Classification Code: 6640 - Lab Equipment & Supplies

NAICS Code: 334515 - Instrument Manufacturing for Measuring and Testing Electricity and Electrical Signals

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 and to determine the method of acquisition. 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.

Background:
A newly renovated space at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) requires testing boxes. In testing nonhuman primates for the purpose of electrophysiological experiments, it is critical to have isolation boxes of a certain size and with certain properties. The animal is tested within the box in the awake state as the electrical activity in the brain is measured. As this is a sensitive measurement in the microvolt range, it is critical that the testing boxes have the appropriate electrical properties and shielding capabilities. The testing requires metallic Faraday cages that are custom made to fit the room dimensions, with the appropriate door size and demonstrable connections to the building ground.

Purpose and Objectives:
The purpose of this acquisition is to provide the National Institute of Mental Health with testing booths for a newly renovated lab space.

Project requirements:
Three (3) Custom Built Electrophysiology Booths
1) The booths shall:
• be constructed of 28 gauge galvanized steel, laminated to a ¾" industrial grade particle board
• have a single, demonstrable, connection to the building grounding system (no screws to attach the enclosure to the building ground site)
• have dimensions:
• booth 1 - 108"W* x 76"D x 92"H
• booth 2 - 114"W* x 76"D x 92"H
• booth 3 - 88" W x 76"D x 92H
*exact dimensions to be determined with booth vendor and the governments construction drawings for the room the booths will be constructed for.
• have openings for supply and exhaust duct connections at diagonal corners penetrating the ceiling.
• be provided with two 3"H x 6"H openings each to allow the passage of various cable from the outside to the inside. Wave guides are not necessary.
• have low profile personnel doors to allow easy movement of carts in and out of the booth with nominal door dimensions of 3'W and 7'H
• have interior and exterior walls and ceiling - embossed or smooth panels
• EM interference shall be less than10kHz
• be constructed to minimize sound from the booth exterior, so as not to distract test animals.
• have an opening to receive a fire sprinkler
• have a walkable ceiling to facilitate above ceiling maintenance
• be assembled on site at NIH Building 49/B1A19
• the booths will reside in a biomedical research animal procedure room and therefore require interior and exterior finishes that are easily cleanable

2) Supply and exhaust devices integral to the booth should be sized to support airflow quantities of 100 cfm supply and 100 cfm exhaust.

3) Provide a design submittal for approval by the government prior to fabricating.

Anticipated period of performance:
Six (6) weeks from date of award.

Government Furnished Property:
The Government will provide access to the NIMH lab.

Anticipated Contract Type:
A firm fixed price purchase order within the Simplified Acquisition threshold is anticipated.

Place of Performance/ Delivery Requirements:
NIMH, Building 49, Room B1A19, Bethesda, MD 20892.

The capability statement should include 1) the total number of employees, 2) documentation of ability to provide the required support, 3) any contractor GSA Schedule contracts by which all of the requirements may be met, if applicable, and 4) any other information considered relevant to this program such as:

• respondents' opinions about the difficulty and/or feasibility of the potential requirement or proposed acquisition, possible solutions and approaches that may currently exist in the marketplace, and information regarding innovative ideas or concepts;

• information regarding respondents': (a) staff expertise, including their availability, experience, and formal and other training; (b) current in-house capability and capacity to perform the work; (c) prior completed projects of similar nature; (d) corporate experience and management capability; and (e) examples of prior completed Government contracts, references, and other related information;

The respondent must also provide their DUNS number, organization name, address, point of contact, and size and type of business (e.g., 8(a), HubZone, etc., pursuant to the applicable NAICS code and any other information that may be helpful in developing or finalizing the acquisition requirements.

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 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.

The response must include the respondents' technical and administrative points of contact, including names, titles, addresses, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail addresses.

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

All capability statements sent in response to this Sources Sought Notice must be submitted to Sneha Patel, Contract Specialist, via email at [email protected] AND Zenab Chowdhry at [email protected] before the closing date and time of this announcement. All responses must be received by the specified due date and time in order to be considered.
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 Federal Business Opportunities. 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)."