MERSCOPE FFPE sample prep kit, FFPE slide box, gene panel, gene imaging kit

NOTICE OF INTENT to Sole Source

SOLICITATION NUMBER: 75N95024Q00408

TITLE:  MERSCOPE FFPE sample prep kit, FFPE slide box, gene panel, gene imaging kit

CLASSIFICATION CODE:

6640 – Laboratory Equipment and Supplies

NAICS CODE: 334516– Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing

RESPONSE DATE:

July 16, 2024, at 4:00 PM ET

PRIMARY POINT OF CONTACT:

Giuliana Faller

giuliana.faller@nih.gov

Phone: 301.480.9789

DESCRIPTION:

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 Institutes of Health (NIA) National Institute of Aging intends to negotiate on a sole source basis with Vizgen to obtain MERSCOPE FFPE sample prep kits, MERSCOPE FFPE slide boxes, and MERSCOPE gene panels to perform spatial transcriptomic experiments on FFPE using the MERSCOPE platform with the assistance of the Computational Biology and Genomics Core at the National Institute on Aging. No other available kits are compatible with this platform.

NORTH AMERICAN INDUSTRY CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM (NAICS) CODE and SET ASIDE STATUS

The intended procurement is classified under NAICS code 334516– Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing with a Size Standard of 1,000 employees.  

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) 2024-05 dated April 22, 2024.

DESCRIPTION OF REQUIREMENT

The reagents must:

- Be compatible with the Vizgen MERSCOPE spatial transcriptomics platform and the associated protocols.

- Have the ability to directly map and quantify the spatial distribution of hundreds to of RNA species in individual cells, without the need for downstream sequencing in FFPE samples.

- Allow staining for proteins in the same samples used for transcriptomics.

PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES:

The Experimental Gerontology Section at the National Institute on Aging (NIA) requires MERSCOPE FFPE sample prep kits, MERSCOPE FFPE slide boxes, MERSCOPE Gene Imaging Kit, and MERSCOPE gene panels to perform spatial transcriptomic experiments on FFPE sections using the MERSCOPE platform.  These samples were collected as part of the ongoing SLAM study and the fixation and prepartation of the samples has already been completed. The Computational Biology and Genomics Core  (CBGC) recently purchased the Vizgen MERSCOPE instrument to serve the NIA Intramural Research Program and as such the reagents are needed to facilitate the analysis of expression within individual cells in FFPE sections.

ESTIMATED DELIVERY DATE: 15 Days after receipt of order.

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, Vizgen is the only vendor in the marketplace that can provide the specific compatible products with MERSCOPE required by the NIA.

Vizgen is the OEM and only source and holds proprietary rights to all products related to MERSCOPE platform.

The intended source is:

Vizgen

61 Moulton Street

Cambridge MA 02138

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, 75N95024Q00408. Responses must be submitted electronically to Giuliana Faller, Contract Specialist, at giuliana.faller@nih.gov.  U.S. Mail and fax responses will not be accepted.