Stereo Microscope

This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations.  This Sources Sought is issued for information and planning purposes only as part of USDA ARS market research and does not itself constitute an RFQ.

The detailed specification of stereo microscope includes:

1. The microscope must be a stereo microscope with a large stage capable of imaging both callus on 15x100mm petri plates as well as protoplasts on mounted slides or hemocytometers.
2. Must be 1.6X objective lens for the ability to image up to 200X.
3. Must be capable of a total zoom magnification of 150-220x to image whole protoplasts at proper magnification.
4. Must be capable of performing fluorescent microscopy, multi-channel fluorescent microscopy using the following: DAPI/UV, GFP and RFP or YFP filters are preferred.
5. Must be able to provide the fluorescence from the top down. If the light source comes from the bottom/base of the microscope it will require our callus to be placed upside down and would fall off the plate effectively losing our sample.
6. Needs to come with an external LED light source for fluorescence imaging.
7. The microscope should be camera and computer compatible for the capturing and storage of images from samples.
8. The camera should be able to image efficiently and capture pictures from using both bright field and fluorescent settings.
9. Needs an additional source of white light to aid in the imaging of bright field images.
10. The microscope should allow for manual or automated: zoom, iris diaphragm, fluorescent filters, and objective nosepiece manipulation.
11. The microscope needs a computer optimized for the software of the microscope.
12. The software must be capable of z-stack image analysis and multi-channel fluorescent imaging.
13. On site assembly/installation and training provided.
14. The microscope must include technical support and maintenance.

This Sources Sought is only for the purpose of identifying potential sources as part of USDA ARS market research. The Government does not intend to make an award based on responses to this inquiry. This notice does not constitute a commitment by the Government.

Responses to the information requested will assist the Government in determining the appropriate acquisition method, including whether a set-aside is possible. 

All information submitted in response to this announcement is voluntary, and the Government will not pay for information requested nor will it compensate any respondent for any cost incurred in developing information provided to the Government. Small business concerns that believe they possess the capabilities necessary to undertake this work should submit complete documentation of their capabilities to the Contracting Officer.  Capability statements shall include the name and telephone of a point of contact having authority and knowledge to discuss their response.

The capability statement should include:

1. Verification of your business size
2. SAM reps and certs
3. Any information relevant to this requirement in accordance with the Statement of Work.
4. The government requests that no proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included in the response. 

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. 

Original Point of Contact

All responses to this Sources Sought Notice must be received by August 21, 2023 by 09:00 a.m. eastern time, the specified due date and time in order to be considered. 

Email responses to Ronnie Roscoe at ronnie.roscoe@usda.gov.

 Responses will not be returned. Responders are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this Inquiry.

Do not submit pricing information in response to this Request.