Zinc Finger Nuclease

ANNOUNCEMENT NUMBER : NHLBI-CSB-(AR)-2012-052-CRS POST DATE : January 4, 2012 CLOSING DATE : January 09, 2012 PROPOSED AWARD DATE : January 16, 2012 Title : Zinc Finger Nuclease Project Title or General Description: The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) on behalf of the NIH Center for Regenerative Medicine (NIH-CRM) is seeking sources to provide Zinc Finger Nucleases. A mandate for the NIH Center for Regenerative Medicine (NIH-CRM) is to encourage translational research. The NIH-CRM possesses the need for specifically targeted plasmid DNA to be used in their study and understanding of induced plurepotent stem cells (iPSC). This SOURCES SOUGHT (SS) is being issued to help determine the availability of qualified companies technically capable of meeting the Government requirement. THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP), NOR IS IT A REQUEST FOR QUOTATION (RFQ). It is not to be construed as a commitment by the requesting party to issue a solicitation or ultimately award a contract. Responses will not be considered as proposals or quotes. No award will be made as a result of this SS. The Government will NOT be responsible for any costs incurred by interested parties in responding to this SS. This FedBizOpps SS is strictly for market research purposes only. As a result of this SS, the Government may issue a RFQ, however, should such requirements materialize, no basis for claims against the Government shall arise as a result of a response to the SS. The North American Classification System (NAICS) code applicable to this requirement is 325998 - All Other Miscellaneous Chemical Product and Preparation Manufacturing and the associated small business size standard is 500 Employees. Based on the responses received from this SOURCES SOUGHT announcement, the NHLBI may conduct a competitive procurement. All eligible companies responding to this SS Announcement must have the capabilities to provide the below services upon receipt of contract. STATEMENT OF WORK: The NIH Center for Regenerative Medicine (NIH-CRM) has the need for the design of plasmid DNA in order to customize genome engineering of cells. The NIH-CRM also requires analysis of the specified gene region for nuclease sites and appropriate validation of the nuclease as part of the plasmid DNA generation process. The Zinc Finger Nuclease system provides a unique method for specific targeting of the genome in order to more specifically generate NIH-CRM plasmids of choice. The NIIH-CRM would like to acquire custom plasmid DNA utilizing customized Zinc Finger Nuclease (ZFN). Contractor Requirements: Given a targeted sequence the contractor shall provide: - Design, engineering and delivery of a custom Zinc Finger Nuclease - High efficiency ZFN pair as 10 aliquots of ready to deliver ZFN in mRNA form and the ZFN Plasmids - Custom designed primers that allow for determination of the rate of mutation and screening of individual clones. - Positive Control DNA Deliverable: Complete ZFN kits shall be delivered to the end user within NIH-CRM. Interested parties may identify in writing their interest and capability in response to this requirement or submit a response. This notice of intent is not a request for competitive quotations however; all responses received before the closing date of this announcement will be considered by the Government. A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed acquisition is based upon responses to this notice and is solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive acquisition. Companies that can perform the requirements above are requested to submit a tailored capability statement for this requirement, not to exceed 20 single-sided pages (including all attachments, resumes, data, etc.) presented in single-space and using a 12-point font size minimum, that clearly details the ability to perform the task (s) as described above. The capability statement shall include the following: 1. Name and identify your size and type of business (i.e. Large Business; Small Business; Small Disadvantaged Businesses (SDB); Woman-owned Small Businesses (WOSB); Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone); Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (VOSB); and Service-Disabled Veteran-owned Small Businesses (SDVOSB]; 2. To demonstrate experience in providing the above services, please provide information regarding three Government or Non-Government contracts for the same or similar services (include a description of services provided; period of performance; reference name, phone number and email address; and value of each contract); 3. If subcontractors will be utilized, the name of company(ies), and a point of contact for the company (name, phone number, fax number and email address); 4. Any other relevant information that is not listed above which the Government should consider in finalizing its market research. 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. All capability Statements sent in response to this SOURCES SOUGHT notice must be submitted electronically (via email) to Caitlin Savina, Contract Specialist, at caitlin.savina@nih.gov in either MS Word or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF), by January 09, 2012, at 3:00 P.M., EST. All responses must be received by the specified due date and time in order to be considered.