Flow Cytometer for Tissue 3D BioPrinting

This is a Small Business Sources Sought (SBSS) 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. 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 and type of qualified Small Business companies technically capable of meeting this potential 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. The notice is strictly for research and information purposes only.

The information requested will assist the Government in determining the appropriate acquisition method including small business socio-economic set-aside possibilities and to determine the availability of qualified Small Business companies technically capable of meeting the Government's potential requirement. All Small Business companies with the capability and availability to perform the requirement under the applicable NAICS code are invited to submit a response to this notice.

NORTH AMERICAN CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM (NAICS) CODE
The NAICS code applicable to this requirement is 334516 Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing with size standard 1000 employees.

BACKGROUND
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the nation's leading medical research agency and the primary Federal agency whose mission is to seek fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems and the application of that knowledge to enhance health, lengthen life, and reduce illness and disability. The National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) is a translational science center whose mission is to catalyze the generation of innovative methods and technologies that will enhance the development, testing and implementation of diagnostics and therapeutics across a wide range of human diseases and conditions, and houses the Department of Preclinical Innovation (DPI).

The 3D Tissue Printing Laboratory in the DPI has a potential requirement to purchase, on a Brand-Name-or-Equal basis, a COPAS VISION-PRO Flow Cytometer, manufactured by Union Biometrica, located at 84 October Hill Rd, Holliston, MA 01746. This fully integrated instrument will perform High Content Imaging & Discovery and enables the analysis, sorting, and dispensing of objects considered too large for traditional flow cytometers. NCATS is currently invested in a project that requires input of cell spheroids on printed tissues for them to grow and be investigative of potential treatments. In addition, future medicinal chemistry efforts in this project will require testing analogs of the inhibitor in the cell spheroids and for use in the testing of small molecules and NPEs in other NCATS' models for a number of different phenotypic and viability assays.

Purpose and Objectives
This Small Business Sources Sought notice seeks to determine eligible sources capable of achieving the essential features of this potential requirement, which is to obtain a Flow Cytometer for high content imaging and discovery on a Brand-Name-or-Equal basis to the COPAS VISION-PRO Flow Cytometer System manufactured by Union Biometrica, located at 84 October Hill Rd, Holliston, MA 01746.

Project Requirements
Offerors submitting a response to this Small Business Sources Sought notice shall possess the ability to achieve the essential government features specified herein. Products offered must include those salient physical, functional, or other characteristics of the COPAS VISION-PRO, and accessories, manufactured by Union Biometrica, which are deemed essential in meeting the government's needs.
Specifically, the following are considered salient characteristics of this potential requirement, necessary and specific to this platform:
• Large fluidics path fundamental to the handling of 20 - 1,500 micron objects
• Four fluidic paths flow cell sizes to accommodate a specific subset of the size object range.
• Airflow sorting mechanism allowing for collection of live unharmed biological materials
• Up to 8,000 data points per object for simultaneous detection recorded at data capture rates of up to 10 MHz.
• 5x objective capable of 2 microns of image resolution
• BioSorter capable of interchangeable flow cells & optics (Fluidic and Optics Core Assemblies or FOCAs) to singularly accomodate entire range of 10-1,500 micron samples.
• Capable to elucidate exact marker location of object/organism.
• Capalbe of providing extended sorting abilities with user definable sorting regions including profile peak heights, widths, locations, and numbers for each channel.

Products offered must be essentially equal to the high-throughput mass spectrometer described in this solicitation, which specifically includes the following manufacturer description, part number, quantity:

COPAS VISION-PRO; 450-5000-000; 1
1000 μm FLUIDICS & OPTICS; 450-5004-100; 1
488 nm / 100mW LASER; 450-5010-003; 1
561 nm / 100mW LASER; 450-5010-004; 1
Four CHANNEL PMT CONFIGURATION; 450-5030-000; 1
COPAS Vision Accessory Pack (120V regions); 450-5100-000; 1
Oscillating Sample Introduction System; 450-5050-000; 1
Sheath Fluid Sterility Filter; 600-5031-100; 1
Air Line HEPA Sterility Filter; 600-5031-200; 1

CAPABILITY STATEMENTS/INFORMATION SOUGHT
Interested parties are expected to review this notice to familiarize itself with the requirements of this project. Failure to do so will be at your firm's own risk.

Respondents must provide, as part of their response: (a) product, catalog, model, and/or part number(s); (b) product description; (c) all relevant information and documentation that the item(s) offered meets the salient physical, functional, or performance characteristics as specified in this announcement; (d) quantity; (e) shipping, handling, and/or installation instructions, and/or any special delivery conditions after receipt of an order.

Respondents that believe that they are manufacturers or authorized re-sellers of the equipment specified in this announcement must provide, as part of their response: (a) product, catalog, model, and/or part number(s); (b) product description; (c) all relevant information and documentation that the item(s) offered meets the salient physical, functional, or performance characteristics as specified in the purchase description; (d) quantity; (e) estimated price or cost; (f) shipping, handling, and/or installation charges; and delivery date after receipt of order.

The respondent must also 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.

The information submitted must be in outline format that addresses each of the elements of this requirement. 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.
Respondents must reference the subject announcement number on all correspondence related to this Small Business Sources Sought notice. The response must be submitted to Hunter Tjugum electronically, at hunter.tjugum@nih.gov, and be received prior to the closing date specified in this announcement.

CONCLUDING STATEMENTS
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 pre-solicitation synopsis and solicitation may be published in Federal Business Opportunities. 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).

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