The DASbox micro-fermentation system will be used in support of ongoing research at the Laboratory of Malaria Immunology and Vaccinology (LMIV) to research, pursue, produce and clinical trial malaria vaccines. Place of Performance is Rockville, MD 20852.

The DasBox will allow staff to perform Design of Experiments on various fermentation parameters to optimize the fermentation conditions at small scale before testing at larger scales. This system will allow for a direct transfer to the BioFlo 320 fermentations system already in place. This system has excellent scalability and reproducibility; supports industry standard glass bioreactors and single use reactors; small working volumes saves money on reagents and cell starting volumes; very compact system using little benchtop space; individual temperature controls with liquid free heating and cooling; liquid free peltier exhaust condenser with easy handling by automatic slide in activation and slide out deactivation modes; LC display with key process parameters and integrated alarm functions; fully mass flow controlled for gas mixing of air, oxygen, nitrogen and carbon dioxide; standard sensors for precise measurements of temperature, pH, DO, and redox potential; precise miniature variable speed pumps with continuous flow rates down to 0.3 ml/h; sealed magnetic overhead drives for single use vessels and direct overhead drives for glass vessels - up - and down-flow selectable; can be used for process development, media optimization and Design of Experiments. Must be expandable to a max of 24 parallel units, must have Rushton type impellers, must have accurate temperature control, must mix air and oxygen; must be able to cascade DO and agitation.

The statutory authority for this sole source requirement is 41 U.S.C. 253 (c) (1) as implemented by FAR 6.302-1 only one responsible source and no other supply of service will satisfy agency requirements. THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL. All responsible sources that could provide comparable services may submit a capability statement that will be considered by email (subject line to reference NOI-NIAID-1920682) to Skye Duffner at [email protected] by 5:00 pm eastern standard time Monday, August 15, 2018. All responses received by the closing date of this synopsis will be considered by the Government. A determination not to compete this requirement, based upon responses to this notice, is solely within the discretion of the Government.