High Throughput Four Laser Flow Cytometer

This is a sources sought notice. The purpose of this notice is to conduct market research and identify potential sources that can provide a ThermoFisher Scientific Attune NxT and CytKick Max autosampler that meets all technical specifications identified in this notice.

NIST is seeking responses from all responsible sources, including large and small businesses. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this acquisition is 334516– Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing, with a Small Business Size Standard of 1,000 employees. This notice does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP), Request for Quotation (RFQ), Invitation for Bids (IFB), or any commitment by the Government to issue a solicitation or award a contract. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) will not pay for any information submitted in response to this notice. Submission of information is voluntary and will not result in any obligation on the part of the Government.

NO SOLICITATION DOCUMENTS EXIST AT THIS TIME

Requests for solicitation documents will not receive a response. Respondents shall clearly mark any proprietary or restricted information. In the absence of such markings, NIST will assume unlimited rights to all technical data submitted.

BACKGROUND

The Biosystems and Biomaterials Division (BBD), Material Measurement Laboratory, NIST performs high-dimensional measurements of engineered microbes to create and characterize biological sensing circuits and test AI-designed nucleic acid and protein sequences.  NIST is expanding and upgrading its current Living Measurement Systems Foundry (LMSF) to double the LMSF's capacity by procuring "functional clones" of the existing automation system for microbial culture preparation, growth, and measurement and the existing high-throughput flow cytometry system for high-dimensional microbial measurements.  A critical component of the Government's current need is that new systems and instruments operate with identical principles of operation, methods, and data analyses, to within manufacturing tolerances. High throughput flow cytometry is a critical tool supporting these measurements. The data measured by a flow cytometer is intrinsically dependent on multiple instrument design and operation parameters including sample flow path design; laser wavelength, power, and focusing; excitation and emission filter design and light-path placement; detector technology (photomultiplier tube/PMT, avalanche photodiode/APD, charge-coupled device/CCD), light-path placement and digital encoding; etc.  Each parameter contributes a unique source of uncertainty in the resulting measurements derived from the measured data.  LMSF's existing Attune flow cytometry system has been in use for approximately 10 years, over which time, its measurement uncertainties have become well understood. 

DESCRIPTION OF REQUIREMENT

The Contractor shall provide one (1) Attune NXT Flow Cytometer that meets the following specifications, inclusive of shipping, installation, training, warranty, and extended service agreement for outyears:

System Requirements:

• The instrument shall be configured with four excitation lasers: blue, red, violet and yellow.
• The instrument shall be configured with a CytKick Max autosampler for sampling from 96-well sample plates.
• Contractor shall provide a Windows-based control PC, with necessary hardware and software for controlling the flow cytometer.
• Contractor shall provide consumable fluids and calibrators/QC beads that are necessary for first-time system startup.

• Contractor shall provide an operations and maintenance manual covering proper operation, routine maintenance, and troubleshooting for the instrument and controlling software
  • The manual may be supplied in hard copy or electronic format (or both).

RESPONSE INSTRUCTIONS
Interested parties shall submit a written capability statement addressing the following:
1. Company name, address, Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number, CAGE code, and point-of-contact information
2. Business size and socio-economic status (if applicable) for the NAICS code provided
3. Description of company capabilities relevant to the products/services described above
4. Description of prior experience providing/performing similar products/services described above
5. Identification of applicable contract vehicles (e.g., GSA FSS, GWACs), including contract numbers
6. Any other information the Government should consider for market research purposes
7. State whether the proposed product is manufactured in the United States and if not, state the name of the country where the product is manufactured.

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
The information received in response to this notice will be reviewed and considered so that NIST may appropriately solicit for its requirements in the near future.  All responses to this notice must be submitted via email to Sadaf.Afkhami@nist.gov, no later than 9:00 AM EST on September 9, 2026.

Format: Microsoft Word or PDF
Page Limit: 12 pages maximum
Font: Times New Roman, 11-point
Paper Size: 8.5 x 11 inches
Margins: Minimum 1 inch on all sides