Sources Sought Notice.pdf

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SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE

Title: The Neurophysiology Imaging Facility (NIF) requires a replacement RF volume coil to improve reliability and mitigate RF transmit-receive coupling issues observed with specific receive arrays during

7T MRI studies.

NAICS CODE: 811210 – Electronic and Precision Equipment Repair and Maintenance

Classification Code: J066 Maintenance/Repair/Rebuild of Equipment—Instruments and Laboratory

Equipment

Size Standard: $34M

Description.

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; (3) their size classification relative to the North

American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for the proposed acquisition; and (4) availability of domestic sources manufactured in the United States in sufficient and reasonably available commercial quantities and of a satisfactory quality.

For equipment/supply requirements, responses must include the place of manufacturing (i.e., address if supply/equipment is a domestic end product and include country of manufacture). For equipment/supply requirements, small businesses must also address 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 being issued to help determine the availability of qualified companies technically capable of meeting the Government requirement and determining 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 NIF operates a Bruker 7T MRI system for high-resolution imaging of non-human primate brains.

Transmit-receive coupling has become a persistent problem when using large-loop receive arrays, such as those provided by Takashima coils. These coupling effects distort the RF transmit field, degrading image quality and limiting the utility of otherwise high-performance receive arrays.

In recent testing, simulated large-loop coils fabricated in-house reproduced these effects, confirming that the root cause lies in the interaction between the transmit coil and these specific receive designs. As hardware modifications to third-party receive arrays are not feasible, improving the transmit coil’s design by maximizing the inner diameter and other means presents the most viable solution.

The objective of this procurement is to obtain a new RF transmit volume coil that minimizes coupling while maintaining resonance performance at 300.35 MHz. The new coil must be mechanically compatible with the Bruker 7T/30cm system and electrically compatible with Bruker’s AVNeo architecture and

2000W RF amplifier setup.

Purpose and Objectives.

The Neurophysiology Imaging Facility (NIF) requires a replacement RF volume coil to improve reliability and mitigate RF transmit-receive coupling issues observed with specific receive arrays during

7T MRI studies. The existing coil, manufactured by Resonance Research Inc. (RRI), has exhibited repeated mechanical and electrical failures—specifically, broken tuning rods and unstable coupling behavior with large-loop receive coils.

This procurement seeks to acquire a new volume transmit coil with improved mechanical durability and a modified design that reduces transmit-receive coupling. Enhanced decoupling will reduce flip angle inhomogeneity and T1 contrast variation, thereby improving image quality and consistency in functional and structural MRI experiments.

The upgrade is essential to ensure compatibility with current and future receive coil configurations, maintain high data fidelity, and support ongoing NIH-funded neuroscience research.

Salient characteristics include the following.

The RF volume coil must meet the following minimum specifications:

Outer Diameter: 168 mm

Inner Diameter: 140 mm

Resonance Frequency: 300.35 MHz

Peak RF Power: 2000 W

Features: Quadrature tune/match, active decoupling

Connector: Bruker ODU plug

System Compatibility: Fully compatible with Bruker AVNeo console and gradient insert

Anticipated period of performance.

The period of performance is one 12-month period.

Proposed Base Year: 9/30/25 – 9/29/26

Government Responsibilities.

The Government will ensure the specific equipment is available for onsite maintenance or repair by the contractor, if needed.

Data Rights.

No NIH data rights are involved.

Delivery or Deliverables.

N/A

Capability statement /information sought.

Companies that believe they possess the capabilities to provide the required products should submit documentation of their ability to meet each of the project requirements to the Contracting Officer.

The capability statement must specifically address each of the project requirements separately.

Additionally, the capability statement should include 1) the total number of employees, 2) the professional qualifications of personnel as it relates to the requirements outlined, 3) any contractor GSA Schedule contracts and/or other government-wide acquisition contracts (GWACs) by which all of the requirements may be met, if applicable, and 4) any other information considered relevant to this program. Capability statements must also include the Company Name, Unique Entity ID from SAM.gov, Physical Address, and

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

Interested companies are required to identify their type of business, applicable North American Industry

Classification System (NAICS) Code, and size standards in accordance with the Small Business

Administration. The government requests that no proprietary or confidential business data be submitted in a response to this notice. However, responses that indicate the information therein is proprietary will be properly safeguarded for Government use only. Capability statements must include the name and telephone number of a point of contact having authority and knowledge to discuss responses with Government representatives. Capability statements in response to this market survey that do not provide sufficient information for evaluation will be considered non-responsive. When submitting this information, please reference the solicitation notice number.

Please note that NIMH is particularly interested in small business sources. If you are a small business, please state the type of small business (small business; HUBZone; service-disabled, veteran-owned; 8(a);

veteran-owned; woman-owned; or small disadvantaged businesses) and your size classification relative to the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for the proposed acquisition. Your responses to the information requested will assist the Government in determining the appropriate acquisition method, including whether a set-aside is possible.

In case domestic sources are available and capable of fulfilling the Government’s need, and a future solicitation is published, the Government will use evaluation preferences in accordance with FAR 25.

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 in an outline format that addresses each of the elements of the project requirements 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) pages. 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.

Facsimile responses are NOT accepted.

The response must be submitted to Joe Kennedy at e-mail address joseph.kennedy@nih.gov

The response must be received on or before September 14, 2025, 5:00pm Eastern Time.

Disclaimer and Important Notes

This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or 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 www.sam.gov. 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).

mailto:joseph.kennedy@nih.gov http://www.sam.gov/