SOURCES SOUGHT
66 -- Large Volume Light Sheet Microscope
- Notice Date
- 4/12/2017
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 334516
— Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing
- Contracting Office
- Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Station Support/Simplified Acquisitions, 31 Center Drive, Room 1B59, Bethesda, Maryland, 20892, United States
- ZIP Code
- 20892
- Solicitation Number
- HHS-NIH-NIDA-SSSA-SS-2017-313
- Archive Date
- 5/9/2017
- Point of Contact
- Hunter A. Tjugum, Phone: 3018275304
- E-Mail Address
-
hunter.tjugum@nih.gov
(hunter.tjugum@nih.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- INTRODUCTION This is a "Sources Sought" notice. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. The purpose of this notice is to obtain information regarding the availability and capability of all qualified sources to perform a potential requirement. This notice is issued to help determine the availability of qualified companies technically capable of meeting the Government requirement and to determine the method of acquisition. It is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government to issue a solicitation or ultimately award a contract. Responses will not be considered as proposals or quotes. No award will be made as a result of this notice. The Government will NOT be responsible for any costs incurred by the respondents to this notice. This notice is strictly for research and information purposes only. The information requested will assist the Government in determining the appropriate acquisition method, including whether a small business social-economic set-aside, competitive or non-competitive method is possible, and to determine the availability of all qualified companies technically capable of meeting the Government's requirement. NORTH AMERICAN CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM (NAICS) CODE The NAICS code applicable to this requirement is 334516 Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing with size standard 1000 employees. Background The National Institute of Mental Health Intramural Program plans and conducts basic, clinical, and translational research to advance understanding of the diagnosis, causes, treatment, and prevention of mental disorders through the study of brain function and behavior. Investigators in the NIMH intramural program perform a variety of experiments in which lightsheet microscopy is needed. Light-sheet microscopy of biological samples are made transparent by a new generation of tissue clearing methods, such as CLARITY, CUBIC, iDISCO and related methods, that allows imaging in large, intact volumes (e.g., whole rodent brain, embryos, etc.), with subcellular resolution and chemical/protein-specificity, while preserving unprecedented 3-dimensional anatomical fidelity. By this approach, a comprehensive, brain-wide anatomical organization of any labeled element can be mapped for precise quantitative analysis. A Large Volume Light Sheet Microscope is needed to perform quantitative morphometric studies in whole rodent brains and large volumes of tissue from other species, including non-human primates, in order to study changes in gene expression or connectivity that are part of projects within the NIMH intramural program and other cooperating intramural programs. Purpose and Objectives This Sources Sought notice seeks to determine eligible sources capable of achieving the essential features of this potential requirement. NIMH has a potential requirement to obtain a Large Volume Light Sheet Microscope in accordance with the specifications described in this notice. The purpose of this potential requirement is to obtain the supply, on-site installation, and initial use training for a lightsheet microscope capable of imaging tissue up to the size of a rat brain and has been cleared with techniques such as CLARITY and iDISCO; and that either contains expressed fluorescent proteins such as Green Fluorescent Protein, mCherry, and tdTomato or that is immunolabeled with markers such as DAPI, Alexa488, Alexa555, Alexa 594 and Alexa647. The purpose is to facilitate the rapid acquisition of images from thick sections or entire brains so that data showing gene expression and connectivity that are part of ongoing studies in multiple investigators laboratories can be efficiently gathered. The technology implemented, light sheet microscopy, allows images to be collected that are either impossible with other technologies or require prohibitive amounts of time. Project Requirements Contractors submitting a response to this Sources Sought notice shall possess the ability to achieve the government features specified in this potential requirement. Specifically, Offerors to this Sources Sought notice shall document evidence of being able to provide a Lightsheet microscope with a design that: 1) permits imaging of samples as large as a rat brain (i.e. to achieve laser-based lightsheet tiled imaging of specimens up to 10 x 10 x 10 millimeters. Sample chamber must accommodate samples up to 50 x 50 x 25 mm) and 2) permits the use of samples in both aqueous and organic clearing agents with high numerical aperature long working distance objectives (e.g. 0.5 or greater and working distances greater than 5mm that are compatible with aqueous and organic solvents and match refractive indexes near 1.5). Delivery: Offerors should indicate an estimated delivery time in full after receipt of an order and any other training or warranty schedules applicable. Inspection and acceptance will be performed at the National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), located in Bethesda, MD 20892. Capability statements sought Interested parties are expected to review this notice to familiarize itself with the requirements of this product or service. Failure to do so will be at your firm's own risk. Respondents must provide, as part of their response: (a) product, catalog, model, and/or part number(s); (b) product description; (c) best estimated delivery date after receipt of order; (d) all relevant information and documentation that the item(s) offered meets the salient physical, functional, or performance characteristics as specified in this announcement. Respondents that believe that they are authorized resellers of the equipment described in this announcement may provide, in addition to the aforementioned information, as part of their response: quantity; estimated price or cost; shipping, handling, and/or installation charges. The respondent must also provide their DUNS number, organization name, address, point of contact, and size and type of business (e.g., 8(a), HubZone, etc.) pursuant to the applicable NAICS code and any other information that may be helpful in developing or finalizing the acquisition requirements. One (1) copy of the response is required and must be in Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF format using 11-point or 12-point font, 8-1/2" x 11" paper size, with 1" top, bottom, left and right margins, and with single or double spacing. The response is limited to fifteen (15) pages. The 15-page limit does not include the cover page, executive summary, or references, if requested. The information submitted must be in an outline format that addresses each of the elements of the product requirement. A cover page and an executive summary may be included but is not required. The response must include the respondents' technical and administrative points of contact, including names, titles, addresses, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail addresses. Respondents must reference announcement number HHS-NIH-NIDA-SSSA-SS-2017-313 on all correspondence related to this Sources Sought notice. The response must be submitted to Hunter Tjugum electronically, at hunter.tjugum@nih.gov and NIDASSSAPurchaseRequ@mail.nih.gov and be received prior to the closing date specified in this announcement. CONCLUDING STATEMENTS Disclaimer and Important Notes. This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in response. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine the organization's qualifications to perform the work. Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted. After a review of the responses received, a pre-solicitation synopsis and solicitation may be published in Federal Business Opportunities. However, responses to this notice will not be considered adequate responses to a solicitation. Confidentiality. No proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included in your response. The Government reserves the right to use any non-proprietary technical information in any resultant solicitation(s).
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