SOLICITATION NOTICE
B -- Dust, Nail and Blood Sample Analyses
- Notice Date
- 9/15/2006
- Notice Type
- Solicitation Notice
- Contracting Office
- RTP Procurement Operations Division (D143-01) Research Triangle Park, NC 27711
- ZIP Code
- 27711
- Solicitation Number
- PR-NC-06-10811
- Response Due
- 10/3/2006
- Archive Date
- 11/2/2006
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- THIS IS A COMBINED SYNOPSIS/SOLICITATION FOR COMMERCIAL SERVICES 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. PROPOSALS ARE BEING REQUESTED AND A WRITTEN SOLICITATION WILL NOT BE ISSUED. The solicitation number is PR-NC-06-10811, and the solicitation is being issued as a full and open competition Request for Quotation (RFQ). The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 05-12. The associated North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code 541380, which has a size standard of $10.0 million to qualify as a small business, is applicable. A firm fixed-price contract is anticipated to result from the award of this solicitation. This procurement is for the analysis of dust, nail, and blood samples for the Mechanistic Indicators of Childhood Asthma (MICA) Study. A population-based case-control study of air pollutants and asthma will be initiated in Wayne County, Michigan. This area has historically high levels of air pollutants. The recruitment goal is 150 asthmatic cases and 50 controls (9-12 year olds). These individuals will answer detailed questions on medical history, smoking in the home, diet, and residential mobility. Vacuum dust samples will be collected at the 200 residences by the participants and returned to the EPA researchers. Nail clippings and blood samples will be obtained at a clinical facility from these children. Analysis results from the dust, nail and blood samples will be used to assess exposure to selected metals (As, Be, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Pb, Se, V, Zn and Hg). Analysis results from the nail and blood samples will be used to assess exposure to mercury (Hg). B. Purpose and Objectives. The objective of this contract is to perform the following: Task 1: Dust from 200 vacuum bags shall be sieved to <150 um. Total weight of the sieved material shall be obtained with the contractor retaining 15 % of the total weight for subsequent analysis work. The remainder of the labeled, sieved, dust samples with their associated weights shall be returned to Human Studies Facility prior to the start of any dust sample analysis work. Task 2: 50 dust samples selected by the EPA and retained in Task 1 shall be analyzed by the contractor by ICP/AES or ICP/MS for As, Be, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Pb, Se, V, and Zn content. The level of detection and reporting for 500 mg dust samples shall not exceed 2.0 ppm for Fe, not exceed 1.0 ppm for As and shall not exceed 0.5 ppm for all other metals analyzed. Task 3: 200 nail samples will be washed and weighed at the EPA, then shipped to the contractor. The contractor shall analyze the nail samples by ICP/MS for As, Be, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Pb, Se, V, and Zn. The level of detection and reporting for 100 mg nail samples shall not exceed 150 ppb for Zn, not exceed 50 ppb for Fe and Se, and shall not exceed 10 ppb for all other metals analyzed. Task 4: 200 nail samples will be washed and weighed at the EPA, then shipped to the contractor. The contractor shall analyze the nail samples by the DMA-80 Direct Mercury Analysis technique for mercury (Hg). The level of detection and reporting for 50 mg nail samples for Hg shall not exceed 2 ppb. Task 5: 200 blood samples shall be analyzed by the contractor by the DMA-80 Direct Mercury Analysis technique for mercury (Hg). The level of detection and reporting for 500 ul blood samples for Hg shall not exceed 3 ppb. C. Contractor Requirements. The contractor shall sieve dust from 200 vacuum bags <150 um. Total weight of the sieved material shall be obtained with the contractor retaining 15 % of the total weight for subsequent analysis work. The remainder of the labeled, sieved, dust samples with their associated weights shall be returned to Human Studies Facility prior to the start of any dust sample analysis work. The contractor shall confirm the receipt of samples by returning the attached Chain of Custody Form. The contractor shall analyze dust, nail and blood samples according to the schedule given above. The EPA researchers will send blind duplicate samples to the contractor for analysis to gauge the reproducibility of the sample analysis process. The contractor shall provide to the EPA Project Officer the results of the analyses in a written report (see Deliverables Section, below). The contractor shall provide the results of all applicable information from the analysis of calibration standards and standard reference materials. The contractor shall be responsible for the disposal of all materials used in the analysis work. D. Government Responsibilities. The government researchers will be responsible for providing the dust, nail and blood samples. EPA researchers will do any cleaning or weighing of nail samples prior to sample shipment to the contractor for analysis. Since the samples will only be identified by a code number, the EPA Project Officer will provide a list of samples according to the sample identifiers to designate the type of sample (dust, nail or blood) and the type of analysis to be performed. The list of samples and associated Chain of Custody form can be used by the contractor to verify the number of samples. E. Deliverables. The contractor shall return the labeled, sieved, dust samples with their associated weights prepared in Task 1 to the Human Studies Facility prior to the start of any dust sample analysis work. The contractor shall provide to the EPA Project Officer the results of the sample, calibration standards and standard reference materials analyses in both hard copy and electronic format (Excel ver. 5.0 or later, or Lotus 1-2-3 for Windows ver. 5 or later spreadsheets on a 3.5" floppy disc or CD) in a report when all chemical analysis work and data analysis are complete for a given Task. The PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE will be 36 months from date of award. The following FAR provisions apply to this solicitation: 52-212-1, Instructions to Offerors?Commercial Items; 52.212-2, Evaluation--Commercial Items. Evaluation criteria to be included in paragraph (a) of provision 52.212-2 are as follows: A. TECHNICAL CRITERIA: 1) Demonstrated ability to analyze human nail samples by the DMA-80 Direct Mercury Analysis technique for mercury (Hg) with the level of detection and reporting for 50 mg nail samples for Hg not exceeding 2 ppb. 2) Demonstrated ability to analyze human blood samples by the DMA-80 Direct Mercury Analysis technique for mercury (Hg) with the level of detection and reporting for 500 ul blood samples for Hg not exceeding 3 ppb. B. PAST PERFORMANCE: Submit a list of 3 customers for whom like or similar sample analysis have been performed within the past 2 years. Include specific points of contact and phone numbers. Past performance will be evaluated on 1) quality of product or service; 2) timeliness of performance (ability to adhere to deadlines); and overall customer satisfaction. C. PRICE. Award will be made to the offeror whose offer is determined the most advantageous (best value) to the government, price and other factors considered. For this procurement Technical Criteria and Past Performance when combined are significantly more important than price. All offerors are to include with their offers a completed copy of provision 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications--Commercial Items. The following FAR clauses apply to this acquisition: 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions--Commercial Items; 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders--Commercial Items and the following additional FAR clauses which are cited in Clause 52.212-5: 52.222-3 Convict Labor; 52.222-21, Prohibition of Segregated Facilities; 52.222-26, Equal Opportunity, 52.222-35, Affirmative Action for Special Disabled and Vietnam Era Veterans; 52.222-36 Affirmative Action for Handicapped Workers; 52.222-37, Employment Reports on Special Disabled Veterans and Veterans of the Vietnam Era; 52-232-33, Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer-Central Contractor Registration; 52.222-41, Service Contract Act of 1965, As Amended; 52.222-42, Statement of Equivalent Rates for Federal Hires. Any applicable wage determination(s) will be made a part of the resultant contract. All technical questions are to be forwarded via email to the Contracting Officer at the following email address: hill.jennifer@epa.gov. Offerors should review the Statement of Work and other information posted with this Request for Quotation on EPA's website at the following address: http://www.epa.gov/oam/rtp_cmd. Click on the CURRENT SOLICITATIONS section and click on the solicitation for viewing applicable documents. Near the top of the page COMMERCIAL BUY CLAUSES AND FORMS sections are provided for your convenience. Please submit two copies of the technical proposal and price proposal to Jennifer B. Hill, Contracting Officer, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, RTP Procurement Operations Division (D143-01), Research Triangle Park, NC 27711 if using the US Postal Service. Courier delivery address is U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Attn: Jennifer B. Hill, RTP Procurement Operations Division (D143-01), 4930 Page Road, Durham, NC 27703. All offers are due by October 3, 2006, 12:00 p.m., ET. No telephonic or faxed requests will be honored.
- Web Link
-
The Environmental Protection Agency
(http://www.epa.gov/oam/solicit)
- Record
- SN01145589-W 20060917/060915222000 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)
| FSG Index | This Issue's Index | Today's FBO Daily Index Page |