66 -- AUTOMATED STOPPED-FLOW SPECTROPHOTOMETER

Notice Date

July 25, 2001

Contracting Office

Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville Area, P&CS, 10300 Baltimore Ave. Bldg. 003, Rm. 329, BARC-West, Beltsville, MD, 20705

ZIP Code

20705

Solicitation Number

16-3K47-01

Response Due

August 22, 2001

Point of Contact

Keina Burrier, Contract Specialist, Phone 301-504-5888, Fax 301-504-5009, Email burrierk@ba.ars.usda.gov

Description

This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial item prepared in accordance with FAR Subpart 12.6 as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; quotations are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. The solicitation number 16-3K47-01, is issued as a Request for Quotation (RFQ), and incorporates provisions and clauses that are in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 97-27. The NAICS code is 334516, with a small business standard of 500 employees. This acquisition is unrestricted. The Government will award a firm-fixed-priced contract resulting from this solicitation to the responsible offeror whose offer conforming to the solicitation will be most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered. Inside delivery is required FOB destination to the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Beltsville, Maryland, 20705-2350. The performance period is 60 days from date of award. An Automated Stopped-Flow Spectrofluorometer instrument will be procured for the Germplasm and Gamete Physiology Laboratory to collect data on the rate of water and cryoprotectant transport in and out of sperm cells. This data will be used to improve sperm preservation technology. Line Item 01: One automated stopped-flow spectrofluorometer to include shipping, insurance, training, and warranty. The following specifications represent the minimum acceptable criteria for an Automated Stopped-Flow Spectrophotometer instrument: The system will mix aliquots of fluorophore-loaded sperm suspension (50 to 150 microliters) with anisosmotic solutions using a computer controlled motor so that multiple measurements will be made on the same sample without opening or closing valves to reset the syringes (programmable multi-shot capacity). The sample handling unit must be designed to have a vertically driven flow circuit. The fluorophore-loaded cells will be excited at 493 nm with a 530 nm long pass filter. Fluorescence data will be recorded on a 100 millisecond scale. This data will be collected as a text file so that it can be used to obtain the best estimates of the permeability coefficients. To include computer system (hardware/software) to run the instrument. The mixing pressure of sample processing unit must be adjustable so that pressure can be optimized for analysis of sperm cells of species that are sensitive to mechanical stress. The dead time of the instrument should be no more than 2 milliseconds for accurate estimates of cell fluorescence change over time. The instrument must be able to determine the change in sperm cell fluorescence over a period of 200 milliseconds as water and cryoprotectant pass across the cell membrane causing changes in volume. The stopped-flow sample mixing syringes and mixing chamber are in a reservoir which can receive coolant from a separate circulating bath for measurements of fluorescence in the range of 60 to -5 degree C. The light source shall be a 100-150 W mercury-xenon lamp. The sample handing unit will have variable ratio mixing capacity and have two reagent reservoir ports that can receive two 1 to 5 milliliter polypropylene disposable syringes as reservoirs, and automatic emptying of waste syringe. The sample handler will accommodate a 20 microliter detector cell. Two days of on-site training, by the manufacturer's repr esentative, in use of the instrument, using fluorophore loaded sperm cells (provided by USDA, ARS, GGPL) is required. The instrument will be optimized for fluorescence and absorbance acquisition without reconfiguration. Include shipping costs for delivery to USDA, Beltsville, Maryland, setup/installation of the instrument, and 12 months warranty. The following FAR clauses and provisions apply: FAR 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors-Commercial Items; FAR 52.212-2, Evaluation-Award to a technically acceptable offeror, at a fair and reasonable price; The following factors shall be used to evaluate offers: technical capability of the item offered, past performance and price. FAR 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial Items. All offerors must include a completed copy of FAR 52.212-3 with their response. FAR 52-212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions-Commercial Items. The following FAR clauses in paragraph (b) of FAR 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statues of Executive Orders-Commercial Items, will apply to the resultant contract: 52.203-6, 52.222-21, 52.222-26, 52.222-35, 52.222-36, 52.222-37, 52.225-3 Alt. II, 52.225-4 Alt. II, 52.225-8, 52.225-13, and 52.232-34. 52.222-70 COMPLIANCE WITH VETERANS EMPLOYMENT REPORTING REQUIREMENTS (JAN 1999) (DEVIATION) (USDA). (a) The offeror represents that if it is subject to the reporting requirements of 38 U.S.C. 4212(d) (i.e., the VETS-100 report required by FAR clause 52.222-37, Employment Reports on Disabled Veterans and Veterans of the Vietnam Era), it has [ ], has not [ ], submitted the most recent report required by 38 U.S.C. 4212 (d). (b) An offeror who checks "has not" may not be awarded a contract until the required report is filed. CONTRACT PAYMENTS (MANDATORY INFORMATION FOR ELECTRONIC FUNDS TRANSFER) EFT compliance with 31 CFR 208. To facilitate EFT for contract payments, FAR clause 52.232-34 and 52.232-35 requires the submission of information by the contractor to the payment office. Upon award, the contractor shall contact the Miscellaneous Payments Section at the National Finance Center (NFC) to initiate the enrollment process of the Vendor Express Program (VXP), for payment under EFT. NFC can be reached at 1-800-421-0323 or at www.nfc.usda.gov. Fax quotations are acceptable to Keina 00.Burrier at (301)504-5009 on or before August 22, 2001 by 4:00 p.m.(EST). All responsible sources may submit a quotation which will be considered by the agency. Responses shall include literature, brochures and other such information in order to determine the ability to meet the above stated capabilities. The anticipated award date is Sept. 2001. Numbered Notes: 12

Web Link

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Record

Loren Data Corp. 20010727/66SOL023.HTM (D-206 SN50S9U5)