65--Sources Sought Synopsis/Notice of Intent to Award a Sole Source Order to Meso Scale Defense.

The Army Contracting Command - Aberdeen Proving Ground (ACC-APG) is issuing this sources sought synopsis as a means of conducting market research to identify parties having an interest in and the resources to support this requirement for custom test kit assays for the detection of biological agents. The applicable North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code assigned to this procurement is 325413. The test kit assays are required for fourteen (14) target agents: Bacillus anthracis, Francisella tularensis, Yersinia pestis, Vaccinia virus, Brucella sp., Coxiella burnetti, Staphylococcal enterotoxin B, Ebola virus, Botulinum A/B toxin, Ricin, Abrin, Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis (VEE), shiga-like toxin 1 and shiga-like toxin 2. THERE IS NO SOLICITATION AT THIS TIME. This request for capability information does not constitute a request for proposals; submission of any information in response to this market survey is purely voluntary; the government assumes no financial responsibility for any costs incurred. As of the date of this posting, the Government anticipates fulfilling these requirements by awarding a sole source purchase order to Meso Scale Defense (MSD) under the simplified acquisition procedures authorized by the Commercial Item Test Program in FAR 13.5. Preliminary market research has revealed that MSD is the only source that manufactures reagent assays that can be used to detect biological warfare agents using electrochemiluminescent (ECL) technology. The requiring activity currently conducts testing using a Government-owned ECL platform, so all reagent test kit assays procured need to be approved for compatibility and use with that platform. The results of this market research will contribute to determining the method of procurement. If your organization has the potential capacity to fulfill this requirement with ECL-technology compatible biological test kit assays, please provide the following information: 1) Organization name, address, email address, Web site address, telephone number, and size and type of ownership for the organization; and 2) Tailored capability statements addressing the particulars of this effort, with appropriate documentation supporting claims of organizational and staff capability. The government will evaluate market information to ascertain potential market capacity to: 1) fulfill this requirement by supplying test kits consistent, in scope and scale, with those described in this notice; and 2) secure and apply the full range of corporate financial, human capital, and technical resources required to successfully perform similar requirements. Telephone inquiries will not be accepted or acknowledged, and no feedback or evaluations will be provided to companies regarding their submissions. Submission Instructions: Interested parties who consider themselves qualified to fulfill these requirements are hereby invited to submit a response to this Sources Sought Notice no later than 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time, 17 August 2015. All responses under this Sources Sought Notice must be emailed to the Contracting Officer, Kirstin Hazlewood, at less than [email protected] greater than . If you have any questions concerning this opportunity please contact the Contracting Officer. TELEPHONE REQUESTS WILL NOT BE HONORED.