SOLICITATION NOTICE
66 -- Universal Biological Sample Processing System (UBSPS)
- Notice Date
- 7/29/2015
- Notice Type
- Presolicitation
- NAICS
- 334516
— Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing
- Contracting Office
- ACC-APG - Edgewood, ATTN: AMSSB-ACC-E, 5183 Blackhawk Road, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD 21010-5424
- ZIP Code
- 21010-5424
- Solicitation Number
- UBSPS-RFI-72815
- Response Due
- 9/30/2015
- Archive Date
- 10/30/2015
- Point of Contact
- ANTOINETTE R. AQUININGOC, 410-436-4379
- E-Mail Address
-
ACC-APG - Edgewood
(antoinette.r.aquiningoc.civ@mail.mil)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- Request for Information (RFI) Automated and Universal Biological Sample Processing System (UBSPS) This notice is a request for information (RFI) and is NOT a request for proposal (RFP). The government will NOT award a contract on the basis of this notice, or otherwise pay for information solicited by it. Any proprietary information submitted shall be clearly marked as PROPRIETARY INFORMATION. The requested information is for planning and market research purposes ONLY and will NOT be publicly released. In accordance with FAR 15.201(e), responses to this RFI are NOT offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. PURPOSE. The Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical and Biological Defense (JPEO-CBD), Joint Project Manager Nuclear Biological Chemical and Contamination Avoidance (JPMNBC-CA) and the Edgewood Chemical and Biological Center (ECBC) Detection Branch are requesting responses from industry and academia on capabilities to potentially develop with ECBC a miniaturized, automated, onboard, Universal Biological Sample Processing System (UBSPS). With support from the Joint Science and Technology Office (JSTO) at the Defense Reduction Threat Agency (DTRA), ECBC and JPMNBC-CA are interested in interfacing the proposed UBSPS with biological early warning consortium detection systems. The UBSPS should be able to efficiently lyse environmental microbial samples to release biomolecules of interests (nucleic acids and proteins), isolate the biomolecules, and filter out interference compounds and particulates. Additionally, in automated fashion, the UBSPS should preconcentrate and separate nucleic acids from proteins, perform enzymatic cleavage of proteins (i.e., for use in potential downstream mass spectrometry analyses), and purify nucleic acids isolated onboard. The outputs from the UBSPS would then be analyzed using genomic and proteomic based techniques for confirmatory identification of biological threat agents. ECBC will use the information submitted from this RFI to identify potential collaborators that have expertise in biological sample processing, automation, and miniaturization, including development of components or of whole sample processing systems. The Government's objective for this RFI is to identify potential participants in the development of the UBSPS and interface it with available biological early warning technologies. The Government's current acquisition strategy is for industry and/or academic partners to develop, integrate and produce an automated UBSPS, from which purified nucleic acids and peptides can feed into commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) genomic and proteomic analyses technologies. BACKGROUND. US Army Edgewood Chemical Biological Center (ECBC) has been pursuing development of an automated sample processing systems for various applications. Many different biological sample processing methods are currently available; however, these methods suffer from significant deficiencies and provide targeted analysis that reduces or eliminates their utility in a real-world setting. For confirmatory identification of biological threat agents collected from various biological early warning technologies, an automated, universal biological sample processing system is needed that can simultaneously isolate and purify nucleic acids and prepare proteins for downstream analyses. ECBC is seeking to partner with industry and/or academia to fill this gap by combining the latest developments in biological sample preparation, automation, miniaturization, and integration techniques. 1. TECHNOLOGY REVIEW DESCRIPTION. Based on the information provided in response to this RFI, the Government may enter into a collaboration agreement with industrial and/or academic partners. This collaborative agreement will encompass the validation of currently developed modules, if any, leverage the capabilities of partner(s) to develop and integrate the described components into a UBSPS. In response to this RFI, the Government encourages respondents to provide performance characteristics and supporting data for technologies developed for automated, miniaturized biological sample preparation of nucleic acids and/or proteins. 2. INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPONDENTS. a. CONTENT. At a minimum, responses to this RFI should include: i. Intention to participate - NOTE: Personnel wishing to participate at Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG), Edgewood Chemical Biological Center (ECBC) shall be a U.S. citizens or permanent resident aliens. ii. Information regarding the development of automated, miniaturized biological sample preparation technologies. iii. Information regarding approach to develop automated, miniaturized biological sample processing module. iv. If discussed, information regarding biological sample processing system (see Attachment I section 2.3.2 for more information). v. System specification and dimensions, if available. vi. System power requirements, if available. vii. Environmental operating requirements, if available. b. FORMAT i. Submission. Respondents are encouraged to prepare a response that closely adheres to the following format: All responses shall be considered UNCLASSIFIED. The document format shall be created in either Microsoft Word (.doc or.docx) or Adobe PDF format. Responses shall be prepared using 12 pt. font, 1 inch margins, and 8.5 inch by 11 inch sized paper and shall NOT exceed five (5) pages in total length excluding images, data displays, charts, graphs, and/or tables. Each respondent shall submit an electronic copy via email to Ms. Antoinette Aquiningoc, Contract Specialist, at the following e-mail address: antoinette.r.aquiningoc.civ@mail.mil. Information or data that is too large to attach in an e-mail should be provided by paper hardcopy and/or disks to Mr. Rabih Jabbour. Please submit all hard copy RFIs and/or disks to the following mailing address: U.S. Army Research Development and Enginnering Command (RDECOM) Edgewood Chemical Biological Center (ECBC) ATTN: RDCB-DRD-D (Mr. Rabih E. Jabbour) 5183 Blackhawk Road Bldg E3160 Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD 21010-5424 It is important to note that ALL disk submissions shall be in formats compatible with Microsoft Windows 7 Enterprise operating system and be created, as appropriate, in Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint, and Adobe PDF. All information must be provided by the due date, 30 September 2015, and may also be sent via courier service, hand delivered, or mailed as a hard copy file to Mr. Rabih Jabbour at the mailing address listed above or emailed to Ms. Antoinette Aquiningoc for review. ii. Disclaimer and Important Notes. This RFI does NOT constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP), Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) or a promise to issue a RFP. The Government will NOT pay for costs associated with developing a response to this RFI, nor does this RFI commit the Government to enter into any contractual agreement. The Government reserves the right to use the 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 organizations' capabilities and ability to meet the Government's requirement. Respondents are advised that the Government is under NO obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received nor is the Government obigated to provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted for review. Although it is highly encouraged, not responding to this RFI does not preclude participation in any future solicitations. The information provided in this RFI is subject to change and is NOT in any way binding on the Government. All submissions become the property of the U.S. Government and will not be returned. Proprietary, confidential, privileged commercial or financial information submitted in the RFI response should be marked accordingly to ensure appropriate handling and disposition by the Government. No CLASSIFIED information shall be submitted in the RFI response. Only Government personnel will have access to the information marked as proprietary. iii. Responses. All responses should be submitted as indicated above, and at a minimum include the following information: 1. RFI Title 2. Company Name and/or Academic Institution Name 3. Address 4. Telephone Number 5. Website Address (if available) 6. Type of Business 7. Large or Small Business Size 8. DUNS Number 9. Cage Code 10. Facility Clearance (Yes or No) 11. Annotated as an INFORMATION PAPER addressing the areas of interest listed in the RFI 12. Include any brochures, published technical specifications, and third party performance verification 13. Indicate whether your business is officially classified as any one or more of the following: Small Business (including Alaska Nature Corporation and Indian tribe)(SB), Veteran-Owned Small Business (VOSB), Service Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), HUBzone Small Business (HSB), Small Disadvantaged Business (including Alaska Native Corporation and Indian tribes)(SDB), Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB), or a Large Business (LB) 14. Point of Contact (POC) - An authorized POC's Name, Telephone Number, and e-mail address should be included in the respondents RFI submission. The POC should have authority and knowledge of the information submitted in the RFI, and be able to clarify responses provided with an official Government representative. 3. DUE DATE: Submissions are due No Later Than (NLT) than 4:00 p.m., Eastern Standard Time (EST), 30 September 2015. Please note that telephonic inquiries will NOT be accepted. 4. The Primary Point of Contact (POC) for this RFI: Ms. Antoinette Aquiningoc, Contract Specialist, at e-mail address: antoinette.r.aquiningoc.civ@mail.mil U.S. Army Contracting Command - Aberdeen Proving Ground (ACC-APG) Edgewood Contracting Division (ECD), ATTN: CCAP-SCE (Ms. Antoinette Aquiningoc) Bldg E4215 Austin Road Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD 21010-5401 ATTACHMENT 1 Request for Information (RFI) Universal Biological Sample Processing System (UBSPS) Document 1.0 SCOPE This document defines the component requirements for the development of an automated Universal Biological Sample Processing System (UBSPS). The purpose of this document is to provide the sample processing parameters required for the development of the UBSPS. However, it should also be noted that this document does NOT limit any suggestions and/or modifications submitted by potential respondents to this RFI. 1.1 BACKGROUND 1.2 The Edgewood Chemical Biological Center (ECBC) is planning to develop an Automated Universal Biological Sample Processing System (UBSPS) for confirmatory identification of biological threat agents. The Joint Project Manager Nuclear Biological Chemical and Contamination Avoidance (JPMNBC-CA) intends to use the sample processing system interfaced with their identification technologies for pathogen identification. Reference Documents - NONE. 2.0 SYSTEM CHARACTERISTICS 2.1 Biological Sample Processing Components: 2.1.1 Lysis Module: Utilize lysis technique that can be automated, miniaturized and capable of releasing cellular nucleic acids and proteins. 2.1.2 Separation and Filtration Module: This module should be capable of providing separation of cellular nucleic acids and proteins while filtering out cellular debris and interference components. This module may be comprised of, but not limited to, immune-affinity separation and size exclusion techniques. 2.1.3 Preconcentration and Enzymatic Cleavage: Pre-concentrated nucleic and proteins should be separated and pre-concentrated either by the immune-affinity module above or by new components. Proteins should be diverted to an online trypsin digestion column to produce peptides suitable for LC-tandem MS (MS-MS) based identification techniques, while the isolated nucleic acids could be interfaced for down-stream analysis with fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH), PCR, etc. 2.2 Automation of the Biological Sample Processing Components: 2.2.1 Module Automation: The UBSPS modules once developed and evaluated need to be automated and synchronized using circuit logic that can be programmed and operated in a user-friendly format. 2.2.2 Evaluation of Module Automation: The automated UBSPS will be evaluated using prepared bacterial, viral and toxin samples to determine its efficiency. The performance efficiency can be compared with the offline evaluation of its modules prior to automation. Improvement will be executed based on the automation performance evaluation. 2.3 Integration of the Biological Sample Processing Components: 2.3.1 System Integration: The UBSPS should be integrated with analysis techniques such as PCR and mass spectrometry. Integration should adhere to requirements of the analysis system in terms of physical properties and operation conditions. The integration parameters will be defined to meet the TACTICAL requirements for interface with fieldable genomic and proteomic technologies. Then, an exercise shoot-off with the participants using ECBC's PROCESSED SAMPLES will be implemented to evaluate potential performance of integrated UBSPS. The portability of the UBSPS should be considered for TACTICAL settings. Power requirements for the operation of the integrated UBSPS will be determined.
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/notices/52e1dc03b0b80a2011175dfcd7917c35)
- Place of Performance
- Address: ACC-APG - Edgewood ATTN: AMSSB-ACC-E, 5183 Blackhawk Road Aberdeen Proving Ground MD
- Zip Code: 21010-5424
- Zip Code: 21010-5424
- Record
- SN03815728-W 20150731/150730000327-52e1dc03b0b80a2011175dfcd7917c35 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
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