Nie upright microscope

The National Institutes of Health intends to negotiate on a sole source basis with Nikon Instruments Inc.
The National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. This NiE upright microscope equipped with a resonant scanner and environmental control system is requested for the need of our laboratory. The upright orientation of the system provides an opportunity to position the objective very close to the sample, leading to maximal resolution and image quality. In, addition, the NiE microscope is equipped with an A1R-HD confocal scanner which includes resonant scanning. Resonant scanning allows the system to obtain images at a significantly higher rate than standard confocal scanners without any loss of resolution. The A1R-HD system allows scan rates as high as 400 frames per second. This will allow us to image tissue over long periods of time without causing damage because of repeated exposures to laser light. This NiE upright microscope will be used with another upright microscope within the laboratory. See attached Justification for Other than Full and Open Competition (JOFOC) for further details.
Responses

The proposed acquisition action is for items and services for which the Government intends to solicit and negotiate with only one source under the authority of FAR 13.106-1(b). If you believe you can provide the items or services, please forward capability statements to ssmith@od.nih.gov referencing notice number NIH-OLAO-OD3-NOI5003857 by COB on September 18, 2018. A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed contract acquisition based upon responses to the notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Information received will normally be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement.
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Any solicitation resulting from the analysis of information obtained will be announced to the public in Federal Business Opportunities in accordance with the FAR Part 5. However, responses to this notice will not be considered adequate responses to a solicitation. 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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