Sole Source Justification_Redacted_CO Signed.pdf

JUSTIFICATION FOR SOLE SOURCE PROCUREMENT (OPEN MARKET OR GSA)

UNDER $250,000

Sole source acquisitions may be used on a limited basis and only when the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR)/Program Official has provided sufficient justification and the Contracting Officer has determined that the circumstances warrant such action. The content for a justification must contain detailed facts and rationale to justify the sole source acquisition. Soliciting from a single source must be done in accordance with FAR 13.106-1(b) or 8.405-6. At a minimum, the following information must be included:

Identification of Program Office, Contracting Activity, and Proposed Requirement, Justification and Program Office Certification:

A. Program Office:

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Respiratory Health Division 1000 Frederick Lane Morgantown, WV 26508

B. Contracting Activity:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Office of Financial Resources Acquisition Branch Click here to enter text.

C. Identification of Requirement:

1. Nature of Action to be Approved by Contracting Officer:

a. Sole source acquisition of: Phenom Pharos G2 desktop field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) with energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS) detector capable of elemental mapping capability.

b. Procurement Request (PR) Number (if available): PR# 000HCCHB-2026-98197 -

FSB#16-SEM-NEW

2. Proposed Vendor and Estimated Procurement Amount (if available):

a. Proposed Vendor: Nanoscience Instruments, Inc., 5845 Richmond Highway, Suite

150 Alexandria, VA 22303

b. Estimated Procurement Amount:

3. Is the requirement on GSA Schedule? ☐ Yes ☒ No

If yes, provide schedule number: Click here to enter text.

Rev. 5/14/19

D. Justification:

1. The justification for this non-competitive action is: (NOTE: Must select only ONE of the listed justifications for other than full and open competition and fully support the justification in the following paragraphs. Please delete this note prior to submitting the justification.)

☒ In accordance with FAR 13.106-1(b)(1), “only one source [is] reasonably available” which states that, “For purchases not exceeding the simplified acquisition threshold. (i) Contracting officers may solicit from one source if the contracting officer determines that the circumstances of the contract action deem only one source reasonably available (e.g., urgency, exclusive licensing agreements, brand-name or industrial mobilization). (ii) Where a single source is identified to provide a portion of a purchase because that portion of the purchase specifies a particular brand-name item, the documentation in paragraph (b)(1)(i) of this section only applies to the portion of the purchase requiring brand-name item. The documentation should state it is covering only the portion of the acquisition which is brand- name.”

☐ Urgency

☐ Exclusive licensing agreements/Proprietary data

☐ Brand name required

☐ Industrial mobilization

☒ Other (compatibility)

☐ In accordance with FAR 8.405-6 “Limiting Sources” which states that, “the only circumstances that may justify the action are – (A) An urgent and compelling need exists, and following the procedures would result in unacceptable delays; (B) Only one source is capable of providing the supplies or services required at the level of quality required because the supplies or services are unique or highly specialized; or (C) In the interest of economy and efficiency, the new work is a logical follow-up to an original Federal Supply Schedule order provided that the original order was placed in accordance with the applicable Federal Supply Schedule ordering procedures. The original BPA must not have been previously issued under sole-source or limited-sources procedures.”

☐ Urgency

☒ Only One Source

☐ Logical Follow Up

☐ Brand name required

2. Other facts supporting sole source procurement:

a. What can this product/service do that other products/services cannot do?

NIOSH requires a desktop scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) with energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS) detector that is capable of high magnification imaging of particles with sizes of a few nanometers and elemental mapping of particles. The electron beam source in a scanning electron microscope dictates its ability to see small particles. There are two types of beams, field emission and tungsten filament. Traditional tungsten filaments are limited to approximately 250,000x magnification whereas a field emission source can achieve up to 8 times greater resolution (up to 2,000,000x magnification), which permits imaging particles with sizes of just a few nanometers. As such, the 2 key requirements for this procurement are a field emission electron beam source and elemental mapping capability. Only the Phenom Pharos G2 desktop scanning electron microscope (SEM) with field emission electron beam source and an energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS) detector capable of elemental mapping sold by Nanoscience Instruments, Inc. meets both these requirements.

b. What other products/services were considered and why did they not meet the need?

During our market research, we identified three manufacturers who sell desktop a scanning electron microscope with energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy detector (Hitachi TM4000Plus III, NanoImages SNE-Alpha, and JEOL JCM-7000 NeoScope).

While the instruments made by these companies could perform elemental mapping, all utilize a traditional tungsten filament electron beam source that cannot achieve sufficient resolution to image particles with sizes of just a few nanometers so none met our needs. NIOSH also researched the feasibility of acquiring a different type of instrument called a transmission electron microscope to fulfill our need; however, all transmission electron microscopes have two limitations that will not work for our needs: 1) they are not available in a desktop model, and 2) their higher energy electron beam penetrates through particles in a sample and therefore only provides a 2-dimensional image.

3. Program Office efforts to seek potential offerors:

Our market research report was conducted in April 2026 and all information is current and correct. The market research was performed via an internet-based search using Microsoft Edge browser and the search terms “desktop scanning electron microscope instrument manufacturers.” The search returned several types of documents, including, but not limited to press releases by manufacturers announcing the release of desktop scanning electron microscopes and links to their websites. From this effort, we identified four vendors who make a desktop scanning electron microscope with energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy detector. Further evaluation of their technical specification revealed that only the Phenom Pharos G2 sold by Nanoscience Instruments, Inc. has both a field emission electron beam source and an energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS) detector capable of elemental mapping, which meets both our key requirements for this procurement. Since only one source is capable of providing an instrument that meets our needs, no other vendors were considered for this contract.

E. Program Office Certification:

I have reviewed this sole source justification and certify the justification is true and accurate to the best of my knowledge and adequate to support other than full and open competition.

Center/Institute/Office COR/Program Official Name/Title: Aleks Stefaniak/Research Industrial Hygienist

Center/Institute/Office COR/Program Official Signature:

Certification Date: April 8, 2026

F. Contracting Office Certification:

I have fully relied on the information provided herein and hereby certify that this justification is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief:

Contracting Officer Name: Click here to enter text.

Contracting Officer Signature:

Certification Date: Click here to enter a date.