WRAIR New Sequencer Sources sought

Request for Information (RFI) New Sequencer General Information: This is an RFI as defined in FAR 15.201(e) to ascertain whether a commercial item exists that provides the capabilities described herein. This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes and does not constitute a solicitation. All information received in response to this RFI will be treated as business confidential information. Nonetheless, submitters should properly mark their responses if the information is confidential. Responses to the RFI will not be returned. Responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. Responders are solely responsible for all expense associated with responding to this RFI. RFI Response and due date: 20200430 Instructions to Responders: Responses from all capable and qualified sources are encouraged to respond to this request. White papers should adhere to the following formatting and outline instructions: 1. All submissions shall be made electronically and be in one of the following formats: Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF. 2. Cover Page (1page) Title Organization Responders technical and administrative points of contact (names, addresses, phone, fax number and email addresses) Topic area(s) addressed 3. Completed Attachment 1 and Attachment 2. Please note that the response shall provide sufficient technical data to determine how you fully meet the requirements as specified in Attachment 2. Please note that responses are due no later than 20200430, 11:00 AM, Eastern. The preferred method of submission is via email. The point of contact for this action is Roberto Gonzalez, Contract Specialist, contact@example.gov. Only electronic responses are requested. No evaluation letters and/or results will be issued to the respondents. At this time no solicitation exists; therefore, please do not request a copy of the solicitation. NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE. It is the responsibility of any potential offeror to monitor this site for the release of any solicitation or synopsis. Background/Overview: The Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) conducts research activities that are responsive to Department of Defense (DoD) and US Army medical needs and requirements that result in next-generation medical capabilities in the form of new vaccines, drugs, diagnostics, and knowledge that sustain Warfighter health and readiness, and provide medical advancements that elevate US and global public health. The Center for Military Psychiatry and Neuroscience (CMPN) is the Department of Defense's premier organization conducting basic and applied research to promote psychological resilience, neurological functioning, and operational readiness among Service Members. The Division is subcategoried into four different branches, each providing support of the Warfighter operational and health performance. The mission of the Medical Readiness Systems Biology (MRSB) branch aims to apply robust and precise molecular-based solutions for military-relevant health performance, resilience and readiness. . MRSB is a disease-agnostic program that utilizes high-throughput, multi-omics platforms supported by a suite of cutting edge, targeted assay tools and AI-driven analytical capabilities to identify diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers, and generate a knowledge base about biological mechanisms and personalized care. MRSB is committed to developing a seamless, integrative module enabling to interrogate genome-to-phenome landscape to inform medical interventions and develop products to improve Warfighter health, performance, resilience, and readiness. Specifically, the Medical Readiness Systems Biology branch is currently seeking state-of-the art technological advancements to remain in trend with the industry standards by purchasing a new Sequencer that will complete projects faster and more economically than previous versions. This new system shall provide workflow efficiency, as the current system becomes obsolete in coming years. The new Sequencer shall enable massively parallel sequencing of billions of DNA fragments in order to mitigate errors and missed calls associated with strings of repeated nucleotides (homopolymers). The current industry requires high-performance imaging with the latest patterned flow cell technology in order to deliver massive increases in throughput. This materiel requirement will be delivered to the WRAIR campus with set-up assistance and annual maintenance included. By approving this contract, the CMPN will be able to perform studies at the throughput and price per sample at a cheaper cost in order to meet their research objectives. The current sequencer possessed by the branch has been denoted as end of sale by the company and must be replaced to keep up with modern advancements.