75N91021Q00004 Sources Sought.pdf

Title: Small Business Sources Sought for Brand Name or Equal Abberior MINFLUX 3D Imaging System

Document Type: Sources Sought

Reference Number: 75N91021Q00004

Posted Date: 12/07/2020

Response Date: 12/14/2020

Classification Code: 6640 –Laboratory Equipment and Supplies NAICS Code: 333314 – Optical Instrument and Lens Manufacturing

Contracting Office Address:

Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute, Office of Acquisitions, 9609 Medical Center Drive, Room 1E136, Rockville, MD

20892, UNITED STATES.

Description:

This is a Small Business Sources Sought Notice for a brand name or equal requirement. This notice is for information and planning purposes only. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals or quotations and shall not be construed as an obligation on the part of the Government.

The purpose of this Sources Sought Notice is to identify qualified small business concerns, including 8(a), HUBZone or Service-Disabled Veteran-owned business concerns, that are interested in and capable of performing the work described herein. Responses to this notice 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 market research and information purposes only. The responses to this notice shall be used to assist the Government in determining the appropriate acquisition method, including whether a set-aside is possible. An organization that is not considered a small business under the applicable NAICS code should not submit a response to this notice. This requirement is assigned North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code 333314 – Optical Instrument and Lens Manufacturing and the business size standard is 500 employees.

As a result of this Sources Sought Notice, the Government may issue a Request for Quotation (RFQ) through beta.SAM.gov. THERE IS NO SOLICITATION AVAILABLE AT THIS TIME. However, should such a requirement materialize, no basis for claims against the Government shall arise as a result of a response to this Sources Sought Notice or the Government’s use of such information as either part of our evaluation process or in developing specifications for any subsequent requirement.

The purpose of this requirement is to purchase a commercially available Brand Name or Equal Abberior MINFLUX 3D Imaging system for the Laboratory of Receptor Biology and Gene Expression (LRBGE) Optical Microscopy Core (OMC) within the Center for Cancer Research (CCR) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Cancer Institute (NCI). Purchase of this system is indispensable to the mission of NIH. The technology will benefit numerous studies of cancer malignancy at CCR and NCI.

BACKGROUND

The National Cancer Institute (NCI), Center for Cancer research (CCR), Laboratory of Receptor Biology and Gene Expression (LRBGE) Optical Microscopy Core (OMC) requires a new, commercially available, super-resolution imaging system that enables nanoscopy with minimal photon fluxes (MINFLUX) and provides dynamic nanoscopic multicolor imaging in 3D with resolution of 3 nm in XYZ. The MINFLUX 3D Imaging System includes new and unique technologies of adaptive optics and deformable mirror for correction of the specimen distortions, which allow imaging of the thick specimens such as cell tissues. Thus, it allows studies of the intracellular distribution and unperturbed dynamics of individual molecules and molecular complexes in malignant cells and tissues. The MINFLUX 3D Imaging System shall be used for the long-term, no-photodamage, no-photobleaching, 3D imaging of unperturbed dynamics of individual molecules and molecular complexes for the malignant cells and tissues.

MINFLUX (nanoscopy with MINimal photon FLUXes) technology is state-of the art and significantly exceeds other available nanoscopic technologies, such as STED and PALM/STORM, in resolution, speed of imaging and in reduced photodamage (localization precision of 3 x 3 x 3 nm, nanoprecision tracking at up to 10 kHz; multiple specimen sampling with 400 microseconds per frame with 3 nm spatial resolution, photon counts of fewer than 10 for smaller than 10 nm XYZ localization). The technology is based on sampling the specimen with a doughnut-shaped beam. This technology extracts the fluorophore position by absence of fluorescence (excitation minima) and thus employs a low-level excitation. In this technique the molecule becomes fluorescent only if it is located off-center of the doughnut hole (excitation minimum). Four images are collected with controlled circular doughnut beam shift. To extract the molecule position with nanometer resolution, the fluorescence minimum is estimated based on photon counts from each of the four beam positions.

PRODUCT FEATURES/SALIENT CHARACTERISTICS

The following product features/characteristics are required for this requirement:

• MINFLUX technology with 3 nm localization precision, EOM-scanning localization via excitation minima using a doughnut-shaped excitation beam and nanometer-precision tracking at up to 10,000 Hz, photon counts of fewer than 10 for smaller than 10 nm XYZ localization.

• Inverted microscope body

• Scanning stage with travel range 125 x 75 mm, velocity up to 120 mm/s, resolution 0.1 um

• Four-mirror Quad scanning with four galvo scanners and four galvo servo controllers with high pointing stability, with scan lens-free design for minimal wavefront distortions

• Optics package with full auto alignment of all beams and pinholes

• Deformable mirror unit for precise and fast z-positioning of all beams

• Active sample stabilization with nanometer precision in all three dimensions

• Ultra-fast (> 100 kHz) beam-scanning with << 1 nm precision within 400 nm – 950 nm wavelength range

• Interleaved multi-channel acquisition as pulse and/or pixel and/or line-interleaved Direct output of the photon counts for quantitative measurements

• Direct output of the photon counts for quantitative measurements

• Five or more gating channels for single-photon counting with < 80 ps time resolution

• Workstation PC (64 GB RAM, Intel Core, graphics GTX670 or equivalent) with software package for Data acquisition (software package for MINFLUX tracking acquisition mode) and Analysis (incorporating automatic control of imaging, automatic measurements, toolbox for quantitative microscopy, color-encoded display of quantification and tracking, and GUI with customized workflows); Monitor (>= 32 TFT)

• High-power laser modules for 561 nm and 642 nm with > 1000 mW power and power stability < 2% for at least 8 hrs, with option of using different objective lenses (oil, water, silicone, glycerol).

• Beam-shaping modules for 561 nm and 642 nm with spatial light modulator for dynamic beam shaping, capable of forming doughnut-shaped STED beam with correction for sample distortions

• Activation laser module in MINFLUX mode with ultrafast digital modulation

• Objectives: UPlanSApo 100X/1.40 Oil, UplanSApo 60X/NA 1.2 water, UPlanSApo

20X/NA 0.85

• Widefield Module for Epifluorescence

• High sensitivity CMOS epifluorescence camera for epifluorescence detection (Orca

FLASH 4.0 V3 or equivalent with peak quantum efficiency of >= 80% at 560 nm, 6.5 x

6.5 um cell size)

• Pulsed laser modules for 485 nm, 561 nm, 640 nm, 405 nm

• Three detection channels with Single-photon counting APD with a superior sensitivity of up to 65% detection efficiency and low dark count (< 250 Hz).

• Optical Table 1800 x 1250 x 55 mm with actively leveled isolation frame and breadboard.

• Optical enclosure for background-free imaging

• CO2/temperature-controlled chamber for live cell imaging

Additional Requirements

• On-site customer training

• Must include a minimum of 12-month manufacturer’s warranty.

• Must include a minimum of 12 months of technical support.

DELIVERY / INSTALLATION

Delivery shall be within 8 months after Purchase Order award. All shipping/handling (including FOB) and delivery/installation fees shall not exceed quote amount. Upon delivery, Contractor shall notify the NCI Technical Point of Contact (TPOC), to schedule the installation date and time that shall occur within 14 business days after delivery. Installation shall be performed by, or under the direct supervision of, a certified operator. The Contractor shall deliver and install the equipment at the following address:

National Institutes of Health/National Cancer Institute 9000 Rockville Pike Bethesda, MD 20892

Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, the vendor must pay close attention to the following delivery instructions. Please be aware that due to the fluidity of the existing pandemic, instructions may be updated as needed after award.

The Contractors shall communicate and follow instructions from the Technical Point of Contact (TPOC) to coordinate delivery, installation and training.

The Contractor shall store or retain all supplies furnished under this order until notified by the NCI Contracting Officer, or technical point of contact (TPOC) of a delivery date. The Contractor shall deliver supplies no later than 30-days after notification.

The Contractor shall not sell supplies furnished under this order to another company or party if the NCI is unable to accept delivery due to conditions related to COVID-19.

Training and installation as required by the Statement of Need (SON) may be delayed due to conditions related to COVID-19. If services provided under this order are delayed, the Contractor shall provide all services at different times and dates at no additional cost.

The Contractor shall direct all courier and delivery services – including those not operated by the Contractor (e.g. FedEx, USPS, UPS) – to follow the instructions in this section.

All companies delivering to the NIH main campus must comply with Commercial Vehicle Inspection Facility (CVIF) access procedures. Upon arrival, the CVIF will provide a list of buildings and loading docks to delivery personnel.

Deliveries will be logged in at the loading dock, and the loading dock contractor or Government personnel will attempt to contact the TPOC listed on the package. In the event that the TPOC is unable to accept the package, the delivery shall not be left at the loading dock station. The delivery must be returned to the Contractor, and the Contractor must coordinate with the TPOC to deliver on another date at no additional cost.

Deliveries can only be made between 6:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. EST, Monday – Friday, excluding federal holidays.

TRAINING

The vendor shall provide a one-week, on-site customer training by trained application specialist for the whole lab (up to 7 users). The in-person, on-site user training shall be provided at a time specified by the Technical Point of Contact following the delivery of the instrument.

HOW TO SUBMIT RESPONSES:

1. Page Limitations:

Interested qualified small business organizations should submit a tailored capability statement for this requirement not to exceed 10 single sided pages including all attachments, resumes, charts, etc. (single spaced, 12 point font minimum) that clearly details the ability to perform the requirements of the notice described above. All proprietary information should be marked as such. Responses should include a minimum of two pages demonstrating experience over the past two years meeting the requirements of this notice. Statements should also include an indication of current certified small business status; this indication should be clearly marked on the first page of your capability statement (preferably placed under the eligible small business concern’s name and address). Responses will be reviewed only by NIH personnel and will be held in a confidential manner.

2. Due Date:

Capability statements are due no later than 3:30PM EST on December 14, 2020.

3. Delivery:

The statement of capabilities and any other information furnished must be in writing and must contain material in sufficient detail to allow the NCI to determine if the party can perform the requirement. All responses and questions must be in writing and emailed to Lena Lee, Contract Specialist, via electronic mail at lena.lee@nih.gov. Information received will be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a small business set-aside. No collect calls will be accepted. In order to receive an award, Contractors must be registered and have valid, current Entity Record, including current Representations and Certifications, in the System for Award Management (SAM) through SAM.gov. Reference: 75N91021Q00004 on all correspondence.

DISCLAIMER AND IMPORANT NOTES:

This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the preparation of any information submitted. The Government reserves the right to use information provide 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, an RFQ may be published on beta.SAM.gov. However, responses to this notice will not be considered adequate responses to a solicitation.

mailto:lena.lee@nih.gov