Notice of Intent to Sole Source – Thermal Manikin Upgrade

NOTICE OF INTENT TO SOLE SOURCE. This is not a request for competitive proposals/quotes. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), hereby announces its intent to issue a sole source order/contract to Thermetrics, LLC. The NAICS code for this acquisition is 334513, Instruments and Related Products Manufacturing for Measuring, Displaying, and Controlling Industrial Process Variables, with a size standard of 750 employees. The NIOSH The National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory (NPPTL), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), and Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) conducts testing of various personal protective equipment products and ensembles for the thermal properties and impact on human physiology. This testing can be done via simulation and the primary instrument used for this testing is the Newton Sweating Thermal Manikin. It is necessary to keep the Manikin in optimal condition and upgrade when available in order to produce the highest quality testing results within the shortest amount of time. The request is for a retrofitting of existing equipment that NPPTL owns to increase its capability. While the current system can effectively evaluate the thermal burden of entire PPE ensembles, it cannot accurately examine the impact of respiratory protection or other head worn protective equipment due to not having simulated breathing capability (a significant catalyst to thermal burden in respiratory protection use) and not having multiple measurement zones within the head to obtain fine grain information about thermal characteristics across the head independent of the whole body. This request is to retro fit our current system with these two specific capabilities. This upgrade to the system would allow NPPTL to understand the thermal burden of respirators and other head worn PPE very efficiently and without the need for human subjects testing. The Thermal Manikin System Upgrade will include the following: • Humidified Breathing Case • USB Cable • Computer • Power Cords • Interconnect Hoses • New head and face with up to 4 additional Zones (total of 6) A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed action will be based on responses to this notice and is solely in the discretion of the Contracting Officer. Information received will be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. All vendors must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) at www.sam.gov. This action is for services which the Government intends to solicit and negotiate with only one source under the authority of FAR 13.106-1(b) and 10 U.S.C. 2304(c)(1). Interested persons may identify their interest and capability to respond to the requirement or submit quotations. This is not a request for competitive quotations ; however, the Government will review any/all product, capabilities, and pricing information submitted prior to the closure of this notice. A determination by the government not to compete this proposed contract based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the government. Information received will normally be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. Any responses should be emailed to Stephanie Reid at [email protected] by JUN 22, 2023 at 1:00 P.M. ET .