SPT Labtech Firefly Instruments

This notice is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items using Simplified Acquisition Procedures. This acquisition will be made in accordance with the format in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Subpart 12.6 - Streamlined Procedures for Evaluation and Solicitation for Commercial Items, as applicable, and as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation (a written solicitation will not be issued) and quotes are being requested. The Solicitation number is RFQ-NIAID-22-2132491 and the solicitation is issued as a Request for Quotes (RFQ). This acquisition will be processed under FAR Part 13 Simplified Acquisition Procedures (SAP). The solicitation documents and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular FAC 2022-07 Effective August 10, 2022. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this procurement is 334516 - Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing with a size standard of 1,000 employees. The Product or Service Code (PSC) is 6640 - Laboratory Equipment and Supplies. The requirement is being competed as full and open competition, with a brand name or equal restriction, and without a small business set-aside. The government intends to award a firm-fixed-price purchase order to the responsible offeror as a result of this RFQ that will include the terms and conditions set forth herein. By submitting a quote, the offeror is accepting that all government terms and condition shall prevail over the award. By submission of a quote, the Offeror acknowledges the requirement that a prospective awardee shall be registered and viewable in the System for Award Management (SAM) database prior to award, during performance, and through final payment resulting from this solicitation (www.sam.gov). STATEMENT OF NEED The National Institutes of Health (NIH), a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is the nation's medical research agency - making important discoveries that improve health and save lives. The mission of the (VRC) is to support research into the development of vaccine products against viruses and other pathogens infecting humans; the training of basic and clinical scientists to carry out this research; and the dissemination of information on research progress in these diseases. This equipment will enable the laboratory to process large numbers of samples quickly enough to ensure rapid data turnaround, while maintaining processing consistency and thus data reproducibility. Automation of HT-SGS sample preparation protocols also enables laboratory workers to devote additional time to protocol development and optimization and to data analysis. The Vaccine Research Center Virus Persistence and Dynamics Section (VPDS) works to elucidate mechanisms of virus persistence in vivo, with the aim of informing development of vaccines, immune-based therapies, and other medical countermeasures for virus-mediated diseases. A central mechanism of virus persistence is mutational variation, which can lead to antigenic variation and escape from naturally acquired, vaccine-elicited, or passively-administered immunity. VPDS has developed technology termed high-throughput, single-genome amplification and sequencing (HT-SGS), which uses long-read deep sequencing to describe genetic variation among virus genomes within individual samples. Applied to longitudinal samples across multiple people, experimental animals, or other infection models, HT-SGS can reveal important patterns of virus mutational variation and evolution. Protocols for HT-SGS are highly sensitive; involve multiple serial steps requiring highly precise execution; and generate highly complex data. High-performance automated liquid handling with user-friendly programming capability for processing flexibility is thus highly desirable for ensuring sample throughput and data reproducibility needed for HT-SGS studies, which can sometimes include hundreds or even thousands of individual samples. This equipment will enable the laboratory to process large numbers of samples quickly enough to ensure rapid data turnaround, while maintaining processing consistency and thus data reproducibility. Automation of HT-SGS sample preparation protocols also enables laboratory workers to devote additional time to protocol development and optimization and to data analysis. To allow automation of the entire HT-SGS sample preparation process, two individual liquid handlers are required because early protocol steps must be performed in physical spaces and using equipment that is free of high-copy DNA (plasmids, other amplified products such as those produced by PCR), while later steps produce amplified material that then requires further processing. Therefore, initial steps in the procedure must be performed in - pre-amplification containment with a dedicated liquid handler, while later steps must be performed outside this containment area, using a liquid handler (and other equipment) that is never brough inside the area. The system must have the characteristics outlined in the Statement of Needs. See Attachment 1 - Statement of Needs. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) has a requirement for the brand name or equal equipment manufactured by SPT LabTech Limited. BOM for SPT Labtech Firefly Firefly (6 head), QTY 2 - Part # 3276-00006 Firefly Genomics Options Kit, QTY 2 - Part # 3276-02002 Magnum Flx Enhanced Universal Magnet Plate (96 well), QTY 2 - Part # SZZ00237 Firefly (6 Head) - Reliance Complete Service Contract, QTY 2 - SLA-FFY-004 Shipping, QTY 1 If offering equal equipment, country of origin and place of manufactured products, must be provided with quote. If quoting an equal product, you must show in your quote how the quoted equipment meets these qualifications: Liquid handling systems Dispensing system: the system must use liquid dispensers with TRUE positive displacement of liquids for aspiration and non-contact dispensing with 6 dispensing syringes. Pipetting system: the system must include at least a 384-tip air-displacement pipetting head, working in a minimum range from 0.5uL to 125uL. Plastic consumable tips must be automatically exchanged by the system and available in 384, 96, 8, and 16 channel arrays, for flexibility to work with a wide variety of 96 and 384 well plates. The system must be able to automatically switch between these formats for flexibility. Liquid Class management Dispenser Liquid classes: the dispense system must be capable of handling a wide range liquid type from 80% ethanol through to 50% (w/v) glycerol, with NO requirement for liquid classification. Common biological assay components such as aqueous buffers, DMSO, beads, cells, or glycerol protein stocks must all be dispensed using the same standard settings as well as particulates such as SPRI beads. Pipetting liquid classes: The pipetting system must use liquid classes to compensate for different liquid types and is well suited to a range of liquid types. It uses an air-displacement pipetting system. NIAID has limited space and requires a small footprint 26 inches wide by 22 inches deep. User Interface must be completely configurable to tailor the user experience from those requiring restricted access to run specific protocols only, to full open access to all features for Super users. Must be able to install the software on any windows device to author protocols virtually anywhere and send them to the system via a network or over the cloud. The system must include fixed base configurations to share protocols between systems. Configuration must also include a microplate shaker and incubation capabilities. Must be application ready with off the shelf protocols ready to use. Other Requirement: Twelve months warranty Twelve months software license Instrument Training QUOTING REQUIREMENT All elements below must be included in the quote for your quote to be considered responsive: If not brand name, documentation to prove how the - of equal model/part meets the salient physical, functional, or performance characteristic specified in this solicitation. Country of Origin Place of Manufacture Estimated date of delivery Estimated shipping fees PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE Delivery is requested as soon as possible. Estimated lead time for delivery is 60-90 days from date of award which is estimated to be September 30, 2022, through December 30, 2022, if not sooner. SHIPPING/DELIVERY INSTRUCTIONS Delivery location is 40 Convent Drive, Building 40, Bethesda, MD 20892. The Loading Dock is at semi-truck height. If the delivery truck is low, a lift gate is REQUIRED for pallet shipments or packages over 50 pounds. The Loading Dock hours are as follows: 7:00 am - 4pm pm EST, Monday through Friday except for Federal Holidays. FOB: Destination. All equipment delivered shall contain a Packing Slip (with serial numbers when applicable). Please contact Eli Boritz to coordinate at 301-443-5398. INSTRUCTIONS All interested offerors shall provide a quote for the requirement as outlined in Attachment 1 - Statement of Needs (SON) and Attachment 2 - Bill of Materials (BOM). The Government may evaluate only those quotes that fully meet the requirements as outlined in the SON and BOM and respond to the instructions and requirements below. Failure to furnish a full and complete quote as instructed may result in the Offeror's response being considered non-responsive and will therefore be eliminated from further consideration and award. Quotes are due by 2:00 pm EST on September 21, 2022. Quotes must be emailed to Daveta H. Brown, Contract Specialist, at daveta.brown@nih.gov. Late quotes will not be considered. All responsible sources may submit an offer that will be considered by this Agency. Any questions or concerns regarding this combined synopsis/solicitation should be emailed to daveta.brown@nih.gov. EVALUATION NIAID will evaluate quotes to determine the best value to the government. NIAID will make that determination based on technical acceptability, price, and past performance. NIAID will evaluate price only for those quotes which are rated as technically acceptable. In the event quotes are evaluated as technically equal, price will become a major consideration in selecting the successful Offeror. SPECIAL NOTICE TO OFFERORS Offerors are advised that the Government may share your information with non-government personnel who are assisting with the evaluation of quotes. The exclusive responsibility for source selection will reside with the Government. By submitting your quote, you will be consenting to disclosure of your quote to non-government personnel for purposes of evaluation. ELECTRONIC INVOICING The successful offeror may submit an invoice once a shipment is delivered. NIAID will only accept invoices for units that have been delivered to NIAID. NIH is using a phased transition approach from the NIH Office of Financial Management (OFM) Electronic Invoice Submission instructions to the Department of Treasury's Invoice Processing Platform (IPP). The Contractor shall submit invoices to the National Institutes of Health (NIH)/Office of Financial Management (OFM) via email at invoicing@nih.gov with a copy to the approving official until the Contractor has been notified of its transition to IPP. The Contractor must follow step-by-step instructions as stated in the NIH/OFM Electronic Invoicing Instructions for NIH Contractors/Vendors, which is included as an attachment on the website at https://oamp.od.nih.gov/DGS/DGS-workform- information/attachment-files. The invoice shall be transmitted as an attachment via email to the address listed above in one of the following formats: Word, or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). The Contractor must submit only one invoice per email. Do not submit supporting documentation (e.g., receipts, time sheets, vendor invoices, etc.) with your invoice unless specified elsewhere in the contract or requested by the Contracting Officer. REPRESENTATION REGARDING CERTAIN TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND VIDEO SURVEILLANCE SERVICES OR EQUIPMENT (SECTION 889) All offerors shall have current documentation showing representation of compliance with Section 889 provisions. Prior to award of delivery order resulting from solicitation, quoters shall be prepared to provide copy of section 889 compliance if requested by the Contracting Officer. SECTION 508 Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, as amended by the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (P.L. 105-220) requires that when Federal agencies develop, procure, maintain, or use information and communication technology (ICT), it shall be accessible to people with disabilities. Federal employees and members of the public who have disabilities must have access to, and use of, information and data that is comparable to people without disabilities. Vendors must identify whether a quoted Information and Communication Technology (ICT) product or service is compliant with the Section 508 accessibility standards at 36 CFR 1194. The quote must also identify where full details of compliance can be found (e.g., vendor's website or other exact location.) For more information on Section 508 standards visit https://www.section508.gov/. PROVISIONS AND CLAUSES The following Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) provisions and clauses are hereby incorporated by reference: The following Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) provisions and clauses apply to this acquisition: FAR 52.203-18 - Prohibition on Contracting with Entities that Require Certain Internal Confidentiality Agreements or Statements - Representations (Jan 2017) FAR 52.204-7 - System for Award Management (Oct 2018) FAR 52.204-13 - System for Award Management Maintenance (Oct 2018) FAR 52.204-16 - Commercial for Government Entity Code Reporting (Aug 2020) FAR 52.204-18 - Commercial and Government Entity Code Maintenance (Aug 2020) FAR 52.204-21 - Basic Safeguarding of Covered Contractor Information Systems (Nov 2021) FAR 52.204-24 - Representation Regarding Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment (Nov 2021) FAR 52.204-26 - Covered Telecommunications Equipment or Services-Representation (Oct 2020) FAR 52.209-7 - Information Regarding Responsibility Matters (Oct 2018) FAR 52.211-6 - Brand Name or Equal (Aug 1999) - FULL TEXT FAR 52.212-1 - Instructions to Offerors - Commercial Products and Commercial Services (Nov 2021) FAR 52.212-3 - Offeror Representations and Certifications - Commercial Products and Commercial Services (May 2022) FAR 52.212-4 - Contract Terms and Conditions - Commercial Products and Commercial Services (Nov 2021) FAR 52.212-5 - Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders - Commercial Products and Commercial Services (May 2022) FAR 52.232-25 - Prompt Payment (Jan 2017) FAR 52.232-40 - Providing Accelerated Payments to Small Business Subcontractors (Nov 2021) FAR 52.242-15 - Stop-Work Order (Aug 1989) FAR 52.252-2 - Clauses Incorporated by Reference (Feb 1998) The following Department of Health and Human Services Acquisition Regulation (HHSAR) provisions and clauses apply to this acquisition: HHSAR 352.203-70 - Anti-lobbying (Dec 2015) HHSAR 352.208-70 - Printing and Duplication (Dec 2015) HHSAR 352.222-70 - Contractor Cooperation in Equal Employment Opportunity Investigations (Dec 2015) HHSAR 352.223-70 - Safety and Health (Dec 2015) HHSAR 352.224-71 - Confidential Information (Dec 2015) HHSAR 352.232-71 - Electronic Submission of Payment Requests (No Date) - FULL TEXT HHSAR 352.239-73 - Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Notice (Dec 2015) HHSAR 352.239-74 - Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility (Dec 2015) LIST OF ATTACHMENTS Attachment 1 - Statement of Needs (SON) Attachment 2 - Bill of Materials (BOM)