SOLICITATION NOTICE
66 -- Dragonfly Liquid Handling Robot
- Notice Date
- 9/24/2015
- Notice Type
- Presolicitation
- NAICS
- 334516
— Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing
- Contracting Office
- Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, Rockledge Dr. Bethesda, MD, Office of Acquisitions, 6701 Rockledge Dr RKL2/6100 MSC 7902, Bethesda, Maryland, 20892-7902
- ZIP Code
- 20892-7902
- Solicitation Number
- NHLBI-CSB-(HL)-2015-259-JML
- Archive Date
- 10/14/2015
- Point of Contact
- Jonathan M. Lear,
- E-Mail Address
-
learj@nhlbi.nih.gov
(learj@nhlbi.nih.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- INTRODUCTION THIS IS A PRE-SOLICITATION NON-COMPETITIVE (NOTICE OF INTENT) SYNOPSIS TO AWARD A PURCHASE ORDER WITHOUT PROVIDING FOR FULL OR OPEN COMPETITION. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), Office of Acquisitions (OA), intends to negotiate and award a purchase order on a noncompetitive sole source basis to TTP Labtech, LTD to provide the Dragonfly Liquid Handling Robot to the NHLBI Division of Intramural Research (DIR) in accordance with the following information. BACKGROUND To further the mission of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which is to "seek fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living", the Biochemistry and Biophysics Center (BBC) of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) in the Division of Intramural Research (DIR) seeks to understand the atomic basis of function of nucleic acids and proteins involved in human health and disease. The principal technique employed for this is X-ray crystallography. This technique requires that the nucleic acid or protein be crystallized, a process which typically requires hundreds of thousands of nanoliter-scale optimization experiments per macromolecule. The advent of dedicated robotic liquid handling has revolutionized crystallography. The Biochemistry and Biophysics Center has been equipped with state-of-the-art crystallization robots (the "Mosquito" from TTP LabTech); however, the preparation of biochemical solutions needed to feed into the "Mosquito" robots has been performed by hand, and has consumed a large amount of the time of highly trained researchers in the group (upwards to 50% of the time). Therefore, in order to automate and streamline this rate-limiting step in macromolecular crystallization, a dedicated solution preparation robot that interfaces with the pre-existing "Mosquito" robots is needed. The Biochemistry and Biophysics Center has carried out extensive tests of the "Dragonfly" solution preparation robot, which indicate that its acquisition will dramatically accelerate crystallization optimization in the laboratory. PURPOSE The Biochemistry and Biophysics Center seeks to purchase a dedicated solution preparation robot, or Liquid Handling Robot, that interfaces with the pre-existing Mosquito robots in order to automate and streamline macromolecular crystallization. CONTRACTOR REQUIREMENTS The contractor shall provide the following: -10-Head Dragonfly with Syringes and Reservoirs (Qty. 1) -Dragonfly Software License (Qty. 1) -MX - One Mixer with Pack of 4 MX one Pin Arrays (short, 96 well) (Qty. 1) DELIVERY DATE The delivery date shall be thirty (30) days after receipt of the award. JUSTIFICATION The sole source determination is based on the fact that the Biochemistry and Biophysics Center has been equipped with state-of-the-art crystallization robots (the "Mosquito" from TTP LabTech) since 2011, and has developed hundreds of protocols that rely on the specific technical characteristics of these instruments. The TTP LabTech "Dragonfly" robot is uniquely capable of interfacing with the pre-existing "Mosquito" robots by using common software and hardware functions. Importantly, the "Dragonfly" robot will allow automation of protocols already developed in the laboratory that use the "Mosquito" robots. While there are many robotic solution preparation platforms available, the "Dragonfly" from TPP LabTech has three unique technical characteristics that are essential for the work performed in the Biochemistry and Biophysics Center. (1) Use of disposable, sterile plastic ware in all surfaces that touch solutions. This is essential because work in this laboratory centers on RNA, a type of nucleic acid that is extremely susceptible to contaminants present in human skin. Use of disposable plastic ware in all wetted surfaces avoids contamination that is very difficult or impossible to control in all other instruments, which rely on washing their built-in wetted surfaces. (2) Five microliter or less dead volume. Many stock solutions used in macromolecular crystallization are very expensive. It is important that there be minimal dead-volume in the liquid handling heads. The positive-displacement pipetting on which the "Dragonfly" relies, together with its sector-shaped liquid receptacles, allows for industry-leading minimal dead volumes. Other robotic platforms, which rely on aspiration or microfluidics, suffer from dead volumes that are tens or hundreds of times larger. (3) Ability to accurately dispense microliter volumes of high-viscosity solutions. Many crystallization solutions employ macromolecular precipitants, and have very high viscosity. Only solution handling robots designed for crystallization solution preparation have the ability to dispense such solutions in nanoliter to microliter scales with high precision and accuracy. REGULATORY AUTHORITY This acquisition is conducted under the authority of the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) Subpart 13.106-1(b) Soliciting from a single source (for purchases not exceeding the simplified acquisition threshold) and only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code is 334516, Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing, and the Small Business Size Standard is 500. This acquisition is being conducted under FAR Part 13, Simplified Acquisition Procedures, therefore the requirements of FAR Part 6, Competitive Requirements, are not applicable and the resultant award will include all applicable provisions and clauses in effect through the Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 05-84 (September 3, 2015). This synopsis is not a request for competitive proposals. However, interested parties may identify their interest and capability to respond 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: unit price, list price, shipping and handling costs, the delivery period after contract award, the prompt payment discount terms, the F.O.B. Point (Destination or Origin), the Dun & Bradstreet Number (DUNS), 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. 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 must be received by September 29, 2015 at 12:00pm EST and must reference synopsis number NHLBI-CSB-(HL)-2015-259-JML. Responses shall be submitted to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, Office of Acquisitions, COAC Services Branch, 6701 Rockledge Drive, Room 6151, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-7902, Attention: Jonathan M. Lear. Responses may be submitted electronically to john.lear@nih.gov. Faxes will not be accepted. Responses will only be accepted if dated and signed by an authorized company representative. "All responsible sources may submit a bid, proposal, or quotation which shall be considered by the agency."
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/HHS/NIH/NHLBI/NHLBI-CSB-(HL)-2015-259-JML/listing.html)
- Place of Performance
- Address: National Institutes of Health / NHLBI, Bethesda, Maryland, 20892, United States
- Zip Code: 20892
- Zip Code: 20892
- Record
- SN03901693-W 20150926/150924235319-6a7094d0494cbf688d6b4a4102f6446f (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
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