SAM #27-000068

NIH Clinical Center seeks bulk liquid nitrogen delivery and tank rental for CCE

The National Institutes of Health seeks uninterrupted liquid nitrogen supply for its Clinical Center cell-manufacturing operations. - Buyer: National Institutes of Health (NIH), Clinical Center (CC), Department of Transfusion Medicine (DTM), Center for Cellular Engineering (CCE). - Requested service: Bulk liquid nitrogen (LN₂) deliveries and continued monthly rental of the existing tank serving CCE’s 3T cell-manufacturing facility in Building 10, near the Morgue. - Current supplier: Roberts Oxygen Company, Inc., identified as the intended sole source. Its tank is already installed and connected, and Roberts Oxygen is approved for CCE manufacturing protocols. - Key requirements: Capability statements from other interested sources should show they can deliver LN₂ on time, provide documentation suitable for FDA-regulated manufacturing, and support CCE’s existing operations. - Operational considerations: Replacing the supplier may require new equipment or plumbing, system requalification, and quality-assurance review, with potential added cost and disruption to regulated manufacturing and patient-care research. - Opportunity type: Notice of intent; it is not a request for competitive quotations or proposals.

Description

The National Institutes of Health (NIH), Clinical Center (CC), Department of Transfusion Medicine (DTM), Center for Cellular Engineering (CCE), intends to procure continued bulk liquid nitrogen (LN₂) delivery and tank rental services from Roberts Oxygen Company, Inc. The requirement supports the existing bulk LN₂ system serving CCE's 3T cell-manufacturing facility in Building 10 at the NIH Clinical Center.  The anticipated perio of performance is from 10/16/2026 to 09/30/2027.

CCE manufactures human cell- and tissue-based products used in Phase I/II clinical protocols for transplantation, adoptive immunotherapy, and gene therapy and supports more than 30 patient-care clinical research protocols. The requirement includes bulk LN₂ deliveries to the existing tank located near the Building 10 Morgue and continued monthly rental of the installed tank. 

Basis for Intended Sole Source

Roberts Oxygen Company, Inc. currently owns and provides the installed bulk LN₂ tank and supplies the liquid nitrogen used to support CCE's regulated cell-manufacturing and storage operations. The existing tank is installed on the NIH campus and connected to the CCE 3T cell-manufacturing facility. 

Changing suppliers would require removal of the existing tank and associated plumbing, installation of a new system, and requalification of the LN₂ source. Such a transition could result in additional costs and disruption to CCE's ability to manufacture and store cell therapy products. Additionally, Roberts Oxygen is currently the approved supplier for CCE manufacturing protocols. Use of an alternate supplier would require Quality Assurance review and requalification, potentially delaying patient treatment and ongoing clinical trials. 

Capability Statements

This notice is not a request for competitive quotations or proposals. However, responsible sources that believe they can satisfy the Government's requirement may submit a capability statement demonstrating their ability to provide the required bulk LN₂ delivery and tank rental services.

Capability statements should clearly demonstrate the vendor's ability to meet the requirement, including its ability to provide timely LN₂ deliveries, necessary supporting documentation for use in an FDA-regulated manufacturing environment, and any information demonstrating its ability to support the existing CCE operations. 

All capability statements must be received no later than October 16, 2026, at 8:00 AM Eastern Time (ET) and emailed to shasheshe.goolsby@nih.gov.

The Government will consider all responses received by the stated deadline. A determination not to compete this proposed acquisition based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Information received will normally be considered solely for determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement.

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