National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Contract Management Branch, Solar Building, Room 3C07, 6003 Executive Boulevard MSC 7610, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-7610

A -- REPOSITORY FOR BIOLOGICAL REAGENTS AND REFERENCE STANDARDS POC Ann Davis Jaggar, Contract Specialist, (301) 496-6423, Cynthia W. . Cotter, Contracting Officer, (301) 402-0641 The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (DMID), is seeking 8(a) sources, (under Standard Industrial Classification 8731), that are capable of maintaining and operating a repository for the storage and distribution of biological reagents and reference standards. This repository stores more than 2,000 different products, including antisera against a wide variety of viruses and other infectious organisms, reference human and animal sera, and W.H.O. International Interferon Reference Reagents and Standards. The contractor for this project will furnish suitable facilities, qualified professional and technical personnel, material, and equipment required to maintain and operate the repository. This facility must provide air-conditioned floor space sufficient for the installation and storage of approximately 300 cubic feet of liquid nitrogen and mechanical freezer space, and approximately 1000 square feet of walk-in cold room space. Also required are a backup electrical power supply (e.g. diesel generator), standby refrigeration equipment to accommodate the specified refrigeration units in the event of a loss of electrical power or mechanical failure, and a security system that can support continuous monitoring of the facility and the equipment. This repository distributes biological reagents to investigators worldwide, more than half to international destinations. The contractor will process requests for reagents, arrange for the timely shipment of reagents and instructional material, provide a mechanism to invoice and collect handling fees and shipping charges. Biological products must be shipped in compliance with domestic and international postal and ICC regulations, maintaining appropriate environmental safeguards, and desired refrigeration levels for specified products in transit. The contractor for this project will utilize a database system to maintain a current inventory of repository reagents, to track requests and shipments, andto collate information for reports and catalog revisions. The contractor will also be responsible for properly storing and inventoring new biological products that are acquired by the repository. The contractor must be capable of providing scientific support services related to the repository inventory, such as monoclonal antibody production, quality control testing, and aliquoting and labeling new products. The statement should, at a minimum, address each of the areas outlined above. This Sources Sought Announcement is a request for information to assist NIAID in planning future repository activity. It may or may not result in a solicitation; at this time, no funds are available for these purposes. Interested parties must submit six (6) copies of a capability statement at the address below no later than March 31, 1997. Send correspondence to: Contracting Officer, National Institutes of Health, Contract Management Branch, NIAID, Solar Building/Room 3C07, 6003 Executive Boulevard MSC 7610, Bethesda, Maryland20892-7610. (0056)

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