INTRODUCTION
THIS IS A PRE-SOLICITATION NON-COMPETITIVE (NOTICE OF INTENT) SYNOPSIS TO AWARD A CONTRACT OR PURCHASE ORDER WITHOUT PROVIDING FOR FULL OR OPEN COMPETITION (INCLUDING BRAND-NAME).

The National Institutes of Health, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), Office of Acquisitions (OA) on behalf of the on behalf of the National Institute of Digestive, Diabetes & Kidney Diseases intends to award a purchase order without providing for full and open competition (Including brand-name) to NKT PHOTONICS INC for the purchase of a SuperK Fianium FIU-15 Laser System.

NORTH AMERICAN INDUSTRY CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM (NAICS) CODE
The intended procurement is classified under NAICS code 334516 with a Size Standard of 1,000.

REGULATORY AUTHORITY
The resultant contract will include all applicable provisions and clauses in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2021-05 effective March 5, 2021.

This acquisition is conducted under the procedures as prescribed in FAR subpart 13—Simplified Acquisition Procedures at an amount not exceeding the simplified acquisition threshold ($250,000).

STATUTORY AUTHORITY
This acquisition is conducted under the authority of 41 U.S.C. 253(c) under provisions of the statutory authority of FAR Subpart 6.302- FAR 6.302-1—Only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements 41 U.S.C. 253(c)(1).

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE
Within 90 Days of Award

Place of Performance
National Institutes of Health 
National Institute of Digestive, Diabetes & Kidney Diseases 
5 Memorial Drive
Bethesda MD 20892
 

DESCRIPTION OF REQUIREMENT

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) conducts and supports research on many of the most serious diseases affecting public health. The Institute supports much of the clinical research on the diseases of internal medicine and related subspecialty fields, as well as many basic science disciplines. 

The Institute's Division of Intramural Research encompasses the broad spectrum of metabolic diseases such as diabetes, obesity, inborn errors of metabolism, endocrine disorders, mineral metabolism, digestive and liver diseases, nutrition, urology and renal disease, and hematology. Basic research studies include biochemistry, biophysics, nutrition, pathology, histochemistry, bioorganic chemistry, physical chemistry, chemical and molecular biology, and pharmacology. 

NIDDK extramural research is organized into 4 divisions: Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Metabolic Diseases; Digestive Diseases and Nutrition; Kidney, Urologic, and Hematologic Diseases; and Extramural Activities.  The Institute supports basic and clinical research through investigator-initiated grants, program project and center grants, and career development and training awards. The Institute also supports research and development projects and large-scale clinical trials through contracts.
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PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES

The National Institutes of Health (NIH)’s National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) has a requirement for a tunable, pulsed laser source which is a fundamental requirement to carry out time-resolved fluorescence measurements.  The NIDDK studies the detailed properties of biological molecules such as ATPase and kinases in vitro using novel single-molecule fluorescence spectroscopy and microscopy techniques. Understanding how these biomolecules work at the level of individual molecules will bring new insight to a variety of biological processes and thus well-aligned with NIH’s mission. A critical component in these experiments is a pulsed laser system capable of exciting fluorophores of different optical properties from 400-700nm with <100ps pulses. In addition, the laser system must deliver enough power to multiple optical setups. The SuperK Fianium FIU-15 from NKT Photonics is the only commercially available system that meets or exceeds all of these specifications and is ideally suited to the needs of our laboratory.

SALIENT / REQUIRED FEATURES AND SPECIFICATIONS

Specifically, the NIDDK requires the following specifications:

•    Tunable output from 400-900nm
•    > 2mW/nm power across the visible spectrum (400-700nm)
•    <100ps pulse duration and ~10s of Mhz repetition rate
•    Robust and maintenance free operation
•    High quality beam profile for easy delivery via optical fibers. 
•    White-light output
•    Minimum 24 month warranty

TASKS AREAS

Independently, and not as an agent of the Government, the contractor shall perform the following tasks:

Task Area 1 – The laser system should be delivered to NIH, Bldg. 5, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, Maryland 20892 using a professional shipping service no later than 3 months after receiving the PO, unless the lab wishes to delay shipment. 

Task Area 2 – The vendor will designate a professional shipping service. Delivery duty is to be paid by the vendor. 

Task Area 3 – Auxiliary software will be provided by the vendor and installed by the user. The whole system is under a 2-year standard warranty.

CONTRACTING WITHOUT PROVIDING FOR FULL OR OPEN COMPETITION (INCLUDING BRAND-NAME) DETERMINATION

The determination by the Government to award a contract without providing for full and open competition is based upon the market research conducted as prescribed in FAR Part 10—Market Research.  Only one source is available: Per FAR 13.106-1(b)(1) the Contracting Officer has determined NKT PHOTONICS INC to be the only reasonable available source to provide a SuperK Fianium FIU-15 Laser System.   

This acquisition was pursued on a sole source basis centered on the SuperK Fianium FIU-15 Laser System being the only system on the market that simultaneously satisfies all the requirements for our research needs and it is only available from NKT Photonics.  Therefore, the procurement of a SuperK Fianium FIU-15 Laser System is necessary for continued analysis support. Failure to procure these deliverables from NKT PHOTONICS INC would result in a significant loss of research.

CLOSING STATEMENT
This synopsis is not a request for competitive proposals. However, interested parties may identify their interest and capability to respond to this notice. Responses to this notice shall contain sufficient information to establish the interested parties’ bona-fide capabilities for fulfilling the requirement and include: descriptive literature, delivery timeframe, warranties and/or other information that demonstrates that the offer meets all the foregoing requirements, the prompt payment discount terms, the F.O.B. Point (Destination or Origin), the Dun & Bradstreet Number (DUNS), the Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN), and the certification of business size. All offerors must have an active registration in the System for Award Management (SAM) www.sam.gov.”

A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed contract based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. The information received will normally be considered solely for the purposes of determining whether to proceed on a non-competitive basis or to conduct a competitive procurement.

All responses to this notice shall be submitted electronically by 9:00 am Eastern Standard Time, on Friday, May 28, 2021 to the Contracting Officer, Amber Harris, at [email protected].

Assessment of Capability
Lowest Price Technically Acceptable