Service Maintenance for the Thermo ID-X & Vanquish UPLC Mass Spectrometer System

INTRODUCTION:THIS IS A PRE-SOLICITATION NON-COMPETITIVE (NOTICE OF INTENT) SYNOPSIS TO AWARD A CONTRACT OR PURCHASE ORDER WITHOUT PROVIDING FOR FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION (INCLUDING BRAND-NAME).The National Institutes of Health, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), Office of Acquisitions (OA) on behalf of the National Institute of Digestive and Diabetes and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) intends to award a purchase order without providing for full and open competition (including brand-name) to Thermo Electron North America, LLC. for the procurement of service maintenance for the Thermo ID-X & Vanquish UPLC Mass Spectrometer System.NORTH AMERICAN INDUSTRY CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM (NAICS) CODE:The intended procurement is classified under NAICS code 811210 with a Size Standard of $34M.REGULATORY AUTHORITY:The resultant contract will include all applicable provisions and clauses in effect through the Federal Acquisition Circular 2023-02 effective

February 14, 2023.This acquisition is conducted under the procedures prescribed in FAR Part 13 - Simplified Acquisition Procedures at an amount not exceeding the simplified acquisition threshold ($250,000).STATUTORY AUTHORITY:This acquisition is conducted under the authority of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 13 - Simplified Acquisition Procedures, Subpart 13.106-1 (b)(1), Soliciting from a single source for purchases not exceeding the simplified acquisition threshold. Contracts awarded using FAR Part 13 - Simplified Acquisition Procedures are exempt from the requirements of FAR Part 6 - Competition Requirements.BACKGROUND:The NIDDK supports a wide range of medical research through grants to universities and other medical research institutions across the country. The Institute also supports government scientists who conduct basic, translational, and clinical research across a broad spectrum of research topics and serious, chronic diseases and conditions related to the Institute's mission. In addition, the NIDDK supports research training for students and scientists at various stages of their careers and a range of education and outreach programs to bring science-based information to patients and their families, health care professionals, and the public.The ID-X & Vanquish UPLC mass spectrometer system is NIDDK’s most sensitive and highest resolution mass spectrometer (LC-HRMS) within the Clinical Mass Spectrometry Core. It performs most of the quantitative analysis for clinical studies and clinical research projects. Such an instrument must be operated continuously and has several complex sub-systems which have many types of potential failures. Downtime and more importantly the length of downtime will significantly impact the ability of the Core to perform clinical studies. The core’s project load is currently requiring some samples to be run over weekends. A service contract with the instrument supplier provides an efficient route for maintaining the instrument making it possible to use one instrument rather than operating two.OBJECTIVE:The objective of this requirement is to acquire a service contract for the mass spectrum system.SALIENT / REQUIRED FEATURES AND SPECIFICATIONS:Required features of this procurement that will assist in meeting NIDDK mission goals / research goals:Field Service Engineer labor, travel, and parts required for Corrective Maintenance visits with a targeted response time of 3 business daysA certified service engineer will conduct diagnosis and Corrective Maintenance procedures using the latest digital remote support toolsOne (1) scheduled annual Preventive Maintenance visit (a standard PM kit is included)Instrument Requalification (RQ) in conjunction with a scheduled Corrective Maintenance with a purchase of an add-on Operational Qualification (OQ)Computers that were purchased from Thermo Fisher Scientific and required for the operation of the analytical systemSoftware and firmware updates upon request and in conjunction with a scheduled Preventive Maintenance or Corrective Maintenance visit (updates are defined as changes of the existing software version that are intended to improve its performance)TASK AREAS: To successfully complete the requirement, the following Task Areas shall be accomplished by Contractor:Task Area 1 – Shipping: Maintenance will be performed at National Institutes of Health, NIDDK, Bldg. 10, 9000 Rockville Pike, Maryland 20892.Task Area 2 – Support: Support includes preventive maintenance cleaning and service of the Thermo ID-X and Vanquish as needed to maintain the instrument in optimum working conditionTask Area 3 – Warranty: One-year standard warrantyCONTRACTING WITHOUT PROVIDING FOR FULL OR OPEN COMPETITION (INCLUDING BRAND-NAME) DETERMINATION:The Clinical Mass Spectrometry Core provides quantitative analysis for many non-diagnostic clinical analyses for NIDDK and collaborating institutes. NIDDK is currently working on numerous projects on two LC-MS with the current sample load requiring both LC-MS to run nearly fulltime. Any downtime on our LC-MS will adversely impact NIDDK’s ability to provide data. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to maintain the ID-X and Vanquish LC-MS in optimum performance.Repairing or maintaining a mass spectrometer requires years of training, specialized experience, specialized replacement parts, and the latest instrument software. Thermo Electron in the United States has a team of service people who are trained to identify and repair all Thermo mass spectrometers. Thermo carries most replacements parts for Thermo mass spectrometers in the Madison, WI service headquarters and they will drop ship parts directly to NIDDK’s lab for the fastest possible repairs. Thermo will provide the latest software for control and operation of the ID-X LC-MS system as soon as new versions are available. Additional support is provided by the Thermo mass spectrometer world headquarters is Bremen, Germany.Only Thermo engineers are permitted to service all sub-systems of the ID-X LC-MS instrument. Their engineers have accrued significant knowledge about the way in which systems fail. The main commercial alternative to a contract with Thermo is to have a contract with a company which sub-contracts with Thermo. Although this may seem equivalent since the deliverable appears to be generally the same there are significant differences in the mode in which the direct contracted and subcontracted work is performed by Thermo engineers. Direct contracting flexibly allows for service engineers to “drop ship” multiple “fix kits” for a given problem to trained staff and in many cases the engineers can remotely coach NIDDK’s staff through the repairs (in some cases trying several of the shipped kits). While this most often leads to a fix without the need of an engineer to physically visit the facility when this is not accomplished the staff is able to help the engineer refine follow on fix options, he/she will perform upon their physical visit to the facility. Such physical visits can occur with higher priority for direct contracted engineers which is important because the Thermo engineer cadre are overburdened with service calls and installations. Without a service contract with Thermo, the research in our lab would suffer greatly.The determination by the Government to award a contract without providing for full and open competition is based upon the market research conducted as prescribed in FAR Part 10 - Market Research. Only one source is available: Per FAR 13.106-1(b)(1) the Contracting Officer has determined that Thermo Electron North America, LLC. to be the only reasonably available source to provide the expert services of a Biomedical Imaging and Medical Image Analysis Scientist the NIDDK requires. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE:The Government’s estimated period of performance is:Base Period: 5/17/2023-05/16/2024Option Period 1: 5/17/2024-05/16/2025Option Period 2: 5/17/2025-05/16/2026PLACE OF PERFORMANCE:National Institutes of HealthNational Institute of Digestive and Diabetes and Kidney DiseasesBuilding 109000 Rockville PikeBethesda MD 20892PAYMENT BREAKDOWN FOR SERVICE:Quarterly (in Arrears).CLOSING STATEMENT:This synopsis is not a request for competitive proposals. However, interested parties may identify their interest and capability in response to this notice. Responses to this notice shall contain sufficient information to establish the interested parties’ bona-fide capabilities for fulfilling the requirement and include: descriptive literature, delivery timeframe, warranties and/or other information that demonstrates that the offer meets all the foregoing requirements, the prompt payment discount terms, the F.O.B. Point (Destination or Origin), the Unique Entity ID (UEI), the Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN), and the certification of business size. All offerors must have an active registration in the System for Award Management (SAM) www.SAM.gov.”Vendor/Contractor – Must be able to accept payments via IPP (Invoice Processing Platform) – The contractor may submit a request for an exception. See below for IPP, IPP helpdesk information and applicable Health and Human Services addendum clause.INVOICING PROCESSING PLATFORM (IPP) In compliance with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) M-15-19 memorandum “Improving Government Efficiency and Saving Taxpayer Dollars through Electronic Invoicing” directing Federal agencies to adopt electronic invoicing as the primary means to disburse payment to vendors. Invoices submitted under any award resulting from this solicitation will be required to utilize the Invoice Processing Platform (IPP) in accordance with HHSAR 352.232-71, Electronic Submission and Processing of Payment Requests” IPP is a secure, web-based electronic invoicing system provided by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Bureau of the Fiscal Service, in partnership with the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRSTL). Respondents to this solicitation are encouraged to register an account with IPP if they have not already done so. If your organization is already registered to use IPP, you will not be required to re-register however, we encourage you make sure your organization and designated IPP user accounts are valid and up to date. The IPP website address is: https://www.ipp.gov If you require assistance registering or IPP account access, please contact the IPP Helpdesk at (866) 973-3131 (M-F 8AM to 6PM ET), or IPPCustomerSupport@fiscal.treasury.gov Note: Should an Offeror feel that use of the IPP would be unduly burdensome, the response to this solicitation should include an explanation of this position for a determination by the Contracting Officer. HHSAR 352.232-71 Electronic Submission of Invoice Payment Requests (Feb 2022) will apply when this requirement is solicited and awarded. As stated: (a) Definitions. As used in this clause— Payment request means a bill, voucher, invoice, or request for contract financing payment with associated supporting documentation. The payment request must comply with the requirements identified in FAR 32.905(b), “Content of Invoices” and the applicable Payment clause included in this contract. (b) Except as provided in paragraph (c) of this clause, the Contractor shall submit payment requests electronically using the Department of Treasury Invoice Processing Platform (IPP) or successor system. Information regarding IPP, including IPP Customer Support contact information, is available at www.ipp.gov or any successor site. (c) The Contractor may submit payment requests using other than IPP only when the Contracting Officer authorizes alternate procedures in writing in accordance with HHS procedures. (d) If alternate payment procedures are authorized, the Contractor shall include a copy of the Contracting Officer's written authorization with each payment request. (END OF CLAUSE)A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed contract based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. The information received will normally be considered solely for the purposes of determining whether to proceed on a non-competitive basis or to conduct a competitive procurement.All responses to this notice shall be submitted electronically by 3:00 pm Eastern Standard Time, on Wednesday, April 12, 2023, to the Contract Specialist, Kerry-Ann Chisholm, at kerry-ann.chisholm@nih.gov.ASSESSMENT OF CAPABILITY:Lowest Price Technically Acceptable