SOLICITATION NOTICE
B -- Serum Analyses
- Notice Date
- 10/11/2006
- Notice Type
- Solicitation Notice
- Contracting Office
- RTP Procurement Operations Division (D143-01) Research Triangle Park, NC 27711
- ZIP Code
- 27711
- Solicitation Number
- PR-NC-07-10005
- Response Due
- 10/26/2006
- Archive Date
- 11/25/2006
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- THIS IS A COMBINED SYNOPSIS/SOLICITATION FOR COMMERCIAL SERVICES PREPARED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE FORMAT IN SUBPART 12.6, AS SUPPLEMENTED WITH ADDITIONAL INFORMATION INCLUDED IN THIS NOTICE. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONSTITUTES THE ONLY SOLICITATION. PROPOSALS ARE BEING REQUESTED AND A WRITTEN SOLICITATION WILL NOT BE ISSUED. The solicitation number is PR-NC-07-10005, and the solicitation is being issued as a full and open competition Request for Quotation (RFQ). The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 05-13. The associated North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code 541380, which has a size standard of $10.0 million to qualify as a small business, is applicable. A firm fixed-price contract is anticipated to result from the award of this solicitation. This procurement is for the analysis of serum samples for the Mechanistic Indicators of Childhood Asthma (MICA) Study. A. Background Information. A population-based case-control study of air pollutants and asthma will be initiated in Wayne County, Michigan. This area has historically high levels of air pollutants. The recruitment goal is 150 asthmatic cases and 50 controls (9-12 year olds). These individuals will answer detailed questions on medical history, smoking in the home, diet, and residential mobility. Environmental chemicals such as lead, mercury, cadmium and manganese have been shown to cause neurological damage through toxicant-induced injury. Neurotypic and gliotypic proteins can be used to detect and characterize the injury. Serum samples will be collected from the 200 participants in the MICA study. Antibodies directed against nervous system specific proteins will be measured by a sensitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) as biomarkers of immune function. Titers for anti-neurofilament (NF?s) triplet proteins, anti-glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and anti-myelin basic protein (MBP) will be measured in the serum samples. B. Purpose and Objectives. The objective of this contract is to analyze serum collected from 200 participants for titers of anti-NF triplet proteins, anti-GFAP, anti- MBP. The results of these measurements will be compared to the amount of heavy metals in air and house dust samples to determine whether there is a dose dependent relationship between metal exposure and autoimmunity induced by metals. C. Contractor Requirements. The contractor must have demonstrated knowledge of neurotoxicology as demonstrated by a degree in a neurotoxicological field and/or by publication record. The contractor shall submit a list of all publications in which they analyzed for the materials listed below prior to contract award. The contractor shall analyze a total of 200, 500 ul serum samples and shall report the titers for anti-neurofilament (NF?s) triplet proteins, anti-glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and anti- myelin basic protein (MBP). The ELISA assay shall be reproducible and the intra-assay and inter-assay reliability shall exceed 0.9 and the coefficients of variation shall be below 4%. The threshold of detection for the assay shall be no greater than 0.20 ng/ml. The range of the standard curve shall cover, at a minimum, the range from 0.20 ng/ml to 2,000 ng/ml. If sufficient serum can be obtained from the blood samples, the EPA researchers may send blind duplicate samples to the contractor for analysis to gauge the reproducibility of the sample analysis process. The contractor shall provide to the EPA task officer the results of the analyses in a written report (see Deliverables Section, below). The contractor shall provide the results of all applicable information from the analysis of calibration standards and standard reference materials. The contractor shall be responsible for the disposal of all materials used in the analysis work. D. Government Responsibilities. The government researchers will be responsible for selecting and providing the 200, 500 ul serum samples. The EPA anticipates one sample set of 200 samples, to be shipped within 30 days of the end of sample collection. Since the samples will only be identified by a code number, the EPA project officer will provide a list of samples using the sample identifiers used in the study and allow the contractor to verify the number of samples in each sample set received for analysis. E. Deliverables. The contractor shall provide to the EPA task officer the results of the sample, calibration standards and standard reference materials analyses in both hard copy and electronic format (Excel ver. 5.0 or later, or Lotus 1-2-3 for Windows ver. 5 or later spreadsheets on a 3.5" floppy disc or CD) in a report when all chemical analysis work and data analysis are complete. The PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE will be 24 months from date of award. The following FAR provisions apply to this solicitation: 52-212-1, Instructions to Offerors?Commercial Items; 52.212-2, Evaluation--Commercial Items. Evaluation criteria to be included in paragraph (a) of provision 52.212-2 are as follows: A. TECHNICAL CRITERIA: 1)Demonstrated ability to measure all of the nervous system specific proteins listed in the Statement of Work in 500 ul serum samples with the range and sensitivity listed in the Contractor Requirements Section. 2)Knowledge of neurotoxicology as demonstrated by a degree in a neurotoxicological field and/or by publication record. Added consideration will be given to publications that include measurement of the nervous system specific proteins listed in the Statement of Work. B. PAST PERFORMANCE: Submit a list of 3 customers for whom like or similar sample analysis have been performed within the past 2 years. Include specific points of contact and phone numbers. Past performance will be evaluated on 1) quality of product or service; 2) timeliness of performance (ability to adhere to deadlines); and overall customer satisfaction. C. PRICE. Award will be made to the offeror whose offer is determined the most advantageous (best value) to the government, price and other factors considered. For this procurement Technical Criteria and Past Performance when combined are significantly more important than price. All offerors are to include with their offers a completed copy of provision 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications--Commercial Items. The following FAR clauses apply to this acquisition: 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions--Commercial Items; 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders--Commercial Items and the following additional FAR clauses which are cited in Clause 52.212-5: 52.222-3 Convict Labor; 52.222-21, Prohibition of Segregated Facilities; 52.222-26, Equal Opportunity, 52.222-35, Affirmative Action for Special Disabled and Vietnam Era Veterans; 52.222-36 Affirmative Action for Handicapped Workers; 52.222-37, Employment Reports on Special Disabled Veterans and Veterans of the Vietnam Era; 52-232-33, Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer-Central Contractor Registration. All technical questions are to be forwarded via email to the Contracting Officer at the following email address: hill.jennifer@epa.gov. Offerors should review the Statement of Work and other information posted with this Request for Quotation on EPA's website at the following address: http://www.epa.gov/oam/rtp_cmd. Click on the CURRENT SOLICITATIONS section and click on the solicitation for viewing applicable documents. Near the top of the page COMMERCIAL BUY CLAUSES AND FORMS sections are provided for your convenience. Please submit two copies of the technical proposal and price proposal to Jennifer B. Hill, Contracting Officer, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, RTP Procurement Operations Division (D143-01), Research Triangle Park, NC 27711 if using the US Postal Service. Courier delivery address is U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Attn: Jennifer B. Hill, RTP Procurement Operations Division (D143-01), 4930 Page Road, Durham, NC 27703. All offers are due by October 26, 2006, 12:00 p.m., ET. No telephonic or faxed requests will be honored.
- Web Link
-
The Environmental Protection Agency
(http://www.epa.gov/oam/solicit)
- Record
- SN01164125-W 20061013/061011220728 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
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