75N91022Q00034_Special Notice.pdf

Title: Procurement of upgrade components to one (1) Government-owned Tecnai 12 Electron Microscope

Document Type: Special Notice of Intent to Sole Source Solicitation Number: 75N91022Q00034 Posted Date: 2/28/2022 Response Date: 3/8/2022

Classification Code: 6640 – Laboratory Equipment and Supplies

NAICS Code: 334516 – Analytical Laboratory Instrument 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

20850, UNITED STATES.

Description:

The Laboratory of Cell Biology (LCB) within the Center for Cancer Research (CCR) at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) requires upgrade components to one (1) government-owned Tecnai 12 (T12) Electron Microscope.

The Office of Acquisitions (OA) plans to procure, on a sole source basis, the upgrade components from Gatan, Inc. (5794 W. Las Positas Blvd. Pleasanton, CA 94588).

The response close date of this notice for this requirement is in accordance with FAR 5.203(a)(1). This acquisition will be processed under FAR Part 12 – Acquisition for Commercial Items and will be made pursuant to the authority in FAR 13.106-1(b)(1) using simplified acquisition procedures for commercial acquisitions. The North American Industry Classification System code is 334516 – Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing.

One award will be issued under this solicitation. This will be awarded as a firm fixed price purchase order.

1.0 BACKGROUND

The National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Cancer Institute (NCI), Center for Cancer Research (CCR), Laboratory of Cell Biology (LCB) requires upgrade components to one (1) government-owned Tecnai 12 (T12) Electron Microscope. The Government-owned Tecnai 12 (T12) Electron Microscope serves multiple laboratories in a multi-institutional cryoEM consortium on campus. The T12 is a power horse for preliminary specimen imaging experiments, including cancer-associated proteins, pathogen-host complex, neurological receptors, and most recently high impact COVID19 research. The microscope’s digital camera mounting hardware and cryo specimen holder must be replaced.

The digital camera is one of the most important components in high-resolution electron microscopy. NCI/LCB owns one(1) Gatan K2 camera that shall be retrofitted to the T12 Electron Microscope. NCI/LCB requires commercially available hardware to accomplish this upgrade.

The government-owned Gatan K2 shall replace the UltraScan 4000 (US4000) digital camera, currently attached to the T12 Electron Microscope.

The T12 Electron Microscope cryo specimen holder is also outdated and often causes experiment delays due to low loading efficiency and frequent hardware errors. NCI/LCB requires a new, commercially available multi-specimen holder stage to significantly minimize operator error, sample contamination during loading, and improve efficiency.

2.0 SPECIAL ORDER REQUIREMENTS

2.1 PRODUCT FEATURES/SALIENT CHARACTERISTICS

2.1.1 The following product features/characteristics are required for the camera mounting hardware:

• The required retrofit-kit hardware to mount the K2 camera, shall include all necessary cables, chill water hose, air hose, and adaptors.

• The retrofit-kit, hardware must be compatible to T12 microscope D261.

• The retrofit-kit shall include installation service. To properly perform installation, the Contractor shall obtain guidance from the T12 microscope manufacturer, Thermo Fisher Scientific, at no additional cost to the Government.

• Software upgrade must include Gatan Microscopy Suite (GMS ver 3.1 or newer) with real-time image drift correction and outlier removal.

• GEN3 housing and flange must be included in order to mount the K2 camera onto the T12 microscope without any vacuum leak.

• Projection vacuum after K2 camera installation must be 0.9x10-7 mbar or better.

2.1.2 The following product features/characteristics are required for the multi-specimen holder stage:

• The multi-specimen cryo holder shall hold 3 cryo specimen on the specimen rod.

• The holder drift rate must be within 0.5 nm/sec 30 minutes post cryo loading.

• The temperature specimen holder measured at the holder rod shall be stable at -170°

C or colder for at least for 4 hours.

• The specimen holder shall cool down to -170° C from room temperature within 30 minutes.

• All 3 cryo specimen in the holder must be protected from contamination at -170° C for more than 3 hours.

• Shall include a new temperature controller and heater specifically for the cryo specimen holder.

• Shall include a specific cryo loading station for the specimen holder.

• The holder module shall be compatible with Gatan turbo pumping station model 655.

• Clipping tools and specimen clip rings are included for specimen loading. The clip rings must be securely seated in the holder.

• Microscope column vacuum must be 1.5x10-7 mbar or better 30 minutes post cryo loading.

2.1.3 Additional Requirements

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

• Quotes must include all shipping and installation costs.

2.2 DELIVERY / INSTALLATION

2.2.1 DELIVERY

Delivery shall be within 24 weeks 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 30 business days after delivery. Installation shall be performed by an OEM-trained and certified engineer/representative. Installation shall be completed within 20 business days. 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

NCI Technical Point of Contact: [to be provided upon award]

2.2.2 INSTALLATION

During installation, the Contractor shall disconnect the current US4000 camera and immediately mount the K2 camera onto the T12 microscope. The Contractor shall not remove the US4000 camera from the Government’s facility once it has been disconnected. After pumping down the projection chamber, the Contractor shall connect the fiber-optic cables to the controlling computer and water-cooling hoses to the microscope chiller. Once everything is connected, the Contractor shall configure the computer, install new software, and calibrate the camera. An acceptance test shall be performed to ensure the product is within specification before signing off. After camera installation, the contractor shall exam the new cryo specimen holder and test its performance, including cooling rate, drift rate, and temperature stability.

2.3 DELIVERY GUIDANCE

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 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.

2.4 TRAINING

Contractor shall provide on-site training by an OEM-trained and certified engineer/representative for up to 10 users. The user training shall include review and demonstration of all features and functionality of equipment and software. Instrument care and maintenance must also be covered.

The training shall be provided at a time specified by the Technical Point of Contact following the installation.

2.5 WARRANTY

In addition to the Implied warranty contained in FAR Clause 52.212-4, quoters are encouraged to provide express warranties. At a minimum, the Contractor shall provide a 12-month warranty from date of final installation on all equipment and associated items provided under, or as a part of this purchase order. The warranty shall include repair and or replacement of parts, including travel, labor, and materials, at no additional cost to the Government. The warranty shall not exclude or limit the Governments rights for an Implied warranty as established in the terms and conditions of clause 52.212-4.

3.0 TYPE OF ORDER

This will be issued as a firm fixed-price purchase order.

4.0 PAYMENT

Payment shall be made upon delivery, inspection and acceptance by the Government. Payment authorization requires submission and approval of invoices to the NCI Technical Point of Contact and NIH OFM.

To NCI’s knowledge, Gatan is the only vendor capable of providing the upgrade components and specialized installation required to retrofit the government-owned K2 camera to the T12 microscope. Due to the complexity of the existing microscope configuration, the customized and specialized upgrade offered by Gatan is the only option to ensure full compatibility and hardware utilization with the existing instrument. Furthermore, Gatan is the sole manufacturer, distributor and installer of K2 camera and software. It is not feasible for a 3rd party manufacturer to provide the retrofit-kit hardware and to install the K2 camera on the microscope. Service from a 3rd party manufacturer would invalidate the Gatan warranty for the K2 camera and any resulting damage to the imaging system would not be covered. It is imperative that the government-owned K2 camera remain under warranty.

This notice is not a request for competitive quotation. However, if any interested party, especially small businesses, believes it can meet the above requirement, it may submit a capability statement, proposal, or quotation, which shall be considered by the agency. 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. Responses must be received no later than 4:00PM EST, March 8, 2022. All responses and questions must be in writing and emailed to Lena Lee, Contract Specialist, via electronic mail at lena.lee@nih.gov. A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed requirement based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Information received will be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. 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: 75N91022Q00034 on all correspondence.

mailto:lena.lee@nih.gov