SOLICITATION NOTICE
66 -- SmartCycler II and Avian Influenza Assay's
- Notice Date
- 9/11/2007
- Notice Type
- Solicitation Notice
- NAICS
- 325413
— In-Vitro Diagnostic Substance Manufacturing
- Contracting Office
- Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service, Procurement Management Branch, 5601 Sunnyside Avenue, Mail drop 5230, Beltsville, MD, 20705, UNITED STATES
- ZIP Code
- 00000
- Solicitation Number
- 121146
- Response Due
- 9/24/2007
- Archive Date
- 10/9/2007
- Small Business Set-Aside
- Total Small Business
- Description
- USDA, Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has a requirement to purchase one (1) SmartCycler II Processing PCR System along with the necessary reagent beads for the Avian Influenza assay. This notice is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in FAR Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation, which is issued as a Request for Quotation (RFQ); quotes are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. The Government intends to acquire a commercial item using FAR Part 12 and the Simplified Acquisition Procedures set forth in FAR Part 13. This solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2005-19. The NAICS Code and the small business size standard for this procurement are 325413/500 employees respectively. The offeror shall state in their offer their size status for this procurement. This is a total small business set-aside. Award will be based on the lowest priced offer received that meets our technical requirements. The Government will consider quotes only from authorized sellers of the Cepheid Smart Cycler II Processing PCR (Qty. 1) and the Avian Influenza (AI) assay?s for CSR, Duplex (H5) (Qty. 20) and AI Matrix without IC, CSR (Qty. 20). OPTIONAL QUANTITY: It is possible that additional AI Assay?s will be procured between now and September 30, 2007. The additional quantity will be the following: Avian Influenza (AI) assay?s for CSR, Duplex (H5) (up to Qty. 10) and AI Matrix without IC, CSR (up to Qty. 10). Please provide pricing for an additional AI Assay?s. If funding becomes available for the purchase of the additional AI Assay?s an award will be issued based on the pricing received under this solicitation. Please state whether your pricing is valid until September 30, 2007. The following clause will be included in the resultant contract: 52.217-6 Option for Increased Quantity. (Mar 1989). The contractor must bid on all items. Contractors are to include the cost of any shipping charges in their quote. This will be a brand name only procurement, all equipment and associated parts must be Cepheid manufactured items. Substitutes will not be accepted based on the attached Brand Name Justification. All responsible sources may submit an offer which shall be considered by the agency. Location of where equipment is to be delivered is Athens, GA. Delivery is required within 30 days after contract award. Offers for the items(s) described above are due by September 24, 2007, no later than 10:00 AM Eastern Standard Time, to USDA, FSIS, Administrative Services Division, ATTN: Megan Robey, 5601 Sunnyside Avenue, Maildrop 5230, Room 2-L188B, Beltsville, MD 20705-5230 and must include, solicitation number, proposed delivery schedule, discount/payment terms, warranty duration (if applicable), taxpayer identification number (TIN), DUNS Number, identification of any special commercial terms, and be signed by an authorized company representative. Offers sent via email will also be accepted. Offerors shall provide the information required by FAR 52.212-1 (SEPT 2006), Instructions to Offerors-Commercial, which is incorporated by reference. If the end product(s) offered is other than domestic end product(s) as defined in the clause entitled "Buy American Act -- Supplies," the offeror shall so state and shall list the country of origin. FAR 52.212-4 (FEB 2007), Contract Terms and Conditions-Commercial Items is applicable. FAR 52.212-5 (AUG 2007), Contract Terms and Conditions Required To Implement Statutes or Executive Orders-Commercial Items is applicable and the following identified clauses are incorporated by reference: FAR 52.222-3, FAR 52.222-19, FAR 52.222-21, FAR 52.222-26, FAR 52.222-36, FAR 52.225-1, FAR 52.225-13, and FAR 52.232-33. The FAR may be obtained via the Internet at http://www.acqnet.gov/far/. All contractual and technical questions must be in writing (e-mail or fax) to Megan Robey not later than September 17, 2007. E-mail address is Megan.Robey@fsis.usda.gov . Fax number is 301-504-4276. Telephone questions will not be accepted. Selection and award will be made to the lowest priced, technically acceptable offeror, with acceptable past performance. Technical acceptability will be determined by review of information submitted by the offeror which must provide a description in sufficient detail to show that the product offered meets the Government's requirement. If offerors are not registered via the ORCA website at http://orca.bpn.gov, offerors shall complete and return a copy of the provision at 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications - Commercial Items (AUG 2007) with their offer. These representations and certifications will be incorporated by reference in any resultant contract. It is the offeror's responsibility to monitor the internet site for the release of solicitation amendments (if any). Numbered Note 1. Brand Name Justification for SmartCycler II Processing PCR System and reagent beads 1. Contracting Activity: United States Department of Agricultural (USDA), Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), Procurement Management Branch. 2. Nature and/or description of the Action being approved: Approval to issue a contract for one (1) brand name SmartCycler II Processing PCR System along with the necessary reagent beads for the Avian Influenza assay. 3. Description of the supplies and services: To purchase One (1) SmartCycler II Processing PCR System along with the necessary reagent beads for the Avian Influenza assay. 4. Statutory Authority permitting other than full and open competition: FAR 6.302-1 Only Responsible Source and no Other Supplier will Satisfy Agency Requirements, (c) Application for brand description 5. Demonstration that the nature of the acquisition requires the use of the authority cited. The Smart Cycler processing unit is part of the Cepheid Smart Cycler II PCR system. The required device is an add-on unit that expands the capacity to an existing system already being used in the MFDERB laboratory. The additional unit must be able to communicate with the current software and hardware of the existing SmartCycler II instrument. The additional unit must contain 16 independently controlled thermocyclers with the ability to obtain and record fluorescence in at least 4 channels. The system consists of a thermocycler (processing unit) and a computer/proprietary software. The requested unit is designed to increase capacity to an already existing system. The processing unit consists only of hardware and does not perform any analysis or assays without the assistance of the software produced solely by the Cepheid Corporation. This unit is the only device that will work in our existing Smart Cycler II PCR system. Reagent beads for the Avian Influenza (AI) assay by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) protocol. These consist of two parts: the AI matrix beads and the AI H5 beads. These are dried-down, ready-to-use, uniformly-produced and guaranteed reagent components of the PCR for the detection of AI. The main components of the PCR for the detection of AI are the reaction buffer, the primers and the probe. The variability in assay results occurs most commonly from the minor changes and errors in the way these components of the assay are put together. Cepheid manufactures a ready-to-use reagent for PCR of AI to be used specifically on Cepheid?s thermal-cycler, the Smart Cycler. To simplify the use of this reagent, it has been dried down and packaged in a bead form. Each bead is of the size that is good to run 4 samples. This guarantees the uniformity of assay composition from run to run on the Smart Cycler. These beads are produced only by Cepheid and designed for use on their machine. Cepheid is the sole source for the purchase of these beads that are crucial to the rapid assay of AI by PCR. 6. Description of efforts made to ensure that offers are solicited from as many potential sources as is practicable. In accordance with FAR 5.101(a) (1), a combined synopsis/solicitation to issue a contract for brand name items will be published on the Federal Business Opportunities website. All vendor responses to the notice received within the time limit will be considered. 7. Determination by the contracting officer that the anticipated cost to the government will be fair and reasonable. The contracting officer determines that the anticipated price will be fair and reasonable based on market research and competition between dealers. 8. Description of the market research conducted and results or a statement of the reasons market research was not conducted. Market research was completed and no viable alternatives could be located. 9. Any other facts supporting the use of other than full and open competition. None 10. Listing of sources, if any, that expressed, in writing, an interest in the acquisition. None 11. Statement of the actions, if any the agency may take to remove or overcome any barriers to competition before any subsequent acquisitions for the supplies or services. None. At this time the Agency is unable to remove any barriers since Cepheid is the sole manufacturer of the SmartCycler II Processing PCR and there are currently no other known manufacturers for this type of system that meets FSIS requirements.
- Place of Performance
- Address: 950 College Station Road, Athens, GA
- Zip Code: 30605
- Country: UNITED STATES
- Zip Code: 30605
- Record
- SN01402014-W 20070913/070911220300 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
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