Sodium-Proton (23Na/1H) Head Coil
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. For equipment/supply requirements, small business responses must include: (1) the place of manufacturing (i.e. address if supply/equipment is a domestic end product and include country of manufacture), as well as (2) the size status of the manufacturer under the applicable NAICS code (i.e. address Non-Manufacturer Rule). Background: Sodium, 23Na, is a naturally abundant nucleus that has been used for MR imaging, including in-vivo clinical studies of brain aging and neurodegeneration. For example, 23Na MR imaging has been shown to be very sensitive to cell death, one of the hallmarks of AD. In the human brain, 23Na is distributed in two compartments: intracellular and extracellular, with a constant concentration gradient maintained between these two compartments via the sodium/potassium pump. Impairment of energy metabolism or cell integrity leads to a disruption of this ionic homeostasis and non-normative intra- and extracellular 23Na concentrations. Indeed, it has been shown that accumulation of 23Na in white matter lesions may be related to increases in 23Na concentration inside either the extra- or intra-cellular (or both) compartments. The former could be related to edema, while the latter may be a consequence of demyelination or gliosis. This high sensitivity and specificity makes 23Na MRI a powerful noninvasive modality to characterize AD pathophysiology. The ongoing availability of modern coil designs, pulse sequences, and image reconstruction methods have led to a significant increase in the application of 23Na MRI in clinical research in recent years. Moreover, the emergence of promising techniques, such as inversion recovery and triple quantum-filtered sodium imaging, enables the selective characterization of different sodium compartments. These outcome measures have the potential to serve as sensitive biomarkers of early impairment in dementia. Thus, incorporating 23Na MRI into NIA’s integrative program of MR-based dementia studies, with clinical and functional correlates, would represent a fundamental expansion of our capabilities and place us at the forefront of this important class of MR studies. In conjunction with NIA’s large multifaceted database of metabolic and functional parameters, researchers anticipate that these studies will provide insight into electrophysiological activity, membrane transport, and other cellular processes in the brain that are notably understudied in normal aging and dementia. Purpose and Objectives: The National Institute on Aging (NIA) requires a sodium-proton (23Na/1H) head coil for sodium brain imaging on the 3T Philips MRI scanner, located at Harbor Hospital in Baltimore. This new coil will allow NIA to detect neuronal death, white matter degradation and edema associated with neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia. This capability will augment the research program on the etiology of these diseases in humans. Project requirements: Must be capable of transmitting and receiving at the sodium-23 (23Na) frequency of a 3T MRI scanner (33.8 MHz) to acquire a sodium-23 spectrum of a selected brain region. Must be capable of transmitting and receiving at the proton frequency of a 3T MRI scanner (127.7 MHz) to generate proton images for sodium voxel placement and registration. Must fit within the body coil of a Philips 3T MR7700 MRI scanner and fasten securely to the bed of scanner to avoid image artifacts. Must have an inner diameter of at least 26 cm to comfortably fit subject’s head. Must have an active coil length of at least 24 cm to scan the entire brain in the superior-inferior direction. Must have a radio-frequency and DC electrical interface compatible with a Philips 3T MR7700 scanner. Must include probe description files and any other code needed to interface the coil to the scanner’s acquisition software (Gyroscan R5.9 / R11.1 or above). Must incorporate quadrature polarization on proton channel to maximize efficiency for 1H spin excitation and signal reception. Must be capable of exciting and receiving a proton NMR spectrum of a standard sodium phantom with a minimum signal-to-noise ratio of 20:1 in one scan and a maximum line width (full width at half maximum) of 10 Hz in order to produce proton images of sufficient quality to allow reliable sodium voxel placement. Must incorporate quadrature polarization and active decoupling on sodium-23 transmit channel to maximize efficiency for 23Na spin excitation. Must demonstrate ability to excite sodium-23 (23Na) nuclei in a standard sodium phantom with flip angles from 10 degrees to 270 degrees with an error of no more than 5% from the theoretical sinusoidal dependence of integrated signal on flip angle. This is needed to prevent artifacts in spin-echo and stimulated-echo experiments in which 23Na must be excited with precise flip angles. Must incorporate eight sodium-23 receive channels and active decoupling to maximize sensitivity for 23Na signal reception. Must receive a sodium-23 signal from a standard sodium phantom with a minimum signal-to-noise ratio of 20:1 in one scan and a maximum line width (full width at half maximum) of 10 Hz in order to achieve adequate sensitivity in human brain spectroscopy experiments. Anticipated delivery: 9 months after receipt of order 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 Renee Dougherty, Contracting Officer, at e-mail address Renee.Dougherty@nih.gov and Karen Mahon, Contracting Officer, at e-mail address Karen.Mahon@nih.gov. The response must be received on or before July 15, 2022 at 10:00 am, 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).
75N95022Q00340 Department of Health and Human Services National Institutes of Health National Institute on Drug Abuse
6/30/22, 1:41 PM Sodium-Proton (23Na/1H) Head Coil
COMPETITIVE COMBINED SYNOPSIS / SOLICITATION Title: Sodium-Proton (23Na/1H) Head Coil (i) This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in Subpart 12.6 as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; proposals are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. (ii) The solicitation number is 75N95022Q00340 and the solicitation is issued as a request for quotation (RFQ). This acquisition is for a commercial item or service and is conducted under the authority of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 13—Simplified Acquisition Procedures; and FAR Part 12—Acquisition of Commercial Items and is not expected to exceed the simplified acquisition teshold. (iii) The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect tough Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) Number 2022-07, with effective date August 10, 2022. (iv) The associated NAICS code 334516 and the small business size standard is 1,000. This requirement is full and open with no set-aside restrictions. It is a brand name or equal acquisition. (v) This requirement is for a Sodium-Proton (23Na/1H) Head Coil. Manufacturer: RAPID MR International, LLC Item Number: 1 Quantity: 1 Unit: EACH Description: 23Na 1H phased array for human head (Manufacturer part #P-XQS-X08LE-HQ-030) Item Number: 2 Quantity: 1 Unit: EACH Description: Onsite Coil Training Item Number: 3 Quantity: 1 Unit: EACH Description: Shipping and Handling (vi) Generic Name of Product: Sodium-23/Proton (23Na/1H) head array coil for 3T MRI scanner. Purchase Description: Sodium-proton (23Na/1H) head coil to be used for brain imaging on the 3T Philips MRI scanner. See attached “Purchase Description 75N95022Q00340” document for more information. Salient characteristics Must be capable of transmitting and receiving at the sodium-23 (23Na) frequency of a 3T MRI scanner (33.8 MHz) to acquire a sodium-23 spectrum of a selected brain region. Must be capable of transmitting and receiving at the proton frequency of a 3T MRI scanner (127.7 MHz) to generate proton images for sodium voxel placement and registration. Must fit within the body coil of a Philips 3T MR7700 MRI scanner and fasten securely to the bed of scanner to avoid image artifacts. Must have an inner diameter of at least 26 cm to comfortably fit subject’s head. Must have an active coil length of at least 24 cm to scan the entire brain in the superior-inferior direction. Must have a radio-frequency and DC electrical interface compatible with a Philips 3T MR7700 scanner. Must include probe description files and any other code needed to interface the coil to the scanner’s acquisition software (Gyroscan R5.9 / R11.1 or above). Must incorporate quadrature polarization on proton channel to maximize efficiency for 1H spin excitation and signal reception. Must be capable of exciting and receiving a proton NMR spectrum of a standard sodium phantom with a minimum signal-to-noise ratio of 20:1 in one scan and a maximum line width (full width at half maximum) of 10 Hz in order to produce proton images of sufficient quality to allow reliable sodium voxel placement. Must incorporate quadrature polarization and active decoupling on sodium-23 transmit channel to maximize efficiency for 23Na spin excitation. Must demonstrate ability to excite sodium-23 (23Na) nuclei in a standard sodium phantom with flip angles from 10 degrees to 270 degrees with an error of no more than 5% from the theoretical sinusoidal dependence of integrated signal on flip angle. This is needed to prevent artifacts in spin-echo and stimulated-echo experiments in which 23Na must be excited with precise flip angles. Must incorporate eight sodium-23 receive channels and active decoupling to maximize sensitivity for 23Na signal reception. Must receive a sodium-23 signal from a standard sodium phantom with a minimum signal-to-noise ratio of 20:1 in one scan and a maximum line width (full width at half maximum) of 10 Hz in order to achieve adequate sensitivity in human brain spectroscopy experiments. (vii) The Government anticipates award of a firm-fixed-price purchase order for this acquisition and the anticipated delivery date is within 9 months of receipt of order. Delivery will be f.o.b. destination. The place of delivery and acceptance will be 251 Bayview Blvd., Baltimore, MD 21224-6825. (viii) The provision at FAR 52.252-1, Solicitation Provisions Incorporated by Reference (Feb 1998), applies to this acquisition. This solicitation incorporates one or more solicitation provisions by reference, with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make their full text available. The offeror is cautioned that the listed provisions may include blocks that must be completed by the offeror and submitted with its quotation or offer. In lieu of submitting the full text of those provisions, the offeror may identify the provision by paragraph identifier and provide the appropriate information with its quotation or offer. Also, the full text of a solicitation provision may be accessed electronically at these addresses: https://www.acquisition.gov/browse/index/far https://www.hhs.gov/grants/contracts/contract-policies-regulations/hhsar/index.html (End of provision) The following provisions apply to this acquisition and are incorporated by reference: FAR 52.204-7, System for Award Management (Oct 2018) FAR 52.204-16, Commercial and Government Entity Code Reporting (Aug 2020) FAR 52.211-6, Brand Name or Equal (Aug 1999) FAR 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors-Commercial Items (Nov 2021) FAR 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial Items (Nov 2021) HHSAR 352.239-73, Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Notice (December 18, 2015) The clause at FAR 52.252-2, Clauses Incorporated by Reference (Feb 1998), applies to this acquisition. This contract incorporates one or more clauses by reference, with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make their full text available. Also, the full text of a clause may be accessed electronically at these addresses: https://www.acquisition.gov/browse/index/far https://www.hhs.gov/grants/contracts/contract-policies-regulations/hhsar/index.html (End of clause) The following clauses apply to this acquisition and are incorporated by reference: FAR 52.204-13, System for Award Management Maintenance (Oct 2018) FAR 52.204-18, Commercial and Government Entity Code Maintenance (Aug 2020) FAR 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions--Commercial Items (Nov 2021). Addendum to this FAR clause applies to this acquisition and is attached. HHSAR 352.222-70, Contractor Cooperation in Equal Employment Opportunity Investigations (December 18, 2015) HHSAR 352.239-74, Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility (December 18, 2015) The following provisions and clauses apply to this acquisition and are attached in full text. Offerors MUST complete the provisions at 52.204-24 and 52.204-26 and submit completed copies as separate documents with their quotation. FAR 52.204-24 Representation Regarding Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment (Nov 2021) FAR 52.204-26 Covered Telecommunications Equipment or Services-Representation (Oct 2020) FAR 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders--Commercial Items (May 2022) (ix) The provision at FAR clause 52.212-2, Evaluation – Commercial Items (Nov 2021), applies to this acquisition. (a) The Government will award a contract resulting from this solicitation to the responsible offeror whose offer conforming to the solicitation will be most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered. The following factors shall be used to evaluate offers: (i) technical capability of the item offered to meet the Government requirement; (ii) past performance (see FAR 13.106-2(b)(3); (iii) price. Technical and past performance, when combined, are significantly more important than price. (b) A written notice of award or acceptance of an offer, mailed or otherwise furnished to the successful offeror within the time for acceptance specified in the offer, shall result in a binding contract without further action by either party. Before the offer’s specified expiration time, the Government may accept an offer (or part of an offer), whether or not there are negotiations after its receipt, unless a written notice of withdrawal is received before award. (x) The Offerors must include a completed copy of the provision at FAR clause 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial Items (Nov 2021), with its offer. If the offeror has completed FAR clause 52.212-3 at www.sam.gov, then the offeror does not need to provide a completed copy with its offer. (xi) The following invoice instructions are attached, however only one will be included in the final order: Invoicing Instructions With IPP 4-21-22 Invoicing Instructions Without IPP 4-21-22 (xii) There are no additional contract requirements or terms and conditions applicable to this acquisition. (xiii) The Defense Priorities and Allocations System (DPAS) are not applicable to this requirement. (xiv) Responses to this solicitation must include sufficient information to establish the interested parties’ bona-fide capabilities of providing the product or service. The price quote shall include: unit price, list price, shipping and handling costs, delivery days after contract award, delivery terms, prompt payment discount terms, F.O.B. Point (Destination or Origin), product or catalog number(s), product description, and any other information or factors that may be considered in the award decision. Such factors may include: past performance, special features required for effective program performance, trade-in considerations, probable life of the item selected as compared with that of a comparable item, warranty considerations, maintenance availability, and environmental and energy efficiency considerations. Respondents proposing on an equal product of the brand-name product specified in this announcement must provide, as part of their response: (a) product, catalog, model, and/or part number(s); (b) product description; (c) all relevant information and documentation that the item(s) offered meets the salient physical, functional, or performance characteristics as specified in the purchase description; quantity; estimated price or cost; shipping, handling, and/or installation charges; and delivery date after receipt of order. The Unique Entity ID from SAM.gov, the Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN), and the certification of business size must be included in the response. All offerors must have an active registration in the System for Award Management (SAM) www.sam.gov. All quotations must be received by 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time, on Friday, August 26, 2022, and reference solicitation number 75N95022Q00340 in the quotation AND in the subject line of the transmittal email. Responses must be submitted electronically to Renee Dougherty, Contracting Officer, at renee.dougherty@nih.gov. Fax responses will not be accepted.
75N95022Q00340 Department of Health and Human Services National Institutes of Health National Institute on Drug Abuse
8/19/22, 3:36 PM