Active

Contract Opportunity

Procurement Technical Assistance Centers (PTACs) are an official government contracting resource for small businesses. Find your local PTAC (opens in new window) for free government expertise related to contract opportunities.

Title: PECRB Laboratory Support Services

Notice Type: Sources Sought

Posted Date: December 21, 2022

Response Date: January 4, 2023

Sources Sought Notice No.: NICHD-23-046

Purpose for Announcement:

This is a Small Business Sources Sought (SBSS) notice. This notice is not a request for proposals and does not commit the Government to award a contract now or in the future. No solicitation is available at this time. The purpose of this notice is to obtain information regarding: (1) the availability and capability of all qualified small business sources; (2) whether they are small businesses; HUBZone Small Businesses; Service-disabled, Veteran owned Small Businesses; 8(a) Small Businesses; Veteran-owned Small Businesses; Woman-owned Small Businesses; or Small Disadvantaged Businesses; and (3) Their size classification according to the North American Industry Classification System, (NAICS) Code for the proposed acquisition. The requirement is assigned a code of 541990 in the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), and the small business size standard for such requirements is $17.0 million.

Background and Project Requirements:

The mission of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) is to conduct and support basic and clinical biomedical research and research training. The NIDDK is Congressionally mandated “to facilitate and enhance knowledge and understanding of diabetes, digestive diseases, kidney and urologic diseases, and nutritional disorders, including obesity on the part of health professionals, subjects, and the public through the effective dissemination of information.”

The Phoenix Epidemiology & Clinical Research Branch (PECRB), within the NIDDK Intramural Research Program, has a mission focused to determine the etiology of type 2 diabetes mellitus and obesity. The Branch is unique because it brings together scientists from diverse backgrounds to collaborate and applies the latest techniques in each discipline to solve a single problem. Using this approach, the Branch has made substantial progress in identifying the physiologic and genetic determinants of diabetes and its risk factors. In addition, researchers in the Branch have conducted several clinical trials to intervene in the natural history of this disease and to prevent the development of diabetes and its resulting severe complications. The goal of this research is to identify the causes of obesity and type 2 diabetes in humans for the purposes of improved prevention and treatment.

Capability statements submitted should demonstrate the Respondents’ qualifications and experience, specifically providing evidence as to their capability to perform this requirement, with particular attention to the following:

Biorepository:

• Ability to maintain PECRB biospecimen collection (approximately 450,000 samples) and acquire approximately 1,000 new samples per year to facilitate biospecimen utilization for new science and carefully controlled sharing across the research community for approved use.


• Ability to provide, logistics and personnel with the scientific and technical expertise to manage the PECRB biospecimen collection including the receipt, storage, processing, testing, distribution, and disposal of biospecimens.


• Provide appropriate infrastructure to support primary and back up facilities to house and maintain the PECRB biospecimens


• Provide key personnel with facilities management experience to maintain biorepository infrastructure and biospecimen collections


• Ability to provide the physical security and electronic systems to prevent access of biospecimens and data by unauthorized individuals as part of an Information Security Plan that addresses NIDDK IT Security Plan, IT Risk Assessment, and FIPS 199


• Ability to maintain a secure and validated electronic inventory system to manage the biospecimen inventory from time of receipt to its disposition. The Contractor shall use current Biological Specimen Inventory System (BSI-II) software (http://www.bsisystems.com) or a comparable software that can securely interface with NIDDK systems


• Ability to Integrate biological data and biospecimen metadata


• Ability to perform routine genetic and molecular services to include but not limited to processing biospecimens into molecular analytes for various downstream applications, creation of cell lines, and extracting DNA from whole blood in a highly efficient and cost-effective manner to maintain the integrity of the studies being supported


• Ability to maintain specific requirement for certifications including CAP- Biorepository Accreditation Program (BAP) accreditation, maintain ISO certification, and be cGMP compliant that adheres to the International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories (ISBER) best Practices for Biospecimen Repositories

Outpatient Clinic Support Services:

• Ability to provide, logistics, and administrative services in support of NIH research and development. Support shall include staffing to support PECRB personnel in conducting human subject research under IRB-approved clinical protocols


• Ability and experience to conduct outpatient visits for routine clinical assessments, sample collections, and health monitoring


• Ability to perform pharmacist services, including cataloguing, storage, dispensing, etc. of labelled tracers, non-narcotic drugs, crash cart meds, etc.


• Ability and experience to provide automated medication service for dispensing system that supports medication management, dispensing, and tracking (i.e.: Pyxis, Omnicell, or equivalent)


• Experience with medical bioengineering


• Ability to perform operating services including utilities, phone, internet access, and access to automated external defibrillator(s) and medical oxygen (emergency equipment)

Information Technology Services:

• LAN Closet Maintenance and LAN support (i.e.: redundant and diverse power, HVAC, network racks, secure access)


• Ability to provide cabling throughout the designated location for network connectivity, vertical fiber infrastructure and patching from patch panel to NIDDK network switch


• installed dedicated dark fiber connectivity from the site to the PECRB Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGEN) IT system


• Wi-Fi network services


• Phone/printing services


• Video teleconference capabilities


• Troubleshoot service outages

Metabolic Kitchen Services

• Ability and experience in providing metabolic kitchen services and staff access to kitchen facilities for the preparation and packaging of carefully controlled meals and snacks for human subjects enrolled in metabolic research studies. Service shall meet all food safety requirements and adhere to good medical practice for a clinical research setting


• Access to a Metabolic Quality Assurance Dietitian to assist with tracking the status of all metabolic diet orders

Environmental Health & Safety Services

Ability to maintain a safe workplace and comply with occupational health and safety rules and regulations operate in accordance with current acceptable standards as indicated by Federal, State, and Local government regulations, policies, and/or guidelines Code of Federal Regulation (CFR), International Air Transport Association (IATA), Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Guidelines, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), National Fire Protection Association (NFPA))

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 pre­solicitation and/or solicitation may be published in Sam.gov. However, responses to this notice will not be considered adequate responses to a solicitation. No award will be made as a result of this notice. The Government will NOT be responsible for any costs incurred by the respondents to this Notice. This notice is for information purposes only.

CONFIDENTIALITY: No proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included in your response. The government reserves the right to use any non­proprietary technical information in any resultant solicitation(s).

Responses:

Interested Small Businesses that believe they possess the capabilities necessary to undertake this project should submit an electronic copy of their capability statement addressing the areas listed above to the attention of Ms. Kerry-Ann Chisholm, Contract Specialist (mailto:kerry-ann.chisholm@nih.gov) and Ms. Kimesha Leake, Contracting Officer (mailto:kimesha.leake@nih.gov). Please state clearly in the subject line of the email that it is in response to the Sources Sought notice no. NICHD-23-046. Please limit responses to 10 pages or less, exclusive of resumes. Electronic capability statements should be received by the Contracting Officers by 12:00 PM Eastern time on January 4, 2023. Respondents must submit their capability statement via electronic submission only. Capability statements must identify the 1) organization name, address, point of contact, contact phone number, and email address; 2) Small Business status of the organization, NAICS code along with UEI number, size, and type of business (e.g., 8(a), HUBZone, etc.).

Attachments/Links