MAINTENANCE AGREEMENT FOR NEXT SEQ2000

This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial service 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 75N98026Q00333 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 2026-01.  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.  The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) 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, Base + Four Option Years Maintenance Agreement for the following equipment:
BASE YEAR – NEXT SEQ2000 S/N VH01191 SILVER SUPPORT PLAN
OPTION YEAR 1 – NEXT SEQ2000 S/N VH01191 SILVER SUPPORT PLAN
OPTION YEAR 2 – NEXT SEQ2000 S/N VH01191 SILVER SUPPORT PLAN
OPTION YEAR 3 – NEXT SEQ2000 S/N VH01191 SILVER SUPPORT PLAN
OPTION YEAR 4 – NEXT SEQ2000 S/N VH01191 SILVER SUPPORT PLAN

The Contractor shall provide the following service:  

•    Includes full coverage for original equipment manufacturer (OEM) parts, labor and      travel 
•    Repairs are performed by technicians trained and certified by the manufacturer 
•    Reagent replacement kits upon hardware failures 
•    Remote Technical Support 18x5  
•    2 business day on-site response target  
•    Control Software and Hardware updates  
•    On-site applications support  
•    Discounts on advanced training  
•    Remote system monitoring available  
•    This is the most popular full-service plan balancing performance, productivity, and cost to deliver confidence and peace of mind  
•    Unlimited telephone support for instruments, reagents and applications will be provided at no additional charge 

Illumina, Inc. is the original equipment manufacturer and the only vendor capable of providing the required Silver Support Plan for NIAMS Illumina instrumentation.
Third-party vendors do not have access to Illumina’s proprietary components, software updates, or diagnostic tools, all of which are essential for proper maintenance, repair, and performance validation of the system. In addition, Illumina-certified service engineers possess the specialized training, certification, and technical expertise required to maintain the Illumina NextSeq 2000 at the level of performance necessary to support the NIAMS Intramural Research Program (IRP) mission.
Use of any non-OEM service provider would risk system incompatibility, compromised data integrity, and reduced instrument reliability, thereby impacting ongoing research operations.
The period of performance shall be 12 months. 
 
Base Period: May 25, 2026 through May 24, 2027 
Option Period One: May 25, 2027 through May 24, 2028 
Option Period Two: May 25, 2028 through May 24, 2029 
Option Period Three: May 25, 2029 through May 24, 2030 
Option Period Four: May 25, 2030 through May 24, 2031 

All reports and deliverables shall be sent to:  
 
Gustavo Gutierrez-Cruz  
GTS/NIAMS  
9000 Rockville Pike  
Building 50/Room 1526  
Bethesda, MD 20892 
 
 
DELIVERABLE      DELIVERABLE DESCRIPTION / FORMAT REQUIREMENTS – DUE DATE
#1       
Preventive Maintenance (PM) and Service Reports/PDF Report/PDF Report – 30 days after service is completed/issue is resolved
 
Evaluation Factors:

The award will be given to the contractor providing the highest technically acceptable offer. To be considered technically acceptable the offeror must meet the criteria below.  
 
Factor 1: Technical Capabilities  
The proposed technical plan shall demonstrate the following:  
• Demonstrate ability to acquire Illumina NextSeq 2000 certified OEM parts at no additional cost to the Government.  
 
Factor 2: Personnel Requirements and Organizational Experience  
Contractor’s personnel requirements and organization experience shall demonstrate the following:  
• Field Service Engineers/Service providers are qualified factory-trained, certified, and authorized by Agilent  
 
Factor 3: Past Performance  
Contractor past performance shall demonstrate the following:  

The proposed contract action is for supplies or services for which the Government intends to solicit and negotiate with only one source under authority of the 41 U.S.C. 253(c) (1), FAR 6.302.  This synopsis is not a request for competitive proposals. 
Offeror must provide signed documentation confirming authorization and certified capability from the OEM, Illumina to provide all services and products, identified in this notice and maintain all/any existing warranties, etc. Responses to this notice without this confirmation from the manufacturer will be considered invalid.   
The offeror/response must include a completed copy of the provision of FAR Clause 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors – Commercial Products and Commercial Services. 
Applicable Clauses: 52.203-11 Certification and Disclosure Regarding Payments to Influence Certain Federal Transactions 
52.203-18 Prohibition on Contracting with Entities that Require Certain Internal Confidentiality Agreements or Statements—Representation 
52.204-7 System for Award Management—Registration 
52.240-90 Security Prohibitions and Exclusions—Representations and Certifications 
52.203-17 Contractor Employee Whistleblower Rights 
52.203-19 Prohibition on Requiring Certain Internal Confidentiality Agreements or Statements
52.204-9 Personal Identity Verification of Contractor Personnel 
52.209-10 Prohibition on Contracting with Inverted Domestic Corporations 
52.212-4 Terms and Conditions—Commercial Products and Commercial Services 
52.219-8 Utilization of Small Business Concerns 
52.222-3 Convict Labor 
52.222-36 Equal Opportunity for Workers with Disabilities 
52.222-48 Exemption from Application of the Service Contract Labor Standards for Maintenance, Calibration, or Repair of Certain Equipment—Certification
52.222-50 Combating Trafficking in Persons 
52.223-23 Sustainable Products and Services 
52.226-8 Encouraging Contractor Policies to Ban Text Messaging While Driving 
52.232-33 Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer—System for Award Management 
52.232-40 Providing Accelerated Payments to Small Business Subcontractors 
52.233-4 Applicable Law for Breach of Contract Claim 
52.233-3 Protest after Award 
52.240-91 Security Prohibitions and Exclusions 
52.244-6 Subcontracts for Commercial Products and Commercial Services
The clauses are available in full text at http://www.acquisition.gov/far/.
Quotations will be due on May 20, 2026, 10:00am eastern daylight time via email to vensonm@mail.nih.gov.  Attn: Mai Venson.   The quotation must reference “Solicitation number” 75N98026Q00333.  All responsible sources may submit a quotation, which if timely received, shall be considered by the agency. Any questions must be sent via email to vensonm@mail.nih.gov and must include solicitation# 75N98026Q00333  in the subject line of email. 
“System updates may lag policy updates. The System for Award Management (SAM) may continue to require entities to complete representations based on provisions that are not included in this solicitation. Contracting officers will rely on representations from offerors based on provisions in the solicitation. Entities are not required to, nor are they able to, update their entity registration to remove these representations in SAM.”
To receive an award, the contractor must be registered as all awards and have valid certification in the System for Award Management (SAM) @ www.Sam.gov. Lack of valid registration in SAM will make an offeror ineligible for award. FAR Clause: An Offeror is required to be registered in SAM when submitting an offer or quotation and shall continue to be registered until time of award, during performance, and through final payment of any contract, basic agreement, basic ordering agreement, or blanket purchasing agreement resulting from this solicitation.