Multichannel chronic microwire brush arrays

This is a 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 business sources; (2) whether they are small businesses or other than small business; (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.

This notice is issued to help determine the availability of qualified companies technically capable of meeting the Government requirement and to determine the method of acquisition, and availability of domestic sources manufactured in the United States in sufficient and reasonably available commercial quantities and of a satisfactory quality.   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 National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), Section on Cognitive Neurophysiology and Imaging (SCNI) requires the purchase of multichannel microwire brush arrays for conducting longitudinal electrophysiology and functional magnetic resonance imaging experiments to study the neural circuits associated with sensori-cognitive processing in the brain.  In addition to monitoring multiple neurons simultaneously and tracking changes over time, these multichannel microelectrodes were designed to function in combination with functional resonance imaging (fMRI). SCNI is one of only a few groups in the world to employ this convergence of the latest technical methods of electrophysiology and neuroimaging. Recent advances in electrode technology have improved efficiency in sampling of neural signals by simultaneous measurements across multiple sites as well as allowed for longitudinal sampling of these same sites across durations of weeks and months.

Purpose and Objectives

SCNI requires the purchase of a brand name or equal multichannel microwire brush arrays for conducting longitudinal electrophysiology and functional magnetic resonance imaging experiments to study the neural circuits associated with sensori-cognitive processing in the brain.

Generic Name of Product:  Multichannel chronic microwire brush arrays

Generic Name of Product:  SCNI requires the following brand name or equal items.

MicroProbe multichannel microwire brush array with varying number of microwire lengths

• MBA-NC-12.5-64-60-5-430-50-REF2-GD2-CONN2: Qty. 13
• MBA-NC-12.5-64-45-5-430-50-REF2-GD2-CONN2: Qty. 3
• MBA-NC-12.5-64-40-5-430-50-REF2-GD2-CONN2: Qty. 9

Salient Characteristics: SCNI requires the following brand name or equal salient characteristics:

• • Multichannel NiChrome with small diameter (example 0.005”) microwires, with polyimide insulation.
  • One ground wire extending from connectors ; length variable depending on electrode placement (example: 100mm length)
  • One reference wire, exposed (a predetermine length example: 2mm) extending from recording wires within the array.
  • Ground and reference wires attached to #A70242 MRI Compatible ground and reference connector contacts.
  • All multichannel wires (example 32, 64, 128 wires) retrofitted into specified length Microfil tube (example 55mm), with all wires extending beyond the Microfil tube a predetermined length per order specifications.
  • MR compatible components

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 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 any other information considered relevant to this program. If subcontracting is anticipated, responses should note the extent of subcontracting anticipated.

Capability statements must also include:

1. Company Name,

2. Unique Entity ID (UEI) from SAM.gov,

3. Company address,

4. Company point of contact with title, phone number, and email address,

5. Size and type of business (e.g. 8(a), HUBZone, etc.) pursuant to the applicable NAICS Code,

6. If the respondent is a reseller, the size and type of business of the manufacturer pursuant to the applicable NAICS Code, and

7. The place of manufacture of all items, including the address and country.

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.

Submission Instructions

All responses to this notice must be submitted via email to the Contract Specialist Aswan Fadhl aswan.fadhl@nih.gov and Contracting Officer, Josh Lazarus josh.lazarus@nih.gov. Responses must be received on or before July 29, 2024 at 1:00 PM EST. 

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 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).