REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI): The U.S. Geological Survey is conducting a MARKET SURVEY to determine the interest and capability of any firm eligible to compete under NAICS codes 541511/511210 for an upcoming requirement for the Kansas Water Science Center. The Kansas Water Science Center requires a Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS). THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION. ALL COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH PROVIDING INFORMATION AS REQUESTED BY THIS REQUEST FOR INFORMATION SHALL BE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE CONTRACTOR. Submission is voluntary. A scope of work will be provided with any solicitation that may be issued. The Government is not required to issue a solicitation. Responses to this announcement are requested from (A) SBA certified Small Business HubZone firms; (B) Small Business firms certified by a Small Business Administration (SBA) district or regional office for participation in the 8(a) program; (C) Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned small Business firms; (D) Small Businesses; (E) Women Owned Small Businesses; and (F) Large Businesses. In response to this announcement, please indicate your firm's socioeconomic status (e.g. small business, service-disabled veteran-owned, women owned, HUBZone, etc.) This information will assist the Government in determining how small businesses can fit into the acquisition strategy. A firm is considered small under NAICS code 541511/511210 if its size standard in millions of dollars are $38,500,000 and $27,500,000 respectively. Any information submitted is voluntary. If sufficient interest and capability is not received from firms in categories (A) through (E) above, any solicitation may be issued as unrestricted without further consideration. All business concerns who believe they can responsibly perform this requirement should submit the following information to the contracting officer no later than 1500 ET Friday, August 11th. via e-mail to:
[email protected]. Technical Requirements 1. The reception and log in of samples and their associated customer data a. Must be able to log in samples (currently using Microsoft Access, but this platform can change) and upload supporting information (able to receive scanned paper copies) such as Analytical Service Request forms for an estimated 5,000-10,000 per year. b. Use of barcodes to track location of samples which involves assigning the sample to a freezer location. 2. The assignment, scheduling, and tracking of samples a. Event tracking of samples through its lifecycle; estimated 2,000 at any given time. Samples are logged in to database and assigned a unique ID number, samples added to queues for preparation and analysis, samples put on instruments, data analyzed, data results exported to excel and/or uploaded to USGS online database. b. Organize work load assignments and employee training for up to 15 employees. Multiple user interface capability needed. 3. The processing and quality control associated with the sample a. Must be able to import instrument files or to extract data for quality control assessment of the operation on the sample or import excel or *.csv files to re-quantitate instrument data by standard addition. Current analytical software includes Waters Corporation QuanLynx, AB Sciex MultiQuant, and Agilent MassHunter. b. Schedule maintenance and calibration of lab instruments (estimated at 5 LC/MS/MS systems) and keep detailed records of such events. c. Provide one location for all laboratory process and procedures (SOPs) and methodology to be housed and managed as well as connecting each sample handling step with the current instructions for performing the operation. 4. The retrieval and storage of data associated with the sample analysis a. Data currently stored in present Access database needs to be transferred to the new system. b. Provide fast and reliable interfaces for data to be entered by a human or electronic component. c. Must be able to generate customizable reports of final data 5. The inspection, approval, and compilation of the sample data for reporting 6. Training on use of LIMS must be included in the proposal. 7. Warranty and maintenance information to be included. Company must have an acceptable on-site response time and customer support available for troubleshooting. This is NOT a Request for Proposal (RFP) or Invitation for Bid (IFB) and does not constitute any commitment by the Government. Responses to this sources sought notice will be used by the Government to make appropriate acquisition decisions. All interested sources must respond to future solicitation announcements separately from responses to this market survey. Any solicitation that may be issued will be posted on the Federal Business Opportunities website and no paper copies will be provided. If a solicitation is released, in order to receive an award your company must have a DUNs number and be registered on-line at the System for Award Management (SAM). You will also be required to provide your small business status information either via the RFP or the On-line Representations and Certifications (ORCA) also located at the SAM website before an award to your company can be made. Your on-line ORCA registration will cover any/all of your offers to the Federal Government, and only needs updated annually.