Moving Objective Dual Excitation Microscope and Attachments

INTRODUCTION
This is a pre-solicitation non-competitive (notice of intent) synopsis to award a contract without providing for full or open competition (including brand-name). THIS IS A NOTICE OF INTENT, NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL. A SOLICITATION WILL NOT BE ISSUED AND PROPOSALS WILL NOT BE REQUESTED.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), Consolidated Station Support and Simplified Acquisitions (CSS/SA) Branch intends to negotiate and award a purchase order to Sutter Instrument for the Moving Objective Dual Excitation and Emission Microscope without providing for full and open competition (including brand-name).

NORTH AMERICAN INDUSTRY CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM (NAICS) CODE
The intended procurement is classified under NAICS code 334516 with a Size Standard of 500.

REGULATORY AUTHORITY
The resultant contract will include all applicable provisions and clauses in effect through the Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2005-87 dated March 7, 2016.

This acquisition is for a commercial item or service and is conducted under the procedures as prescribed in FAR subpart 13-Simplified Acquisition Procedures. This acquisition is NOT expected to exceed the simplified acquisition threshold.

STATUTORY AUTHORITY
This acquisition is conducted under the authority of the authority of FAR Subpart 13.106-1.

DESCRIPTION OF REQUIREMENT

Purpose and Objectives
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Unit on Neural Computation and Behavior conducts neural and behavioral research. The unit requires a dual excitation and emission microscope, a pipette puller, and a micromanipulator.

Sutter Instruments is the only vendor capable of providing the required dual excitation and emission microscope. This item and its specifications are not available from other vendors, equipment surplus or reutilization programs within the Federal Government. The Max Plank Institute owns the patent for this specific microscope. Sutter is the sole licensee of this patent and is thus the only vendor capable of providing the required microscope. Also, the Sutter pipette puller includes the Sutter velocity measurement and gating system. This system is patented as well, and Sutter Instruments is the only vendor capable of selling this product with the required system. It is imperative that the NIMH obtain the required microscope and accessories from Sutter Instruments. Each of the required items is very specific to the experiments that will be performed at the NIMH. In order to ensure that there is no lapse in the continuity of science, it is imperative that the NIMH obtain the required equipment from Sutter Instruments.

Period of Performance
The equipment shall be delivered within 30 days ARO.

Project Description
Specifically, the NIMH requires the following:

A moving objective Dual Excitation and Emission Microscope
1. Ability to move objective 25mm in three axes with sub micron accuracy
2. Ability to tilt microscope for imaging surfaces other than horizontal.
3. Pentagonal detector head allows 2 or 4 channel imaging without the need for dichroic beam splitters, thus increasing signal strength by limiting the number of optical elements in the emission path.
4. Short path detector head places collection path within 60mm of objective back aperture
5. Wide path detector head employs 50mm collection optics
6. Entire scope built on large rail so scope can be moved out of the way for easy placement of preparation under objective.
7. Scope has a very limited foot print so it is easy to place other equipment, manipulators for example, around the scope.
8. Moving/rotating element covered under European Patent EP1438625 - OPTICAL MICROSCOPE COMPRISING A DISPLACEABLE OBJECTIVE
9. Limited optical elements in excitation path produces minimal pulse dispersion.
10. Does not require pre-chirped laser source
11. Resonant scan box entirely enclosed to limit audible noise from resonant scanners
12. Works with Sutter commercial scanning software, MScan2.0 as well as ScanImage and other freewares.
13. Custom horizontal mount gives objective tilt to 90 degrees from vertical in both clockwise and counter clockwise directions.
14. Custom horizontal mount gives more access underneath objective for behaving animals and virtual reality displays.

Micro-Pipette puller
1. Pulls electrodes with tip diameters less than 1.0μm consistently and reliably.
2. Measures velocity of the system as the glass softens and begins to pull apart under a constant load. The adjustable velocity allows for selection of a precise glass temperature as the trip point for the hard pull. Patent # 4,600,424.
3. Capable of storing 100 different programs to facilitate use by more than one
investigator. Each program consists of a maximum of 8 cycles.
4. Capable of storing 100 different programs to facilitate use by more than one
investigator. Each program consists of a maximum of 8 cycles.
5. "Ramp Test" allows for rapid adjustment of program parameters when a new filament or glass is introduced.
6. Constant current power supplies for filament and pull solenoid.
7. Looping pull cycle for fabrication of patch clamp pipettes.
8. Rapid cooling of the electrode heater creates fine tipped pipettes with extremely short tapers, thereby producing stiff pipettes suitable for beveling.
9. Humidity control chamber encloses glass during pull sequence for improved
reproducibility.
10. A completely self-contained air supply with humidity control and built in filtration system.
11. A complete "brown out" sensing circuit has been incorporated to shut down the unit when lie voltage drops below a critical level. When line voltage returns, the instrument automatically powers up and restores itself without the loss of program values.

Motorized Micromanipulator
1. Highly stable for experiments intolerant of pipette drift.
2. Submicron (62.5) minimal resolution for fine movement.
3. 25mm of motorized travel on all three axes.
4. 4th axis for coaxial movement of pipette, angle selected by DIP switches on ROE
5. Rotary Optic Encoder (ROE) button press actuates move to home position for pipette exchange.
6. Rotary Optic Encoder (ROE) button press actuates move to work position near recording location.
7. Continuous display (in microns) of axes positions located on ROE.
8. DIP switches on rotary optic encoder (ROE) select direction of movement produced by turn of ROE knob.
9. Modularized, compact design easily adaptable to set-up.
10. Universal mounting system for headstage or pipette holder .
11. Mounting adapters included with manipulator.

CONTRACTING WITHOUT PROVIDING FOR FULL OR OPEN COMPETITION (INCLUDING BRAND-NAME) DETERMINATION
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), MH IR Unit on Neural Computation and Behavior requires a moving objective dual excitation and emission microscope, a micro-pipette puller, and a motorized micromanipulator. The NIMH requires products specific to the characteristics described above in order to perform specific neural and behavioral research. Sutter Instruments is the sole licensee of the Max Plank Institute's patent and is therefore the only company who is capable of providing this design.

The above capabilities and specifications are unique to the Sutter Instruments Microscope and accessories. These capabilities are not available in any other device distributed. NIMH must obtain this piece of equipment for scientific research. In order to prevent a lapse in the continuity of science, NIMH must obtain the moving objective dual excitation and emission microscope, micro-pipette puller, nd the motorized micromanipulator from Sutter Instruments.

CLOSING STATEMENT
THIS SYNOPSIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR COMPETITIVE PROPOSALS. However, interested parties may identify their interest and capability to respond to this notice. Responses to this notice shall contain sufficient information to establish the interested parties' bona-fide capabilities for fulfilling the requirement and include: unit price, list price, shipping and handling costs, the delivery period after contract award, the prompt payment discount terms, the F.O.B. Point (Destination or Origin), the Dun & Bradstreet Number (DUNS), the Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN), and the certification of business size. All offerors must have an active registration in the System for Award Management (SAM) www.sam.gov."

A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed contract based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. The information received will normally be considered solely for the purposes of determining whether to proceed on a non-competitive basis or to conduct a competitive procurement.

All responses must be received by the closing date and time of this announcement and must reference the solicitation number. Responses may be submitted electronically to Jennifer Burns, Contract Specialist, at Jennifer.burns2@nih.gov. US Mail and Fax responses will not be accepted.