Amendment of Solicitation
1. Name and Address of Issuing Activity: National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Gaithersburg MD
2. Solicitation Number and Date: RFQ-1333ND25QNB640331, Issued on 8/15/25
3. Amendment Number and Date: Amendment No. 1, Issued on 8/20/25
4. Description of Changes:
Change in Statement of Requirements/Specifications
Revised specification #11: X,Y motorized stage with linear encoder. At least 25 mm/s maximum travel speed. Universal stage or stage insert(s) to hold SLAS standard well plates, petri dishes, slides.
5. Government Point of Contact: Don Graham, Contracting Officer Phone: (301) 975-6753; Email: Donald.graham@nist.gov
6. No change to Solicitation Closing Date or Time
TITLE: High-Speed, Automated Fluorescence Microscope for Advanced Biological Imaging
DESCRIPTION
THIS IS A COMBINED SYNOPSIS/SOLICITATION FOR COMMERCIAL
ITEMS PREPARED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE FORMAT IN FAR SUBPART 12.6-STREAMLINED PROCEDURES FOR EVALUATION AND SOLICITATION FOR COMMERCIAL ITEMS-AS SUPPLEMENTED WITH ADDITIONAL INFORMATION INCLUDED IN THIS NOTICE. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONSTITUTES THE ONLY SOLICITATION; QUOTATIONS ARE BEING REQUESTED, AND A SEPARATE WRITTEN SOLICITATION DOCUMENT WILL NOT BE ISSUED. THE SOLICITATION IS BEING ISSUED USING SIMPLIFIED ACQUISITION PROCEDURES UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF FAR PARTS 12 AND 13
This solicitation is a Request for Quotations (RFQ). The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2025-05 effective 8/7/25
The associated North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code for this procurement is 334516 with a small business size standard of 1,000 employees.
Quoters must possess an ACTIVE registration in the System for Award Management system, www.SAM.gov, when submitting a quotation and shall continue to be registered until time of award, during performance, and through final payment of any contract resulting from this solicitation. The Contracting Officer will confirm that quoters have an “active” registration at the www.sam.gov website upon receipt of the quotation. If the SAM.Gov registration is not active, the quotation will not be considered for award.
This is a Brand Name Only requirement. Quoters must provide the brand name identified within the Statement of Requirement (SOR). The brand name only justification is as follows:
The Cell Systems Science Group in the Biosystems and Biomaterials Division (BBD) at NIST has a nationally and internationally recognized program in biological measurements. Our leadership role involves developing novel measurement protocols, assays and biological reference materials to advance competitiveness in biotechnology and the life sciences. An important component of our mission is to develop measurements with versatile, transparent and transferrable methods. A new automated, inverted fluorescence microscope capable of high-speed imaging and integration into a robotic system is needed to achieve program success.
Our ongoing projects requires an imaging-based measurement instrument for continuous monitoring and evaluation of cell cultures to generate metrics for driving our autonomous robotic biomanufacturing system.
(1) The new instrument is required to be compatible with the Hamilton HMotion robotic arm and be able to communicate with the Hamilton VENUS software. This allows the imaging instrument to be integrated with an automated robotic system and workflow.
(2) Another crucial criterion is the capability for high-speed imaging to allow for high throughput and the ability to generate metrics over a large population of cells. This is to be maximized by using an imaging method called continuous motion imaging where a sample does not stop moving while images are captured.
(3) Lastly, in order to continuously image and monitor cell culture over several days, focus needs to be established and maintained to properly visualize the cells. Having a laser autofocus system which can autonomously find and maintain the proper focus is a critical criterion.
Nikon has multiple resellers therefore a Brand-Name only acquisition strategy will be utilized.
BBD’s market research demonstrates the Nikon Ti2e system uniquely meets the critical criteria.
SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS
Responsible quoters shall provide a quotation for the following Contract Line Items (CLINs), in accordance with the specifications outlined in the attached Statement of Requirement. All equipment must be new. Used or remanufactured equipment will not be considered for award:
BASE LINE ITEMS:
LINE ITEM 0001: (Quantity 1) Nikon Ti2e inclusive of delivery, installation, training, and 1-year initial warranty, in accordance with the Statement of Requirements.
OPTION LINE ITEMS:
These line items will not be exercised at the time of award. They will be exercised in one-year increments at the Governments discretion:
LINE ITEM 0002: (Quantity 1 YR) Extended Warranty- Option Year 1 in accordance with the Statement of Requirements.
LINE ITEM 0003: (Quantity 1 YR) Extended Warranty- Option Year 2 in accordance with the Statement of Requirements.
LINE ITEM 0004: (Quantity 1 YR) Extended Warranty- Option Year 3 in accordance with the Statement of Requirements.
LINE ITEM 0005: (Quantity 1 YR) Extended Warranty- Option Year 4 in accordance with the Statement of Requirements
DELIVERY TERMS
Delivery terms shall be FOB Destination.
FOB DESTINATION MEANS: The Contractor shall pack and mark the shipment in conformance with carrier requirements, deliver the shipment in good order and condition to the point of delivery specified in the purchase order, be responsible for loss of and/or damage to the goods occurring before receipt and acceptance of the shipment by the consignee at the delivery point specified in the purchase order; and pay all charges to the specified point of delivery.
EVALUATION CRITERIA AND BASIS FOR AWARD
The Government intends to award a purchase order resulting from this solicitation to the responsible Contractor whose quotation, conforming to the solicitation, provides the lowest priced, technically acceptable quote.
Technically acceptable means that the quote:
1.) Meets or exceeds the brand name only minimum equipment specifications listed within the Statement of Requirements;
2.) Meets training, warranty, and installation requirements as applicable;
3.) Meets the required delivery schedule; and
4.) Meets Option Years for Extended Warranty.
Price:
The price evaluation will determine whether the quoted prices are fair and reasonable in relation to the solicitation requirements. Quoted prices must be entirely compatible with the technical quotation.
NIST intends to evaluate quotations and issue a purchase order based on the initial quotes received. Therefore, the offerors initial quote should contain the offerors best terms from a price and technical standpoint. The Contracting Officer anticipates awarding this requirement without discussions but reserves the right to enter discussions if it is deemed necessary.
INSTRUCTIONS:
Due Date for Quotations and Questions
All quotations must be submitted, via e-mail, to Don Graham, Contract Specialist, at donald.graham@nist.gov. Submissions must be received no later than 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time on August 29, 2025 FAX quotations will not be accepted. Quoters must reference the RFQ number in the subject line of the e-mail submission. Quotes shall not be deemed received by the Government until the quotation has entered the e-mail inbox of the individual(s) set forth above.
Questions: All questions regarding this notice must be submitted via e-mail to Don Graham, at donald.graham@nist.gov, no later than 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time on August 22, 2025.
Quotation Preparation Instructions
Each quotation shall consist of three (3) separate electronic files:
(1) Technical Quotation
(2) Pricing Quotation
(3) Completed copy of the Provisions and Clauses
Technical Quotation- Shall include the following:
(1) Technical description and/or product literature. Quoters shall include the manufacturer, make and model of the product, manufacturer sales literature or other product literature which CLEARLY DOCUMENTS that the offered products meet the brand name only specifications outlined in the statement of requirements. It is the responsibility of the quoter to ensure that submitted documentation clearly addresses all specifications and requirements.
(2) If product literature does not address any given specification, the Contractor must provide a discussion of how the Contractor will meet or exceed that required specification. Any modifications must be discussed. It is the responsibility of the quoter to ensure that the discussion clearly addresses the modification and how the required specification(s) will be met with the quoted modification. If such information is not provided, the Government will conclude that the minimum specifications have not been met.
(3) The quoted delivery timeline for the contract line items.
(4) A description of the quoted installation, training, and warranty.
(5) A description of the quoted Option Year Extended Warranty for Option Years.
Price Quotation:
(1) All Quoters shall submit a firm fixed price, FOB Destination, price quotation for the contract line items. The quotation must include a unit price and total amount for each line item and the aggregate price for all contract line items.
(2) The price quotation shall include a cover page with the following information:
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- The solicitation number 1333ND25QNB640331;
- The name and address, of the Quoter;
- The name, phone number, and email address of the Quoter’s point of contact;
- Unique Entity Identifier # for Quoter’s active SAM.Gov registration.
- Any applicable discount terms.
- A statement that the Contractor agrees to all terms, conditions, and provisions included in the solicitation. If the Contractor objects to any of the terms and conditions contained in this solicitation, the Contractor shall state “The terms and conditions in the solicitation are acceptable to be included in the award document with the exception, deletion, or addition of the following:” [Contractor shall list exception(s) and rationale for the exception(s)]. It is the sole responsibility of the Contractor to identify in their quote any exceptions to the terms and conditions of the solicitation.
- A statement that the quotation is valid for a minimum of 90 days from the response deadline of this solicitation.
Completed Solicitation Provisions:
A completed version of all required solicitation provisions (see attached provisions/clauses document – required submissions highlighted in blue).
Please note that this procurement IS NOT being conducted under the GSA Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) program or another Government-Wide Area Contract (GWAC). If a contractor submits a quotation based upon an FSS or GWAC contract, the Government will accept the quoted price. However, the terms and conditions stated herein will be included in any resultant Purchase Order, not the terms and conditions of the contractor’s FSS or GWAC contract, and the statement required above shall be included in the quotation.
PROVISIONS AND CLAUSES:
The clauses and provisions applicable to this solicitation can be found under the attachment entitled “Applicable Clauses & Provisions.” The full text of a FAR provision or clause may be accessed electronically www.acquisition.gov/far. The full text of a CAR provision or clause may be accessed electronically at http://www.osec.doc.gov/oam/acquistion_management/policy/.
ATTACHMENTS:
The following attachments apply to this solicitation:
1 Statement of Requirements
2. Applicable Provisions & Clauses
