Preventive Maintenance Contract on Carl Zeiss Scanning module and microscope
This is a Small Business Sources Sought notice. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. The purpose of this notice is to obtain information regarding: (1) the availability and capability of qualified small business sources; (2) whether they are small businesses; HUBZone small businesses; service-disabled, veteran-owned small businesses; 8(a) small businesses; veteran-owned small businesses; woman-owned small businesses; or small disadvantaged businesses; and (3) their size classification relative to the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for the proposed acquisition. Your responses to the information requested will assist the Government in determining the appropriate acquisition method, including whether a set-aside is possible. An organization that is not considered a small business under the applicable NAICS code should not submit a response to this notice.
This notice is issued to help determine the availability of qualified companies technically capable of meeting the Government requirement and to determine the method of acquisition. It is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government to issue a solicitation or ultimately award a contract. Responses will not be considered as proposals or quotes. No award will be made as a result of this notice. The Government will NOT be responsible for any costs incurred by the respondents to this notice. This notice is strictly for research and information purposes only.
Background: The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) is a part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), conducting research into the causes, treatment, and prevention of neurological disorders and stroke. The NINDS mission is to seek fundamental knowledge about the brain and nervous system and to use that knowledge to reduce the burden of neurological disease. The NINDS Spinal Circuits and Plasticity Unit (SCPU) is pursuing research on the molecular, cellular, and neural circuit basis of how the spinal cord mediates behavior and undergoes learning. The Zeiss LSM800 system and 02021785 confocal microscope in this lab is a critical component in the carrying out the lab's mission. The system was purchased in 2015 and a 1 year warranty and 2 years of service contract were included in the purchase and will expire 6/28/2019. In order to maintain continuous service coverage over this equipment, a new service contract is needed.
Purpose and Objectives: The purpose of this requirement is to obtain preventive maintenance services on existing Government-owned laboratory equipment manufactured by Carl Zeiss Microscopy. The contractor shall be an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) Authorized Service Provider of the Carl Zeiss Microscopy LSM800 and confocal microscope 02021785, and all services shall be performed by OEM certified factory-trained technicians using genuine OEM parts.
Project requirements: One (1) preventative maintenance inspection per agreement year. This includes all labor and travel associated with conducting this PM inspection visit. Full system coverage shall include LSM system and all components, repairs, software upgrades and emergency support.
• Independently and not as an agent of the Government, the Contractor shall furnish all the necessary services, qualified personnel, material, equipment, and facilities, not otherwise provided by the Government as needed to perform service contract performance on the Carl Zeiss Scanning Module LSM800 and confocal microscope 02021785. This instrument is located on the campus of the National Institutes of Health, building 35, Room 2B-308.
• The contractor shall perform one (1) Preventive Maintenance Inspections during the twelve month period. Preventive Maintenance will be performed by a Zeiss certified service technician. Service will include installation of hardware upgrades, calibration of the equipment, optimization of alignment for critical components, replacement of wear items, and overall inspection of the instrument to confirm that it is operating at peak efficiency and reliability.
• The contractor shall provide phone support from a certified technician within 1 business day and on-site service within 3 business days after it is determined that the problem cannot be resolved through phone support.
• Emergency Service: Scheduled and emergency services shall be performed Monday through Friday between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. excluding Federal Holidays: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Memorial Day, July 4th Holiday, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Holiday, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
• Contractor shall cover all travel and associate expenses to perform emergency repairs on site.
• Replacement parts: Contractor shall furnish all required Zeiss certified replacement parts at a 20% discount cost to the Government.
• Software Updates/Service: Contractor will provide free of charge any revisions to Zeiss software during the Agreement term.
• Service Exclusions: Contractor will not be responsible for repairs necessitated by user misuse or error, repairs required due to operator negligence, replacement of accessories and consumables, or problems associated with environmental conditions.
• Personnel Qualifications: Service personnel need to have the experience deemed appropriate by Carl Zeiss Microscopy, Inc.
Anticipated period of performance:
Base Year: 06/28/2019 - 06/27/2020
Option Year 1: 06/28/2020 - 06/27/2021
Option Year 2: 06/28/2021 - 06/27/2022
Option year 3: 06/28/2022 - 06/27/2023
Option year 4: 06/28/2023 - 06/27/2024
Other important considerations: The contractor shall perform one (1) Preventive Maintenance Inspections during the twelve month period. Preventive Maintenance will be performed by a Zeiss certified service technician. Service will include installation of hardware upgrades, calibration of the equipment, optimization of alignment for critical components, replacement of wear items, and overall inspection of the instrument to confirm that it is operating at peak efficiency and reliability. In addition, the contractor shall provide phone and e-mail support from a certified technician within 1 business day and on-site service within 3 business days after it is determined that the problem cannot be resolved through phone support.
Capability statement /information sought. Clearly indicate whether respondents must provide, as part of their responses, a capability statement, "white paper," answers to questions/issues, etc. This may include requests for:
• respondents' opinions about the difficulty and/or feasibility of the potential requirement or proposed acquisition, possible solutions and approaches that may currently exist in the marketplace, and information regarding innovative ideas or concepts;
• information regarding respondents': (a) staff expertise, including their availability, experience, and formal and other training; (b) current in-house capability and capacity to perform the work; (c) prior completed projects of similar nature; (d) corporate experience and management capability; and (e) examples of prior completed Government contracts, references, and other related information;
• general information regarding the respondent's estimate or rough order of magnitude of the effort or time that may be required for completion of the work. (NOTE: This type of information may only be requested as part of an RFI. However, care must be exercised in requesting such information. Information requested must be: (a) necessary; (b) broad in scope; and (c) used for planning purposes only. Detailed estimates must not be requested.);
The respondent must also provide their DUNS number, organization name, address, point of contact, and size and type of business (e.g., 8(a), HubZone, etc., pursuant to the applicable NAICS code and any other information that may be helpful in developing or finalizing the acquisition requirements.
One (1) copy of the response is required and must be in Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF format using 11-point or 12-point font, 8-1/2" x 11" paper size, with 1" top, bottom, left and right margins, and with single or double spacing.
The information submitted must be must be in and outline format that addresses each of the elements of the project requirement and in the capability statement /information sought paragraphs stated herein. A cover page and an executive summary may be included but is not required.
The response is limited to ten (10) page limit. The 10-page limit does not include the cover page, executive summary, or references, if requested.
The response must include the respondents' technical and administrative points of contact, including names, titles, addresses, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail addresses.
All responses to this notice must be submitted electronically to the Contract Specialist and Contracting Officer. Facsimile responses are NOT accepted.
The response must be submitted to Andrea King at e-mail address andrea.king@nih.gov.
The response must be received on or before May 30, 2019 at 10AM, Eastern Time.
"Disclaimer and Important Notes: 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 to allow the Government to determine the organization's qualifications to perform the work.
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. After a review of the responses received, a presolicitation synopsis and solicitation may be published in Federal Business Opportunities. However, responses to this notice will not be considered adequate responses to a solicitation.
Confidentiality: No proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included in your response. The Government reserves the right to use any non-proprietary technical information in any resultant solicitation(s)."
Andrea TE King, Contract Specialist, Phone 3018275245, Email andrea.king@nih.gov
