Questions_and_Answers_3.pdf

SBIR 2017-1

Questions and Answers #3 November 21, 2016

Q: On page 45 of the solicitation, it states: “...If proprietary information is provided by an offeror in a proposal, which constitutes a trade secret, proprietary commercial or financial information, confidential personal information of data affecting the national security, it will be treated in confidence, to the extent permitted by law. This information must be clearly marked by the offeror with the term “confidential proprietary information”…”

Does the line “confidential property information” go in the footer, in the header, in the text? Is it acceptable to indicate that all pages contain proprietary information, even if only applies to the small fraction of text on some of them? If the confidential information should be furthered marked in the text, what are recommended markings which will not interfere with reading?

A: In terms of whether to mark the whole document as confidential proprietary information, that is at your discretion and depends on the nature of your proposal. Typically public release of information marked as confidential proprietary information would require us to review the information and consult with you before any disclosures. You can indicate in either the header or footer with something similar to “CONFIDENTIAL PROPRIETARY INFORMATION - Use or disclose the data contained on this sheet is subject to the restriction on the title page of this proposal.” If you choose to want to highlight the information within the proposal that you consider as confidential proprietary information, you can propose some type of formatting and indicate it with that disclosure so it is more easily apparent and does not interfere with the reading of your proposal. Again, this would be at your discretion.

Q: On Subtopic 8.2.2, what is the approximate volume (100 microliters, 1 milliliter, 1 centiliter?) for field optical observations of aquatic suspended particles and what would be the relative timescale (1 second, 1 minute, 1 hour?) to obtain final measurements?

A: The volume and time adequate for optical characterization of a water sample depends on particle concentration to obtain statistically representative results; when you have more particles per unit volume, the required sample volume and measurement time are also likely smaller; and vice versa. Keep in mind that the dynamic range of particulate concentration in natural waters can span several orders of magnitude. Normally, we would say it requires mililiters to centilitters of water. The measurement time may take anywhere from minutes to hours for one sample.

Q: On Subtopic 8.2.2, it is mentioned that no pretreatment should be applied to the particles. Normally fluorescence-activated cell sorting requires fluorescence labeling. Would it be preferable to perform cell sorting based on optical backscattering and absorption analysis?

A: We are wanting no pretreatment on the original samples. The purpose of this instrument is not only to identify what the particles might be, but, more importantly, to measure the light absorption and scattering properties of individual particles as they would exhibit in natural environments. Note that it is meant for any living or nonliving particles suspended in water, not just algal cells.

Q: On Subtopic 8.2.2, could NOAA provide samples of aquatic suspended particles or point us to the right location to obtain cells of interest such as Pseudo-nitzschia?

A: No, it is not possible to provide samples because we do not have algal strains here at NOAA. You will probably find samples if you do a web browser search for phytoplankton or algal cultures for purchase.

In order to ensure fair competition, all communication must be routed through the CO to ensure all potential offerors receive the same information.