This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in FAR 12.6 as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation and a separate written solicitation will not be issued. This solicitation number is 75N94025Q00035 and is issued as a Request for Quotation (RFQ). The solicitation/contract will include all applicable provisions and clauses in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2024-07. The North American Industry Classification (NAICS) Code is 811210 and the business size standard is $34m. However, this solicitation is not set aside for small business. This acquisition is being conducted using Simplified Acquisition Procedures in accordance with FAR Part 13. Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) intends to contract on a sole source basis with Illumina Inc., 5200 Illumina Way, San Diego, CA 92122 to procure a Fixed Priced One-Year Silver Support Plan (coverage period 2/15/2025– 02/14/2026) for the following Illumina sequencers:
1. NovaSeq 6000 DNA Sequencer - Qty (1) EA
2. MiSeq DNA Sequencer – Qty (1) EA
Silver Support plan to include full coverage for repair parts, labor and travel; Reagent/kits replacement upon Hardware failures, 1 annual PM; Remote Technical Support 18x5; Service technician/personal shall acknowledge repair request w/in 24 business hours, 2 business days on-site response target. Control hardware/software updates: On-site applications support; discounted advanced application training, remote monitoring available. On-site Field Application Scientist Support - Standard on-site support coverage hours/days (M-F, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, excluding national holidays), phone support 5 x 18 M-F, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, pst and 5x24 email access to Technical Support. Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) certified replacement parts- Loaner Equipment: Illumina loaner instruments are only provided to customers under an active Illumina Service Contract. Illumina does not provide any third-party providers access to loaner or replacement equipment. Hardware/Software updates - Any upgrades to hardware or software that are released by Illumina will not incur an additional charge for instruments if covered under an active Illumina Service Coverage, will not cover under third party vendors.
The lab has several sophisticated machines for sequencing DNA, the ones most-used are the Illumina NovaSeq6000 and the MiSeq. These machines can produce highly accurate sequences of hundreds of millions of DNA molecules simultaneously. Illumina is the premier provider of DNA sequencing equipment for our work/projects in the lab. Illumina DNA sequencers is known to provide this high level of accuracy and throughput on the market. The uniqueness and sophistication of these machines requires highly specialize care and maintenance. All these machines use similar technology and are critical to the operation of this NICHD lab. Specialized field engineers from Illumina are essential for the operation of this equipment. The service contract provides for replacement of parts, which are only available from Illumina. In addition, engineers at Illumina headquarters can monitor, diagnose, and control the NovaSeq6000 and MiSeq remotely using
proprietary software. There are no other alternatives. NICHD investigators need to have their DNA samples sequenced using these machines to understand genetics, disease and move precision medicine forward.
Continuous operation of these Illumina sequencers is needed to provide high-throughput and high accuracy results to the NICHD investigators. Thus, to keep these machines in working order and maintain the accuracy of data required for professional scientific scrutiny, a maintenance contract with the OEM (Illumina) certified vendor is required.
Illumina is the sole authorized provider of service for the NovaSeq 6000 and MiSeq. Only Illumina, Inc. has technical service representatives who receive comprehensive and on-going factory training and regular technical updates. Illumina does not offer this training to anyone outside of their personnel resources. Illumina has not authorized any third-party intermediary to provide Illumina products or services for this particular transaction and is thereby the only supplier of Illumina services for this transaction with the National Institutes of Health NICHD. Also, they have direct access to original equipment manufacturer’s parts and specialized parts to help maintain the NovaSeq and MiSeq in optimal condition. Thus, timely service is crucial in the functioning of the NovaSeq and MiSeq. The NovaSeq and MiSeq are mission critical for the scientific experiments undertaken in the NICHD laboratories. Acquisition of a service contract offering from other entities/third parties’ providers