SOURCES SOUGHT
66 -- Epi-Flourescence Microscope for Insect Cell Culture for NIH
- Notice Date
- 5/8/2018
- 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, 6001 Executive Boulevard, Room 4211, MSC 9559, Bethesda, Maryland, 20892-9559, United States
- ZIP Code
- 20892-9559
- Solicitation Number
- SBSS-NIH-NIDA-18-4915444
- Archive Date
- 5/21/2018
- Point of Contact
- Jason Williams, Phone: 3014965985, Nancy Lamon-Kritikos, Phone: 301-480-2447
- E-Mail Address
-
Jason.Williams1@nih.hhs.gov, nancy.lamon-kritikos@nih.gov
(Jason.Williams1@nih.hhs.gov, nancy.lamon-kritikos@nih.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- This is a Small Business Sources Sought notice seeking Capability Statements. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. If your organization is not a small business, there is no need to respond to this announcement. For purposes of this announcement, a small business concern, in addition to meeting the small business size standard for the applicable NAICS code, is defined as "any business entity organized for profit with a place of business located in the United States or its outlying areas and that makes a significant contribution to the U.S. economy through payment of taxes and/or use of American products, material and/or labor, etc." The purpose of this notice is to obtain Capability Statements from small businesses directly addressing their ability to provide a product that meets all of the Salient Characteristics contained in the Purchase Description. In general, the Government is seeking information regarding: (1) the availability and capability of qualified small business sources; (2) whether they are small businesses; HUBZone small businesses; service-disabled, veteran-owned small businesses; 8(a) small businesses; veteran-owned small businesses; woman-owned small businesses; or small disadvantaged businesses; and (3) their size classification relative to the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for the proposed acquisition. Your responses to the information requested will assist the Government in determining whether a small business set-aside is possible for this acquisition (or if the acquisition can be further set-aside for one of the socio-economic categories of small businesses). 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. North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) CODE: The NAICS code applicable to this requirement is 334516 - ANALYTICAL LABORATORY INSTRUMENT MANUFACTURING. The corresponding small business size standard is 1,000 or fewer employees. Background Information: The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the nation's leading medical research agency and the primary Federal agency whose mission is to seek fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems and the application of that knowledge to enhance health, lengthen life, and reduce illness and disability, conducting, supporting and making medical discoveries that improve people's health and save lives. The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) is a part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), conducting research into the cause, treatment, and prevention of neurological disorders. The NINDS mission is to seek fundamental knowledge about the brain and nervous system and to use that knowledge to reduce the burden of neurological disease. Statement of Need and Purpose : The Dendrite Morphology and Plasticity Unit (DMPU) of the National Institute on Neurological Diseases and Stoke (NINDS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), will be culturing Drosophila S2 insect cells and dissociated neurons for the purposes of testing new genetic constructs and verifying the results of in vivo screens. A microscope is needed for easy imaging of these cultures. This will enable the DMPU to be more efficient in its research by removing the risk of introducing ineffective transgenes into its animal model. The expression of these constructs in S2 cells is often sub-optimal, and so DMPU needs an imaging system with the highest possible sensitivity. Background Information and Objective: The DMPU, NINDS uses various fluorescent markers to investigate the mechanisms of dendrite plasticity in its Drosophila model. These are genetically encoded or stained using antibodies. The process of developing these tools is very time-consuming and costly. The DMPU's goal is to rapidly test these tools in the early stages of development so that time is spent as efficiently as possible. This microscope will be used for the verification of these tools. The DMPU requires the most advanced camera for confirmation of fluorophore expression in insect cells. The accompanying software must include extended depth-of-focus, which makes it possible to take more informative pictures of larger structures (such as whole fly brains). Generic Name of Product : (1) Inverted Light Microscope with imaging platform, (2) Digital Camera (attached to microscope and connected to a computer), (3) Associated image manipulation software. Salient characteristics: 1. Microscope : The DMPU requires a size-appropriate for its purposes. The DMPU has space for a benchtop machine, within 50 cm x 80 cm x 80 cm, at or below 20 kg, with connected computer and monitor. Microscope and components must be easy to operate with the ability to be readily upgraded as DMPU's research needs may advance in the future. The microscope's working distance must be greater than 5 cm. The imaging platform must be adaptable to accommodate glass or plastic slides, well-plates, or culture flasks. The condenser turret must allow for Phase contrast, Epi-fluorescence, and DIC in 4X, 10X, 20X, or 40X magnification. The epi-fluorescent mechanism must enable separation of fluorescent channels, which is essential for the purposes of use of the requested equipment. 2. Camera : The camera shall have 16 mega-pixel resolution or better with good noise reduction, a high framerate (at least 35 fps at full field), and a large censor CMOS. This makes it possible to detect very faint fluorescent signals (<100 fluorescent molecules over a 25 cm2 area). This quality is the primary factor of the DMPU's decision to choose a model. 3. Software: The solftware must be easy-to-use system with a lot of customizability. Multi-channel images, including those with DIC, are easily merged, manipulated, and stored. The exported images shall be easily transferred to the DMPU's preferred image analysis software, Imaris. The Extended Depth of Focus module enhances the DMPU's ability to image in the Z-axis by combining a "stack" of images into one focused projection. This is necessary for imaging full brains and may prove insightful for imaging cultured cells. Installation and Training Requirements : All equipment and software should be installed by a certified technician. At least two onsite training sessions are also required. Quantity : One microscope, one accompanying camera, and at least one software license. Delivery Date : 30 days following receipt of order. Warranty : Industry standard for mechanics, optics and light source. One year warranty on electronic components. Purchase order will include four successive 12-month options for extended warranty on electronic components. Contract Type : A firm fixed price purchase order is anticipated for this acquisition. Additionally, four successive 12-month term options for extended warranty coverage of electronic components may be made part of the anticipated Purchase Order. Capability Statement / Information Sought: Small business Contractors that believe they possess the ability to provide the required products should submit documentation of their ability to meet the project requirements, addressing the Salient Characteristics contained in this announcement (a generic marketing brochure would likely not be sufficient to demonstrate a source's capability to meet the stated requirements) to the Contracting Officer. Contractors should also provide their Company Name, DUNS number, Physical Address, and Point of Contact Information and if applicable, Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) contract number. Interested organizations are required to identify their type of business, applicable North American Industry Classification System Code, and size standards in accordance with the Small Business Administration definitions and guidelines. Additionally, please indicate the country of manufacture of the product your organization can offer to meet the stated requirements. The government requests that no proprietary or confidential business data be submitted in a response to this notice. However, responses that indicate the information therein is proprietary will be properly safeguarded for Government use only. Capability statements must include the name and telephone number of a point of contact having authority and knowledge to discuss responses with Government representatives. Capability statements in response to this market survey that do not provide sufficient information for evaluation will be considered non-responsive. When submitting this information, please reference the Small Business Sources Sought notice number. All capability statements sent in response to this Small Business Sources Sought Notice must be submitted electronically (via email) to Jason Williams, Contracting Officer, at willjas@nida.nih.gov. All responses must be received by the specified due date and time in order to be considered. The response must be received on or before May 17, 2018 at 5:00 PM EST. Note: This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in the response. No proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included in your 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 review of the responses received, pre-solicitation and solicitation notices may be published in Federal Business Opportunities. However, responses to this notice will not be considered adequate responses to a solicitation. The solicitation release date is pending. The Government intends to negotiate a fixed-price contract.
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/HHS/NIH/NIDA-01/SBSS-NIH-NIDA-18-4915444/listing.html)
- Place of Performance
- Address: Contractor's facility, United States
- Record
- SN04915436-W 20180510/180508231359-558b721ef172a5c90160e04339b9b364 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)
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