Amendment 3--8-22-2025.pdf

AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION/MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT

1. CONTRACT ID CODE PAGE OF PAGES

1 5

National Institutes of Health - Office of Acquisitions Acquisitions Services Branch (ASB) 6710B Rockledge Drive Bethesda, MD 20892

8. NAME AND ADDRESS OF CONTRACTOR (Number, street, county, State and ZIP Code) (X) 9A. AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION NUMBER

TO ALL POTENTIAL OFFERORS

75N94025Q00180

9B. DATED (SEE ITEM 11)

08/22/2025

10A. MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT/ORDER NUMBER

10B. DATED (SEE ITEM 13)

CODE FACILITY CODE

2. AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION NUMBER 3. EFFECTIVE DATE 4. REQUISITION/PURCHASE REQUISITION NUMBER 5. PROJECT NUMBER (If applicable)

3 08/22/2025

6. ISSUED BY CODE 7. ADMINISTERED BY (If other than Item 6) CODE

11. THIS ITEM ONLY APPLIES TO AMENDMENTS OF SOLICITATIONS

The above numbered solicitation is amended as set forth in Item 14. The hour and date specified for receipt of Offers is not extended.

is extended.

Offers must acknowledge receipt of this amendment prior to the hour and date specified in the solicitation or as amended, by one of the following methods:

(a) By completing items 8 and 15, and returning 1 copies of the amendment; (b) By acknowledging receipt of this amendment on each copy of the offer submitted;

or (c) By separate letter or electronic communication which includes a reference to the solicitation and amendment numbers. FAILURE OF YOUR ACKNOWLEDGMENT TO BE

RECEIVED AT THE PLACE DESIGNATED FOR THE RECEIPT OF OFFERS PRIOR TO THE HOUR AND DATE SPECIFIED MAY RESULT IN REJECTION OF YOUR OFFER. If by virtue of this amendment you desire to change an offer already submitted, such change may be made by letter or electronic communication, provided each letter or electronic communication makes reference to the solicitation and this amendment, and is received prior to the opening hour and date specified.

12. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DATA (If required)

13. THIS ITEM APPLIES ONLY TO MODIFICATIONS OF CONTRACTS/ORDERS.

IT MODIFIES THE CONTRACT/ORDER NUMBER AS DESCRIBED IN ITEM 14.

CHECK ONE A. THIS CHANGE ORDER IS ISSUED PURSUANT TO: (Specify authority) THE CHANGES SET FORTH IN ITEM 14 ARE MADE IN THE CONTRACT ORDER

NUMBER IN ITEM 10A.

B. THE ABOVE NUMBERED CONTRACT/ORDER IS MODIFIED TO REFLECT THE ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES (such as changes in paying office, appropriation data, etc.) SET FORTH IN ITEM 14, PURSUANT TO THE AUTHORITY OF FAR 43.103(b).

C. THIS SUPPLEMENTAL AGREEMENT IS ENTERED INTO PURSUANT TO AUTHORITY OF:×

D. OTHER (Specify type of modification and authority)

E. IMPORTANT: Contractor is not is required to sign this document and return 1 copy to the issuing office.

14. DESCRIPTION OF AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION (Organized by UCF section headings, including solicitation/contract subject matter where feasible.)

The purpose of this amendment is to: 1) to provide responses to solicitation questions from Vendors.

Except as provided herein, all terms and conditions of the document referenced in Item 9A or 10A, as heretofore changed, remains unchanged and in full force and effect.

15A. NAME AND TITLE OF SIGNER (Type or print) 16A. NAME AND TITLE OF CONTRACTING OFFICER (Type or print)

Usha Raman

15B. CONTRACTOR/OFFEROR

(Signature of person authorized to sign)

15C. DATE SIGNED 16B. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

(Signature of Contracting Officer)

16C. DATE SIGNED

Previous edition unusable

STANDARD FORM 30 (REV. 11/2016)

Prescribed by GSA FAR (48 CFR) 53.243

× x x x x

Questions from Vendors

1. Question: Throughout Configuration 1 it is hard understand if the users are asking for a single microscope system or if they are asking for two different systems. I will point out the parts that are making this feel unclear in the following points. Is

Configuration 1 a single microscope and confocal system? Or is it two microscope systems?

Response: Configuration 1 a single microscope and confocal system.

2. Question: Configuration 1 states “The new LSM 980/990 microscope provides access to advanced optical enhancement techniques and must be compatible with

Coherent Chameleon laser” Then in the first bullet point it states, “LSM 910 scan head with two GaAsP PMTS and one Airyscan 2 detector”.

• The 980/990 and 910 are two very different scan head configurations and the microscopes built around them have different capabilities and pricepoints.

• Is the end user asking for a 990 or a 910?

• Or are they getting two different stand alone microscope systems – one 990 and one 910?

• Is the desired system a 2P (NLO) system? If they are planning to receive two systems, please specify which is 2P and which is not. It is our understanding that the 910 system does not do 2P (NLO).

• How many detectors are required for the system/systems?

• How many non-descan detectors?

• How many visible detectors?

Response: The end user is asking for a 990 system. The desired system is a 2P

(NLO) system. Two GaAsP PMTS and one Airyscan 2 detectors and DIC detector.

They require a 990 MP with 4 visible lines.

3. Question: The laser specifications are confusing. The second bullet point states the need for 4 lasers:405, 488, 561, 640. However, on page 5 5 laser lines are specified

“Laser sources: Integrated solid state diode lasers with multiple excitation wavelengths (405nm, 488 nm, 514 nm, 561 nm and 640 nm) to enable versatile fluorescent dye usage and multiplex imaging capability.”

Again, this makes things quite unclear.

o Do they require a 990 MP with 4 or 5 visible lines?

o Do they require a 910 with 4 or 5 visible lines?

o Again, are we requesting one microscope in this configuration or two?

Response: We are requesting one microscope in this configuration.

4. Question: The objectives lens choices are confusing. On the first amendment filed, to the question of what objectives are needed, this was the list

What objectives do they require?

10x, 20x, 40 oil, 63W, 63 oil, 100 oil compatible for multiphoton imaging.”

In this current amendment this is the list

• Plan-Apochromat 10×/0.45

• Plan-Apochromat 20×/0.8

• C-Apochromat 63x/1.20 W Corr UV-VIS-IR

• Plan-Apochromat 40×/1.3 Oil DIC

• EC Plan-Neofluar 5x/0.16 WD=18.5 M27.

• 10x objective (NA ≥ 0.45) suitable for high-quality fluorescence overview imaging and Lightfield.

• 20x objective (NA ≥ 0.8) suitable for high-quality fluorescence imaging and

Lightfield.

• Long working distance 25x objective for water, oil, glycerol and silicone immersion (NA ≥ 0.8) suitable for high-quality fluorescence imaging and Lightfield

• 40x oil immersion objective (NA ≥ 1.3) necessary for high-resolution confocal and super-resolution imaging.

This is a much longer list and very different from the answer to the question of optics in the original amendment. It lacks the 100X oil for MP. It duplicates the 10X, 20x and

40Xoil lenses, and it adds a 5X and 25X that were not there before.

• What are the objective lenses needed for Configuration 1?

• Again, are we looking at configuration 1 representing a single system or two systems?

• If two, what lenses go with each system?

Response: The correct list of objectives is:

10x, 20x (20x objective (NA ≥ 0.8) suitable for high-quality fluorescence imaging and

Lightfield), 40 oil (40x oil immersion objective (NA ≥ 1.3) necessary for high-resolution confocal and super-resolution imaging), 63W (C-Apochromat 63x/1.20 W Corr UV-VIS-IR), 63 oil NA 1.4, compatible for multiphoton imaging, 100 oil NA 1.4 compatible for multiphoton imaging.

5). Question: At the top of configuration 1 it states that the system must fit on the existing air table in the room. However, the final bullet point on page 5 states “Vibration

Isolation and Stability: High performance air table vibration isolation system necessary for maintaining optical stability and precision during high resolution imaging.”

• Is Configuration 1 asking for the system to fit on the existing air table or to provide as part of the quote an air table?

• If we are being asked to provide an air table, what is the size of the air table you want us to add to the quote?

• Is the requirement asking to reuse a table and to add a second table?

If yes, please clarify the specification for the existing table and the new table. The previous amendment stated that a 122x136 cm table exists, but since everything in configuration 1 seems to be completely different, we would like this confirmed.

Response: Configuration 1 is asking for the system to fit on the existing air table.

6. Question: The bid states:

“The Super Resolution detector must be usable in combination with the other GaAsP detectors in a seamless line switch approach to increase the flexibility of data acquisition of multiple labels.”

This is a property of the 910 scanhead configuration, but not the 990 scanhead.

However, our understanding is that the 910 is not compatible with 2P NLO, which the bid states is required. Can you please clarify this statement how this specification is being applied to configuration 1?

Response: Yes, in configuration 1 only parameters for 990 system are applied.

7. Question: The bid states the following specification in two locations, the 4th bullet point on page 4, and the second to last bullet point on page 5, “The super resolution detector must have 32 detection units capable of detecting 1.25 AU of information for increased sensitivity and resolution at a resolution of 0.2 AU/ detector. The 32 channel array offers flexibility in scanning speed allowing for one pixel at a time, 2 pixels or 4 pixels at a time scanning regime. The multiple pixel scanning approach offers scan speeds up to ~19 fps @ 512x512. Ideal for increased throughput while maintaining the same improvement in sensitivity.”

Is this specification duplicated because it is required for two different instruments or is it an error?

Response: The instrument is a 990 only.

8. Question: What fluorophores are needed for eyepiece or camera based viewing?

Response: With the eyepiece we cannot see fluorophores in far red.

9. Question:Does the solicitation require lightfield be included? (I ask this because the rest of the configuration does not make sense compared with what was requested previously, and I want to make sure this wasn’t included in this round of specs in error for configuration 1).

Response: The lightfield is included.

Configurations 3

10. Question: Does the end user require DIC and a transmitted detector?

Response: Yes.

11. Question: Does the end user require a piezo?

Response: No.

Configuration 4

12. Question: Does the end user require DIC and a transmitted detector?

Response: Yes.

13. Question: Does the end user require a piezo?

Response: No.

14. Question: Is there any chance that configurations 1 & 2 can be posted separate from configuration 3 & 4?

Response: The Configurations as described on the solicitation are in line with the

Government’s current programmatic needs.

15. Question: Specifically, we would like to confirm whether this procurement is exclusively intended for Zeiss-branded microscopes (e.g., LSM 910/990 systems), or whether equivalent systems from other manufacturers, such as Nikon’s

AX/AX R series with ISM and AI-enabled capabilities, would be considered responsive to the stated requirements.

Response: This solicitation is intended to be for a brand name or equal acquisition and is open to all vendors who can demonstrate the capabilities to fulfill this need.