Unique Identification Tagging, and Evaluation of the Impact of DCM-funded Research Resources

SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE This Sources Sought Notice is for informational and planning purposes only and shall not be construed as a solicitation or as an obligation or commitment by the Government. This notice is intended strictly for Market Research. PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR QUOTE (RFQ). NO SOLICITATION EXISTS AT THIS TIME. This is a Small Business Sources Sought Notice. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. The purpose of this notice is to obtain information regarding: (1) the availability and capability of qualified small business sources; (2) whether they are small businesses; HUBZone small businesses; service- disabled, veteran-owned small businesses; 8(a) small businesses; woman-owned small businesses; or small disadvantaged businesses; and (3) their size classification relative to the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for the proposed acquisition. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code is 541690 - Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (This industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in providing advice and assistance to businesses and other organizations on scientific and technical issues, except environmental) with a small business size standard of $15 million. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is conducting a Market Survey to help determine the availability and technical capability of qualified small businesses, 8(a) firms, veteran-owned small businesses, service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses, women-owned small businesses and/or HUBZone small businesses capable of serving the needs identified below: Background The Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives (DPCPSI) within the Office of the NIH Director performs critical analyses of tasks as well as plans, coordinates, and supports trans-NIH initiatives and research resources for numerous key areas of emerging scientific opportunities or rising public health challenges. Under the umbrella of DPCPSI, the Division of Comparative Medicine (DCM) in the Office of Research Infrastructure Programs (ORIP) supports research to develop new animal models (e.g. rodents, aquatic species, invertebrates, nonhuman primates), cultured cells, biological materials, reagents and informatics systems, as well as shared resources with the goal to distribute, characterize, maintain, and archive these diverse resources for use by other biomedical researchers. In such resources, organisms and biologicals are produced under defined conditions and are delivered to scientists with a guaranteed assurance of quality and reproducibility of the phenotype and properties as well as access to information regarding the description and original source of the biomaterials. By sustaining animal model and biomaterial repositories, DCM/ORIP is promoting rigorous and transparent research in all areas of biomedical science supported by a variety of NIH grant programs. DCM/ORIP animal model resources adapted a citation system, which enables users of the resources and authors of the publications to authenticate model organisms and biomaterials as well as biological resources by using and finding stable unique identifiers. Such a system is serving the biomedical community to correctly report, accurately replicate and extend findings from animal research resources and allow resource distributors and funding agencies to monitor the use of these model organisms and biomaterials. Purpose and Objective A draft Statement of Work (SOW) is attached to this Sources Sought Notice. The proposed acquisition will be procured in accordance with the policies and procedures under FAR Parts 12 and 13.5. All responsible sources may submit a capability statement which will be considered by the National Library of Medicine. This Sources Sought Notice is not a Request for Quotes (RFQ), nor is an RFQ available. Response Requirements: Please submit the following information: Provide a capability statement demonstrating relevant experience, skills and ability to fulfill the Government's requirements for the above. The capability statement should contain enough sufficient detail for the Government to make an informed decision regarding your capabilities; however, the statement should not exceed five (5) pages. The capability statement should also include the following: Contract name; Contracting Agency or Department; Yearly contract value (in $$); Period of performance; and Description of work and how it relates to the NLM requirements. The capability statement should include references, key personnel, and any teaming arrangements needed to fulfill the requirements. It must identify the responder's small business type and size; DUNS number; NAICS code; GSA SIN Number, and technical and administrative points of contact, including names, titles, addresses, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail addresses. (c) All capability statements must be submitted electronically no later than 3:00 PM EST on Friday, August 6, 2021 to Em'Ria J. Briscoe at briscoee@mail.nih.gov. Disclaimer and Important Notes: This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in response. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine the organization's qualifications to perform the work. Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted. After a review of the responses received, a pre-solicitation synopsis and solicitation may be published in Federal Business Opportunities. However, responses to this notice will not be considered adequate responses to a solicitation. Confidentiality: No proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included in your response. The Government reserves the right to use any non-proprietary technical information in any resultant solicitation(s).