Purchase Order 75N94022P00284

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) awarded a $629,643.36 firm fixed-price purchase order to FEI Company's Materials and Structural Analysis Division for preventative maintenance and repair services on an Aquilos 2 cryo-electron microscope system. The contract, which commenced April 1, 2022, and extends through March 31, 2027, was awarded without a set-aside designation and covers on-site service delivery at the NIH Bethesda campus (Building 50). FEI Company, a subsidiary of Thermo Fisher Scientific and the original equipment manufacturer of the Aquilos 2 system, is uniquely positioned as the sole authorized provider for these specialized maintenance services, which include qualified service engineer support, 48-hour response capabilities, and remote monitoring to ensure continued instrument functionality for NIH research operations.

This procurement supports the NIDDK's research mission by maintaining critical advanced instrumentation infrastructure. FEI Company's extensive federal contracting history demonstrates established expertise in electron microscopy systems maintenance across multiple agencies including the National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Department of Defense, and NASA. The firm's sole-source award reflects its proprietary technology status and original equipment manufacturer position, consistent with prior federal awards for comparable electron microscopy maintenance and support services valued substantially higher than this purchase order, which reflects the specialized nature and cost implications of sustaining high-end analytical equipment essential to biomedical research initiatives.