DORIC - Attachment 1 Single Source Justification MPT to SAT CO SIGNED REDACTED.pdf

Revision: 02 Effective Date: 12/30/2025 Page 1 of 3 Acquisition ID# 36C263-26-AP-1063

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

Justification for Single Source Awards IAW RFO 12.102(a) For

Over Micro-Purchase Threshold but Not Exceeding the Simplified Acquisition Threshold

Acquisition Plan Action ID: 36C263-26-AP-1063

1. Contracting Activity: Department of Veterans Affairs, Network Contracting Office 23, located at 1303 5th Street, Suite 300, Coralville, IA 52241, in support of Sioux Falls VA Health Care System, 2501 W. 22nd Street, Sioux Falls, SD 57105.

2237 #: 438-26-2-040-0004.

2. Brief Description of Supplies/ Services required and the intended use/Estimated Amount:

The Sioux Falls VA Health Care System requires a fully integrated fiber photometry and optogenetics platform to support advanced, multi-modal neuroscience research. The Doric Fiber Photometry System includes photometry consoles, fluorescence mini cubes (including rotary and wireless variants), bundle-imaging components, FluoPulse™ lifetime-measurement technology, Neuroscience Studio V6 software, Danse™ software, and the complete array of associated fiber-optic accessories. Together, these components enable real-time, high-fidelity monitoring and modulation of neuronal activity in freely moving animals, supporting simultaneous behavioral tracking and optogenetic manipulation.

The total estimated cost

3. Unique characteristics that limit availability to only one source, with the reason no other supplies or services can be used:

The Doric Fiber Photometry System uniquely provides:

• Simultaneous multi-animal, multi-site capability through bundled imaging and optogenetics integration, enabling parallel experiments that reduce project duration, administrative workload, and overall research cost.

• Rotary and wireless solutions that eliminate tethering restrictions, reduce motion artifacts, prevent equipment strain, and support long-duration and naturalistic behavioral studies.

• FluoPulse™ lifetime imaging, which offers superior signal stability compared to intensity-based systems, significantly reducing artifacts from photobleaching, ambient light, and expression variability.

• Modular configuration and universal compatibility through standardized patch-cord connectivity, reducing setup time, increasing system reliability, and minimizing the risk of incompatibility errors that could lead to costly experiment repetition.

• Fully integrated software, allowing real-time synchronization of photometry, optogenetic stimulation, electrophysiology, and behavior. Without this capability, critical correlations between neural activity and behavior could not be accurately established.

Revision: 02 Effective Date: 12/30/2025 Page 2 of 3 Acquisition ID# 36C263-26-AP-1063

No alternative system integrates fiber photometry, optogenetics, neuronal imaging, electrophysiology, and behavioral tracking within one synchronized platform. This level of integration is essential for producing accurate, reproducible, and time-aligned neural and behavioral data. Other systems rely on separate or sequential testing, which cannot replicate identical experimental conditions or generate synchronized data streams, making them unsuitable for the VA’s research needs.

These capabilities directly impact the VA’s ability to execute high-quality neuroscience research. Conventional one-dimensional systems introduce inconsistency, increase motion-related artifacts, and require manual post-hoc data alignment—leading to inaccuracies that can compromise entire studies, delay scientific progress, and require full protocol redesign.

Failure to acquire the Doric Fiber Photometry System would prevent the VA from executing the synchronized, multi-modal neural research central to studies of PTSD, chronic pain, addiction, and other conditions affecting veterans. Without the Doric Fiber Photometry Systems’ integrated platform, researchers would be forced into fragmented, sequential testing methods that inherently produce inconsistent and unreliable data. This would lead to invalidated results, extended research timelines, higher costs due to experimental repetition, and potential failure of entire research protocols. Most critically, the VA would lose the ability to generate the high-quality, causally linked neural and behavioral insights necessary to advance veteran-focused neuroscience.

4. Description of market research conducted and results or statement why it was not conducted:

A Sources Sought Notice, 36C26326Q0182, was posted on SAM.gov, Contract Opportunities on December 9, 2025, with a response date of December 19, 2025. The purpose of the Sources Sought Notice was to find domestic sources that could meet the salient characteristics required.

One vendor submitted a response but failed to include documentation supporting their capability to meet the required salient characteristics. There were no questions received in response to the posting on SAM.gov, Contract Opportunities.

An Intent to Sole Source, 36C26326Q0257, was posted on SAM.gov, Contract Opportunities on January 7, 2026, with a response date of January 19, 2026. The same criteria used for the Sources Sought Notice were used. There were no questions or responses received in reference to this notice. Doric Lenses Inc. provided a sole source letter confirming that they are the only vendor capable of providing this product.

The Sources Sought Notice and the Intent to Sole Source postings have provided the industry with a fair opportunity to submit capability statements and product information proving there are other products that can satisfy this requirement.

Market research confirms that Doric Lenses Inc., a large business, is the only source capable of satisfying the requirements. Doric Lenses Inc., a large business, provided a sole source letter confirming that they are the only vendor capable of providing the required fiber photometry system. Therefore, issuing a sole source solicitation to