SPECIAL NOTICE
B -- NOTICE OF INTENT TO SOLE SOURCE: SOLIENSE INC.
- Notice Date
- 8/15/2018
- Notice Type
- Special Notice
- NAICS
- 541990
— All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
- Contracting Office
- Agricultural Research Service - Western Business Service Center
- ZIP Code
- 00000
- Solicitation Number
- 1232SD18P0530
- Archive Date
- 8/22/2018
- Point of Contact
- WASHINGTONI NLN,
- E-Mail Address
-
washingtoni.NLN@ars.usda.gov
(washingtoni.NLN@ars.usda.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- The USDA ARS - WBSC intends to award a sole source Firm Fixed Purchase Order (PO) to Soliense Inc, 6 Overhill Road, Shoreham, NY 11786-1061. This order will purchase a SOLIENSE LIFT REM & ACCESSORIES in support of the ongoing research at USDA ARS, Arid Land Agricultural Research Center (ALARC), 21881 N. Cardon Lane, Maricopa, AZ 851358. The Firm Fixed PO will include the following: 1. Soliense LIFT REM Base Unit: • Basic instrument configuration, 150 mmoptics, up to four wavelengths excitationsource • Three-wavelengths emission channels, software-programmable • Two auxiliary software-programmable current drivers to operata external LED-base light souces, up to 8 Amp each, 1 ms time resolution • Two auxiliary software-programmable current drivers to operate Tungsten lamps, 40 W each channel • USB/Ethernet/Wireless communication • Internal computer, Windows 10 or Linux • LIFT/REM real-time control, data acquisition, and data processing software package • Pelican transport case 2. Accessories: • LIFT REM REFLECTANCE 2.0 - Target spectral reflectance recording channel • LIFT REM CAMERA 2.02 - Channel camera recording system • LIFT REM TELESCOPE 2.0 - Motorized telescope stand • LIFT REM BARCODE 2 - Software-integrated barcode reader (1D, 2D, and PDF417 format) • LIFT REM RFID 2.0 - Software-integrated RFID chip reader (150 kHz/13.56 MHz) USDA ARS, ALARC research has an essential requirement to purchase a portable high-throughput phenotyping instrument to remotely measure the photosynthetic properties of crops grown in multiple, large-scale field projects at a distance up to three meters. This instrument must 1) contain two cameras that trigger short (~1μs) synchronous actinic red and blue light flashes to stimulate photosynthetic activity and allow 3D reconstruction of the interrogated target; 2) measure the corresponding changes in plant fluorescence signals; 3) record fluorescence transients; 4) calculate functional absorption (i.e. light utilization efficiency), photosynthetic electron kinetics, quenching (non-photochemical, acceptor-side carotenoid and donor-side P680), and PQ Pool size; and 5) calculate Instantaneous Light Curves (ILC) using measured photosynthetic properties to determine the relationship between irradiance and the rates of photosynthetic electron transport thereby characterizing the effects of heat and drought stress on large plots of research crops. Portable fluorescence systems have been routinely used to characterize the effects of heat and drought stress on plant photosynthesis since the early 1970's, but sampling has been limited to an area of approximately 2.0 square centimeters on one leaf at a time, and these micro-measurements have taken 1-15 minutes each thus limiting large-scale data collections. A recent advancement in phenotyping research was the introduction of fixed-location systems like the LemnaTec Terra-Ref Analytics Robotic System (Maricopa, AZ), the largest field crop analytics robot in the world. This high-throughput phenotyping field-scanning robot has a 30-ton steel gantry that autonomously moves along two 200-meter steel rails. The scanning robot utilizes actinic light flashes in a dark-adapted system and captures fluorescence data using a diverse array of cameras and sensors. However, the LemnaTec is an installation that lacks mobility beyond one fixed research field. The Soliense LIFT-REM fluorometer is the only fluorescence system in the world that is portable and remotely measures photosynthetic characteristics of plants. The LIFT-REM uses a Fast Repetition Rate (FRR) of red and blue actinic light flashes in both a light and dark adapted system to a distance of up to 3 meters from crop canopies and can provide an integrated measurement over a larger target area, up to 0.3 meters squared. Furthermore, the LIFT-REM fluorometer can calculate Instantaneous Light Curves (ILC) and be operated in a Continuous Illumination (CI) mode, allowing rapid scans of large numbers of field plots. In March, 2018, USDA researchers in Maricopa, AZ hosted a graduate student from Forschungszentrum Jülich, who successfully phenotyped approximately 250 lines of durum wheat in a 0.5 hectare field using a Soliense LIFT-REM fluorometer mounted on one of their portable phenotyping carts. This demonstrated the suitability of the LIFT-REM to measure photosynthetic properties and characterize the effects of heat and drought stress on large plots of research crops across multiple fields. The Soliense LIFT-REM fluorometer will be used by 6 researchers across 6 fields to study 6 crops and will provide substantial advances in the field of high-throughput phenotyping. Pursuant to the authority of 41 U.S.C. 253(c)(1) and FAR 6.302-1, Only One Responsible Source and No Other Supplies or Services Will Satisfy Agency Requirements. The award date will be on or about August 21, 2018 ; and this Notice of Intent is not considered as a Request for Quotation (RFQ) nor is it a Request for Proposals (RFP). No solicitation document is available and telephone requests will not be honored. Interested persons may identify their interest and capability to respond to this requirement. A determination, by the Government, to compete this proposed PO based on responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. The Government will consider all responses received by 01:30PM PST, August 20, 2018. Information received will be considered solely for determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. Inquiries will only be accepted via email to the Primary Point of Contact: Washingtoni.NLN@ars.usda.gov.
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/notices/4dc5cf84e333947d7c7a7b30c156d644)
- Place of Performance
- Address: USDA ARS, Arid Land Agricultural Research Center (ALARC), 21881 N. Cardon Lane, Maricopa, AZ 851358., United States
- Record
- SN05039952-W 20180817/180815231843-4dc5cf84e333947d7c7a7b30c156d644 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
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