Description
This is a Small Business Sources Sought Notice. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. The purpose of this notice is to obtain information regarding: (1) the availability and capability of qualified small business sources; (2) whether they are small businesses; HUBZone small businesses; service- disabled , veteran-owned small businesses; 8(a) small businesses; veteran-owned small businesses; woman-owned small businesses; or small disadvantaged businesses; and (3) their size classification relative to the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for the proposed acquisition. Your responses to the information requested will assist the Government in determining the appropriate acquisition method, including whether a set-aside is possible. An organization that is not considered a small business under the applicable NAICS code should not submit a response to this notice. The National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Library of Medicine (NLM) is conducting a market survey to help determine the availability and technical capability of qualified small businesses, veteran-owned small businesses and/or HUBZone small businesses capable of serving the needs identified below. This Sources Sought Notice is for informational and planning purposes only and shall not be construed as a solicitation or as an obligation or commitment by the Government. This notice is intended strictly for market research. BACKGROUND The National Library of Medicine (NLM) is the biomedical library of record for the United States. The Library has a Congressional mandate to preserve the biomedical literature. Dating from 1962, NLM (Building 38 on the NIH campus) is a complex, multi-level facility designed with foot-thick limestone walls surrounding over 50 miles of below-grade shelving and a collapsible roof designed to protect collections from possible Cold War threats. The Library's print collections include many items that would be difficult or impossible to replace in the event they were damaged beyond recovery in a disaster. Recovery and salvage of print originals in the event of a disaster is critical to the Library's mission. By definition, manuscripts are irreplaceable. Rare, historical and valuable printed medical works are likely to be irreplaceable, or replaceable only at great cost. Replacement copies are also not widely available for modern medical texts, particularly those in highly specialized areas of research. The Library's media collections include: polyester and acetate microforms; acetate motion picture films; legacy photographic prints and slides; obsolete magnetic tape formats; and a variety of digital formats. NLM has an ongoing duplication program to migrate content from obsolete media and store originals offsite, but unprocessed historical items that remain on site pending processing may be irreplaceable. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this procurement is to obtain collection salvage and recovery services which are contingent on the magnitude of a disaster. It is anticipated that most emergency situations will result from water intrusion into the collection storage areas. PROJECT REQUIREMENTS: See attached draft statement of work. Anticipated Period of Performance The period of performance will be for one year from the date of award, with four (4) one-year option periods, if exercised. The anticipated award date is expected to be on or around September 2018. Other Important Considerations This Sources Sought Notice is not a Request for Quotes (RFQ), nor is an RFQ available. All responsible sources may submit a capability statement which will be considered by the National Library of Medicine. Interested firms responding to this Sources Sought Notice must adhere to the following: (a) Provide a capability statement demonstrating relevant experience, skills and ability to fulfill the Government's requirements for the above. The capability statement should contain enough sufficient detail for the Government to make an informed decision regarding your capabilities; however, the statement should not exceed 10 pages. (b) The capability statement must identify the responder's: small business type and size; DUNS number; NAICS code; and technical and administrative points of contact, including names, titles, addresses, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail addresses. (c) All capability statements must be submitted electronically no later than 12:00 p.m. local prevailing time on Friday July 6, 2018. NLM requires capability statements to be submitted electronically through the NLM Electronic Contract Proposal System (eCPS) using the following link: https://ecps.nih.gov All capability statements received via eCPS by Friday, July 6, 2018 at 12:00 p.m. local prevailing time will be considered by NLM. For directions on using eCPS, go to https://ecps.nih.gov and click on "How to Submit." NOTE: To submit your electronic capability statement using eCPS, all offerors must have a valid NIH External Directory Account, which provides authentication and serves as a vehicle for secure transmission of documents and communication with the NLM. The NIH External Directory Account registration process may take up to 24 hours to become active. Submission of proposals by facsimile or e-mail is not accepted. Firms interested in responding to this notice must be able to provide the professional services required by NLM outlined in the attached Statement of Work. The offeror shall include all information necessary to document and/or support the qualification criteria in one clearly marked section of its proposal. All responses from responsible sources will be considered. Disclaimer and Important Notes: This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in response. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine the organization's qualifications to perform the work. Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted. After a review of the responses received, a pre-solicitation synopsis and solicitation may be published in Federal Business Opportunities. However, responses to this notice will not be considered adequate responses to a solicitation. Confidentiality: No proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included in your response. The Government reserves the right to use any non-proprietary technical information in any resultant solicitation(s).