Vitrobot Vitrification Robot and Clipping Accessories

The National Institutes of Health Office of Logistics and Acquisition Operations is procuring a Vitrobot vitrification robot and associated clipping accessories to support structural biology research at the Laboratory of Molecular Biology. This equipment will automate and provide reproducible preparation of cryo-EM grids by controlling critical environmental parameters including humidity, temperature, blotting force, blotting time, and plunge timing during vitrification. The procurement includes specialized accessories such as grid assembly tools and cryo-EM grid handling equipment required for compatibility with automated cryo-electron microscope autoloader systems. While this is a sole-source award intended for FEI Company (the manufacturer of the Thermo Fisher Scientific Vitrobot system), the government has invited written capability statements from qualified small businesses to demonstrate their ability to meet the requirement. Responses must be submitted via email to david.shen@nih.gov no later than 7:00 a.m. EDT on April 23, 2026, and the government reserves discretion to compete the award based on responses received.

This procurement carries no set-aside designation, though the government is specifically inviting responses from small business categories including 8(a), service-disabled veteran-owned, HUBZone, small disadvantaged, veteran-owned, and women-owned small businesses. The intended awardee is FEI Company, the manufacturer of the Thermo Fisher Scientific Vitrobot vitrification system under Contract Number 75N98026Q00200. No specific award value or budget range is disclosed in the notice. The procurement is structured as a Firm-Fixed-Price Purchase Order, with an anticipated award approximately five days after the notice date (April 13, 2026) unless another vendor demonstrates capability to fulfill the requirement. The contract is classified under NAICS code 334516 (Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing) and PSC code 6640 (Laboratory Equipment and Supplies).