(i) This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in Subpart 12.6 as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; proposals are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued.
(ii) The solicitation number is 75N95024Q00505 and the solicitation is issued as a request for quotation (RFQ).
This acquisition is for a commercial item or service and is conducted under the authority of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 13—Simplified Acquisition Procedures; and FAR Part 12—Acquisition of Commercial Items, and is not expected to exceed the simplified acquisition threshold.
(iii) The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) Number 2024-05, with effective date May 22, 2024.
(iv) The associated NAICS code 334516 – Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing and the small business size standard is 1,000 employees. This requirement is full and open with no set-aside restrictions.
(v) This requirement is for a luminescence reader for ongoing and future research on controlled dietary interventions in aging mice.
(vi) The purpose of this acquisition is to obtain a luminescence reader, which performs high-throughput luminometry on self-luminous tissues, such as those from transgenic animals containing the luciferase gene. The system must provide reliable and real-time measurements of luminescence in mouse tissues over extended periods (greater than one week) for circadian and longitudinal aging studies at the National Institute on Aging (NIA) Intramural Research Program on the Johns Hopkins Bayview campus. This acquisition is essential for supporting the NIA's ongoing and future research on the physiological effects of dietary interventions on aging.
Project requirements:
Luminescence reader that includes:
- One Light-Tight Chamber with Turntable for 35 mm Petri Dishes
- Four Photomultiplier Tubes
- Four Channel Counter-Timer/Motor Controller Interface with power supply and USB Cable
- Data Collection Software
- Data Analysis Software
Salient Characteristics:
- Asynchronous Channel Operation: Start and stop each counting channel independently. For instance, initiate an experiment with 10 samples on one day, start another with 22 samples the next day, and manage them individually.
- Interruption and Continuation: Pause data collection to perform experimental manipulations (e.g., adding a drug) and resumes data collection exactly where it left off post-treatment.
- Flexible Counting Schedules: Set counting intervals ranging from once per hour to once per minute.
- Real-time Data Viewing: Monitor all 32 channels simultaneously in a single window. Double-click any graph for a detailed view of the data.
- Advanced Analysis Software: Automatically compensates for baseline shifts and signal attenuation. Extract dominant circadian periods and phases, view periodograms and actograms, calculate phase shifts, and analyze periods using spectral or periodogram methods.
- Data Comparison and Figure Preparation: Superimpose multiple records for comparative analysis and figure preparation.
- Rhythm Parameter Calculation: Analyze rhythm parameters for the entire record or multiple subsets. For example, if a treatment is administered halfway through a trial, analyze the two halves separately to calculate phase shifts.
- Continuous Data Collection: While data collection is ongoing, you can copy data files to another computer for interim analysis without interrupting the experiment.
- Data Export: Export extracted periods and phases to a text file for manipulation in Excel or other statistical programs. Raw or baseline-subtracted records can be exported to ClockLab for further analysis using periodograms, actograms, and activity profiles.
Quantity: One (1)
All deliverables required under this contract shall be packaged, marked and shipped in accordance with Government specifications. At a minimum, all deliverables shall be marked with the contract number and Contractor name. The Contractor shall guarantee that all required materials shall be delivered in immediate usable and acceptable condition.
(vii) The Government anticipates award of a firm fixed-price purchase order for this acquisition, and the anticipated delivery date is 60 days after receipt of order (ARO). Delivery will be f.o.b. destination. The place of delivery and acceptance will be NIH Biomedical Research Center, 251 Bayview Blvd., Baltimore, MD 21224.
(viii) The provision at FAR 52.252-1, Solicitation Provisions Incorporated by Reference (Feb 1998), applies to this acquisition. This solicitation incorporates one or more solicitation provisions by reference, with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make their full text available. The offeror is cautioned that the listed provisions may include blocks that must be completed by the offeror and submitted with its quotation or offer. In lieu of submitting the full text of those provisions, the offeror may identify the provision by paragraph identifier and provide the appropriate information with its quotation or offer. Also, the full text of a solicitation provision may be accessed electronically at these addresses:
https://www.acquisition.gov/browse/index/far
https://www.hhs.gov/grants/contracts/contract-policies-regulations/hhsar/index.html
(End of provision)
The following provisions apply to this acquisition and are incorporated by reference:
- FAR 52.204-7, System for Award Management (Oct 2018)
- FAR 52.204-16, Commercial and Government Entity Code Reporting (Aug 2020)
- FAR 52.204-29, Federal Acquisition Supply Chain Security Act Orders – Representation and Disclosures (Dec 2023)
- FAR 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors-Commercial Products and Commercial Services (Sep 2023)
- FAR 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial Products and Commercial Services (Feb 2024)
- FAR 52.225-2, Buy American Certificate (Oct 2022)
- HHSAR 352.239-73, Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Notice (December 18, 2015)
The clause at FAR 52.252-2, Clauses Incorporated by Reference (Feb 1998), applies to this acquisition. This contract incorporates one or more clauses by reference, with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make their full text available. Also, the full text of a clause may be accessed electronically at these addresses:
https://www.acquisition.gov/browse/index/far
https://www.hhs.gov/grants/contracts/contract-policies-regulations/hhsar/index.html
(End of clause)
The following clauses apply to this acquisition and are incorporated by reference:
- FAR 52.204-13, System for Award Management Maintenance (Oct 2018)
- FAR 52.204-18, Commercial and Government Entity Code Maintenance (Aug 2020)
- FAR 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions—Commercial Products and Commercial Services (Nov 2023). Addendum to this FAR clause applies to this acquisition and is attached.
- HHSAR 352.222-70, Contractor Cooperation in Equal Employment Opportunity Investigations (December 18, 2015)
- HHSAR 352.239-74, Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility (December 18, 2015)
The following provisions and clauses apply to this acquisition and are attached in full text. Offerors MUST complete the provisions below and submit completed copies as separate documents with their proposal.
- 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 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders--Commercial Products and Commercial Services (May 2024)
- FAR 52.225-6, Trade Agreements Certificate (Feb 2021)
- NIH Invoice and Payment Provisions
(ix) The Government will evaluate quotations or offers in accordance with FAR 13.106-2 and award a purchase order from this solicitation to the responsible offeror whose quote conforming to the solicitation will be most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered. The following factors shall be used to evaluate quotes:
a. Technical capability of the item offered to meet the Government requirement;
b. Price; and
c. Past performance [see FAR 13.106-2(b)(3)].
Technical and past performance, when combined, are significantly more important than cost or price.
A written notice of award or acceptance of an offer, mailed or otherwise furnished to the successful offeror within the time for acceptance specified in the offer, shall result in a binding contract without further action by either party. Before the offer’s specified expiration time, the Government may accept an offer (or part of an offer), whether or not there are negotiations after its receipt, unless a written notice of withdrawal is received before award.
(x) Offerors must include a completed copy of the provision at FAR clause 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications—Commercial Products and Commercial Services (Feb 2024), with its offer. If the offeror has completed FAR clause 52.212-3 at www.sam.gov, then the offeror does not need to provide a completed copy with its offer.
(xi) There are no additional contract requirement(s) or terms and conditions applicable to this acquisition.
(xii) The Defense Priorities and Allocations System (DPAS) are not applicable to this requirement.
(xii) Responses to this solicitation must include sufficient information to establish the interested parties’ bona-fide capabilities of providing the product or service. The price quote shall include: unit price, list price, shipping and handling costs, delivery days after contract award, delivery terms, prompt payment discount terms, F.O.B. Point (Destination or Origin), product or catalog number(s), product description, and any other information or factors that may be considered in the award decision. Such factors may include: past performance, special features required for effective program performance, trade-in considerations, probable life of the item selected as compared with that of a comparable item, warranty considerations, maintenance availability, and environmental and energy efficiency considerations.
The Unique Entity ID from SAM.gov, the Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN), and the certification of business size must be included in the response. All offerors must have an active registration in the System for Award Management (SAM) www.sam.gov.
All quotations must be received by 11:00 A.M. Eastern, on September 9, 2024, and reference Solicitation Number 75N95024Q00505. Responses must be submitted electronically to Hashim Dasti, Contract Specialist, at hashim.dasti@nih.gov.
Fax responses will not be accepted.
