Preventive Maintenance Service for One (1) Leica Stellaris Microscope (PremiumCare)

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Cancer Institute (NCI), Center for Cancer Research (CCR), Neuro-Oncology Branch (NOB). plans to procure, on a sole source basis preventive maintenance service for one (1) Leica Stellaris Microscope (PremiumCare) from: Leica Microsystems Inc. 10 Parkway North STE 300 Deerfield, IL 60015 The response close date of the notice for this requirement is in accordance with FAR 5.203(b).

This acquisition will be processed under FAR Part 12 – Acquisition for Commercial Items and will be made pursuant to the authority in FAR Part 13.106-1 (b)(1 and is exempt from the requirements of FAR Part 6. The North American Industry Classification System code is 811210 and the business size standard is $34.0 million.

To NCI knowledge, only Leica Microsystems Inc. is capable of providing the necessary maintenance support service because the equipment requiring maintenance is proprietary to this company, the original equipment manufacturer. Leica Microsystems Inc. is the only contractor authorized and capable of providing services and parts to its proprietary systems. Maintenance services by any other contractor could jeopardize the functionality of this system.

The Stellaris 8 microscope is a highly advanced piece of research equipment supported by proprietary software; its proper maintenance and timely and efficient service is critical for the research projects conducted at NOB. Furthermore, the functionality of this system is being remotely controlled through a secure internet connection. For these reasons, Leica Microsystems is the only contractor capable of meeting the needs of this requirement.