(i) This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in Subpart 12.6 as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; proposals are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued.
(ii) The solicitation number is HHS-NIH-NIDA-CSS-20-007540 and the solicitation is issued as a request for quote.
This acquisition is for a commercial item or service and is conducted under the authority of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 13—Simplified Acquisition Procedures; FAR Subpart 13.5—Simplified Procedures for Certain Commercial Items; and FAR Part 12—Acquisition of Commercial Items and is not expected to exceed the simplified acquisition threshold.
(iii) The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) Number 2020-07, with effective date July 2, 2020.
(iv) The associated NAICS code 541380 and the small business size standard is $16,500,000. This requirement is being solicited as full and open competition. This requirement has no set aside restrictions.
(v) Statement of Need and Purpose: The purpose of this acquisition is to synthesize and characterize three novel modified peptides and to generate monoclonal antibodies that specifically target these modified peptides. These modified proteins were identified as potentially important contributors to degenerative pathologies by the National Institute on Aging’s (NIA) lab, and specific monoclonal antibodies are needed to better characterize these emerging pathologies.
Background Information and Objective: NIA has identified modified peptide epitopes that are increased in postmortem brain tissue from neuroinflammatory diseases, using multiplex immunostaining studies. These novel epitopes could potentially provide new insights into the causes or consequences of neuroinflammatory diseases. The objective is to develop novel antibodies to better characterize the importance of these novel epitopes. In order to be integrated into NIA’s multiple immunohistochemistry investigations, they must be (1) monoclonal antibodies to allow for inclusion of multiple epitopes; (2) purified to contain only the antibodies of interest. In order to achieve the two above objectives, NIA must provide protected, modified peptides to a company with experience in the specific deprotection procedures that are required to not damage our modified peptides. The contractor must also be able to provide in-depth HPLC-mass spectrometry analysis of modified peptides to ensure the identity and purity of de-protected peptides.
General Requirements: 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:
Specific Requirements:
Reporting Requirements: Report all findings after completion of all elements by March 31, 2021
Data Rights: The Government will own the data resulted from this service.
(vi) The Government anticipates award of a firm fixed-price purchase order for this acquisition, and the anticipated period of performance is 6-12 months from date of award.
(vii) The provision at FAR 52.252-1, Solicitation Provisions Incorporated by Reference (Feb 1998), applies to this acquisition. This solicitation incorporates one or more solicitation provisions by reference, with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make their full text available. The offeror is cautioned that the listed provisions may include blocks that must be completed by the offeror and submitted with its quotation or offer. In lieu of submitting the full text of those provisions, the offeror may identify the provision by paragraph identifier and provide the appropriate information with its quotation or offer. Also, the full text of a solicitation provision may be accessed electronically at these addresses:
https://www.acquisition.gov/browse/index/far
https://www.hhs.gov/grants/contracts/contract-policies-regulations/hhsar/index.html
(End of Provision)
The following FAR provisions shall apply to this solicitation:
The clause at FAR 52.252-2, Clauses Incorporated by Reference (FEB 1998), applies to this acquisition. This contract incorporates one or more clauses by reference, with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make their full text available. Also, the full text of a clause may be accessed electronically at this/these address(es):
https://www.acquisition.gov/browse/index/far
https://www.hhs.gov/grants/contracts/contract-policies-regulations/hhsar/index.html
(End of Clause)
(viii) The following clauses apply to this acquisition and are incorporated by reference:
The following clauses within 52.212-5 apply to this acquisition:
The following clauses apply to this acquisition and are attached in full text:
(ix) Instructions to Offerors
(a) The Government will award a contract resulting from this solicitation to the responsible offeror whose offer conforming to the solicitation will be most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered. The following factors shall be used to evaluate offers: 1) ability to meet the technical requirements, 2) past performance, and 3) price. Technical and past performance, when combined, are significantly more important than price.
(b) A written notice of award or acceptance of an offer, mailed or otherwise furnished to the successful offeror within the time for acceptance specified in the offer, shall result in a binding contract without further action by either party. Before the offer’s specified expiration time, the Government may accept an offer (or part of an offer), whether or not there are negotiations after its receipt, unless a written notice of withdrawal is received before award.
(x) Offerors must include a completed copy of the following provisions with their offer:
(xi) There are no additional contract requirement(s) or terms and conditions applicable to this acquisition. The Defense Priorities and Allocations System (DPAS) are not applicable to this requirement.
(xii) Responses to this solicitation must include clear and convincing evidence of the offeror’s capability of fulfilling the requirement, as well as the offeror’s past performance, as it relates to the evaluation criteria. The price proposal must include the labor categories, an estimate of the number of hours required for each labor category, fully loaded fixed hourly rate or each labor category, breakdown and rationale for other direct costs or materials, and the total amount. Responses shall not exceed 10 pages, excluding pricing information and the completed 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications Commercial Items and 52.204-24, Representation Regarding Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment.
The Dun & Bradstreet Number (DUNS), the Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN), and the certification of business size must be included in the response. All offerors must have an active registration in the System for Award Management (SAM) www.sam.gov.
All questions must be received by 3:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) on Tuesday, August 25, 2020 and reference solicitation HHS-NIH-NIDA-CSS-20-007540. Questions may be submitted electronically to Rashiid Cummins, Contract Specialist, at [email protected]
All offers must be received by Tuesday, September 1, 2020 at 3:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) and must reference solicitation number HHS-NIH-NIDA-CSS-20-007540. Responses must be submitted electronically to Rashiid Cummins at [email protected]
Fax responses will not be accepted.
(xiii) The name of the individuals to contact for information regarding the solicitation:
Rashiid Cummins
Contract Specialist