This is a Notice of Intent, not a request for proposal. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) intends to negotiate on an other than full and open competition basis with GeneUniversal Inc., Newark, DE 19713 for site-directed mutagenesis, gene synthesis, and plasmid prep.
The mission of the NIH Vaccine Research Center (VRC) is to facilitate the development of vaccines against HIV-AIDS. Our goal is to develop immunogens that will elicit broadly neutralizing antibodies and will be used in vaccine design. One of the aims of the project is to obtain atomic level structures of the envelope glycoproteins that are the sole exterior target for neutralizing antibodies. Another aim is to develop neutralizing antibodies against HIV.
In order to reach our goal, a large variety of proteins need to be made. We make the proteins from the site-directed muta-genesis, plasmid prep and gene synthesis that Gene Universal service provides. This is a sole-source because GeneUniversal has base DNA that is in use for this project and synthesizes and sequences from the base DNA samples they have. Any other source of services will require extensive retesting and delay our production of materials for vaccine development and clinical trials for this project.
The statutory authority for this sole source requirement is 41 U.S.C.1901 (e) (2) as implemented by FAR 13.106-1 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-2028978) to Skye Duffner at [email protected], by 10:00 am eastern standard time, August 13, 2020. 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.