Widefield and Confocal Slide Scanning Microscope

 (i)        This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Subpart 12.6 as supplemented with additional information included in this notice.  This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; quotes are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued.

(ii)        The solicitation number is NIMH20003894RFQ and the solicitation is issued as a request for quotation (RFQ).

This acquisition is for a commercial item and is conducted under the authority of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 13—Simplified Acquisition Procedures; FAR Subpart 13.5— Simplified Procedures for Certain Commercial Items; and FAR Part 12—Acquisition of Commercial Items and is expected to exceed the simplified acquisition threshold.

(iii)       The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2020-07 dated 7/2/20.

(iv)       The associated NAICS code is 333314and the small business size standard is 500 employees.  This requirement is full and open with no set-aside restrictions.

(v)        The NIMH Systems Neuroscience Imaging Resource (SNIR) requires a new slide scanning microscope. The purpose is to allow SNIR users to program unattended image acquisition from multiple tissue sections on multiple slides.

NIMH IRP investigators who use the SNIR perform experiments in which they need to collect light microscope images of very large amounts of sectioned material. This is frequently of entire brains from mice, rats, marmosets and macaques. The material is cut into sections that may be 20-60 microns thick and mounted onto slides. Depending on the species, the section thickness, and whether all sections or a sampling are used, a brain may create from 20 to several hundred sections. It may be necessary to image them in either brightfield or fluorescence. Depending on details of the experimental information required, it may be appropriate to image at relatively low magnification (2.5-5X), medium (10-20X), or high (40X) magnification, or to initially image at low magnification and subsequently image selected regions of interest at higher magnification. It may be appropriate to collect images from a single focal plane or to collect images from multiple focal planes at each position. For some experiments widefield imaging does not provide sufficient contrast or axial resolution in all parts of an image and in these cases confocal reimaging selected parts of the image is desirable. The goal of this acquisition is to purchase an instrument that meets these needs in a technically excellent manner and with a user-friendly interface.

(vi)       Purchase Description:

Slide scanning system including capacity for 1x3 and 2x3 inch slides, capable of widefield and confocal fluorescent imaging and brightfield imaging, with low and high magnification objectives, and an anti-vibration table.  

Quantity:

One (1) system

Salient characteristics:

Refer to Attachment 1: Product Description for a complete description of salient characteristics.

(vii)      Delivery Date:

Between 60-120 days following the award of the contract

Place of Delivery/Acceptance:

National Institutes of Health - Bethesda

9000 Rockville Pike

Bldg. 35 Rm. 1B-215

Bethesda, MD 20892,

FOB: Destination

(viii)     The provision at FAR clause 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors – Commercial Items, applies to this acquisition.

(ix)       The provision at FAR clause 52.212-2, Evaluation – Commercial Items, applies to this acquisition.  Refer to Attachment 4 for evaluation information.

(x)        Offerors are to include a completed copy of Attachment 2: FAR Provisions 52.204-24, 52.204-26 and 52.212-3 with its quote.

(xi)       The FAR clause at 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions – Commercial Items, applies to this acquisition.  

(xii)      FAR clause at 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders–Commercial Items, applies to this acquisition.  See Attachment 3 for FAR clauses cited in paragraph (b) of the clause at FAR 52.212-5 that are applicable to this acquisition.

(xiii)     The following additional contract requirement(s) or terms and conditions as determined by the Contracting Officer are necessary for this acquisition and consistent with customary commercial practices.

Warranty:

All items fully warrantied for one year. Equipment is expected to be fully functional for greater than 5 years with minor service, as required. Maintenance service after one year may be purchased as an annual contract or on an as needed basis.

(xiv)     The Defense Priorities and Allocations System (DPAS) are not applicable to this requirement.

(xv)      Responses to this solicitation must include sufficient information to establish the interested parties’ bona-fide capabilities of providing the product or service.  The price quote shall include: unit price, list price, shipping and handling costs, delivery days after contract award, delivery terms, prompt payment discount terms, F.O.B. Point (Destination or Origin), product or catalog number(s); product description; and any other information or factors that may be considered in the award decision.  Such factors may include: past performance; special features required for effective program performance; trade-in considerations; probable life of the item selected as compared with that of a comparable item; warranty considerations; maintenance availability; and environmental and energy efficiency considerations.

In addition the Dun & Bradstreet Number (DUNS), the Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN), and the certification of business size must be included in the response. All offerors must have an active registration in the System for Award Management (SAM) www.sam.gov.”

(xvi)     Closing Information

All responsible sources may submit a quotation which will be considered by the agency.  All responses must be received by 5:00 PM, July 23, 2020 and reference number NIMH20003894RFQ.  Responses must be submitted electronically (e-mail) to michael.horn@nih.gov.  Fax responses will not be accepted.

Any questions must be submitted by 5:00 PM EST on July 23, 2020.  All questions must be submitted electronically (e-mail) to michael.horn@nih.gov and reference number NIMH20003894RFQ.  Telephone inquiries will not be honored.

(xvii)     Attachments

Attachment 1 – Purchase Description

Attachment 2 – FAR Provisions 52.204-24, 52.204-26 and 52.212-3

Attachment 3 – FAR Clauses 52.212-4 and 52.212-5

Attachment 4 – FAR Provision 52.212-2