NIH, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, COB, Procurement Section, 6701 Rockledge Drive MSC 7902, Bethesda, MD 20892-7902

J -- SERVICE FOR SIGNA 4T MAGNETIC RESONANCE INSTRUMENT SOL NHLBI-HL-P-96-120 POC Kathleen J. Van Steelant, Contracting Officer, (301) 435-0364. It is the intent of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) to negotiate on a sole source basis under the authority of 41 USC 253 and FAR 6.302-1 with General Electric Medical Systems to purchase maintenance service, repairs, and replacement parts for a Signa 4T Magnetic Resonance Instrument equipped with a General Electric Signa Advantage Console. This system is a unique prototype which includes many pieces of non-standard, custom-built equipment. The Contractor shall provide service for all portions of the 4 Tesla instrument that are manufactured by General Electric Company. This includes the console, computer, system cabinet, gradient amplifiers, peripheral gating module, shim and ramp supplies, and cryogen monitoring. Specific requirements include the following: 1) Supply replacement parts as required on an exchange (good-as-new) or new part basis in order to maintain the equipment at Original Equipment Manufacturer~s (OEM~s) specifications; 2) STANDARD SHIFT COVERAGE: The Contractor shall provide on-site remedial service and maintenance during normal working hours (from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM local prevailing time, Monday through Friday). On-call backup service support shall be provided when the on-site service engineer is not available (e.g. holidays, vacations, illness, and training periods). The on-call backup service engineer shall be on the site within three hours of the NIH placing a telephone service request; 3) SECOND SHIFT COVERAGE: The Contractor shall provide on-call coverage for remedial service and scheduled maintenance after normal working hours (from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM local prevailing time, Monday through Friday). The on-call service engineer shall be on the site within three hours of the NIH placing a telephone service request. Scheduled maintenance shall be performed at a mutually agreed upon time (usually 5:00 PM through 12:00 AM local prevailing time, Monday through Friday). If system problems occur late during the standard shift or are so major as to likely extend into the second shift, it shall be the responsibility of the field engineer (or his/her replacement) to give telephone notice to invoke this service so as to minimize the system downtime; 4) AFTER HOUR COVERAGE: The Contractor shall provide off hour coverage (no charge for parts, hourly charge for labor) 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. The on-call service engineer shall be on the site within three hours of the NIH placing a telephone service request; 5) Weekly scheduled maintenance inspections and adjustments shall be performed as specified by the manufacturer for such items as power supply adjustments, hydraulic system checks, oxygen moitor tests, RF and gradient amplifier tests and calibration, mechanical interlock and assembly checks, filter replacement, lubrication, cleaning, cryogen transfill, and alignment of magnetic tape, optical disk, and magnetic disk drives; 6) Technical support and remote diagnostics shall be provided by the Contractor 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. This telephone support shall be available within one hour of the NIH placing a service request; 7) The Contractor shall provide a daily check of the system error logs. The Contractor assumes the responsibility for correcting problems as noted therein; 8) The Contractor shall provide upgrade services for the 4T instrument and accessories on an as needed basis. The upgrades shall be subject to the Changes Clause, FAR 52.243-1, Alternate II. Upgrade services include, but are not limited to: delivery/installation of hardware or software, and reconfiguration of the system. The Contractor shall provide all hardware and software necessary for requested upgrades. The Contractor shall continue to provide maintenance of the system as upgraded; 9) CONTRACTOR RESPONSIBILITIES: The Contractor shall provide all necessary documentation, repair parts, spare parts, accessories, maintenance supplies, all special tools, test and support equipment, travel and transportation, personnel skill requirements, and other related services required in performance of maintenance tasks to keep the equipment in good operating condition, except for costs of repairs occasioned by fault or negligence of the Government or its agent; 10) Interchangeability of parts is required, (NRCC Wash C8)(Oct 1992). All replacement/spare parts and supplies to be furnished by the Contractor under this contract shall be guaranteed to be equal in all respects (including performance, interchangeability, durability, and quality) to parts specified by the OEM. Interested parties may identify their interest and capability to respond to the requirement or submit proposals. This notice of intent is not a request for competitive proposals. However, all proposals received within forty-five (45) calendar days after the date of publication of this notice will be considered by the Government. A determination by the Government not to open the requirement to competition based upon responses received as a result of this notice of intent will normally be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. Oral communications are not acceptable and will not be honored. Interested parties may express their concerns in writing. Written responses must contain clear and convincing documentation, technical information, and descriptions demonstrating the ability to meet the stated requirements. All responses must be received within 45 calendar days from the publication date of this notice and should be directed to Kathleen J. Van Steelant at the above address. Responses received via facsimile will not be honored. See Numbered Note(s): 22. (0213)

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