NIH-NICHD-MIC facility Carl Zeiss Service Agreement for Preventative Maintenance and Support for Microscopes

The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), a component of the National Institutes of Health, is seeking a service agreement for preventative maintenance and support of Carl Zeiss microscope systems at its Microscopy (MIC) facility. The contract requires proactive maintenance, on-site service visits, and technical support provided by factory-trained engineers to ensure continued operation, reliability, and performance of the microscope equipment critical to ongoing research and imaging activities. Prospective offerors must submit responses by January 1, 2026 at 9:00 AM Eastern time to Michael Falzone, Contracting Officer, at Michael.falzone@nih.gov, with submissions including a technical proposal, cost-price proposal, period of performance, Unique Entity ID (UEI), Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN), and business size certification. All offerors are required to maintain active System for Award Management (SAM) registration. The procurement is classified under NAICS code 811210 (Electronic and Precision Equipment Repair and Maintenance) with a size standard of $34.0 million and will be conducted using FAR Part 13 Simplified Acquisition Procedures.

This is a non-competitive procurement with no set-aside designation, as the government intends to sole source this contract with Carl Zeiss Microscopy, LLC. The one-year contract period runs from April 29, 2026 through April 28, 2027, with a total estimated value under the simplified acquisition threshold of $250,000. The contract represents a continuation of support services for existing Carl Zeiss microscope systems at the NICHD facility, ensuring uninterrupted operation of critical research equipment. Given the sole-source nature and established relationship with Carl Zeiss equipment, interested parties should recognize that the procurement is designed specifically for the incumbent provider's factory-trained technical expertise and direct equipment knowledge.