BD FACSDiscover™ S8 Cell Sorter

Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)

National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Office of Logistics and Acquisition Operations (OLAO)

For:

National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)

Division of Intramural Research (DIR)

Combined Technical Research Core (CTRC)

2. Action Being Announced

This is a notice of intent, and not a request for competitive quotations, proposals, or bids.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH), on behalf of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), intends to negotiate and award a firm-fixed-price sole source contract to:

Becton, Dickinson and Company / BD Biosciences

for the acquisition of one (1) BD FACSDiscover™ S8 Cell Sorter, including required configuration, delivery, installation, biosafety-compliant hood, and standard warranty coverage.

Project Number: PCA-NIDCR-01222

Project Title: BD FACSDiscover™ S8 Cell Sorter

3. Statutory Authority

The Government intends to award this requirement on a sole source basis pursuant to:

• 41 U.S.C. 3304(a)(1), as implemented by FAR 6.302-1, Only One Responsible Source and No Other Supplies or Services Will Satisfy Agency Requirements; and


• as applicable to this acquisition, 41 U.S.C. 1901 and FAR 13.501(a)(1)(ii).

This requirement will be processed as an open-market acquisition.

4. Description of Requirement

The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), Division of Intramural Research (DIR), Combined Technical Research Core (CTRC), requires the acquisition of a highly specialized commercial laboratory instrument to replace aging and end-of-life cell sorting instruments and to provide advanced capabilities necessary to support current and future NIH intramural research.

The required instrument must provide, at a minimum, the following capabilities:

1. Cell sorting capability for high-parameter research applications;


2. Spectral flow cytometry capability;


3. Integrated real-time imaging during acquisition and/or sorting;


4. Ability to analyze and sort cells based on fluorescence/spectral signatures, morphology, and image-derived parameters;


5. Support for rare-cell sorting;


6. Support for index sorting and plate sorting; and


7. A biosafety-compliant configuration suitable for sorting human cells in NIH research environments.

The anticipated delivery period is 60 to 90 days after award for delivery, installation, and acceptance. The acquisition includes a one-year warranty following installation and acceptance.