option periods. The anticipated start date is January 2, 2024 Contract Type: A firm-fixed price type contract is planned for this acquisition. CONTRACTING WITHOUT PROVIDING FOR FULL OR OPEN COMPETITION The determination to award a contract without providing for full and open competition is based upon the market research. Specifically, the required software licenses are tailored exclusively for the Cortexplore Neuronavigation System. This software is deemed the sole acceptable option, eliminating the necessity for system reconfiguration. The proprietary file format generated by this software is incompatible with proprietary software from alternative vendors. Sticking with these licenses will enable the laboratory to uphold its current software development and leverage the expertise already acquired. Moreover, pursuing full and open competition in this case could result in additional cost and potential disruptions, making the sole-source a cost-effective and prudent choice. The intended source is: Cortexplore Neurol Technologies Industriezeile 35, 4020 Linz, Austria CLOSING STATEMENT THIS SYNOPSIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR COMPETITIVE PROPOSALS. However, interested parties may identify their interest and capability to respond to this notice. A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed contract based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. All responsible sources may submit a capability statement, proposal, or quotation which shall be considered by the agency. The information received will normally be considered solely for the purposes of determining whether to proceed on a non-competitive basis or to conduct a competitive procurement. Responses to this notice shall contain sufficient information to establish the interested parties' bona-fide capabilities for fulfilling the requirement and include: unit price, list price, shipping and handling costs, the delivery period after contract award, the prompt payment discount terms, the F.O.B. Point (Destination or Origin), the Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) assigned by SAM.gov, the Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN), and the certification of business size. All offerors must have an active registration in the System for Award Management (SAM) www.sam.gov. All responses must be received by the closing date and time of this announcement and must reference the Notice ID number in this notice. Responses must be submitted electronically to Kristina Jenkins, Contracting Officer at Kristina.jenkins@nih.gov . U.S. Mail and fax responses will not be accepted.