MARKET RESEARCH PURPOSES ONLY NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL OR SOLICITATION The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), National Center for Toxicological Research (NCTR) Diet Preparation requires two (2) barrel (drum) food mixers (one (1) - 0.25 cubic foot and one (1) - 1 cubic foot mixing capacities) to mix liquid and dry chemicals/drugs into test diets to support the mission of the FDA. The FDA is seeking small business sources to determine the availability and capability of small businesses capable of providing the items described herein. Other than small business concerns are also encouraged to submit capability statements. The following information is provided to assist the FDA in conducting Market Research to identify potential contractors for this effort: The associated North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code is 333241 – Food Product Machinery Manufacturing; Small Business Size Standard is 500 or fewer employees. NCTR requires two mixers (0.25 cubic foot and 1 cubic foot mixing capacities) the shall meet the following minimum requirements: One (1) - 0.25 Cubic Foot Mixer: 1. Have approximately 7 liters maximum mixing capability in an approximately 0.5 cubic foot drum volume. The maximum batch weight shall be 50 pounds (22.7 kg). 2. Have a blending barrel (drum) that is #304 Stainless Steel on all food and injection surfaces to ensure durability and prevent metal contamination of final product. 3. Have mixing lifters that extend completely into the barrel to ensure homogenous mixing of ingredients. 4. All welds on the interior and wherever ingredients may contact shall be 120 grit (food grade). 5. Lifters and baffles securely connected to the drums with continuous smooth welds. 6. Easily accessible parts for cleaning. 7. All access or loading doors shall be removable and gasketed with FDA approved gasket materials (see 21 CFR 174-186). 8. Stainless steel spray lines for liquid additions. 9. Discharge shall be constructed of #304 Stainless Steel. The cover shall be secured in a method (plug, gasket, or locking) to prevent inadvertent opening, dust, or loss of materials. 10. Support structure shall be a structural steel frame assembly that provides stability and security during blending. 11. Support structure shall have locking casters on at least 2 wheels for mobility and security. 12. Motor shall be 110 VAC, 60 Hz single phase. 13. Drive shall include worm and gear reducer, drive guards, and other appropriate safety devices to protect the operator during operation. 14. Exterior surfaces shall be smoothed, all welds smoothed, cleaned, primed, and painted with an USDA compliant epoxy paint (see 21 CFR 174-186). 15. Mixers must be constructed to withstand 10 years of heavy use with no preventative maintenance other than routine thorough cleaning. One (1) – 1.0 Cubic Foot Mixer: 1. Have an approximately 2.0 cubic foot drum volume. The maximum batch weight shall be 100 pounds (45.5 kg). 2. Have a blending barrel (drum) that is #304 Stainless Steel on all food and injection surfaces to ensure durability and prevent metal contamination. 3. Have mixing lifters that extend completely into the barrel to ensure homogenous mixing of ingredients. 4. All welds on the interior and wherever ingredients may contact shall be 120 grit (food grade) 5. All lifters and baffles shall be securely connected to the drums with continuous smooth welds. 6. Easily accessible parts for cleaning. 7. All access or loading doors shall be removable and gasketed with FDA approved gasket materials (see 21 CFR 174-186). 8. Stainless steel spray lines for liquid additions. 9. Discharge shall be constructed of #304 Stainless Steel. The cover shall be secured in a method (plug, gasket, locking) to prevent inadvertent opening, dust, or loss of materials. 10. Support structure shall be a structural steel frame assembly that provides stability and security during blending. The mixing drum shall be supported by heavy duty roller bearings that ensure safe and secure motion of the mixing drum within the structural steel frame. 11. Drum shall be able to tilt for loading, operating, and discharge. This shall be manually controlled with a locking mechanism to ensure stability and security in each tilted position. 12. Motor shall be 208-volt, 3 phase, 60 cycle, 1800 RPM. Type 1 motor starter in NEMA 4 enclosure mounted on mixer frame for attachment to government fused disconnect. 13. Drive shall include worm and gear reducer, drive guards, and other appropriate safety devices to protect the operator during operation. 14. Exterior surfaces shall be smoothed, all welds smoothed, cleaned, primed, and painted with an USDA compliant epoxy paint. 15. Discharge chute shall be supported from frame to direct product downward, #304 stainless steel for all product contact surfaces, shall include 2” vent for dust collection 16. Inlet slide mounted on blender frame to direct product towards side access door which shall be #304 stainless steel for product contact surfaces 17. Sanitary drain plug located at 90º from access door(s) for wash water drainage 18. 2-gallon stainless steel pressure pot pumping system for liquid additions, shall include all pressure hoses, fittings, weigh scale, and regulator. 19. Mixers shall be constructed to withstand 10 years of heavy use with no preventative maintenance other than routine thorough cleaning. Delivery: Delivery shall be completed within 6 months of award. Warranty period will begin on date of acceptance and continue for a period of one year. Place of Delivery: Food and Drug Administration, NCTR 3900 NCTR Rd Jefferson, AR 72079 The offeror shall furnish sufficient technical information necessary for the Government to conclusively determine that the offered product/services meet the technical requirements identified above. Though the target audience is small business manufacturers or small businesses capable of supplying services of a small business, all interested parties may respond. At a minimum, responses shall include the following: • Business name, DUNS number, business address, business website, business size status (i.e., SB, VOSB, SDVOSB, HUBZone SB, SDB, WOSB, LB), point of contact name, mailing address (if different from business address), phone number and email address (Provide this same information if responding to provide a product manufactured by another firm); • Sufficient descriptive literature that unequivocally demonstrates that offered product can meet the above requirements. All descriptive material necessary for the government to determine whether the product offered meets the technical requirements including: technical specifications, descriptive material, literature, brochures and other information, which demonstrates the capabilities of the contractor to meet the requirement. • If applicable, identification of the firm's GSA Schedule contract(s) by Schedule number and SINs that are applicable to this potential requirement. Detailed list of items included and not included on the GSA contract to meet this requirement. • Provide information if any of these specifications are too restrictive. No response will be considered that the listed specifications are adequate in a competitive environment. • If a large business, identify the subcontracting opportunities that would exist for small business concerns; • Standard commercial warranty and payment terms; and • Though this is not a request for quote, informational pricing is encouraged. The government is not responsible for locating or securing any information, not identified in the response. The Government encourages any comments and/or suggestions from any interested party, regarding the specifications. While the Government will not respond directly to your comments and/or suggestions; we will consider them as we finalize the specifications in preparation for the forthcoming solicitation. Interested Parties shall respond with capability statements which are due by email to the point of contact listed below on or before July 3, 2020 by 1:00 PM (Central Time in Jefferson, Arkansas) to
[email protected], Reference: FDA-SSN-1230326. Notice of Intent Responses to this sources sought announcement will assist the Government in determining whether any future requirement similar to this one should be set aside for small business, made available to full and open competition or procure through sole-source acquisition procedures. Disclaimer and Important Notes This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in response. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine the organization’s qualifications to perform the work. Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted. After a review of the responses received, a pre-solicitation synopsis and solicitation may be published in beta.sam.gov. However, responses to this notice will not be considered adequate responses to a solicitation. Confidentiality No proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included in your response. The Government reserves the right to use any non-proprietary technical information in any resultant solicitation(s).