NOTICE OF INTENT- AB Assurance Contract for ThermoFisher Ion Chef and Ion S5 Sequencing Systems, USDA, ARS, Florence, SC

Notice of Intent: The USDA, ARS, SEA intends to award a sole source procurement to Life Technologies Corporation, 5781 Van Allen Way, Carlsbad, CA 92008 as they are the sole source for these types of products/services pursuant to the authority of 41 U.S.C. 253(c)(l ) and FAR 13.106-1(b)(1)(i) Only One Responsible Source and No Other Supplies or Services Will Satisfy Agency Requirements.

The award will be to purchase the following product/services:

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Research Service, Coastal Plains Soil, Water, and Plant Research Center in Florence, SC has a requirement for AB Assurance Contract for ThermoFisher Ion Chef and Ion S5 Sequencing Systems (base plus 4 option years)

PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES:

The AB Assurance Program should include:

All parts, labor and travel for unlimited breakdowns (zone charges may apply). Two days response time for breakdowns (availability limited in some geographic areas). One Preventative Maintenance service visit per year. Digital remote support, and access to technical support (Mon-Fri, standard business hrs). Service providers must be certified/ certificate holders to service the warranted equipment.

Life Technologies/ThermoFisher is the sole manufacturer of the Ion Chef and Ion S5 systems and does not issue a letter of assurance nor provides manufacturer training certification to any third parties for servicing its manufactured instruments. In addition, ThermoFisher maintains intellectual property rights to its data collection software and service tool software and third parties are strictly prohibited and unauthorized to access or use the software.

The Government intends to award a firm fixed price Purchase Order on or around December 12, 2024. This Notice of lntent is not considered a Request for Quotation (RFQ) nor is it a Request for Proposals (RFP). No solicitation document is available, and telephone requests will not be honored. Interested persons may identify their interest and capability to respond to this requirement. A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed contract based on responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. The Government will consider all responses received by 12:00 PM central time, December 11, 2024. Information received will be considered solely for determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement.

Please reference sources sought notification 12405B25Q0029 in the subject line of all email correspondences.

Inquiries will only be accepted via email to the points of contact listed:

Place of Performance:

USDA, ARS, 2611 W Lucas St., Florence, SC 29501

Primary Point of Contact:

Shalunda S. Mix

Contract Specialist

shalunda.mix@usda.gov