High-Throughput Circular Dichroism for Analysis of Biotherapeutics

COMBINED SYNOPSIS/SOLICITATION 1333ND25QNB640442

High-Throughput Circular Dichroism for Analysis of Biotherapeutics

This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in FAR Subpart 12.6 – Streamlined Procedures for Evaluation and Solicitation for Commercial Items, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; quotations are being requested, and a separate written solicitation document will not be issued. This solicitation is being issued under the authority of FAR Part 13 Simplified Acquisition Procedures.

This solicitation is a Request for Quotations (RFQ).  The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2025-05 effective 8/7/2025.

The associated North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code for this procurement is 334516 with a small business size standard of 1,000 employees.  This acquisition is being procured as a Full and Open competition.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) requires High-Throughput Circular Dichroism for Analysis of Biotherapeutics in accordance with the attached Statement of Requirements.

FOB DESTINATION MEANS: The contractor shall pack and mark the shipment in conformance with carrier requirements, deliver the shipment in good order and condition to the point of delivery specified in the purchase order, be responsible for loss of and/or damage to the goods occurring before receipt and acceptance of the shipment by the consignee at the delivery point specified in the purchase order; and pay all charges to the specified point of delivery.

EVALUATION CRITERIA AND BASIS FOR AWARD

The Government intends to award a single purchase order resulting from this solicitation to the responsible Contractor whose quotation, conforming to the solicitation will be most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered. 

NIST intends to evaluate quotes and issue a contract based on the initial quotes received. Therefore, the Contractor’s initial quote should contain the Contractor’s best terms from a price and technical standpoint. NIST reserves the right to request revised quotes from, or negotiate final contract terms with, one or more, but not all, Contractors if later determined by the Contracting Officer to be necessary. 

In addition to price, the following factors shall be used to evaluate quotations:

1.         Technical Capability

2.         Past Performance

For the Evaluation of Technical Capability:

Evaluation of technical capability shall be based on the information provided in the quotation.  NIST will evaluate whether the offeror has demonstrated that its proposed equipment meets all minimum requirements. If an offeror does not indicate how its proposed equipment meets a certain minimum requirement, NIST will determine that it does not.

Stronger consideration will be given to the extent that the systems demonstrate the following attributes:

• Preference will be given to a CD instrument that directly measures the absorbance signal, not derived from the CD signal.

For the Evaluation of Past Performance:

Evaluation of past performance will be based on the references provided and/or the Contractor’s recent and relevant procurement history with NIST or its affiliates.  Past Performance will be evaluated to determine the overall quality of the product and service provided by the Contractor.  The Government will evaluate past performance based on Past Performance Surveys and by contacting appropriate references, including NIST references; if applicable.  The Government may also consider information available from other sources.  In the case of a Contractor without a record of relevant past performance or for whom information on past performance is not available, the Contractor will be evaluated neither favorably nor unfavorably.

For the Evaluation of Price: The quoted price will be evaluated to determine whether the quoted prices are reasonable in relation to the solicitation requirements. Prices must be entirely compatible with the technical portion of the quotation.

REQUIRED SUBMISSIONS

All Contractors shall submit the following:

1. For the purpose of evaluation of Technical Capability: Documentation that clearly demonstrates the quoted system’s ability to meet all required specifications, all requirements of all Line Items and FOB Destination shipping including the following:
   1. 1. Technical description or product literature for the quoted system. 
      2. Demonstration that the quoted system meets or exceeds each minimum requirement described in the statement of requirements by providing a citation to the relevant section of its technical description or additional information.
      3. For additional consideration information showing the CD instrument that directly measures the absorbance signal, not derived from the CD signal
2. For the purpose of Past Performance: Provide names and contact information of a minimum of 3 customers who have purchased within the past 5 years the instrument system (or closely related system), with preference for customer contacts who purchased the instrument identified in the Statement of Requirements.  The list of references should include, at a minimum:
   1. 1. Customer contact information for the reference cited;
      2. Contract value;
      3. A description of product provided which demonstrates its similarity to the subject requirements;
      4. The date of delivery.

1. For the purpose of Price: Contractors shall provide pricing for the following line items. All equipment must be new. Used or remanufactured equipment will not be considered for award:

BASE LINE ITEMS:

LINE ITEM 0001: (Quantity 1) High-Throughput Circular Dichroism for Analysis of Biotherapeutics inclusive of delivery, installation, training, and 1-year initial warranty, in accordance with the Statement of Requirements.

OPTION LINE ITEMS:

These line items will not be exercised at the time of award. They will be exercised in one-year increments at the Governments discretion:

LINE ITEM 0002: (Quantity 1 YR) Extended Warranty- Option Year 1 in accordance with the Statement of Requirements.

LINE ITEM 0003: (Quantity 1 YR) Extended Warranty- Option Year 2 in accordance with the Statement of Requirements.

LINE ITEM 0004: (Quantity 1 YR) Extended Warranty- Option Year 3 in accordance with the Statement of Requirements

LINE ITEM 0005: (Quantity 1 YR) Extended Warranty- Option Year 4 in accordance with the Statement of Requirements

1. A completed version of all required solicitation provisions (see attached provisions/clauses document – required submission highlighted)

1. Any award resulting from this solicitation will contain the following statement: “The Government’s terms and conditions, identified herein, shall be the prevailing terms and conditions governing this award. In the event of a conflict between the Government’s and contractor’s terms and conditions, the Government’s terms and conditions take precedence.”  If the Contractor objects to any of the terms and conditions contained in this solicitation, the contractor shall state “The terms and conditions in the solicitation are acceptable to be included in the award document with the exception, deletion, or addition of the following:” [Contractor shall list exception(s) and rationale for the exception(s)].  It is the sole responsibility of the Contractor to identify in their quote any exceptions to the terms and conditions of the solicitation.  If the contractor does not include such a statement, the submission of a quotation in response to this solicitation will be regarded as the Contractor’s acceptance of the Government’s terms and conditions for inclusion into the resultant purchase order as prevailing. 

1. Contractors shall provide an active Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) for the System for Award Management (SAM) registration.

1. If the Contractor’s representations and certifications do not reflect the NAICS code governing this solicitation, Contractors must submit documentation that they are a small business under the NAICS code governing this solicitation.

DUE DATE FOR QUOTATIONS

All quotations must be submitted via e-mail to Don Graham, Contract Specialist at Donald.graham@Nist.gov. Submission must be received not later than 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Monday 1 September 2025.  A quotation shall be considered received when it is received in the electronic inbox of Don Graham not later than the date and time identified herein.

All questions regarding this notice must be submitted via e-mail to donald.graham@nist.gov by 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time on Friday 22 August 2025. Questions submitted after this date may not be addressed by the Government prior to the quotation submission deadline.

PROVISIONS AND CLAUSES:

The clauses and provisions applicable to this solicitation can be found under the attachment Applicable Clauses & Provisions. The full text of a FAR provision or clause may be accessed electronically at www.acquisition.gov/far.

ATTACHMENTS:

The following attachments apply to this solicitation:

1. The Statement of Requirements

2. Applicable Provisions and Clauses