On-chip Sort microfluidic cell sorter and accessories, brand name or equal

This is a Small Business 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 small business sources; (2) whether they are small businesses; HUBZone small businesses; service-disabled, veteran-owned small businesses; 8(a) small businesses; veteran-owned small businesses; woman-owned small businesses; or small disadvantaged businesses; and (3) their size classification relative to the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for the proposed acquisition. Your responses to the information requested will assist the Government in determining the appropriate acquisition method, including whether a set-aside is possible. An organization that is not considered a small business under the applicable NAICS code should not submit a response to this notice.

Please note that to qualify as an eligible small business for purposes of a small business set-aside, at least 50% of the cost of contract performance incurred for personnel must be expended for employees of the small business awardee (see FAR 52.219-14 Limitations on Subcontracting).

Purpose and Objectives

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the nation's leading medical research agency and the primary Federal agency whose mission is to seek fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems and the application of that knowledge to enhance health, lengthen life, and reduce illness and disability, conducting, supporting and making medical discoveries that improve people's health and save lives. The National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) is a translational science center that prides itself on its tremendously productive pipeline and is innovative in several ways. NCATS brings together a diverse range of scientists, including medicinal chemists, biologists, toxicologists, and engineers, in to ultimately translate basic science into real products and services that help improve people's lives.
Project Requirements

NCATS seeks to purchase one (1) On-chip Sort microfluidic cell sorter and accessories, or brand-name equal, for scientists to perform damage-free sorting of sensitive pluripotent stem cells for a range of end-point assays that require the highest possible level of viability preservation, especially single-cell genomic analyses like RNA sequencing and DNA copy number variant analysis.

This cell sorter leverages microfluidics to achieve low shear forces applied to cells. Unlike traditional cell sorters that put the sorted cells under a significant amount of stress (from high-pressure fluidics, application of a static charge to droplets encapsulating the cells, and the impact from a high travel speed from the nozzle to the target vessel into which the cells are being sorted), this sorter provides damage-free sorting that enables obtaining single-cell suspension with the highest level of viability preservation. This sorter achieves this at a fraction of the time that is normally needed for repeated manual washes of the suspension which compromises viability, genomic integrity and introduces drastic changes to the expression profiles. Three detection lasers allow for simultaneous sorting based on fluorescently labeled antibodies to obtain pure populations of interest. The resulting single-cell suspension will consequently have the highest possible quality and will enable accurate measurements reflecting the true biological mechanisms while leveraging the full potential of the existing single-cell analysis equipment.

See the attached Small Business Sources Sought for a list of specific brand-name items and salient characteristics.

Anticipated Period of Performance

Delivery and installation are to occur within 12-16 weeks after receipt of order. The exact date and time of installation shall be coordinated with the NCATS Point of Contact listed on the purchase order.

Required Information

All capability statements must provide the following: (1) DUNS number; (2) organization name; (3) organization address; (4) point of contact; (5) point of contact title, address, telephone, and email address; and (6) size and type of business (e.g., 8(a), HUBZone, etc.) pursuant the applicable NAICS code.

Submission Instructions and Due Date

Written capability statements must be SUBMITTED NO LATER THAN 9:00AM EDT on WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10, 2019 to the below Contracting Office Address, Attn: Kimberly Espinosa. Electronic capability statements will be accepted by the primary point of contact listed below.

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 pre-solicitation synopsis and solicitation may be published in Federal Business Opportunities. 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).

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