DESCRIPTION

This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in FAR Subpart 12.6 – Streamlined Procedures for Evaluation and Solicitation for Commercial Items, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; quotations are being requested, and a written solicitation document will not be issued. This solicitation is being issued using Simplified Acquisition Procedures under the authority of FAR Subpart 13.5 Simplified Procedures for Certain Commercial Items.

This solicitation is a Request for Quotations (RFQ). The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2021-05 effective March 10, 2021.

The associated North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code for this procurement is 325199 with a small business size standard of 1,250 employees. The non-manufacturer rule is waived for this procurement. This acquisition is being procured 100% set aside for small business.

The Mass Spectrometry Data Center (MSDC) at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Material Measurement Laboratory (MML), Biomolecular Measurement Division (BMD) is responsible for the development of the NIST/National Institutes of Health (NIH)/Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Mass Spectral Library and Tandem Mass Spectral Library. To carry out this responsibility, the MSDC has a requirement for a variety of chemicals. These chemicals are organic compounds of varying types and do not belong to a specific class and are used for Mass Spectrometry.

Contractors shall provide a firm fixed price quote for the following line item:

LINE ITEM 0001: The Contractor shall provide all chemicals in accordance with the Statement of Requirements and Attachment 1- Required Chemicals List.

DELIVERY TERMS

Delivery terms shall be FOB Destination.

FOB DESTINATION MEANS: The Contractor shall pack and mark the shipment in conformance with carrier requirements, deliver the shipment in good order and condition to the point of delivery specified in the purchase order, be responsible for loss of and/or damage to the goods occurring before receipt and acceptance of the shipment by the consignee at the delivery point specified in the purchase order; and pay all charges to the specified point of delivery.  

EVALUATION CRITERIA AND BASIS FOR AWARD

Award shall be made on a technically acceptable/lowest price basis. Technically acceptable means that the Contractor has quoted and shall provide at least 75% of the chemicals identified in Attachment 1- Required Chemicals List.

Price:

The Government will compile a random list of chemicals, selected from the chemicals listed in Attachment 1- Required Chemicals List. The random list shall be comprised of chemicals that all Contractors, who have been determined technically acceptable, have provided a price quotation for. The aggregate value of the quoted chemical prices on the random list will be utilized to evaluate price. Award will be made to the Contractor with the lowest aggregate price.

The awarded price will be the aggregate value of all chemicals actually quoted by the successful Contractor.

REQUIRED SUBMISSIONS

Contractors are required to meet all solicitation requirements, including representations and certifications, terms and conditions, and technical requirements.

Quotation Preparation Instructions

The submission shall consist of two (2) separate parts; Part I – Cover Letter and Part II – Price Quotation.

1.  Cover Letter: The Contractor shall submit a cover letter that addresses all of the following:

• An affirmative statement confirming that the Contractor’s quotation includes and provides pricing for at least 75% of the chemicals required by Attachment 1- Required Chemicals List, and is 100% compliant with the Statement of Requirements.
• If the Contractor objects to any of the terms and conditions contained in this solicitation, the Contractor shall state “The terms and conditions in the solicitation are acceptable to be included in the award document with the exception, deletion, or addition of the following:” [Contractor shall list exception(s) and rationale for the exception(s)].  It is the sole responsibility of the Contractor to identify in their quote any exceptions to the terms and conditions of the solicitation.  If the Contractor does not include such a statement, the submission of a quotation in response to this solicitation will be regarded as the Contractor’s acceptance of the Government’s terms and conditions for inclusion into the resultant purchase order. 
• The DUNS # for the Contractor’s active System for Award Management (SAM) registration. Contractors must have an active registration at www.SAM.gov to be considered for award.
• If the Contractor’s representations and certifications do not reflect the NAICS code governing this solicitation, Contractors must submit documentation that they are a small business under the NAICS code governing this solicitation.

   2.  Price Quotation: The Contractor shall submit a Fixed-Firm-Price Quotation that addresses all of the following:

• Contractors shall use the Excel “Attachment 1- Required Chemicals List” provided, and shall not submit pricing in any other format, such as PDF or MS Word.
• Using the Excel “Attachment 1- Required Chemicals List,” Contractors must submit a firm-fixed-price quotation for all chemicals the Contractor shall deliver. Contractors shall provide the quantity* and total price for each  Product it will be delivering, in the last two columns of Attachment 1, entitled “Unit of Quantity” and “Unit Price.”   
    *  It is important to note that per the Statement of Requirements, the contractor shall deliver the natural products set forth in Attachment 1 in quantities not less than 1 mg. Larger quantities may be provided if sufficiently small quantities are not available, but not more than 1 g.
• In the event a chemical is no longer available, the Contractor shall highlight the row associated with the chemical in YELLOW to indicate that it is not providing a quote for that particular product.

DUE DATE FOR QUOTATIONS

All quotations must be submitted via e-mail to Sadaf Afkhami, at [email protected]. Submissions must be received no later than 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time on July 22, 2021. FAX quotations will not be accepted. Please reference the RFQ number in the subject line of e-mail communications.   Quotations shall not be deemed received by the Government until the quotation has entered the e-mail inbox of the individual(s) set forth above.

Questions: All questions regarding this notice must be submitted via e-mail to Sadaf Afkhami, at [email protected], no later than 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time on July 12, 2021.

Please note that this procurement IS NOT being conducted under the GSA Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) program or another Government-Wide Area Contract (GWAC).  If a contractor submits a quotation based upon an FSS or GWAC contract, the Government will accept the quoted price.  However, the terms and conditions stated herein will be included in any resultant Purchase Order, not the terms and conditions of the contractor’s FSS or GWAC contract, and the statement required above shall be included in the quotation.

PROVISIONS AND CLAUSES:

The clauses and provisions applicable to this solicitation can be found under the attachment entitled “Provisions and Clauses.” The full text of a FAR provision or clause may be accessed electronically www.acquisition.gov/far.  The full text of a CAR provision or clause may be accessed electronically at http://www.osec.doc.gov/oam/acquistion_management/policy/.

ATTACHMENTS:

The following attachments apply to this solicitation:

1. Statement of Requirements

2. Attachment 1- Required Chemicals List spreadsheet 

3. Provisions and Clauses