(ii) The solicitation number is 75N95019Q00236 and the solicitation is issued as a Request for Quotation (RFQ) restricted on a Total Small Business Set-Aside basis. 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-Test Program for Certain Commercial Items; and FAR Part 12-Acquisition of Commercial Items. This acquisition is NOT expected to exceed the simplified acquisition threshold of $250,000.00. A Fixed-Price type of contract is contemplated for any resulting contract entered into as a result of this solicitation.

(iii) The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) Number/Effective Date: 2019-02 / 06-05-2019.

(iv) The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this procurement is 325199 - All Other Basic Organic Chemical Manufacturing with size standard 1250 employees. This requirement is restricted on a Total Small Business set-aside basis.

(v) This requirement is for the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). NCATS has established the Trans-NIH RNAi Facility for developing and improving functional genomics (RNAi and CRISPR/Cas9) screening approaches to better understand gene function and identify biologically-relevant targets. It is designed to help NIH investigators use the latest functional genomics technology to advance drug discovery and scientific knowledge about health and disease. Small interfering RNA (siRNA) and short hairpin RNA (shRNA) molecules are pieces of RNA that block the activity of genes through a natural process called RNA interference (RNAi). This process has emerged as a powerful tool used in thousands of labs worldwide to understand gene function. Because each RNA molecule can block a different gene, RNAi can tell scientists about the role of any gene in maintaining health or causing disease.

The RNAi facility provides intramural researchers with access to the equipment and expertise necessary to conduct genome-wide RNAi screens in mammalian cells. This facility works as a collaborative resource for doing RNAi assay development, screening, and initial follow up. The facility works with investigators to develop and optimize their assays for screening, conduct the screens and related informatics analyses, then performs follow-up screens on promising leads. Further work is done to do the downstream biology required to get the quality publications and the kind of groundbreaking results needed. This requirement shall assist this facility to develop a flexible functional genomics platform that offers complementary and orthogonal CRISPR screens to NIH intramural investigators. The contractor shall offer state of the art sgRNA libraries capable of following the RNAi workflow closely. This item is needed to facilitate our RNAi screening program. This program is to provide intramural researchers with access to the equipment and expertise necessary to conduct large scale functional genomics screens.

(vi) The purpose of this requirement is to obtain the following supply, quantity one (1) each: 1) sgRNA library: G-Protein Coupled Receptors; 2) sgRNA library: Ion Channels. The GPCR library shall be composed of approximately 1046 targeted genes based on gene onology definitions. Design specifications include 3 guide sequences per target. Guide sequences will be optimized for a CRISPR based knock-out of target function fulfilling the essential features described herein.

These two sgRNA libraries are imperative to continue high throughput screening of CRISPR libraries in the Trans-NIH RNAi facility with high quality and purity sgRNAs which are required to generate data and be dried down and in 384 well plate format. The sgRNA libraries shall be chemically modified synthetic sgRNA at quantities that are suitable for high throughput screening.

Products offered must include those salient physical, functional, or other characteristics that are deemed essential in meeting the government's needs. Specifically, the following features for RNA products are deemed essential that this requirement shall achieve:

• Be chemically synthesized and purified with no biological processes used in production.
• Undergo electro-spray ionization-mass spectrometry analysis (ESI-MS) for species identification and purity with ESI-MS traces for each sgRNA product as part of the standard deliverable.
• gRNA molecules consisting of 97-100 bases of chemically synthesized single stranded RNA optimized for the S.pyogenes Cas9 nuclease.
• gRNA molecules chemically modified on each end with 3 bases consisting of 2'OMe ribose analogs and phosphorothioate inter-linkages.
• sgRNA dried down and delivered in 384-well plates.
• sgRNA format with no RNA annealing required prior to use.
• Robust analytical characterization enabled through chemical synthesis increasing manufacturing consistency and eliminating biological variability.
• Chemical modifications allowed via synthetic production of RNA which improve intra-cellular stability, increasing and editing efficiency and reproducibility across a wide array of cells, including stem and primary cells.
• Transient RNA with no risk of DNA contamination (DNA free) of the host cell.
• High throughput CRISPR sgRNA sequence design with library designs optimized for highly-efficient gene knockouts.

Offerors must: 1) include Shipping and handling cost in the quotation or specify if it is included in the price; 2) indicate if items being quoted are warrantied or if any service support plans are applicable, in accordance with Offerors' standard commercial warranty practices, and the length of time of such warranty or support; 3) indicate an estimated delivery time in full after receipt of an order.

(vii) The Government anticipates award of a firm fixed-price purchase order for this acquisition, and the anticipated delivery date is 6 weeks after receipt of order (ARO) and will be determined prior to any award. Delivery will be FOB destination. The place of delivery and acceptance will be 9800 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, MD 20850.

(viii) 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 provisions apply to this acquisition and are incorporated by reference:
• FAR 52.204-7, System for Award Management (Oct 2018)
• FAR 52.204-16, Commercial and Government Entity Code Reporting (Jul 2016)
• FAR 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors-Commercial Items (Oct 2018)
• FAR 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial Items (Oct 2018)
• HHSAR 352.239-73, Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Notice (December 18, 2015)

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 these addresses:
https://www.acquisition.gov/browse/index/far https://www.hhs.gov/grants/contracts/contract-policies-regulations/hhsar/index.html

(End of clause)

The following clauses apply to this acquisition and are incorporated by reference:
• FAR 52.204-13, System for Award Management Maintenance (Oct 2018)
• FAR 52.204-18, Commercial and Government Entity Code Maintenance (Jul 2016)
• FAR 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions--Commercial Items (Oct 2018).

The provisions of FAR clause at 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders-Commercial Items (OCT 2018) is applicable to this solicitation:
52.222-3 Convict Labor (June 2003)
52.222-19 Child Labor-Cooperation With Authorities and Remedies (Jan 2018)
52.222-21 Prohibition of Segregated Facilities (Apr 2015)
52.222-26 Equal Opportunity (Sep 2016)
52.222-36 Equal Opportunity for Workers with Disabilities (Jul 2014)
52.222-50 Combating Trafficking in Persons (Jan 2019)
52.223-18 Encouraging Contractor Policies to Ban Text Messaging While Driving (Aug 2011)
52.225-13 Restriction on Certain Foreign Purchases (Jun 2008)
52.232-33 Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer-- System for Award Management (Oct 2018)

The following provisions and clauses apply to this acquisition and are incorporated as an attachment:
• NIH Invoice and Payment Provisions (2/2014)

(ix) The Government will evaluate quotations or offers in accordance with FAR 13.106-2 and award a purchase order from this solicitation to the responsible offeror whose quote conforming to the solicitation will be most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered. The following factors shall be used to evaluate quotes:
a. Technical capability of the item offered to meet the Government requirement;
b. Price; and
c. Past performance [see FAR 13.106-2(b)(3)].

(x) The Offerors shall include a completed copy of the provision at FAR clause 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial Items, with its offer.

(xi) The clause at FAR 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions-Commercial Items, applies to this acquisition.

(xii) The clause at FAR 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders-Commercial Items, applies to this acquisition and is incorporated in full text.

(xiii) The following additional contract requirement(s) or terms and conditions as determined by the contracting officer are necessary for this acquisition and consistent with customary commercial practices. There are no additional contract requirement(s) or terms and conditions applicable to this acquisition.

(xiv) The Defense Priorities and Allocations System (DPAS) are not applicable to this requirement.

(xv) Responses to this solicitation must include sufficient information to establish the interested parties' bona-fide capabilities of providing the product or service. The price quote shall include: unit price, list price, shipping and handling costs, delivery days after contract award, delivery terms, prompt payment discount terms, F.O.B. Point (Destination or Origin), product or catalog number(s), product description, and any other information or factors that may be considered in the award decision. Such factors may include: past performance, special features required for effective program performance, trade-in considerations, probable life of the item selected as compared with that of a comparable item, warranty considerations, maintenance availability, and environmental and energy efficiency considerations.

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.

(xvi) All responses must be received no later than the date specified in this announcement. Late responses will not be accepted. All responses must reference the subject solicitation number. Responses must be submitted electronically to [email protected]. Facsimile responses will not be accepted. For information regarding this solicitation, contact Mr. Hunter Tjugum, Contract Specialist, by email at [email protected] or by phone at 301-827-5304.