Notice of Intent to Single Source to Thermo Electron

NOTICE OF INTENT TO NEGOTIATE A SINGLE-SOURCE CONTRACT In compliance with Federal Acquisition Regulations coupled with the provisions set forth by FAR Subpart 5.101(a)(1), this Notice is hereby published to inform of the following:The U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), Office of Management and Budget (OMB) intends to negotiate, on a sole source basis, under authorities provided in the Federal Acquisition Regulations, with Thermo Electron North America LLC The requirement is to procure the following: The objective of this contract is to secure a three-year (Base plus two Option Years) technical support and maintenance agreement for the Thermo Fisher Scientific Delta V Advantage IRMS. The contractor shall provide all necessary technical expertise, proprietary diagnostics, and hardware support required to sustain the instrument’s performance at OEM-specified levels of precision and accuracy. The scope of this effort includes: System Optimization: Expert-level calibration of vacuum and voltage parameters. Operational Continuity: Rapid response corrective repairs and technical troubleshooting to minimize downtime and prevent the loss of irreplaceable research samples. Risk Management: A direct service pipeline to bypass the administrative and priority tier delays inherent in third-party service models. Full Lifecycle Support: Provision of all labor, travel, and genuine OEM parts necessary to keep the instrument in peak operational condition for the duration of the performance period. The agency expects that this contract results in a "zero-lag" service environment, ensuring the ECP can meet all internal and partner research deadlines with high-confidence analytical data. All work to be performed as described by the manufacturer’s maintenance manuals and technical bulletins and in accordance with the Statement of Work (SOW). The service included in the service contract, such as performance maintenance or repair calls, must be fulfilled by a Thermo Fisher Scientific technician due to proprietary software, parts, and training. Thermo Fisher Scientific is the uniquely qualified source to provide these services. While third-party aggregators (such as Remi or CenMed) offer service contracts as 3rd party intermediaries, the Northwest Fisheries Science Center has determined these alternatives are incapable of meeting the government’s minimum requirements for the following reasons: Service Priority and Latency: Market research and past performance have demonstrated that third-party vendors are treated as the lowest priority for service scheduling. This creates an unacceptable gap between the failure of the instrument and the arrival of a technician. Administrative and Technical Latency: The use of a third-party intermediary introduces an additional layer of bureaucracy that has historically delayed the initiation of service requests. The requirement for a third-party contract specialist to authorize and coordinate with OEM technicians creates a bottleneck. For an instrument as sensitive as the IRMS—where vacuum seals or voltage instabilities can worsen if not addressed immediately—this administrative lag is unacceptable and poses a risk of further damage to the system. Proprietary Diagnostic Access: The Delta V Advantage IRMS utilizes proprietary diagnostic software and firmware. While third-party companies may attempt to sub-contract Thermo technicians, they do not possess the direct, seamless integration into Thermo’s service. Direct OEM support ensures that the ECP has immediate access to the most recent firmware updates, engineering bulletins, and specialized parts inventories that are not guaranteed through third-party "pass-through" contracts. The Delta V Advantage IRMS is an ultra-sensitive analytical platform that operates under extreme physical parameters, including high-vacuum environments and precise voltage regulations. Thermo Fishe...