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, to determine the method of acquisition, and availability of domestic sources manufactured in the United States in sufficient and reasonably available commercial quantities and of a satisfactory quality. 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. Small businesses are encouraged to respond.
Responses must include the place of manufacturing (i.e. address if supply/equipment is a domestic end product and include country of manufacture). For equipment/supply requirements, small businesses must also address the size status of the manufacturer under the applicable NAICS code (i.e. address Non-Manufacturer Rule).
The response must also include 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.
Background: The SNIR current supports instruments that provide widefield and point scanning confocal acquisition capability to the NIMH intramural program (IRP). It lacks the ability to provide spinning disk image acquisition. A spinning disk system will fill a significant gap in the light microscopy that the SNIR can provide and meet the needs of ongoing projects that now require this type of instrument. The SNIR currently has a Nikon TiE widefield microscope that can be upgraded to a spinning confocal disk system, which will provide a significant savings over acquisition of a completely new spinning disk confocal system. Projects that will take advantage of a high throughput spinning disk system include:
1) Analysis of the fine structure of neurons filled with dye during electrophysiology. There are ongoing projects in several laboratories that now need to analyze dendritic spine density and/or changes in neuronal morphology during animal development, and in disease models, using neurons filled during electrophysiological recording. A spinning disk system will allow more reproducible and reliable data to be produced than can be accomplished with currently available instrumentation. Confocal microscopy provides high quality/high resolution data but because of the speed of acquisition it is not possible to collect high resolution data from the full extent of many neurons, even taking advantage of resonant scanning and AI-denoising. Widefield microscopy is faster, but the out of focus light prevents analysis of dendritic spines, which is a critical parameter.
2) High-throughput analysis of spatial genomic data. There are ongoing in situ hybridization histochemistry projects in multiple laboratories. In addition, several groups are in the process of adding the “barseq” technique to established projects, which will generate data that is similar to in situ hybridization data from an image acquisition perspective. Both confocal and widefield acquisition are used for these projects with compromises that are similar to those for neuron structure experiments described above. Confocal imaging is relatively slow, preventing analysis of data from large anatomical regions and widefield imaging does not provide sufficient axial resolution. Spinning disk confocal image acquisition is an established solution for these techniques.
Purpose and Objectives: - The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Systems Neuroscience Imaging Resource (SNIR) requires spinning disk confocal capabilities. The purpose is to allow SNIR users the ability to image large tissue samples at high axial and lateral resolution in a practical amount of time. This will support projects, including projects used for human induced pluripotential stem cell (IPSC) cultures and organoids, started several years ago that have developed to a point where this instrumentation has become critical. The most efficient way to implement this is through upgrade of an existing widefield microscope.
Salient characteristics:
Upgrade of existing widefield microscope with the following characteristics:
1) Compatible with existing Nikon TiE microscope stand including objectives and stage or fully replaces it.
2) Compatible with existing Nikon Elements software or fully replaces it.
3) 50 micron diameter pinhole array.
4) Compatible with 25 micron diameter pinhole array (potential future addition).
5) Microlens array matching pinholes.
6) Able to image tissue up to 100 microns thick without significant pinhole cross-talk.
7) Incorporates 10 position filter wheel.
8) Includes laser illumination from 405nm through approximately 750nm delivering 250W in the violet range and 450 mW per channel in the visible through near IR range.
9) Includes workstation optimized for control of high throughput microscope system and all hardware associated with this acquisition, and for acquisition of large data sets.
10) Includes Piezo controlled stage with 200 micron travel and capacity for 4 25x75mm slides
11) Software modules to operate all described components through existing Nikon Elements license or full replacement.
12) Includes 60X, 1.3 NA objective optimized for refractive index of 1.4 with working distance >100 microns or equivalent.
Other important considerations:
In case domestic sources are available and capable of fulfilling the Government’s need, and a future solicitation is published, the Government will use evaluation preferences in accordance with FAR 25.
Capability statement /information sought.
Companies that believe they possess the capabilities to provide the required products should submit documentation of their ability to meet each of the project requirements to the Contracting Officer. The capability statement must specifically address each of the project requirements separately. Additionally, the capability statement should include 1) the total number of employees, 2) the professional qualifications of personnel as it relates to the requirements outlined, 3) any contractor GSA Schedule contracts and/or other government-wide acquisition contracts (GWACs) by which all of the requirements may be met, if applicable, and 4) any other information considered relevant to this program. Capability statements must also include the Company Name, Unique Entity ID from SAM.gov, Physical Address, and Point of Contact Information. The response must include the respondents’ technical and administrative points of contact, including names, titles, addresses, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail addresses.
Interested companies are required to identify their type of business, applicable North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code, and size standards in accordance with the Small Business Administration. 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 solicitation notice number.
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 information submitted must be in and outline format that addresses each of the elements of the project requirement and in the capability statement /information sought paragraphs stated herein. A cover page and an executive summary may be included but is not required.
The response is limited to ten (10) page limit. The 10-page limit does not include the cover page, executive summary, or references, if requested.
All responses to this notice must be submitted electronically to the Contract Specialist and Contracting Officer. Facsimile responses are NOT accepted.
The response must be submitted to Jeff Moore, Contract Specialist, at e-mail address Jeff.Moore@nih.gov and Rieka.Plugge@nih.gov.
The response must be received on or before August 12, 2025, 4:30 PM, Eastern Time.
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 presolicitation synopsis and solicitation may be published in www.sam.gov. 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).
