Essential 6™ Medium Rapid Prototyping Liquid Brand Name or Equal

SAM.gov

SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE

1. Solicitation Number:   75N95024Q00109
2. Title:  Essential 6™ Medium Rapid Prototyping Liquid
3. Classification Code:  6640 – Laboratory equipment and supplies
4. NAICS Code:  334516 - Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing
5. Size Standard: 1,000 Employees

1. Description: 

This is a Sources Sought notice. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. The purpose of this notice is to obtain information regarding the availability and capability of all qualified sources to perform a potential requirement.

This notice is issued to help determine the availability of qualified companies technically capable of meeting the Government requirement, to determine the method of acquisition, and availability of domestic sources manufactured in the United States in sufficient and reasonably available commercial quantities and of a satisfactory quality.  It is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government 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 notice.  The Government will NOT be responsible for any costs incurred by the respondents to this notice.  This notice is strictly for research and information purposes only. Small businesses are encouraged to respond.

For equipment/supply requirements, responses must include the place of manufacturing (i.e., address if supply/equipment is a domestic end product and include country of manufacture). For equipment/supply requirements, small businesses must also address the size status of the manufacturer under the applicable NAICS code (i.e., address Non-Manufacturer Rule).

Background:  The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the nation’s leading medical research agency and the primary Federal agency whose mission is to seek fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems and the application of that knowledge to enhance health, lengthen life, and reduce illness and disability, conducting, supporting and making medical discoveries that improve people’s health and save lives. 

The National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) is a part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), with the mission to catalyze the generation of innovative methods and technologies that will enhance the development, testing and implementation of diagnostics and therapeutics across a wide range of human diseases and conditions. The Stem Cell Translation Laboratory (SCTL) is a state-of-the-art research facility within NCATS’ Division of Pre-Clinical Innovation dedicated to addressing the scientific and technological challenges in the iPSC field. The SCTL uses an integrated technological approach to better understand pluripotent stem cell biology and thereby leverage drug discovery and regenerative medicine.

This request is required by SCTL as part of the overall mission of the Helping to End Addiction Long-term (HEAL) Initiative to focus on the development of human cell-based models of opioid misuse and addiction, and pain. The SelecT was purchased in 2017 and has been in constant use since calibrated and optimized.

Ongoing research projects in SCTL focus on understanding molecular mechanisms regulating stem cell pluripotency and their multi-lineage differentiation capabilities with a focus on defining optimum culture conditions for maintaining pluripotent stem cells and their conversion to a homogeneous and mature population of differentiated cells. To achieve these aims, SCTL performed rigorous internal tests of a variety of stem cell culture systems from several vendors and concluded that the Essential 6 stem cell culture system from Life Technologies Corporation meets our specific requirement, including supporting stem cell pluripotency maintenance, multi-lineage differentiation, and 3-D culture. Any cell culture media used in this context must meet specific measurements of purity and consistency from batch to batch to provide consistent cell growth and viability. In addition, numerous batches of cells have been grown using Essential 6 and the result was consistent and predictable growth resulting in successful assays performed at NIH NCATS

Scope:

Independently and not as an agent of the Government, the Contractor shall furnish all the necessary services, qualified personnel, material, equipment, and facilities, not otherwise provided by the Government as needed to perform the Statement of Work below:

SCTL uses the CompacT SelecT automated cell culture system (SelecT) to achieve industrial-scale production and ensure consistent quality between batches of stem cells produced in the lab. Cells require a variety of media and supplements to nurture based on the type of cell, while other supplements are used for differentiation. The SelecT requires the Essential 6 Medium to be in bulk, preferably in bag format to integrate into the system properly and to avoid contamination. SCTL needs bulk-bagged media from Life Technologies to culture stem cells on the Select.

Project requirements:

Xeno-free and feeder-free medium specially formulated for the growth and expansion of human pluripotent stem cells (PSCs). Support iPSC growth for >50 passages without any signs of karyotypic abnormalities. Maintain the ability of iPSCs to differentiate into all three germ line lineages. Reduced variability compared to existing feeder-free media.

Quantity: 5 each 5 L Essential 6™ Medium Rapid Prototyping Liquid (bag) Cat# ME17436L1

Delivery Date: We require that the vendor provide these items in multiple shipments per the following instructions: The items listed below are to be delivered as soon as possible upon

Other important considerations:

In case domestic sources are available and capable of fulfilling the Government’s need, and a future solicitation is published, the Government will use evaluation preferences in accordance with FAR 25.

Capability statement /information sought.

Companies that believe they possess the capabilities to provide the required products should submit documentation of their ability to meet each of the project requirements to the Contracting Officer. The capability statement must specifically address each of the project requirements separately.  Additionally, the capability statement should include 1) the total number of employees, 2) the professional qualifications of personnel as it relates to the requirements outlined, 3) any contractor GSA Schedule contracts and/or other government-wide acquisition contracts (GWACs) by which all of the requirements may be met, if applicable, and 4) any other information considered relevant to this program. Capability statements must also include the Company Name, Unique Entity ID from SAM.gov, Physical Address, and Point of Contact Information. The response must include the respondents’ technical and administrative points of contact, including names, titles, addresses, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail addresses.

Interested companies are required to identify their type of business, applicable North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code, and size standards in accordance with the Small Business Administration. The government requests that no proprietary or confidential business data be submitted in a response to this notice. However, responses that indicate the information therein is proprietary will be properly safeguarded for Government use only. Capability statements must include the name and telephone number of a point of contact having authority and knowledge to discuss responses with Government representatives. Capability statements in response to this market survey that do not provide sufficient information for evaluation will be considered non-responsive. When submitting this information, please reference the solicitation notice number.

One (1) copy of the response is required and must be in Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF format using 11-point or 12-point font, 8-1/2” x 11” paper size, with 1” top, bottom, left and right margins, and with single or double spacing.

The information submitted must be in and outline format that addresses each of the elements of the project requirement and in the capability statement /information sought paragraphs stated herein.  A cover page and an executive summary may be included but is not required.

The response is limited to ten (10) page limit.  The 10-page limit does not include the cover page, executive summary, or references, if requested.

All responses to this notice must be submitted electronically to the Contract Specialist and Contracting Officer.  Facsimile responses are NOT accepted.

The response must be submitted to Nick Niefeld, Contracting Officer, at e-mail address nick.niefeld@nih.gov.

The response must be received on or before Thursday, January 25, 2024 at 900 am, Eastern Daylight Time.

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 presolicitation synopsis and solicitation may be published in www.sam.gov. However, responses to this notice will not be considered adequate responses to a solicitation.

Confidentiality: No proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included in your response. The Government reserves the right to use any non-proprietary technical information in any resultant solicitation(s).