SB_Sources Sought 75N95020Q00048.docx

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SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE

1. Solicitation Number: 75N95020Q00048

2. Title: Spinning disk confocal system with super resolution and photostimulation

3. Classification Code/Title: 6640

4. NAICS Code/Title: 334516, Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing

5. Description:

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) Laboratory of Circuits, Systems, and Molecular Signaling will study fundamental issues of synaptic transmission, neuronal excitability, neuromodulation, and neural circuit activity using animal models (principally, the mouse) and cell culture models. These issues will be related to human neurological disorders, such as Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative disorders and peripheral pain disorders and will be explored in brain and spinal cord areas including (but not limited to) the amygdala, basal forebrain cholinergic areas, the ventral hippocampus, the prefrontal cortex, sensory ganglia and their connections within the spinal cord. A major line of research requires a confocal field scanning spinning disk system capable of confocal super resolution microscopy and of photostimulation scanning.

This is a Small Business Sources Sought notice. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations.

The purpose of this notice is to obtain information regarding: (1) the availability and capability of qualified small business sources; (2) whether they are small businesses; HUBZone small businesses; service-disabled, veteran-owned small businesses; 8(a) small businesses; veteran-owned small businesses; woman-owned small businesses; or small disadvantaged businesses; and (3) their size classification relative to the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for the proposed acquisition.

For equipment/supply requirements, small business responses must include: (1) the place of manufacturing (i.e. address if supply/equipement is a domestic end product and include country of manufacture), as well as (2) the size status of the manufacturer under the applicable NAICS code (i.e. address Non-Manufacturer Rule).

Your responses to the information requested will assist the Government in determining the appropriate acquisition method, including whether a set-aside is possible. An organization that is not considered a small business under the applicable NAICS code should not submit a response to this notice.

This notice is issued to help determine the availability of qualified companies technically capable of meeting the Government requirement and to determine the method of acquisition. It is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government to issue a solicitation or ultimately award a contract. Responses will not be considered as proposals or quotes. No award will be made as a result of this notice. The Government will NOT be responsible for any costs incurred by the respondents to this notice. This notice is strictly for research and information purposes only.

Background:

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) is a part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), conducting research into the causes, treatment, and prevention of neurological disorders and stroke. The NINDS mission is to seek fundamental knowledge about the brain and nervous system and to use that knowledge to reduce the burden of neurological disease.

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) has established a new laboratory that will use cutting-edge physiological, imaging, molecular, and behavioral methods to investigate the relationship between human neurological disorders and brain function at the molecular, synaptic, cellular, and circuit levels. The new laboratory requires a spinning disk confocal system capable of both super resolution microscopy and photostimulation scanning.

Purpose and Objectives:

The NINDS Laboratory of Circuits, Systems, and Molecular Signaling (LCSMS) will study fundamental issues of synaptic transmission, neuronal excitability, neuromodulation, and neural circuit activity using animal models (principally, the mouse) and cell culture models. These issues will be related to human neurological disorders, such as Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative disorders and peripheral pain disorders, and will be explored in brain and spinal cord areas including (but not limited to) the amygdala, basal forebrain cholinergic areas, the ventral hippocampus, the prefrontal cortex, sensory ganglia and their connections within the spinal cord. A major line of research requires a confocal field scanning spinning disk system capable of confocal super resolution microscopy and of photostimulation scanning.

Project requirements:

Minimum Salient characteristics

Spinning disk confocal system with super resolution and photostimulation must be brand name or equal to the Nikon – Ti2-E CSU-WI SoRa Super Resoluation Spinning Disk System.

The system must include two spinning disks (exchangeable through software control): (1) a super resolution disk which includes the capability of optical sectioning and (2) a standard confocal imaging disk. The system must also include a digital micro-mirror devices (DMD) spatial light modulator for photostimulation and a stage top incubation system allowing for pumps, injection and perfusion systems.

The system shall consist of these components: an inverted microscope (with objectives and an incubation system), a spinning disk confocal unit, a photostimulation unit, a back-illuminated scientific CMOS camera, and complete image acquisition software.

The inverted microscope must satisfy these requirements:

(A) ≥ 25 mm field of view (through left- and right-side camera ports)

(B) High speed linear-encoded XY stage for high content acquisition. The maximum speed of the XY stage must be at least 25 mm/sec with a minimum step size of 0.1 µm and an encoded repeatability of ±0.5 µm

(C) Piezo Z insert for rapid Z stacking (up to 100 Hz)

(D) Stage top incubation system for environmental control

(E) Compatibility with multiple imaging modalities, including widefield, total internal reflection fluorescence, confocal, and super-resolution imaging

(F) Objective lenses: 60X Apo TIRF 1.49NA oil immersion; 30X or 40X Plan Apo Lambda S 1.25NA silicone immersion; 40X XApo 1.4NA oil emersion; 100X SR HP Plan Apo Lambda S 1.35 silicone immersion

(G) Each optical tier should be able to accept up to three input ports, to allow use of illuminators

The spinning disk confocal scanner must satisfy these requirements:

(A) A 50 µm pinhole disk with Increased pinhole spacing (500 µM) to reduce spatial crosstalk between adjacent pinholes for imaging deep or through very dense or bright samples

(B) A built-in widefield bypass mode to allow one camera to be used for both confocal and widefield modes

(C) An integrated internal 10 position emission filter wheel with individual band emission filters and a triple band filter for rapid AOTF triggered applications

(D) High-power solid-state laser combiner to provide 405, 445, 488, 514, 561 and 640 nm lines

(E) Seamless integration with provided software to allow easy switching between standard confocal, super-resolution and epi imaging

(F) Alignment-free laser combiner

(G) NI-DAQ integration for device control flexibility and hardware triggering

(H) An enlarged field of view to allow use of large sensor CMOS cameras

(I) A specialized emission disk with offset micro-lenses. Coupled with a motorized intermediate magnification selector unit, this must allow real-time super-resolution by reducing the emission point spread function (PSF) diameter. Combined with deconvolution, a resolution improvement of 2X shall be possible.

(J) Three input modules to include motorized or multiple manual TIRF illuminators, epi-fluorescence light sources, as well as multiple types of photostimulation devices, including DMDs, fixed point stimulation and galvo scanning stimulation.

The photostimulation unit must satisfy these requirements:

(A) A XY-galvo scanner for photostimulation including FRAP and activation/conversion

(B) The galvo scanner shall connect to the back of the microscope and utilize a separate light path from the confocal system. A beam combing mirror in a standard fluorescence cube shall allow simultaneous imaging and photostimulation with 405 nm light.

(C) Unit must be upgradeable to add up to three additional laser lines

(D) The galvo scanner must allow a user to rapidly scan user-defined regions of interest

(E) Allow for individual stimulation cubes to be included without occupying slots for standard epi imaging.

The back-illuminated scientific CMOS camera must satisfy these requirements:

(A) The system must include dual back-thinned sCMOS detectors, equivalent to Prime 95b

(B) The provided software must support the camera natively in single and dual configurations

(C) The dual camera setup shall be achieved with a Cairn Research Twincam emission splitter and a 565LP dichroic for green/red simultaneous 2 color imaging

(D) 95% peak quantum efficiency (QE)

(E) 11 µm x 11 µm pixel area

(F) 1.6 e- read noise for low noise imaging

(G) 41 full frames per second acquisition rate with 16 bit digitization

The image acquisition and analysis software must meet these requirements:

(A) The software must control all motorized elements

(B) Universal NI-DAQ interface for custom programming of analog and TTL devices for a wide range of custom device support

(C) Support for camera triggering for high speed and precision of external device control and synchronization

(D) Software must allow for custom scripting through drag-and-drop interface and for on-the-fly or post-acquisition batch analysis.

(E) 2D/3D deconvolution module super-resolution processing of data. All PSFs must be factory-measured specifically for each objective and the deconvolution process must utilize graphical processing unit (GPU) processing for speed.

(F) Particle and object tracking and 3D object measurement.

(G) Multi-well plate scanning and other forms of multi-point imaging while consolidating results into an easy-to review format

(H) Comprehensive suite of analysis tools, including binary processing and segmentation, ROI analysis, 3D volume reconstruction

(I) Seamless integration of dual and single camera imaging modes and with various 3rd party hardware devices in user-friendly interface

Quantity:

One (1) System

Anticipated Delivery:

The Contractor shall deliver and install the equipment to the NIH in North Bethesda, Maryland within 90 days after receipt of order. The equipment shall be delivered and installed between the hours of 8:00am and 5:00pm EST, Monday through Friday. Delivery must be Freight on Board (FOB) Destination and include inside delivery. On-site training must take place within four (4) weeks of equipment installation. The equipment shall be delivered and installed in coordination with the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) at the time the equipment is ready to be shipped.

Other important considerations:

The contractor shall provide an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) certified service technician to perform setup, installation, and an on-site training session for staff members.

Warranty - The Contractor shall warrant that the all electrical equipment will be free from defects for a period of at least one (1) year from the date of installation, inspection by the Government, and acceptance. The Contractor shall further warrant that all optical and mechanical components will be free from defects for a period of at least five (5) years from the date of installation, inspection by the Government and acceptance. Rapid response (within 24 hrs) for warranty service. Warranty shall not include routine or periodic maintenance services.

Capability statement/information sought The respondent must provide their DUNS number, organization name, address, point of contact, and size and type of business (e.g., 8(a), HubZone, etc., pursuant to the applicable NAICS code and any other information that may be helpful in developing or finalizing the acquisition requirements.

One (1) copy of the response is required and must be in Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF format using 11-point or 12-point font, 8-1/2” x 11” paper size, with 1” top, bottom, left and right margins, and with single or double spacing.

The information submitted must be must be in and outline format that addresses each of the elements of the project requirement and in the capability statement /information sought paragraphs stated herein. A cover page and an executive summary may be included but is not required.

The response is limited to ten (10) page limit. The 10-page limit does not include the cover page, executive summary, or references, if requested.

The response must include the respondents’ technical and administrative points of contact, including names, titles, addresses, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail addresses.

All responses to this notice must be submitted electronically to the Contract Specialist.

The response must be submitted to Arun Mathur, at e-mail address arun.mathur@nih.gov.

The response must be received on or before 03/30/2020, 12:00 PM, Eastern Time.

Disclaimer and Important Notes:

This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in response. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine the organization’s qualifications to perform the work.

Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted. After a review of the responses received, a presolicitation synopsis and solicitation may be published in betaSAM. However, responses to this notice will not be considered adequate responses to a solicitation.

Confidentiality:

No proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included in your response. The Government reserves the right to use any non-proprietary technical information in any resultant solicitation(s).