COMBINED SYNOPSIS/SOLICITATION
NOAA Northwest Fisheries Science Center Laboratory Histological Services for Groundfish Maturity Slides
(i) This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in FAR Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice and in accordance with the simplified acquisition procedures authorized in FAR Part 13. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; quotes are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued.
(ii) This solicitation is issued as a request for quotation (RFQ). Submit written quotes on RFQ Number 1333MF25Q0073.
(iii) The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2025-05 (Aug 2025) (Deviation 2025-07) (May 2025).
(iv) This solicitation is being issued as a total Small Business Set-Aside. The associated NAICS code is 541990. The small business size standard is $19.5M.
(v) This combined solicitation/synopsis is for the purchase of the following commercial services:
CLIN 0001
Services, non-personal, to provide all labor, equipment, and materials (unless otherwise provided herein) necessary for laboratory histological services for the processing and delivery of 1,500 groundfish maturity slides in accordance with the Statement of Work. The Period of Performance shall be for a one-year period from the date of award.
(vi) Description of requirements is as follows:
See attached Statement of Work, which applies to the one-year period of performance.
INVOICES TO BE BILLED IN ARREARS. PROVIDE AN ANNUAL PRICING FOR A ONE-YEAR BASE PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE. QUOTE PRICING MAY BE PROVIDED ON ATTACHED SF18 FORM OR ON COMPANY LETTERHEAD.
(vii) Date(s) and place(s) of delivery and acceptance:
Period of performance shall be:
Base Year: 12 months from Date of Award (DOA).
Place of Performance is at the Contractor’s facility.
(viii) FAR provision 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors-Commercial Products and Commercial Services (Sept 2023), applies to this acquisition and can be found on the Request for Quote form SF18 attachment.
(ix) FAR provision 52.212-2, Evaluation-Commercial Products and Commercial Services (Nov 2021), applies to this acquisition and can be found on the Request for Quote form SF18 attachment.
(x) FAR provision 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial Products and Commercial Services (May 2024) (Deviation 2025-02) (Feb 2025) (Deviation 2025-03) (Feb 2025), applies to this acquisition and can be found on the Request for Quote form SF18 attachment. Offerors are advised to include a completed copy of the provision with its offer, unless the offeror’s Reps & Certs section on SAM.gov is accurate and current.
Per Deviation 2025-02/03: System updates may lag policy updates. The System for Award Management (SAM) may continue to require entities to complete representations based on provisions that are not included in agency solicitations, including 52.223-22, Public Disclosure of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Reduction Goals—Representation, and paragraph (t) of 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications—Commercial Products and Commercial Services. Examples include 52.222-25, Affirmative Action Compliance, and paragraph (d) of 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications—Commercial Products and Commercial Services. Contracting officers will not consider these representations when making award decisions or enforce requirements. Entities are not required to, nor are they able to, update their entity registration to remove these representations in SAM.
(xi) FAR clause at 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions-Commercial Products and Commercial Services (Nov 2023), applies to this acquisition and can be found on the Request for Quote form SF18 attachment.
(xii) FAR clause at 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required To Implement Statutes or Executive Orders-Commercial Products and Commercial Services(Jan 2025) (Deviation 2025-02) (Feb 2025) (Deviation 2025-03) (Feb 2025) (Deviation 2024-03) (Oct 2023) (Deviation 2023-03) (Dec 2022) (Deviation 2021-06) (Sept 2021), applies to this acquisition and can be found in full text on the Request for Quote form SF18 attachment.
(xiii) Any additional contract requirement(s) or terms and conditions that apply can be found on the Request for Quote form SF18 attachment.
(xiv) Defense Priorities and Allocations System (DPAS) and assigned rating does not apply.
(xv) Quotes are required to be received in the contracting office no later than 5:00PM EST on 09/02/2025. All quotes must be submitted electronically via email to the Contracting Officer, Raynier Camerino, raynier.camerino@noaa.gov.
(xvi) Any questions regarding this solicitation should be submitted electronically via email to the Contracting Officer, Raynier Camerino, raynier.camerino@noaa.gov.
UTILIZATION OF FEDCONNECT® FOR CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION
The Department of Commerce will utilize the FedConnect® web portal in administering this award. The contractor must be registered in FedConnect® and have access to the FedConnect® website located at https://www.fedconnect.net/Fedconnect/. For assistance in registering or for other FedConnect® questions please call the FedConnect® Help Desk at (800) 899-6665 or email at support@fedconnect.net. There is no charge for registration in or use of FedConnect®.
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1352.215-72 Inquiries (Apr 2010)
OFFERORS MUST SUBMIT ALL QUESTIONS CONCERNING THIS SOLICITATION IN WRITING VIA EMAIL TO raynier.camerino@noaa.gov. QUESTIONS SHOULD BE RECEIVED NO LATER THAN 5 CALENDAR DAYS FROM THE POSTING DATE. Any responses to questions will be made in writing, without identification of the questioner, and will be included in an amendment to the solicitation. Even if provided in other form, only the question responses included in the amendment to the solicitation will govern performance of the contract.
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FAR 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors-Commercial Products and Commercial Services (Sep 2023)
NOTICE TO OFFERORS: Instructions for submitting quotations under this request for quote must be followed. Failure to provide all information to aid in the evaluation may be considered non-responsive. Offers that are non-responsive may be excluded from further evaluation and rejected without further notification to the offeror.
1. Submit PDF or Microsoft Word format quotations to the office specified in this solicitation at or before the time specified in the solicitation. Quote documents shall include signed copies of the SF 18 and SF 30(s) to acknowledge the solicitation and any applicable amendments. Email quotes are required and can be sent to raynier.camerino@noaa.gov.
2. Offeror shall have an active registration in the System for Award Management (SAM found at https://sam.gov/content/home) in order to provide a quote and be eligible for award. Must provide their UEID/CAGE CODE with their quote.
3. Offerors shall assume that the Government has no prior knowledge of them or their capability.
4. Offerors must provide all evaluation criteria in accordance with FAR 52.212-2. Offerors who do not provide all evaluation criteria may not be considered.
THE GOVERNMENT DOES NOT ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR NON-RECEIPT OF QUOTES. IT IS THE CONTRACTOR’S RESPONSIBILITY TO REQUEST AND RECEIVE A CONFIRMATION OF THE QUOTE RECEIPT.
FAR 52.212-2 Evaluation- Commercial Products and Commercial Services (Nov 2021)
Offers will be evaluated based on price and the factors set forth in paragraph (a).
The evaluation will consider the Non-Price Technical Solution (Technical Approach and Past Performance) to be significantly more important than price. However, as quotes are determined to be more equal in the non-price evaluation factor, price becomes more important and may become the determining factor for award. If, at any stage of the evaluation, all vendors are determined to have submitted equal, or virtually equal, Non-Price Technical Solutions, price could become the factor in determining which vendor will receive the award.
The Government intends to evaluate the quotes and award a purchase order based on the Offeror’s initial quote; therefore, the Offeror’s initial quote should contain the Offeror’s best terms from a Non-Price Technical Solution and price standpoint.
The Government reserves the right not to award a purchase order depending on the quality of the quote(s) submitted and the availability of funds. Furthermore, the Government may waive informalities and minor irregularities or omissions in quotes received.
The Government may make award to other than the lowest-priced Offeror or the Offeror with the highest technical rating if the Contracting Officer determines that to do so would result in the best value to the Government. The Government will not make an award at a significantly higher overall price to achieve only slightly superior performance capability.
(a) The Government will award a contract resulting from this solicitation to the responsible offeror whose offer conforming to the solicitation will be most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered.
Paragraph (a) is hereby completed as follows: Evaluation will be based on the following:
Factor 1 - The offeror shall have all the required technical knowledge and capabilities to provide the needed services described in the Statement of Work, in terms of the scope to accomplish the tasks, and meet the delivery schedule requirements. The vendor shall provide a detailed response to support the required technical knowledge and capabilities for these evaluation factors.
Factor 2 - Experience. The offeror shall provide a background, and required experience, and qualifications that will support the offeror’s capability to successfully perform the contract requirements.
Factor 3 - PAST PERFORMANCE. The offeror's past performance on related contracts will be evaluated to determine, as appropriate, successful performance of contract requirements, quality and timeliness of delivery of goods and services, effective management of subcontractors, cost management, level of communication between the contracting parties, proactive management, and customer satisfaction. If a quoter has no relevant past performance, the quoter must affirmatively state that it possesses no relevant past performance history. Offerors who fail to either provide past performance information or affirmatively state that they have none may be considered non-compliant with the solicitation.
Factor 4 - FIRM-FIXED PRICE. The proposed prices/costs will be evaluated. The cost evaluation will determine whether the proposed costs are realistic, complete, and reasonable in relation to the solicitation requirements. Proposed costs must be entirely compatible with the technical knowledge and capabilities.
The Government intends to award a trade-off, single firm fixed-price purchase order on an all or none basis with payment terms of Net 30.
(b) Options. The Government will evaluate offers for award purposes by adding the total price for all options to the total price for the basic requirement. The Government may determine that an offer is unacceptable if the option prices are significantly unbalanced. Evaluation of options shall not obligate the Government to exercise the option(s).
(c) A written notice of award or acceptance of an offer, mailed or otherwise furnished to the successful offeror within the time for acceptance specified in the offer, shall result in a binding contract without further action by either party. Before the offer’s specified expiration time, the Government may accept an offer (or part of an offer), whether or not there are negotiations after its receipt, unless a written notice of withdrawal is received before award.
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STATEMENT OF WORK
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
NOAA FISHERIES
Laboratory Histological Services for Groundfish Maturity Slides:
FRAM Research Surveys
Background/Overview:
The Northwest Fisheries Science Center (NWFSC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce (DOC), is a government agency charged with the mission of stewardship for living marine resources. The NWFSC provides scientific and technical support to NMFS for the management, conservation, and wise use of the West Coast's marine and anadromous resources. The Fisheries Resource and Monitoring Division (FRAM) of the NWFSC is charged with conducting research and scientific analysis on the groundfish fisheries within the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) off the coast of Washington, Oregon, and California.
During FRAM’s annual research surveys, staff collect ovary specimens from a subset of key species of west coast groundfish. These specimens are preliminarily processed by FRAM personnel and then submitted to an external histological lab to be generated into slides that will be interpreted for information about the maturity processes for those species. Reliable maturity information is critical for reducing the uncertainty in abundance estimates and projections within stock assessments. This information is also in very short supply for virtually all commercially important species and needs updating on a regular basis to remain relevant. Species’ maturity schedules change over relatively short time periods in response to fishing pressure and environmental variables, and can also vary based upon latitude of capture.
FRAM anticipates collecting up to 1,500 total ovary specimens from Pacific hake, canary rockfish, Pacific Ocean perch, aurora rockfish, vermilion/sunset rockfish, bocaccio, shortspine thornyhead, and other species.
Scope of Work:
To generate maturity information useful for stock assessments for west coast groundfish, FRAM requires the services of a histological lab to provide services consistent with the formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) method.
Tasks:
The Following is the Formalin-Fixed, Paraffin-Embedded (FFPE) Method.
Task 1: Receive ovary specimens which have been processed into ~0.25” thick slices, stored in cassettes labeled with year, species, and specimen numbers, and transported in 1L plastic Nalgene bottles filled with a preservative of 10% neutral buffered formalin.
Task 2: Samples shall have water removed from tissues and be supported in a paraffin wax matrix.
Task 3: Samples shall have water removed from tissues and transferred through ETOH baths, followed by a hydrophobic clearing agent to remove alcohol.
Task 4: Samples shall be processed in molten paraffin wax.
Task 5: Samples shall be placed into liquid medium and hardened for sectioning.
Task 6: Samples shall be sectioned into 4 micron slices for use with light microscopy; particular care should be used to use sharp blades for clean cuts that do not deform the cellular structure or in any way obscure or damage the stained objects of interest.
Task 7: Samples shall be mounted on slides composed of 1.2 mm-thick glass, 12 mm x 75 mm in size.
Task 8: Samples shall be stained with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) stain.
Task 9: Tissues shall be covered with a glass cover slip, .08 mm to .17 mm in thickness.
Task 10: Slides and slide covers shall be made in the industry standard method and compatible with a Leica compound microscope.
Task 11: If space allows, multiple sections of the same specimen may be mounted on a slide.
Task 12: Slides shall be affixed with orderly, legible labels that include: Survey, Year, Vessel, Species, and Specimen Number; labeling shall not obstruct tissue view in the slide. A template will be provided for clarity.
Task 13: Slides shall be finished and organized in slide boxes by survey, year, species, and specimen number.
Task 14: An inventory of all slides shall be included when samples are returned.
Period of Performance:
The period of Performance shall be 12 months from the date of award.
Place of Performance:
The place of performance shall be at the contractor’s facility.
Deliverable Schedule:
The contractor shall deliver 1500 processed maturity slides as described in the SOW. The shipping cost shall be included in the total firm-fixed price of the resultant award.
The samples shall be provided in varying numbers and at different times throughout the 12-month Period of Performance. Each set of samples must be processed and returned within 30 days of receipt.
Deliver to Aimee Keller at:
NOAA, NMFS, NWFSC
2725 Montlake Blvd. E
Seattle WA 98112
Government-Furnished Resources:
The Government will provide all necessary information and samples to the Contractor for work required under this contract.
Travel, and Training:
Travel is not expected or authorized. There are no training requirements.
Applicable Standards:
The histological lab shall provide services consistent with the formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) method.
Security Requirements:
There are no unique security requirements associated with the performance of this contract. The contractor will not require access to NOAA IT systems, secure facilities, or sensitive information. The position does not involve work that warrants a risk designation or background investigation under NOAA’s Position Designation Tool. Therefore, no special passes, security clearances, or escort provisions are necessary for contract execution.
Special Requirements:
Confidentiality and Data Privacy
This contract may require that services contractors have access to Privacy Information. Services contractors are responsible for maintaining confidentiality of all subjects and materials and may be required to sign and adhere to a Non-disclosure Agreement (NDA).
Intellectual Property Rights
All deliverables are the property of the U.S. Government. All documents, analyses, files (digital or other), reports, notes and photos are to be used only by Contractor personnel assigned to this purchase order. Documents, files, and other data are to be stored exclusively on government-owned equipment, and at no point should be saved or archived on personal drives or devices. Copies are not to be disseminated to anyone outside of the NMFS or to any other contractor personnel without explicit release from the Government.
IT Security
The contractor will not require access to Federal Buildings, DOC Systems and includes an IT component.
Inclusion of Clause 52.217-8:
Inclusion of FAR clause 52.217-8, Option to Extend Services, in the solicitation and resultant contract is for use by the Government as outlined at FAR 37.111, Extension of Services. The option will be exercised as needed at any time during the life of the contract using the rates applicable at the time of exercise.
Required Knowledge and Experience:
The histological lab shall possess the knowledge to provide services consistent with the formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) method.
Evaluation Factors:
The Government will issue an order resulting from this request for quotation to the responsible offeror whose quotation results in the best value to the Government, considering both price and non-price factors. The following factors will be used to evaluate quotations:
Technical Evaluation Factors:
Factor 1 - The offeror shall have all the technical knowledge and capabilities to provide the needed services described in the Statement of Work, in terms of the scope to accomplish the tasks, and meet the delivery schedule requirements. The vendor shall provide a detailed response to support their technical knowledge and capabilities for these evaluation factors.
Factor 2 - Experience. The offeror shall provide a background, experience, and qualifications that will support the offeror’s capability to successfully perform the contract requirements.
Factor 3 - PAST PERFORMANCE. The offeror's past performance on related contracts will be evaluated to determine, as appropriate, successful performance of contract requirements, quality and timeliness of delivery of goods and services, effective management of subcontractors, cost management, level of communication between the contracting parties, proactive management, and customer satisfaction. If a quoter has no relevant past performance, the quoter must affirmatively state that it possesses no relevant past performance history. Offerors who fail to either provide past performance information or affirmatively state that they have none may be considered non-compliant with the solicitation.
Factor 4 - FIRM-FIXED PRICE. The proposed prices/costs will be evaluated. The cost evaluation will determine whether the proposed costs are realistic, complete, and reasonable in relation to the solicitation requirements. Proposed costs must be entirely compatible with the technical knowledge and capabilities.
Technical Project Lead:
Aimee Keller, PhD, Fisheries Research Surveys Supervisor, NWFSC, FRAM
email: aimee.keller@noaa.gov
Phone No. (206)795-5860
IPP Invoice Approver:
Sarah Kurochkin, NWFSC
email: sarah.kurochkin@noaa.gov
Phone No. (206)860-3425
Aimee Keller, PhD, Fisheries Research Surveys Supervisor, NWFSC, FRAM
email: aimee.keller@noaa.gov
Phone No. (206)795-5860
CONTRACTORS INVOICE:
INVOICES MUST BE SUBMITTED IN ARREARS
Per NAM 1330-52.232-71 ELECTRONIC SUBMISSION OF PAYMENT REQUESTS (FEB 2023)
The Contractor must submit payment requests electronically through the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Invoice Processing Platform System (IPP). The Contractor must use the IPP website to register, access, and submit payment requests. The IPP website address is https://www.ipp.gov.
"Payment request" means any request for contract financing payment or invoice payment to the Contractor. To be considered proper, invoices must be prepared in accordance with, and contain all elements specified in, the contract payment clause (e.g., FAR 52.212-4(g), FAR 52.232-25(a)(3), FAR 52.232-26(a)(2), FAR 52.232-27(a)(2)). All invoices are to be submitted in arrears per 31 U.S.C. § 3324. Advance payments are prohibited by 31 U.S.C. § 3324, which provides that, except as provided by a specific appropriation or other law, “a payment under a contract to provide a service or deliver an article for the United States Government may not be more than the value of the service already provided or the article already delivered.” The primary purpose of 31 U.S.C. § 3324 is to protect the Government against the risk of nonperformance (or refusal to refund moneys) by the contractor after receipt of payment. See 22 Comp. Gen. 834, 835 (1946). In its simplest terms, the statute prohibits the Government from paying for goods before they have been received or for services before they have been rendered.
The Contractor must include the following documents as attachments to payment requests submitted through the IPP: Contractor’s Invoice.
If the Contractor is unable to comply with the requirement to submit payment requests through the IPP due to a threat to national security; a matter of unusual or compelling urgency; or because the political, financial, or communications infrastructure of a foreign country does not support access to the IPP, the Contractor must request an exception in writing. Contact the Contracting Officer for more information about requesting an exception.
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