SOURCES SOUGHT
Q -- Longitudinal Study of Sex Differences in Autoantibodies and Autoimmune Diseases with Aging.
- Notice Date
- 7/28/2023 3:48:58 AM
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 541380
— Testing Laboratories
- Contracting Office
- NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH NIDA Bethesda MD 20892 USA
- ZIP Code
- 20892
- Solicitation Number
- 75N95023Q00565-SBSS
- Response Due
- 8/11/2023 2:00:00 PM
- Archive Date
- 08/26/2023
- Point of Contact
- Iris Merscher, Phone: 301-827-2547
- E-Mail Address
-
iris.merscher@nih.gov
(iris.merscher@nih.gov)
- Description
- 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; (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: Autoimmune diseases are a group of more than 80 chronic illnesses due in part to an inappropriate immune system response that leads the body to attack itself. More than 23.5 million people in the US are affected by autoimmune diseases. For some unknown reason, many of these diseases are increasing in prevalence in industrialized countries in the past few decades. Since most of these autoimmune diseases do not have cures, patients often bear a lifetime of illness. In addition to the debilitating symptoms and large medical expenses, autoimmune diseases disproportionately affect women. Therefore, it is important to predict and prepare for the changing landscape of health outcomes that are associated with these conditions. Several autoimmune conditions have been linked to age-related diseases, including cancer and dementia. The underlying mechanism for this association is not fully known, but common genetic predisposition and chronic inflammation have been proposed. Circulating autoantibodies can serve as biomarkers for early diagnoses and provide opportunities for therapeutic interventions. Since autoantibodies may be detected in asymptomatic individuals even decades before the clinical symptom emerges, many studies have evaluated the predictability of autoantibodies to the eventual development of overt clinical autoimmune disease. Only a paucity of data exists on using autoimmune disease-associated autoantibodies to track their level of change with time and also predict cancer risk or other age-related conditions. Antinuclear antibodies (ANA) are autoantibodies to cellular antigens that are found in multiple autoimmune diseases and may precede the clinical onset of the disease over the years. The well-established and clinically utilized ANA will be tested to assess autoimmunity in the study populations across multiple years and be investigated for their associations with prospective autoimmune diseases and other age-related diseases. Purpose and Objectives: The purpose of this requirement is to procure antinuclear antibody assessments services. Project requirements: The contractor will construct and perform ANA testing for ~1,500 blood samples using indirect immunofluorescence assay, which is the gold standard test to detect these autoantibodies. The contractor shall utilize HEp-2 cells, containing important autoantigens, grown on glass slides, overlaid with patient serum, and then incubated with a fluorescein-conjugated antibody to detect autoantibodies. Fluorescence shall be examined under an ultraviolet microscope, and the ANA titer will be reported based on the dilution prior to an endpoint where less than half of the cells show detectable fluorescence. The titer and the patterns of cellular fluorescence will be analyzed, which are strongly associated with various autoimmune diseases. The number and type of samples are subject to change as data are generated. Period of Performance:� 48 months Capability statement /information sought. Companies that believe they possess the capabilities to provide the required services should submit documentation of their ability to meet each of the project requirements to the Contracting Officer. The capability statement must specifically address each of the project requirements separately.� Additionally, the capability statement should include 1) the total number of employees, 2) the professional qualifications of personnel as it relates to the requirements outlined, 3) any contractor GSA Schedule contracts and/or other government-wide acquisition contracts (GWACs) by which all of the requirements may be met, if applicable, and 4) any other information considered relevant to this program. Capability statements must also include the Company Name, Unique Entity ID from SAM.gov, Physical Address, and Point of Contact Information. The response must include the respondents� technical and administrative points of contact, including names, titles, addresses, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail addresses. Interested companies are required to identify their type of business, applicable North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code, and size standards in accordance with the Small Business Administration. The government requests that no proprietary or confidential business data be submitted in a response to this notice. However, responses that indicate the information therein is proprietary will be properly safeguarded for Government use only. Capability statements must include the name and telephone number of a point of contact having authority and knowledge to discuss responses with Government representatives. Capability statements in response to this market survey that do not provide sufficient information for evaluation will be considered non-responsive. When submitting this information, please reference the solicitation notice number. 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 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. 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 Iris Merscher, Contract Specialist, at e-mail address iris.merscher@nih.gov. The response must be received on or before August 11, at 5:00 pm, Eastern Daylight 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 www.sam.gov. 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).
- Web Link
-
SAM.gov Permalink
(https://sam.gov/opp/684025c26e134430b8ba09ebbc6cf8d1/view)
- Place of Performance
- Address: USA
- Country: USA
- Country: USA
- Record
- SN06768805-F 20230730/230728230052 (samdaily.us)
- Source
-
SAM.gov Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)
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