Description
The US Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity intends to issue a sole source purchase order to Abbott Molecular, 1300 E Touhy Ave, Des Plaines, IL 60018-3315, for an Ibis T-5000 Biosensor System with optional equipment. No solicitation document exists. Any firm that believes it can provide this equipmentis invited to submit written notification to the Contracting Officer within 10 calendar days from the date of publication of this notice. Information can be sent to: USAMRAA, ATTN: MCMR-AAA-P (Jodi Cardoza), 820 Chandler Street, Frederick, MD 21702. No telephone requests will be accepted. Responses received will be evaluated; however, a determiniation by the government not to compete the procurement based on responses received to this notice is solely within the discretion of the governemnt. If no responses are received, USARMAA will proceed with the sole source contract. Justification and Approval For Other than Full and Open Competition 1. Contracting Activity. The Contracting Activity for this action is the U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity (USAMRAA), 820 Chandler Street, Fort Detrick, MD on behalf of the Federally Funded Research and Development Center National Bioforensics Analysis Center. 2. Description of Action. This approval is being requested for a new firm-fixed price contract using FY07 R&D Funds. 3. Description of Supplies or Services. This requirement is for the purchase of an Ibis T5000 Biosensor System. 4. The Statutory Authority For This Action Is. 10 U.S.C.2304(c)(1) as implemented by FAR 6.302-1(a)(2) -- Only One Responsible Source and No Other Supplies or Services Will Satisfy Agency Requirements. 5. Reason for Authority Cited. The distributor for this item is Abbott Molecular. Abbott Molecular is the sole distributor of the Ibis T5000 Biosensor System. The Ibis T5000 Biosensor System interrogates common sequences among classes or organisms. Despite the enormous class diversity of organisms, Ibis scientists have carefully selected and curated genetic sequences that allow this interrogation to produce relevant and accurate results. Classical methods for identification of bacteria and viruses in samples from the environment have been slow and inadequate for broad identification purposes. Additionally, their results can be difficult to interpret. Microorganism identification has traditionally relied on laborious culture-based and microscopy techniques. Currently, most methods of detecting infectious agents use polymerase chain reaction or PCR to detect a known infectious agent. Because the specific sequence of the virus or bacteria has to be known in order for PCR to detect the infectious agents presence, it can only detect what is suspected in a sample. Current DNA sequence-based systems are usually single gene PCR based tests. One must know the genomic sequence of the organism and must guess about the organism that may be present in the sample. Emerging approaches for the identification of known infectious agents include multiplexed PCR methods which link together multiple single agent tests and microarray strategies. While these methods may provide broader ability to identify infectious agents, that are of known composition and suspected of being present in the sample. These methods can not identify variants of infectious agents that are mutated or bioengineered pathogens. Ibis is the developer of the T5000 Biosensor System a broad-based method to identify which of the 1400 potential pathogens are present in a sample without culturing or using a specific organism test. No other system has the ability to do the parallel analysis, quantification, and identification of the complete bacterial and viral genomes from a single sample. The Ibis T5000 Biosensor System distributed solely by Abbott Molecular and is the only integrated system that can rapidly identify infectious organisms without a prior knowledge or assumptions of microorganisms that may be present in the sample. This capability will allow the National Biofrensics Analysis Center (NBFAC) to identify organisms in evidentiary material from biocrime or bioterror investigations to produce rapid results in support of National Security. 6. Efforts to Obtain Competition. Not Applicable. No effort will be made to solicit offerors from as many potential sources as practicable as Abbott Molecular is the sole distributor of the Ibis T5000 Biosensor System. 7. Actions to Increase Competition. No efforts were undertaken to obtain competition. Should there be future need for additional Biosensor Systems, the technical and requirements personnel of the requesting activity will perform market research to determine if competitive products are available with the full functionability of the T5000 Biosensor System. 8. Market Research Market research has been performed and no other instrument has been identified that is capable of identification of all known pathogens in an unknown sample when no prior knowledge is available with regard to the content of the sample. While sequencing technologies exist that can randomly sequence nucleic acid in a sample, they require a significant amount of starting material, something not normally present in trace bioforensic samples and thus are not suitable for the application required by NBFAC. 9. Interested Sources. To date, no other sources have written to express an interest. A notice will be posted in FedBizOpps describing the Governments requirement and intent to procure sole source. Any potential offeror expressing an interest in this requirement will be given an opportunity to submit a proposal. 10. Other Factors. a. Procurement History. N/A (1) Contract numbers and dates of the last several awards: This is a first time procurement for this equipment. (2) Competitive status of these actions: N/A (3) Authority for less than full and open competition previously used: N/A (4) If a justification was prepared to support the procurement made before this one, provide a summary of the contents of paragraph 7 of the justification for that procurement and an explanation of the results. N/A (5) If any prior award was accomplished by full and open competition, provide a detailed explanation of the changed circumstances. - N/A (6) Provide an explanation of any unusual patterns which may be revealed by the history, e.g., several consecutive, urgent buys. - N/A (7) If a justification was prepared to support the procurement made before this one, briefly describe the circumstances justifying the buy and whether there have been any significant changes. - N/A b. Acquisition Data Availability. Explain why technical data packages, specifications, engineering descriptions, statements of work or purchase descriptions suitable for full and open competition have not been developed or are not available. Describe actions taken or planned to remedy this situation. N/A c. Unusual and Compelling Urgency. N/A d. Subcontracting Competition. N/A