Active

Contract Opportunity

Procurement Technical Assistance Centers (PTACs) are an official government contracting resource for small businesses. Find your local PTAC (opens in new window) for free government expertise related to contract opportunities.

AMENDMENT 0001 (Dated 05/01/2023):

This amendment (0001) is being issued to (1) extend the quote submission deadline to Tuesday, May 2, 2023 (05/02/2023) at 11:59 PM CT and (2) to add a questions and answers document to the attachments section of the solicitation. All other terms and conditions remain unchanged.

This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; quotes are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. Solicitation number 12505B23Q0103 is issued as a request for quote (RFQ). The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2023-02. The associated NAICS code is 811310 - Commercial and Industrial Machinery and Equipment (except Automotive and Electronic) Repair and Maintenance; with a small business size standard of $12.5 Million and the PSC code is J066. This solicitation is a 100% Total Small Business Set-Aside.

The Department of Agriculture (ARS) has the need for the following service:

001) Diamond Knife Sharpening

Scope of Work:

The United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Services (USDA-ARS) Midwest Area (MWA) Administrative Office’s Acquisitions & Personal Property/Fleet Team on behalf of the USDA-ARS National Animal Disease Center (NADC) located at 1920 Dayton Avenue, Ames, IA 50010 is requesting quotes for diamond knife sharpening.

Background:

Knife sharpening ensures continued & reliable operation in support of the NADC research mission without the added expense of purchasing new diamond knives.

Technical Requirements:

Provide diamond knife sharpening for 5mm diamond knives for electron microscopy (EM). Covered components will include: 6 - 5mm Diamond Knives for use in microscopy procedures. Serial numbers include: 38045SU, 36105SU, 31K690SU, 5340SU, 11712SU AND 26068SU.

Service tasks include, but are not limited to:

• Assess and sharpen 5mm ultra diamond knives for ultrastructural microtomy


• Diamond knives shall be mounted in the same wide-boat they are provided in.


• Wide-boat to be replaced at no charge if damaged or discolored


• Sharpened angle shall NOT be increased more than over 2o from 45o


• Knife shall have the same length before and after sharpening—5mm


• Knife shall have the identical cutting edge with special attention given to minimizing the amount of grind off the diamond during the resharpening process


• Knives shall be sharpened to restore to the knife’s original condition when new with same quality, angle and size of knife


• Knives shall be cut accurately (at 70 nm or less) without scoring or compression following resharpening.


• Sharpening shall be completed by EM Diamond Knife factory trained engineers.


• Knives shall be fully sharpened and returned to the USDA, within 45 days of receipt from USDA.

Repair parts are to be included unless otherwise stated.

Government Furnished:

Government (USDA-ARS NADC) shall ship the knives to the contractor for sharpening.

Contractor’s Key Personnel:

Only EM Diamond Knife factory trained engineers are to perform sharpening service.

Key Deliverables:

• Diamond Knife Sharpening; Qty: Six (6) 5mm Diamond Knives.
  
  
  
  • SN: 38045SU, 36105SU, 31K690SU, 5340SU, 11712SU, and 26068SU.
  
  
  
  


• Shipping

Delivery:

Return the six (6) fully 5mm diamond knives to USDA-ARS NADC located at 1920 Dayton Avenue, Ames, IA 50010 within 45 days of receipt.

Evaluation Factors:

Pursuant to FAR 52.212-2, the criteria for evaluation and basis for award will be Lowest Price, Technically Acceptable (LPTA). Technical acceptable is define as meeting ALL of the technical requirements identified on the Statement of Work and reiterated in the solicitation description. The Government intends to make one Firm-Fixed Price award based on the lowest price technically acceptable (LPTA) quote received. "LPTA" means the best value is expected to result from selection of the technically acceptable quote with the lowest evaluated price. The lowest priced quote will be evaluated first; if NOT found technically acceptable, the next lowest priced quote will be evaluated, and so on until a technically acceptable quote is identified. The Government will NOT review higher priced quotes if the lowest (or a lower) priced quote is determined to be technically acceptable.

Submitting a Quote:

Failure to demonstrate compliance with ALL instructions presented herein will constitute sufficient cause to reject a quote without further discussions. All responsible sources may submit a quote which will be put into considered for award.

Vendors responding to this announcement shall submit their quote in accordance with FAR 52.212-1. The applicable FAR clauses and provisions for this acquisition are included in the attachments to this solicitation. The Government anticipates making one Firm-Fixed Price award.

Vendors responding to this announcement shall submit their quote along with all other requested and required documentation (such as completed FAR provisions) to be included as part of ALL offeror’s responses. The quote should include any and all fees, charges, and/or surcharges. This will be a tax-exempt purchase.

The solicitation attachments include FAR clauses, a Statement of Work (SOW), Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP), and FAR provisions. Be sure to read and review ALL of the attachments and to complete any and ALL additional documentation required as part of your quote submission. Of critical importance is to review the SOW as it contains the requirements for this acquisition.

In addition, all submissions should include the FAR clauses and provisions completed in their entirety. The FAR clauses and provisions constitute the terms and conditions for submitting a quote in response to this solicitation as well as the terms and conditions of the anticipated award. The FAR provisions apply to the solicitation and submission of quotes. The FAR clauses apply to the solicitation and submission of quotes as well as to the resulting award. The FAR clauses will be included as part of the resulting award. Please review ALL of the FAR clauses and provisions and be certain to complete all of the FAR clauses and provisions that require the offerors impute (i.e. all boxes are checked, blanks are filled in, and tables are completed).

Please ensure your quote will be current and that the price quoted will NOT expire for a minimum of 30 days.

To be eligible to be put into consideration for award, ALL vendors who respond to this solicitation must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) with a current and active registration at the time their quote is submitted. A vendor can contact SAM by calling 1-866-606-8220 or e-mail at www.sam.gov. NO EXCEPTIONS. A Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number is required in order to register. Vendors must also include their UEI# on their quote. Vendors should also include their SAM status as well as the business size and socio-economic status(es) for the applicable NAICS code.

Also, be certain all quotes included your full legal name, physical address, individual unit prices for all items quoted, the total quoted price, an estimated time to delivery or completion, the quote submission date, the quote expiration date, and all other relevant information.

The submission and payment of invoices on the resulting award will be made through the Invoice Processing Platform (IPP). As such, vendors must be currently registered or register in IPP in order to be able to submit and receive payment on invoices for the resulting award.

Only electronic submissions made via email will be accepted (NO verbal quotes made by phone call, quotes submitted by USPS mail, or quotes submitted in the body of an email). Please email all quotes in writing along with completed FAR provisions as well as ALL other requested and required documentation to aaron.dimeo@usda.gov by NO later than Monday, May 1, 2023 at 5:00 PM Central Time (CT).

NOTE: Be absolutely certain to reference the RFQ number “12505B23Q0103” and/or title of the solicitation “Diamond Knife Sharpening” in the subject, body, and/or attachments on your quote submission email to ensure your submission can be located and attributed to this solicitation. Failure to do so could potentially result in your submission being deemed “unresponsive” and as a result your quote may NOT be put into consideration for award (as your quote may NOT be located when searching the recipients email to ensure all responses to the solicitation have been logged before making an award determination).

Attachments/Links