NOTICE OF INTENT TO AWARD A SOLE SOURCE CONTRACT
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) intends to negotiate a contract on a

sole source basis with Research & Diagnostic Systems, Inc, Minneapolis, MN. The contract is for the supply of Recombinant Human/Mouse/Rat Activin A Protein, CF, a critical reagent to the National Eye Institute (NEI). Activin A is a member of the transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) known to regulate a variety of functions, including cell proliferation, differentiation, wound healing, apoptosis, and metabolism. Particularly, for our research Activin is known to increase the generation efficiency of Retinal Pigment Epithelial (RPE) cells from induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSC). Therefore, the importance of Activin A as a critical reagent in the generation of RPE cells. Activin A from R&D Systems is the only reagent that can efficiently induce the generation of RPE cells to meet NEI requirements. More importantly, this product has been validated for cell culture in NEI lab.

Responses

The proposed acquisition action is for items and services for which the Government intends to solicit and negotiate with only one source under the authority of FAR 13.106-1 (b). If you believe you can provide the items or services, please forward capability statements to [email protected] by 5pm (ET) on Friday, November 29, 2019 and reference solicitation number NIHOLAO-OD3-NOI-555509.

A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed contract acquisition based upon responses to the notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Information received will normally be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in response. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed. Information provided will be used to assess tradeoffs and alternatives available for the potential requirement and may lead to the development of a solicitation. Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted. Any solicitation resulting from the analysis of information obtained will be announced to the public in Federal Business Opportunities in accordance with the FAR Part 5. However, responses to this notice will not be considered adequate responses to a solicitation. No proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included in your response. The Government reserves the right to use any nonproprietary technical information in any resultant solicitation(s).