Active

Contract Opportunity

Shipping of Donor Screening Samples

• Product Service Code: V999-Transportation/travel/relocation- Other


• NAICS Code: 492110- Couriers and Express Delivery Services


• Place of Performance:
  
  National Institutes of Health
  
  Clinical Center
  
  10 Center Drive
  
  Building 10, Room TBD
  
  Bethesda, MD 20892

POTS: 24-006497

Description: This is a notice of intent, not a request for a quotation. A solicitation document will not be issued, and quotations will not be requested.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH), Office of Purchasing and Contracts (OPC) on behalf of the Center for Cellular Engineering (CCE), Clinical Center (CC) intends to award a one-year firm-fixed price sole source contract to MNX Global Logistics located in Long Beach, CA 90815-1273 for courier and express delivery services.

The Department of Transfusion Medicine (DTM) collects donor products (Whole blood, Platelets, Cellular therapy products). These products require testing in order to be transfused into patients for life saving needs. This testing is required by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and must be performed within a short time frame. These samples also must be maintained under specific shipping sample suitability requirements therefore the samples must be received at the testing facility within a specified timeframe which includes shipping 7 days per week with a guaranteed overnight delivery.

MNX Global Logistics is the only known source capable of providing delivery services that provides a comprehensive delivery management system (On line scheduling of the shipment 7 days per week, ability to pick up the box from our specific locations at specified time frames from either the Transfusion-Transmitted Viruses Laboratory in the Department of Transfusion Medicine or the platelet center at Fishers lane, scheduling the flight which can be at any of the local airports depending on the timeframe, courier service to the cargo area of the airline, and then tracking and performing notifications of the flights to ensure package arrives at its destination a the Tampa Airport where it is picked up by the CTS Courier service).

The samples require guaranteed overnight delivery, including Fridays, Saturdays, or holidays, which most courier services cannot guarantee. In order for these critical blood products to be transfused as life saving measures, they must be tested in the required timeframe for infectious disease markers and the results must be available prior to using the blood product. Some blood products (granulocytes, platelets etc.) have a very short life span and the testing must be completed in a very short time frame for the product to be transfused. This requires shipments that can be guaranteed for delivery overnight so that the testing facility can provide the required testing in the required time frame. Also, the samples have sample suitability requirements for timeframes for storage and shipping. If the samples do not get to the testing facility within the required timeframe and within a suitable condition, the donor products affiliated with these samples collected must be discarded and not used as a life saving measure which has a direct impact to patient care and potential death.

There are no other known delivery sources capable of providing guarantee overnight delivery for Friday shipments nor will they pick-up or deliver shipments on Saturdays or holidays. Because of the critical nature of these samples (as stated above for the sample suitability and required testing of the requested services. MNX is the only known reliable provider that can perform the services.

MNX Global Logistics will provide guaranteed overnight transport service of the donor samples collected in the NIH Department of Transfusion Medicine donor center to Creative testing solutions in Tampa Florida daily and on an as needed basis. This requires organizing the flight for the shipment in order to get to CTS guaranteed overnight (within 12 hours), picking up the box for shipment at the requested time from DTM, delivering the box to the airport to the correct airline, monitoring the shipment to ensure delivery of shipment and notifying DTM of any issues with shipment.

The contractor shall provide donor sample shipments requiring guaranteed overnight delivery, Monday-Saturday or on an Ad-Hoc basis. Blood products that are to be used for Transfusion as life saving measures must be tested for infectious disease markers and the results must be available prior to using the blood product. Some blood products (granulocytes, platelets etc.) have a very short life span and the testing must be completed in a very short time frame in order for the product to be transfused. Due to these requirements, it is essential that shipments can be guaranteed for delivery overnight so that the testing facility can provide the required testing in the required time frame. Also, the samples have sample suitability requirements for timeframes for storage and shipping. If the samples are not received at the testing facility within the required timeframe and within a suitable condition, the donor products affiliated with these samples collected must be discarded and not used which has a direct impact on patient care. The contractor shall have a plan to ensure no delay or stoppage of services.

• Shipments will be picked up from these locations within 30 minutes of the time documented on the website or by phone as to when the shipment will be ready.


• The vendor will notify ordering site of any courier delays and time of resolution of those delays in a timely manner to resolve the delays.


• The courier must notify sending facility of any courier delays. This can be done via the contractor however the contractor must notify the sending facility of delay ASAP so that resolution of the delay can occur.


• If there is a courier delay that requires a replacement courier to be dispatched, the vendor must notify the sending facility as soon as possible so that resolution of the delay can occur.

Shipping Requirement:

• The Vendor will notify Transfusion-Transmitted Viruses Laboratory of the expected shipment arrival or delay.


• Email notifications for updates on the shipment including changes, pickup, delivery.


• Phone calls to the phone numbers provided of delays.


• The vendor will notify Transfusion-Transmitted Viruses Laboratory of the arrival of the shipment at the end destination.


• Shipments will be delivered to:

Creative Testing Solutions

10100 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St. North

St. Petersburg, Florida 33716

The shipment will most often be labeled as “HOLD FOR PICKUP At Tampa” as the CTS courier will pick up the box from the airport and deliver to the end destination:

• Shipments to other destinations will be done on an Ad-Hoc basis.


• Shipments to Fort Detrick will be delivered to:

NIAID Integrated Research Facility

8200 Research Plaza

Fort Detrick, MD 21702

This acquisition is being conducted using policies unique to the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 13 – Simplified Acquisition Procedures, Subpart 13.106-1(b)(1), For purchases not exceeding the simplified acquisition threshold (SAT), contracting officers may solicit from one source if the contracting officer determines that the circumstance of the contract action deem only one source reasonably available. Contracts awarded using FAR Part 13-Simplified Acquisition Procedures are exempt from the requirements of FAR Part 6-Competition Requirements.

Interested parties may identify their interest and capabilities in response to this posting. The determination by the Government not to compete the proposed requirement based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government.

Comments to this announcement, referencing this posting number, may be submitted to the CC, Office of Purchasing and Contracts, prior to the closing date specified in this announcement, electronically to the attention of Sheri Eiri, Contract Specialist, sheri.eiri.nih.gov by the due date April 1, 2024 and time marked in this notice.

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