SAM_Pre-Solicitation_75N94022Q00070_1.pdf

75N94022Q00070

INTRODUCTION

THIS IS A PRE-SOLICITATION NON-COMPETITIVE (NOTICE OF INTENT) SYNOPSIS TO AWARD A

CONTRACT OR PURCHASE ORDER WITHOUT PROVIDING FOR FULL OR OPEN COMPETITION.

The National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Child Health and Development (NICHD) intends to award a purchase order without providing for full and open competition to PRIZMATIX LTD for Multiwavelength LED Microplate Illumination system equipment.

BACKGROUND

The Unit on Developmental Signaling (UDS) uses zebrafish as a model vertebrate embryo to understand basic principles underlying healthy development. The zebrafish embryo is a popular model organism with many well-established resources because it is transparent, fertilized outside of the mother, rapidly growing, easy to culture, and amenable to genetic engineering. Their transparency and rapid growth make them particularly well suited for the UDS’s research, which uses light microscopy and molecular optogenetics to understand how signaling pathways coordinate embryo growth.

JUSTIFICATION

The UDS’s optogenetic experiments involve exposing zebrafish embryos to specific wavelengths of light in an incubator. To regulate light exposure, the UDS requires a LED system that provides the user with control over light wavelength and intensity, and also allows users to flexibly create automated, diverse exposure programs such as pulses, ramp up / ramp down, and other light input conditions. The LED system needs to allow simultaneous, independent control of at least three specific wavelengths (455, 630, and 730 nm). The Prizmatix Multiwavelength LED Microplate Illumination systems meet all of the requirements needed for the UDS’s experiments because they produce the required wavelengths, provide the required control over light exposure, allows users to control light intensity and dynamics (e.g., pulses, ramp up / ramp down, etc.) of each wavelength simultaneously and independently, can be controlled via proprietary software provided by Prizmatix along with the LED systems, which allow users to create, save, and run automated programs, produce light that is uniform and “broad” enough to cover the required area, lastly they are compatible, work well, and can be mounted on our current incubator equipment (Boekel incubator, 5 cubic feet; catalog number 139400) without compromising incubator function.

To our knowledge, there are no alternative Multiwavelength LED Microplate Illumination systems from any other vendor that would meet all of our needs. Based on market research results, other systems could only cover a subset of the requirements and either increased experimental noise or had a less optimal selection of wavelengths than the Prizmatix systems, and therefore would not be ideal for our experiments. We currently have two Prizmatix Multiwavelength LED Microplate Illumination systems and need two additional systems that are the same in order to run multiple experiments simultaneously because currently the ability to only perform one experiment at a time is a major bottleneck to our research. Access to several Prizmatix LED systems will allow the UDS get the most out of their optogenetic tools and will offer dramatic improvements in the speed and

PRE-SOLICITATION NON-COMPETITIVE (NOTICE OF INTENT) SYNOPSIS

reproducibility of their research. Additionally, a switch to an alternative system could impact our ability to compare data/results between projects, which would impact our program goals.

NORTH AMERICAN INDUSTRY CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM (NAICS) CODE

The intended procurement is classified under NAICS code 334516 with a Size standards in number of employees of 1,000

REGULATORY AUTHORITY

The resultant contract will include all applicable provisions and clauses in effect through the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Circular (FAC) 2022-04 effective 01/30/2022. This acquisition is conducted under the procedures as prescribed in FAR subpart 13-Simplified Acquisition Procedures at an amount not exceeding the simplified acquisition threshold ($250,000) and FAR Subpart 12- Acquisition of Commercial Items.

STATUTORY AUTHORITY

This acquisition is conducted under the authority of FAR 13.106(b)(1) Soliciting from a single source - For purchases not exceeding the simplified acquisition threshold.

PLACE OF DELIVERY

NIH/NICHD

BETHESDA MD 20892

DESCRIPTION OF REQUIREMENT

Two Multiwavelength LED Microplate Illumination systems with the following properties are needed for our optogenetic experiments:

1) Must produce light at three specific wavelengths: 455, 630, and 730 nm

2) Must provide independent control over light intensity and dynamics.

3) Must allow users to create automated light exposure programs that can run without user input.

4) Must produce uniform light that covers the entirety of at least one standard 6-well dish.

5) Must be able to be mounted on an incubator. The UDS’s experiments require control over both light and temperature because zebrafish embryo development is temperature-sensitive, and the UDS studies embryonic development.

CLOSING STATEMENT

This synopsis is not a request for competitive proposals. However, interested parties may identify their interest and capability in response to this notice and may submit a capability statement, which shall be considered by the agency. Responses to this notice shall contain sufficient information to establish the interested parties’ bona-fide capabilities for fulfilling all requirements.

A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed contract based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. The information received will normally be considered solely for the purposes of determining whether to proceed on a non-competitive basis or to conduct a competitive procurement.

All respondents must have an active registration in the System for Award Management (SAM) www.sam.gov. All responses to this notice shall be submitted electronically by 5:00 PM Eastern Standard Time, on April, 18th, 2022 to jacob.balenson@nih.gov and shall include pre-solicitation # 75N94022Q00070 in the subject line.

http://www.sam.gov/ mailto:jacob.balenson@nih.gov