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FBO DAILY ISSUE OF JUNE 22, 2012 FBO #3863
SOLICITATION NOTICE

66 -- CyBio Pipettor

Notice Date

6/20/2012
 

Notice Type

Presolicitation
 

NAICS

334516 — Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing
 

Contracting Office

Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, Rockledge Dr. Bethesda, MD, Office of Acquisitions, 6701 Rockledge Dr RKL2/6100 MSC 7902, Bethesda, Maryland, 20892-7902
 

ZIP Code

20892-7902
 

Solicitation Number

NHLBI-CSB-(TR)-2012-176-RSF
 

Archive Date

7/13/2012
 

Point of Contact

Rashida S. Ferebee, Phone: 3014352605
 

E-Mail Address

ferebeers@nhlbi.nih.gov
(ferebeers@nhlbi.nih.gov)
 

Small Business Set-Aside

N/A
 

Description

THIS IS A NOTICE OF INTENT, NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS. A SOLICITATION DOCUMENT WILL NOT BE ISSUED AND PROPOSALS WILL NOT BE REQUESTED. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), Office of Acquisition (OA) on behalf of the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) intends to negotiate and award a purchase order on a noncompetitive sole source basis to Cybio US Inc., 500 West Cummings Park, Suite 1800, Woburn, Massachusetts, 01801 for the purchase of one (1) Reagent Strip Reservoir Rack, one (1) Strip Reservoires for Reagents 30 ml, and twelve months of service. BACKGROUND: Cybio is a manufacturer of liquid handling equipment for pharmaceutical and life science industries. NCATS currently uses the CyBi-Well and its applications include but are not limited to plate reformatting, replication, plate coating, biochemical assays, ADME and cytotoxicity assays, compound management, Molecular Biology assays (RNA silencing), and cell handling. All of these applications are relevant to processes and applications currently used in the assay development and validation process for the Biology laboratory. The current 384 head is intended to operate with a full head of disposable tips. Most of our operations do not require a full head of tips, so tips are loaded by hand based on well positions or when all tips are to be used there is a tool that assists in the transfer. The head can then aspirate and dispense any volume of 384 or 1536 well plates and transfer the liquid to a similar location on another plate, volume capacity is limited by the installed tips. The tips that we use have 10ul and 25ul capacities. Currently the equipment is suited to only handle SBS compatible plates in 1536, 384 or single reagent reservoirs. All other labware to include 96, 24 and 6 well plates cannot be supported as well as single tip operations. Operations that do not require a complete head of tips increase maintenance concerns by an uneven distribution of pressure that is applied across the head causing undue stress to the piston alignments. The software is called CyBi Control and operates as a custom scripting logic. A method is designed by an experienced user or technician using a list of available equipment controls with operator defined variables and conventional programming logic. The method is tested and then saved to be used again later. The typical user recalls a method that they are familiar with, navigates the script to find the necessary variables to change and runs the method with vague comprehension of what all steps entail. The software itself is very functional though not friendly to the typical user. 8plus1 Upgrade: CyBio manufactures liquid handlers to suit a variety of customer needs. The main system components are able to run independently or can be incorporated into a larger more flexible system. One such addition that is available for our current system is the 8plus1 pipetting system. The 8plus1 incorporates two formats of pipette liquid dispensing. The first is a column of 8 dispense tips that operate in tandem. The second is an independently controlled tip with access across an entire plate and also a wider variety of labware besides plates, such as tubes. The Cybi 8plus1 is equipped with a new version of CyBio scheduling software known as Cybi Composer. Composer is considered a software upgrade from Cybi Control and would be applied to the entire liquid handling system upon installation. A feature of particular interest to the end user is the ability to separate the programing and scripting logic from the user operations. This is done after an experienced user or technician creates a program to perform a particular function and defines any necessary variables. An HTML file is then created and presented to the typical user with predefined sets of variables to select from when the program is executed. The separation of the user from the higher level functions prevents inadvertent changes, improves usage and ensures reproducibility. After installation, typical liquid transfers will be created in this format and for more specialized transfers with some advance notice a new method can be created and tested prior to implementation. Once created a method is available for future uses. A new degree of flexibility can be achieved with the incorporation of this equipment and many capabilities will be added to the system. Some improvements include: -Automated tip loading/unloading and disposal for 8 tip and single tip operations. This will eliminate the time spent organizing tips by hand, typically 20 at a time. If more than one reagent is used tips can be changed during the method to prevent contamination and carryover from one source to another. If performing actions across a number of plates utilizing the stackers, tips can be changed between plates or whatever operation best suits the user. -Ability to transfer liquids directly from tube to plate. This operation eliminates the need for intermediary steps in forming a compound plate. Currently compounds are typically diluted into a tube, then transferred to a linear reservoir, transferred by manual pipette into a 384 plate and finally transferred from 384 well plate to 1536 well plate using the current Cybi Well. This upgrade will allow direct transfer of compounds from the tube and into any locations of the 1536 well destination plate reducing transfer times, labware costs and human error. -Automated Ability to handle plate formats such as 96, 24 and 6 well without physical equipment changes. The current Cybi Well hardware can work with 384 and 1536 well plates. Our lab typically operates in these relatively high density ranges however many collaborative assays start in less dense plate formats such as 96 and 24 well plates and much of the work our biologists perform is in the conversion of the assay to higher densities. There has also been some expressed interest to perform more work on cellular systems vice individual cells. Biological work on many cellular systems of interest is currently only possible on low density plates and this equipment's addition will help to support that effort. -Transfer of liquids from any plate position to any other plate position. The current Cybi Well hardware is formatted to support what is considered whole plate transfers and plate reformatting. Operating as such the source and destination well locations within individual plates are directly linked. Transferring liquid from the end of the source plate to the opposite end of the destination is not possible or even the transfer between wells of a singular plate. With the addition of the 8plus1 liquid could be conceivably transferred from any location to any other location leading to our next advantage. -Automated serial dilutions, with the ability of moving liquid from any location to any other location mixing and dilutions of liquids can be performed within minutes. In our facility, 15 and 7 point serial dilutions of compounds make the "q"(quantitative) in our qHTS screening system. With the right programmatic setup the end user of the system can specify some simple variables, add reagents and start the automated dilution procedure. Sole Source Justification: This acquisition is for the purchase of an upgraded part, Cybi-In Line 8plus1 pipettor and a one year service agreement. CybioUS Inc. is the sole source provider for parts, equipment and technical service for all instruments manufactured by CyBio. NCATS must use the specified parts, accessories, and upgraded software to fully enhance the capability of this critical unit. Service performed by a contractor other than CyBio's authorized support would invalidate CyBio warranties and the terms of the contract proposal. Period of Performance: 12 Month period This acquisition is being conducted under FAR Part 13, Simplified Acquisition Procedures, and is exempt from the requirements of FAR Part 6, Competition Requirements. The North American Industry Classification Code (NAICS) is 334516 and the Size Standard is 500 Employees. This notice of intent is not a request for competitive proposals. The determination by the Government not to compete the proposed purchase order based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Comments to this announcement, referencing synopsis number NHLBI-CSB-(TR)-2012-176-RSF may be submitted by mail to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, Office of Acquisitions, 6701 Rockledge Drive, Suite 6145, Bethesda, MD 20892-7902, Attention: Rashida Ferebee, by fax transmission to (301) 480-3345 or by email to ferebeers@nhlbi.nih.gov. Interested parties responding to this announcement need to do so by 9:00am Eastern Standard Time on June 29, 2012.
 

Web Link

FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/HHS/NIH/NHLBI/NHLBI-CSB-(TR)-2012-176-RSF /listing.html)
 

Place of Performance

Address: NIH/NCATS, Rockville, Maryland, 20850, United States

Zip Code: 20850
 

Record

SN02781500-W 20120622/120621000321-bbf0d36dc6d7d32d31e92225a21bcf19 (fbodaily.com)
 

Source

FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)

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