SOURCES SOUGHT
A -- NIMH Psychoactive Drug Screening Progeram
- Notice Date
- 5/15/2012
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 541711
— Research and Development in Biotechnology
- Contracting Office
- Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Mental Health, Contracts Management Branch, 6001 Executive Blvd, Rm 8154, MSC 9661, Bethesda, Maryland, 20892-9661
- ZIP Code
- 20892-9661
- Solicitation Number
- HHS-NIH-NIDA(MH)-SBSS12-262
- Archive Date
- 6/21/2012
- Point of Contact
- Craig D. Sager, Phone: 301-443-1193, Bruce E. Anderson, Phone: 301-443-2234
- E-Mail Address
-
csager@mail.nih.gov, banderso@mail.nih.gov
(csager@mail.nih.gov, banderso@mail.nih.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- 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; HUB Zone small businesses; service-disabled, veteran-owned small businesses; 8(a) small businesses; or veteran owned small business; women-owned small business; or small disadvantaged businesses; and (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. Background The mission of the Molecular, Cellular, and Genomic Neuroscience Research Branch (MCGNRB) is to support fundamental research on the mechanisms underlying and influencing brain development, neuronal signaling, synaptic plasticity, signal transduction pathways, and the biochemical and behavioral actions of therapeutic agents in animals and humans. The goals of the MCGNRB include the identification of novel targets (genes or molecules) for therapeutic intervention, characterization of the neurobiological behavioral actions of psychoactive agents, and design and development of novel ligands for functional brain imaging in humans, psychoactive agents for basic and clinical research, and potential therapeutic agents for the treatment of mental disorders. To further these goals, a contract for the NIMH Psychoactive Drug Screening Program (PDSP) was initiated to provide broad-based screening capabilities, in the form of pharmacological and functional assays, and receptor binding data (Ki values) to the scientific research community with the intent of stimulating innovative research and development efforts in the design and development of novel psychoactive compounds for preclinical research, neuroimaging, and as potential therapeutic agents in the treatment of psychiatric disorders. The program focuses on the use of state-of-the-art, high-throughput screening (HTS) of compounds in human and rodent CNS receptor binding and functional assays. Purpose and Objectives. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) is seeking information on all small businesses capable of providing screening and testing services to continue a project entitled, " NIMH Psychoactive Drug Screening Program". This project was first initiated in 1992. The purpose of this initiative is to continue services to (1) establish and validate assays for cloned human or rodent receptors by cloning a receptor, maintaining a stably transfected cell line expressing the receptor, and establishing the binding and functional assays for the receptor in accordance with standards established in the published scientific literature; (2) conduct high-throughput screening of compounds in broad-based primary and secondary pharmacological assays (radioligand binding and enzyme assays), functional assays, high-throughput patch clamp electrophysiology assays, and assays to assess brain penetrance, potential bioavailability, and cardiac toxicity (Note - the screening services are intended primarily as a screen for compounds that have previously been shown to possess pharmacological, biochemical, or behavioral activities relevant to NIMH, rather than for the purpose of large-scale, random screening of natural products or combinatorial libraries) (3) provide an electronic data file of screening results for each compound suitable for inclusion in a scientific publication; and (4) update and maintain a Ki database for compounds and drugs. Project requirements: The PDSP was developed to provide screening of novel synthetic compounds and natural products for potential use as research tools or probes for basic and clinical research, as therapeutic agents for mental disorders, and as PET, SPECT, and fMRI ligands for functional brain imaging. Interested small businesses must demonstrate they currently have the necessary expertise and capability to receive and test up to 3,000 individual samples per year and up to 5,000 plated samples (synthetic compounds, small molecules, gene products, and natural product extracts) per year, in a wide variety of human and rodent CNS receptor and enzyme screening assays and functional assays, and to provide an electronic data file for each of the screened compounds. A list of targets of interest to NIMH can be found at http://pdsp.med.unc.edu/pdspw/clones.php. Samples for screening can include, but are not limited to, novel chemical entities, structural analogs of lead compounds, genes or gene products, small molecules, enzyme inhibitors, and natural products. Based on historical data, a projected annual assay workload could be up to: 1) 20,000 primary pharmacological assays; 5,000 secondary pharmacological assays; 100,000 functional assays; 1300 brain penetrance, bioavailability, or toxicity assays; and 5-10 new assays developed and validated. These are estimates, which can fluctuate on a yearly basis. Small businesses should demonstrate they can provide these services up to the stated quantities. Since these are estimates, capacities above the estimated assay workload are considered preferable. Anticipated period of performance: The estimated period of performance is June 30, 2013 - June 29, 2018 Other Important Considerations: The contractor shall use Good Laboratory Practices (GLP) to conduct all aspects of the contract. Capability statement/information sought: Any small business or organization that believes it has the capability to fulfill this requirement should submit a narrative response indicating previous experience and capabilities related to this work. Capability Statements should clearly state/describe your ability to carry out the services above, including: 1) information regarding your (a) staff expertise, including their availability, experience, and formal and other training; (b) experience and qualifications to perform this work, including the capacity to meet or exceed the estimated workload 2) respondent's DUNS number, organization name, address, point of contact, and size and type of business (e.g., 8(a), HUB Zone, etc) pursuant to the applicable NAICS code; (note: the applicable NAICS code for this requirement is 541711, 500 employees); 4) information on the management structure and history of your organization, and 5) Any other resources available to perform this work. You are encouraged to limit your response to fewer than 10 pages and must specifically address each of the requirement specific items requested. Responses to this notice should be received no later than the posted due date, and can be sent either by mail or e-mail (csager@mail.nih.gov) to the point of contact listed. If using the U.S. Postal Service or commercial overnight services, please send an original plus five (5) copies of your response. Note: for commercial overnight services, use the Rockville, MD. 20852 address. 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 pre-solicitation synopsis and solicitation may be published in Federal Business Opportunities. However, response 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 solicitations (s).
- Web Link
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- Record
- SN02748850-W 20120517/120516000437-80914245687bc4652419e7ba78f1b253 (fbodaily.com)
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