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NOTE: THIS POSTING/SOLICITATION HAS BEEN CANCELED.

This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in FAR 12.6 as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation and a separate written solicitation will not be issued. This solicitation number is NICHD-23-162 and is issued as a Request for Quotation (RFQ). The solicitation/contract will include all applicable provisions and clauses in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2023-03. The North American Industry Classification (NAICS) Code is 811210 and the business size standard is $30m. However, this solicitation is not set aside for small business. This acquisition is being conducted using Simplified Acquisition Procedures in accordance with FAR Part 13. Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) intends to contract on a sole source basis with Illumina Inc., 5200 Illumina Way, San Diego, CA 92122 to procure a Fixed Priced One-Year Silver Support Plan (coverage period 6/01/2023-5/31/24) for the following Illumina equipment:

NextSeq® 500 Sequencing system

Catalog# 20019986

Silver Support plan to include full coverage for parts, labor and travel; Reagent/kits replacement upon Hardware failures, 1PM; Remote Technical Support 18x5; Service technician/personal shall acknowledge repair request w/in twenty-four business hours, 2 business days on-site response target. Control hardware/software updates: On-site applications support; discounted advanced application training, Field Application Scientist Support - Standard on-site support coverage hours/days (M-F, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, excluding national holidays), phone support 5 x 18 M-F, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, pst and 5x24 email access to Technical Support. Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) certified replacement parts- Loaner Equipment: Illumina loaner instruments are only provided to customers under an active Illumina Service Contract. Illumina does not provide any third-party providers access to loaner or replacement equipment. Hardware/Software updates - Any upgrades to hardware or software that are released by Illumina will not incur an additional charge for instruments if covered under an active Illumina Service Coverage, will not cover under third party vendors.

All detection technology that relies on lasers and capillary flow to generate data requires regular maintenance to keep the lasers aligned, the flow tubes clear, and the system calibrated for maximum accuracy. This is true for FACs machines, genomic sequencers, gas chromatography machines, cell counters, and cell sorters, to name a few. Although the underlying concept is the same, each machine is unique in the technological application of it, and therefore none of these tasks can be completed by individuals who have not been certified by the equipment manufacturer to maintain those specific machines. In order to keep these machines in working order and maintain the accuracy of data required for professional scientific scrutiny, a maintenance contract with a certified vendor is required.

Illumina is the sole provider of service for the NextSeq®500. Only Illumina, Inc. has technical service representatives who receive comprehensive and on-going factory training and regular technical updates. Illumina does not offer this training to anyone outside of their personnel

resources. Illumina has not authorized any third-party intermediary to provide Illumina products or services for this particular transaction and is thereby the only supplier of Illumina services for this transaction with the National Institutes of Health NICHD. Also, they have direct access to original equipment manufacturer’s parts and specialized parts to help maintain the NextSeq 500 in optimal condition. Thus, timely service is crucial in the functioning of the NextSeq. The NextSeq is mission critical for the scientific experiments undertaken in the NICHD laboratories. Acquisition of a service contract offering from other entities/third parties’ providers can lead to substantive problems getting timely service engineer dispatched and can lead to down times on devices. NIH is a research organization where critical experiments require many weeks of tissue culture preparations and in animal breeding programs, etc., thus such delays will impose a large financial burden on research laboratories which are hurting for research funds in the first place. Waste of experimental reagents, animals and human resources are the biggest problem in addition to reduction in research productivities.

The proposed contract action is for supplies or services for which the Government intends to solicit and negotiate with only one source under authority of the 41 U.S.C. 253(c) (1), FAR 6.302. This notice of intent is not a request for competitive quotations. The offeror must include a completed copy of the provision of FAR Clause 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications – Commercial Items with its offer. The provisions of FAR Clause 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors – Commercial Items; FAR Clause 52.212-2, Evaluation – Commercial Items; FAR Clause 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions – Commercial Items; and FAR 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders – Commercial Items – Deviation for Simplified Acquisitions applies to this acquisition. Note: The contractor/offeror must provide a completed copy of FAR 52.204-24, "Representation Regarding Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment" with their quote in response to this solicitation. The offeror must include their Unique Entity Identifier Number (UEI), the Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN), and the certification of business size. The clauses are available in full text at http://www.acquisition.gov/far/. Responses to this notice shall contain sufficient information to establish the interested parties’ bona-fide capabilities for fulfilling the requirements. Offers must include a signed agreement with Illumina authorizing that you can provide all the needed services and support as per the solicitation for the NextSeq® 500 Sequencing system, use original manufacture parts, use Illumina/OEM certified trained technicians, and maintain existing warranties, etc. Offerors must also include past performance providing the same service for the NextSeq® 500 Sequencing system including contract value, period of performance and points of contacts. Interested vendors capable of furnishing the government with the services and products specified in this synopsis should submit a copy of their quotation via email to robinsti@mail.nih.gov. Attn: Tina Robinson. Offers must also be accompanied by descriptive literature, warranties and other information that demonstrates that the offer meets all the foregoing requirements. Quotations/Offers are due prior to/no later than June 5, 2023, by noon/12:00 EDT. via email. Quotation must reference “Solicitation number NICHD-23-162. Any questions must be sent via email to robinsti@mail.nih.gov and must include solicitation# NICHD-23-162 in the subject line of email.

Note: In order to receive an award, contractor must be registered and have a valid certification for all awards in the SAM database @www.sam.gov.