The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL) intends to award a contract on a sole source basis to Dartmouth College upon the basis of the authority provided at FAR 13.106-1(b)(1)(i). Dartmouth College provides the only accessible specialized laboratories capable of fulfilling the Government’s requirements in its entirety. This acquisition requires a laboratory located within fifty (50) miles of the ERDC-CRREL facility to provide repetitive laboratory access, allowing CRREL personnel to conduct ongoing and future research projects. Dartmouth College (within two miles) is the only laboratory offering fee-based usage and having the needed state of the art capabilities such as their molecular biology facilities, imaging facilities and the analyses of natural and built material constituent properties at multiple scales. Specifically, ERDC-CRREL requires repetitive laboratory access to Dartmouth College's available instrumentation and facilities to obtain orientation, training, and intermittent usage. Dartmouth College is the only local source reasonably capable of providing the necessary access to instruments, technologies, services, and expert consultation for ongoing current and future research projects on an as needed basis. Requirements : A multiyear Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) shall be established IAW FAR 13.303 to allow access to molecular biology facilities, imaging facilities and the analyses of natural and built material constituent properties at multiple scales. The facility must not exceed fifty (50) miles from CRREL’s Hanover, NH location. Dartmouth College, Geisel School of Medicine and Norris Cotton Cancer provide world-class facilities that meet these needs, to include the following shared resource and core laboratories: Biostatistics and Bioinformatics (BBISR); Genomics and Molecular Biology (GMBSR); Irradiation, Pre-clinical Imaging, and Microscopy (IPIM); Electron Microscope Facility; Immune Monitoring and Flow Cytometry (DartLab); Trace Element Analysis (TES); and Ice Research Laboratory. Dartmouth College shall provide the following: Certain short-run or single-instance instrument use may be performed by the contractor’s instrument managers (“staff-assisted use”). Such sessions shall be considered and organized on a case-by-case basis according to facility policy and standard operating procedures. The extent of assistance will be ascertained before analysis by agreement between the ERDC-CRREL PI and the Dartmouth College laboratory manager. Prior to allowing “self-use” access to specialized, sensitive, and expensive instruments, orientation and training may be required. Orientation shall occur on a mutually convenient schedule and shall follow a staff-assisted or orientation/training rate schedule. Orientation is intended to ensure the maintenance of integrity and operability of the instrument and to optimize the usefulness of the results by ensuring that the full capability of the instrument is utilized. Once orientation has been completed, the contractor shall consider allowing “self-use” access to instruments as need arises. Physical key or car access to instruments shall also be considered on a case-by-case basis. Scheduling of access times shall be according to facility policy and standard operation procedures. Required instrumentation may include, but is not limited to the following: DNA sequencing, fragment analysis, qPCR, Noanostring, CRISPR and microarray technologies in support of gene expression, epigenetic and whole genome profiling such as that provided by the Genomics and Molecular Biology and Biostatics and Bioinformatics shared resources (GMBSR and BBISR) at Dartmouth College’s Norris Cotton Cancer Center. Scanning and transmission electron microscopes, confocal microscopes, fluorescence and light microscopes and Raman spectrometers such as that provided by the Irradiation, Pre-clinical Imaging and Microscopy Shared Resource (IPIM) and the Electron Microscopy Facility at Dartmouth College’s Norris Cotton Cancer Center. Collision cell quadrupole and high resolution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometers, gas and liquid chromatographs, laser ablation spectrometers and flow cytometers such as those located in the Immune Monitoring and Flow Cytometry (DartLab) and Trace Element Analysis (TES) Shared Facilities at Dartmouth College’s Norris Cotton Cancer Center. Specialized equipment necessary to characterize the microstructure and the mechanical and electrical properties of ice and icy materials to include cold-rooms, uniaxial servo-hydraulic MTS testing machine, multiaxial testing system, in-pond servohydraulic compression frame, high speed camera, scanning electron microscope with cold-stage, scanning force microscope and scanning/tunneling microscope, x-ray diffractometer, Micro CT X-ray tomograph, transmission electron microscope, ice friction device and Rigsby stage such as that located in the Dartmouth Ice Research Laboratory The associated North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code is 541380, which has a size standard of $16,500,000. Please provide responses to this notice NLT 12:00 PM EST, 10 February 2021 to:
[email protected] Telephone responses will not be accepted. Responses to this notice will not be considered as a response to any solicitation, a request to be added to a prospective offerors list, or to receive a copy of any solicitation. A determination by the Government not to compete the contract based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Information received will be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. Note: In order to be eligible for award of a Government contract, vendors must be actively registered in the System for Award Management (SAM), have no active exclusions, and complete the FAR and DFARS representations and certifications.