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Illumina is the sole provider of service for the Illumina pieces of equipment. Only Illumina, Inc. has technical service representatives who receive comprehensive and on-going factory training and regular technical updates, as well as having direct access to original manufacturer's parts to help maintain the instruments in optimal condition. Illumina can engage directly with the engineers that designed the instruments, to help resolve challenging technical support needs.
These instruments by virtue of their complex nature containing multiple individual components require regular maintenance as well as alignment and calibrations which can only be carried out by dedicated knowledgeable engineers trained specifically by the manufacturer, Illumina Inc. No other vendor has either access or has to ability to provide these specialized parts. These sequencers are mission critical for the scientific experiments undertaken in the individual laboratories where these devices are maintained in NICHD laboratories. Furthermore, Illumina trains only their engineers on the functions and system control of all these integrated devices. Illumina does not offer this training to anyone outside of their personnel resources. The priority scheduling is very important for the proper upkeep and functionality of these complex sequencers. Thus, timely service is crucial in the functioning of these two sequencers. Acquisition of service contract offering from other entities/third parties providers can lead to substantive problems getting timely service engineer dispatched and can lead to down times on devices. NIH is a research organization where critical experiments require many weeks of tissue culture preparations and also in animal breeding programs, etc. thus such delays will impose a very large financial burden on research laboratories which are hurting for research funds in the first place. Waste of experimental reagents, animals and human resources are the biggest problem in addition to reduction in research productivities.
The proposed contract action is for supplies or services for which the Government intends to solicit and negotiate with only one source under authority of the 41 U.S.C. 253(c) (1), FAR 6.302. This notice of intent is not a request for competitive quotations however, all responses received, within twelve days from the date of publication of this synopsis will be considered by the Government.
The offeror must include a completed copy of the provision of FAR Clause 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications - Commercial Items with its offer. The provisions of FAR Clause 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors - Commercial Items; FAR Clause 52.212-2, Evaluation: 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 factors used to evaluate offers are (1) technical capability to provide all services/consumables, etc. outline above (2) price; and (3) past performance. Technical and past performance, when combined, are significantly more important than cost or price.- Commercial Items; FAR Clause 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions - Commercial Items; and FAR 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders - Commercial Items - Deviation for Simplified Acquisitions applies to this acquisition. The offeror must include their Dun & Bradstreet Number (DUNS), the Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN), and the certification of business size. The clauses are available in full text at http://www.acquisition.gov/far/. Interested vendors capable of furnishing the government with the service and products specified in this synopsis should submit a copy of their quotation to the below address or via email to [email protected]. Offers must also be accompanied by descriptive literature, warranties and other information that demonstrates that the offer meets all of the foregoing requirements. Quotations will be due twelve calendar days from the publication date of this synopsis or by December 12, 2016 by 10am EST. via email or postal mail or other mailing services. The quotation must reference "Solicitation number" NICHD-17-017. Quotations sent by postal mail or other mailing services must be submitted to the following address: Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, 6710B Rockledge Drive, MSC 1159B, Bethesda, MD 20892. Attention: Tina Robinson, by the date and time mentioned above. Any questions must be sent via email to [email protected] and must include solicitation# NICHD-17-017 in the subject line of email. Faxed copies/responses will not be accepted.
Note: In order to receive an award, contractor must be registered and have valid certification in the SAM database @www.sam.gov.