INTRODUCTION
THIS IS A PRE-SOLICITATION NON-COMPETITIVE (NOTICE OF INTENT) SYNOPSIS TO AWARD A CONTRACT WITHOUT PROVIDING FOR FULL OR OPEN COMPETITION (INCLUDING BRAND-NAME).
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), Office of Acquisition (OA) the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), intends to negotiate and award a purchase order without providing for full and open competition (including brand-name) to Life Technologies Corporation by Thermo Fisher 3175 Staley Road, Grand Island, NY, 14072 for Thermo Fisher Lipofectamine RNAiMAX Transfection Reagent, Cat. No. 13778150, Lot #2839684, Quantity needed: 50 1.5mL aliquots.
NORTH AMERICAN INDUSTRY CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM (NAICS) CODE and SET ASIDE STATUS
The intended procurement is classified under NAICS 325414 Research and Development in Biotechnology with a Size Standard of 1,250.
REGULATORY AUTHORITY
This acquisition is conducted under the authority of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 13 Simplified Acquisition Procedures. Contracts awarded using FAR Part 13 Simplified Acquisition Procedures are exempt from the requirements of FAR Part 6 Competition Requirements. FAR Subpart 13.106-1 (b) Soliciting from a single source provides that: For purchases not exceeding the simplified acquisition threshold, Contracting officers may solicit from one source IF the contracting officer determines that the circumstances of the contract action deem only one source reasonably available (e.g., urgency, exclusive licensing agreements, brand-name OR industrial mobilization).
The resultant contract will include all applicable provisions and clauses in effect through the Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2022-08 dated October 22, 2022.
DESCRIPTION OF REQUIREMENT
PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES:
The National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) requires the repair of two (2) SPT Labtech microplate cell cytometers currently deployed in our labs. These units include Acumen EX1310 and EX1309. EX1310 requires a new shutter motor assembly. EX1309 requires the replacement of the eX3 405nm laser.
Purchase Description:
The National Institutes of Health has established an RNAi facility to provide intramural researchers with access to the equipment and expertise necessary to conduct genome-wide RNAi screens in mammalian cells. This facility works as a collaborative resource for doing RNAi assay development, screening, and initial follow up. Our facility works with investigators to develop and optimize their assays for screening, conducts the screens and related informatics analyses, then performs follow-up screens on promising leads. Further work is done with the PI to do the downstream biology required to get the quality publications and the kind of groundbreaking results needed. This request is required for this facility to develop a flexible functional genomics platform that offers complementary and orthogonal RNAi screens to NIH intramural investigators. Thermo Fisher Lipofectamine RNAiMAX is designed to transfect siRNA into a wide range of cell types with high efficiency, which ensures effective gene knockdown. This item is needed to facilitate our RNAi screening program. This program is to provide intramural researchers with access to the equipment and expertise necessary to conduct large scale functional genomics screens.
In RNAi screens, small-interfering RNA ( siRNA) are small double stranded RNA molecules that target complementary mRNA and silence this target gene. Alongside siRNA are endoribonucleases, called RNA-induced silencing complex (RISCs), and Dicer enzymes, which help prepare siRNAs to bind to their target sequence. A transfection regent is needed for the siRNAs to pass through the cell membrane. Lipofectamine RNAiMAX from ThermoFisher contains a proprietary RNAi-specfic cationic lipid formulation, meaning it is specifically formulated for the transfection of siRNAs into a wide variety of cell types. The reagent has high-efficacy transfection rate which ensures high levels of gene knockdown. ThermoFisher Lipofectamine RNAiMAX is also compatible with high-throughput screening, so it will be effective in the high-throughput RNAi screens our lab conducts.
50 Lipofectamine RNAiMAX Transfection Reagent, cat no. 137780150, lot #2839684
ESTIMATED PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE:
30 Days ARO
CONTRACTING WITHOUT PROVIDING FOR FULL OR OPEN COMPETITION (INCLUDING BRAND-NAME) DETERMINATION
The determination by the Government to award a contract without providing for full and open competition is based upon the market research conducted. Specifically, Life Technologies Corporation by Thermo Fisher 3175 Staley Road, Grand Island, NY, 14072 is the only vendor in the marketplace that can provide the services required by NIDA .
The intended source is:
Life Technologies Corporation by Thermo Fisher 3175 Staley Road, Grand Island, NY, 14072
CLOSING STATEMENT
THIS SYNOPSIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR COMPETITIVE PROPOSALS. However, interested parties may identify their interest and capability to respond to this notice.
A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed contract based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. All responsible sources may submit a capability statement, proposal, or quotation which shall be considered by the agency. The information received will normally be considered solely for the purposes of determining whether to proceed on a non-competitive basis or to conduct a competitive procurement.
Responses to this notice shall contain sufficient information to establish the interested parties' bona-fide capabilities for fulfilling the requirement and include: unit price, list price, shipping and handling costs, the delivery period after contract award, the prompt payment discount terms, the F.O.B. Point (Destination or Origin), the Unique Entity ID (UEI), the Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN), and the certification of business size. All offerors must have an active registration in the System for Award Management (SAM) www.sam.gov.
All responses must be received by the closing date and time of this announcement and must reference the solicitation number, 75N95024Q00364. Responses must be submitted electronically to Kaitlyn Landi, Contract Specialist, at kaitlyn.landi@nih.gov and KJ Shaikh, Contracting Officer, at kj.shaikh@nih.gov. U.S. Mail and fax responses will not be accepted.
