ZEISS Axiovert 5 Digital Microscope with with Integrated Microscopy Mono Camera and Labscope Software or Equal

COMBINED SYNOPSIS / SOLICITATION

COMPETITIVE

Classification code: 66

Title:      ZEISS Axiovert 5 Digital Microscope with with Integrated Microscopy Mono Camera and Labscope Software or Equal

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

The solicitation number is 75N95023Q00215 and the solicitation is issued as a request for quotation (RFQ).

This acquisition is for a commercial item or service 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 not expected to exceed the simplified acquisition threshold.

The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2023-04, dated 2 June 2023.

The solicitation is unrestricted and open to all offerors.  The associated NAICS code is 334516 and the small business size standard is 1000 employees.

Supplies or Services and Prices

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) has a requirement for a ZEISS Axiovert 5 Digital Microscope with with Integrated Microscopy Mono Camera and Labscope Software or Equal.

The Contractor shall deliver and install the equipment within 45 days after receipt of order. Delivery must be Freight on Board (FOB) Destination and include inside delivery. Training must take place within two (2) weeks of equipment installation. The equipment shall be delivered and installed in coordination with the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR). The contractor shall provide an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) certified service technician to perform setup, installation, and an on-site 2-day training session for staff members. The contractor shall also provide one day of follow up training with Applications Specialist within 30 days of equipment installation.

Price Schedule

Line Item: 0001

Item:  Product Code HT-4310309190 – Axiovert 5 Digital mono cam

Quantity: 1

Total Price: $__________

Line Item: 0001A

Item:  Equal Product Code ________ – Equipment Name__________

Quantity: 1

Total Price: $__________

Line Item: 0002

Item:  Product Code HT-4101351031 – Labscope for Windows/IOS

Quantity: 1

Total Price: $__________

Line Item: 0002A

Item:  Equal Product Code ________ – Equipment Name__________

Quantity: 1

Total Price: $__________

Line Item: 0003

Item:  Product Code HT-4101361129100 – Labscope Mod. Multi Channel

Quantity: 1

Total Price: $__________

Line Item: 0003A

Item:  Equal Product Code ________ – Equipment Name__________

Quantity: 1

Total Price: $__________

Line Item: 0004

Item:  Product Code HT-4101361149100 – Labscope Module AI Cell Conf

Quantity: 1

Total Price: $__________

Line Item: 0004A

Item:  Equal Product Code ________ – Equipment Name__________

Quantity: 1

Total Price: $__________

Line Item: 0005

Item:  Product Code HT-4101361150100 – Labscope Mod AI Cell Count

Quantity: 1

Total Price: $__________

Line Item: 0005A

Item:  Equal Product Code ________ – Equipment Name__________

Quantity: 1

Total Price: $__________

Line Item: 0006

Item:  Product Code HT-INT – On-Site Installation & Training

Quantity: 1

Total Price: $__________

Line Item: 0006A

Item:  Equal Product Code ________ – Equipment Name__________

Quantity: 1

Total Price: $__________

Total Price: $__________

               

Background and Requirement

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), The Receptor Biology Section (RBS) characterizes the molecular mechanisms underlying neurotransmitter receptor transport and localization at the synapse. The lab requires a new inverted microscope and camera to replace an existing cell imaging system which sustained water damage in a recent flood.

Brand Name or Equal ZEISS Axiovert 5 Digital Microscope with with Integrated Microscopy Mono Camera and Labscope Software

HT-4310309190 – Axiovert 5 Digital mono cam – Quantity = 1

HT-4101351031 – Labscope for Windows/IOS – Quantity = 1

HT-4101361129100 – Labscope Mod. Multi Channel – Quantity = 1

HT-4101361149100 – Labscope Module AI Cell Conf – Quantity = 1

HT-4101361150100 – Labscope Mod AI Cell Count – Quantity = 1

HT-INT – On-Site Installation & Training – Quantity = 1

Salient characteristics:

The salient physical, functional, or performance characteristics that “equal” products must meet are as follows:

1. must have integrated LED light sources for both transmitted and fluorescent light (385nm, 470nm, 565nm, 625nm) with > 60K work hours (except 385nm > 40K)
2. must include an option to automatically switch off and preserve integrated LEDs
3. must have a 0.4 NA condenser with light shield to block ambient light
4. must have a 6-position fluorescence filter turret, encoded for automatic detection, with options for both single-band and multi-band filter sets
5. must have a 6-position objective nosepiece, encoded for automatic detection
6. must include objectives corrected for 1-mm polystyrene for optimal use with standard plastic laboratory consummables
7. must include an integrated monochrome research camera with global shutter CMOS sensor, at least 5 megapixels, at least 3.45μm x 3.45μm pixel size, 350-1000nm spectral range, approximately 10500e full well capacity, 12-bit digitization, temperature stable at 25°C for ambient temperatures between 18°C and 30°C
8. must have a coarse/fine focus drive with 13mm of range and adjustable focus stop
9. must have a flexible manual XY stage that can fit microwell plates, flasks, Petri dishes d=36-95mm, object slides 76x26mm, and chambers (ibidi µ-SlideTM, Nunc Lab-TekTM I/II)
10. must have an image snap button on stand for ergonomic usage
11. must have one-click cell counting that calculates statistics for multiple fields
12. must have one-click confluency measurements that calculates statistics for multiple fields
13. must have live image measurement and annotation
14. must include software with intensity histogram, adjustments for gamma, brightness, contrast, color, and sharpness, over-exposure indicator, split view, multi-channel view, automatic detection of objective and filter set position, annotation, scaled measurements, file management, and options to save as image types CZI, JPG, and TIF
15. must have a reporting function to Word and PDF formats
16. must have a tablet mount that is upgradable to future-proof the microscope against tablet upgrades and is height/tilt adjustable for ergonomic usage and space management
17. must have a clamp to protect against tablet theft
18. must have a small footprint (maximum 363mm width, 503 mm depth, 505mm height) and recessed design for wetlab/bench compatibility
19. must have a modular build to allow for upgrades

Contract Type and Period of Performance

It is the Government’s intent to issue a Firm Fixed Price Purchase Order.  The Contractor shall deliver and install the equipment within 45 days after receipt of order. Delivery must be Freight on Board (FOB) Destination and include inside delivery. Training must take place within two (2) weeks of equipment installation. The equipment shall be delivered and installed in coordination with the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR). The contractor shall provide an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) certified service technician to perform setup, installation, and an on-site 2-day training session for staff members. The contractor shall also provide one day of follow up training with Applications Specialist within 30 days of equipment installation.

Place of Performance

National Institutes of Health - Main Campus

NINDS Receptor Biology Section

35 Convent Drive, Bldg 35 - 2C 907

9000 Rockville Pike

Bethesda MD 20892 (FOB Destination)

Contracting Officer's Representative (COR)

The following Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) will represent the Government for the purpose of this contract:

                                                                                [To be specified at time of award]

The COR is responsible for: (1) monitoring the Contractor's technical progress, including the surveillance and assessment of performance and recommending to the Contracting Officer changes in requirements; (2) interpreting the statement of work and any other technical performance requirements; (3) performing technical evaluation as required; (4) performing technical inspections and acceptances required by this contract; and (5) assisting in the resolution of technical problems encountered during performance.

The Contracting Officer is the only person with authority to act as agent of the Government under this contract. Only the Contracting Officer has authority to: (1) direct or negotiate any changes in the statement of work; (2) modify or extend the period of performance; (3) change the delivery schedule; (4) authorize reimbursement to the Contractor for any costs incurred during the performance of this contract; (5) otherwise change any terms and conditions of this contract; or (6) sign written licensing agreements. The Government may unilaterally change its COR designation.

The provision at FAR clause 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors – Commercial Items, applies to this acquisition and is incorporated by reference.   

The provision at FAR clause 52.212-2, Evaluation – Commercial Items, applies to this acquisition. 

1. The Government will award a purchase order resulting from this solicitation on the basis of lowest price technically acceptable.  Technical acceptability will be evaluated based upon the following:

1. The Offeror must include all brand name or equal equipment detailed in the project requirements in its quotation.
2. Or Equal equipment must meet or exceed each salient characteristic in the table below.

Brand Name or Equal ZEISS Axiovert 5 Digital Microscope with with Integrated Microscopy Mono Camera and Labscope Software.

HT-4310309190 – Axiovert 5 Digital mono cam – Quantity = 1

HT-4101351031 – Labscope for Windows/IOS – Quantity = 1

HT-4101361129100 – Labscope Mod. Multi Channel – Quantity = 1

HT-4101361149100 – Labscope Module AI Cell Conf – Quantity = 1

HT-4101361150100 – Labscope Mod AI Cell Count – Quantity = 1

HT-INT – On-Site Installation & Training – Quantity = 1

Salient characteristics:

The salient physical, functional, or performance characteristics that “equal” products must meet are as follows:

               

Yes/No

Comment/Reference

must have integrated LED light sources for both transmitted and fluorescent light (385nm, 470nm, 565nm, 625nm) with > 60K work hours (except 385nm > 40K)

must include an option to automatically switch off and preserve integrated LEDs

must have a 0.4 NA condenser with light shield to block ambient light

must have a 6-position fluorescence filter turret, encoded for automatic detection, with options for both single-band and multi-band filter sets

must have a 6-position objective nosepiece, encoded for automatic detection

must include objectives corrected for 1-mm polystyrene for optimal use with standard plastic laboratory consummables

must include an integrated monochrome research camera with global shutter CMOS sensor, at least 5 megapixels, at least 3.45μm x 3.45μm pixel size, 350-1000nm spectral range, approximately 10500e full well capacity, 12-bit digitization, temperature stable at 25°C for ambient temperatures between 18°C and 30°C

must have a coarse/fine focus drive with 13mm of range and adjustable focus stop

must have a flexible manual XY stage that can fit microwell plates, flasks, Petri dishes d=36-95mm, object slides 76x26mm, and chambers (ibidi µ-SlideTM, Nunc Lab-TekTM I/II)

must have an image snap button on stand for ergonomic usage

must have one-click cell counting that calculates statistics for multiple fields

must have one-click confluency measurements that calculates statistics for multiple fields

must have live image measurement and annotation

must include software with intensity histogram, adjustments for gamma, brightness, contrast, color, and sharpness, over-exposure indicator, split view, multi-channel view, automatic detection of objective and filter set position, annotation, scaled measurements, file management, and options to save as image types CZI, JPG, and TIF

must have a reporting function to Word and PDF formats

must have a tablet mount that is upgradable to future-proof the microscope against tablet upgrades and is height/tilt adjustable for ergonomic usage and space management

must have a clamp to protect against tablet theft

must have a small footprint (maximum 363mm width, 503 mm depth, 505mm height) and recessed design for wetlab/bench compatibility

must have a modular build to allow for upgrades

In addition to completing the table above, the respondents must provide brochures and/or published technical specifications that provide evidence of or equal equipments ability to meet the specifications in the table above. 

1. Options – Not applicable and will not be evaluated.

(c) A written notice of award or acceptance of an offer, mailed or otherwise furnished to the successful offeror within the time for acceptance specified in the offer, shall result in a binding contract without further action by either party. Before the offer’s specified expiration time, the Government may accept an offer (or part of an offer), whether or not there are negotiations after its receipt, unless a written notice of withdrawal is received before award.

Offerors shall include a completed copy of the provision at FAR clause 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications—Commercial Items, with its offer. (see Attachment 2)

The FAR clause at 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions – Commercial Items, applies to this acquisition and is incorporated by reference. 

Addendum to FAR clause 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions—Commercial Items applies to this acquisition.  The additional contract terms and conditions are as follows.

52.204-7 System for Award Management (Oct 2018)

52.204-13 System for Award Management Maintenance. (Oct 2018)

52.204-16 Commercial and Government Entity Code Reporting (Aug 2020)

52.204-18 Commercial and Government Entity Code Maintenance (Aug 2020)

52.204-20 Predecessor of Offeror (Aug 2020)

52.204-24 Representation Regarding Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment (Nov 2021)

52.242-15 Stop-Work Order (Aug. 1989)

(a) The Contracting Officer may, at any time, by written order to the Contractor, require the Contractor to stop all, or any part, of the work called for by this contract for a period of 90 days after the order is delivered to the Contractor, and for any further period to which the parties may agree. The order shall be specifically identified as a stop-work order issued under this clause. Upon receipt of the order, the Contractor shall immediately comply with its terms and take all reasonable steps to minimize the incurrence of costs allocable to the work covered by the order during the period of work stoppage. Within a period of 90 days after a stop-work is delivered to the Contractor, or within any extension of that period to which the parties shall have agreed, the Contracting Officer shall either --

(1) Cancel the stop-work order; or

(2) Terminate the work covered by the order as provided in the Default, or the Termination for Convenience of the Government, clause of this contract.

(b) If a stop-work order issued under this clause is canceled or the period of the order or any extension thereof expires, the Contractor shall resume work. The Contracting Officer shall make an equitable adjustment in the delivery schedule or contract price, or both, and the contract shall be modified, in writing, accordingly, if --

(1) The stop-work order results in an increase in the time required for, or in the Contractor’s cost properly allocable to, the performance of any part of this contract; and

(2) The Contractor asserts its right to the adjustment within 30 days after the end of the period of work stoppage; provided, that, if the Contracting Officer decides the facts justify the action, the Contracting Officer may receive and act upon the claim submitted at any time before final payment under this contract.

(c) If a stop-work order is not canceled and the work covered by the order is terminated for the convenience of the Government, the Contracting Officer shall allow reasonable costs resulting from the stop-work order in arriving at the termination settlement.

(d) If a stop-work order is not canceled and the work covered by the order is terminated for default, the Contracting Officer shall allow, by equitable adjustment or otherwise, reasonable costs resulting from the stop-work order.

(End of Clause)

FAR 52.211-6 Brand Name or Equal (Aug 1999)

1.  If an item in this solicitation is identified as “brand name or equal,” the purchase description reflects the characteristics and level of quality that will satisfy the Government’s needs. The salient physical, functional, or performance characteristics that “equal” products must meet are specified in the solicitation.

(b) To be considered for award, offers of “equal” products, including “equal” products of the brand name manufacturer, must-

(1) Meet the salient physical, functional, or performance characteristic specified in this solicitation;

           (2) Clearly identify the item by-

                (i) Brand name, if any; and

                (ii) Make or model number;

(3) Include descriptive literature such as illustrations, drawings, or a clear reference to previously furnished descriptive data or information available to the Contracting Officer; and

(4) Clearly describe any modifications the offeror plans to make in a product to make it conform to the solicitation requirements. Mark any descriptive material to clearly show the modifications.

(c) The Contracting Officer will evaluate “equal” products on the basis of information furnished by the offeror or identified in the offer and reasonably available to the Contracting Officer. The Contracting Officer is not responsible for locating or obtaining any information not identified in the offer.

(d) Unless the offeror clearly indicates in its offer that the product being offered is an “equal” product, the offeror shall provide the brand name product referenced in the solicitation.

(End of provision)

FAR clause at 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders–Commercial Items (Jun 2023), applies to this acquisition and is incorporated by reference.  The following clauses listed in FAR clause 52.212-5 that are applicable to the acquisition are:

52.209-6 Protecting the Government’s Interest when Subcontracting with Contractors Debarred, Suspended, or Proposed for Debarment (Nov 2021)

52.204-27 Prohibition on a ByteDance Covered Application (Jun 2023)

52.204-10 Reporting Executive Compensation and First-Tier Subcontract Awards (Jun 2020)

52.222-3 Convict Labor (June 2003)

52.222-19 Child Labor—Cooperation With Authorities and Remedies (Dec 2022)

52.222-21 Prohibition of Segregated Facilities (Apr 2015)

52.222-26 Equal Opportunity (Sep 2016)

52.222-36 Equal Opportunity for Workers With Disabilities (Jun 2020)

52.222-50 Combating Trafficking in Persons (Nov 2021)

52.223-11 Ozone-Depleting Substances and High Global Warming Potential Hydrofluorocarbons (Jun 2016) 

52.223-18 Encouraging Contractor Policies to Ban Text Messaging While Driving (Jun 2020)

52.225-1 Buy American – Supplies (Oct 2022)

52.225-13 Restriction on Certain Foreign Purchases (Feb 2021)

52.232-33 Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer-- System for Award Management (Oct. 2018)

The following provisions and clauses apply to this acquisition and are attached in full text. Offerors MUST complete the provisions at 52.204-24 and 52.204-26 in accordance with FAR 4.2103 Procedures and submit with its quotation.

• FAR 52.204-24 Representation Regarding Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment (Nov 2021) (See Attachment 2)

• FAR 52.204-26 Covered Telecommunications Equipment or Services-Representation (Oct 2020) (See Attachment 2)

• FAR 52.212-5 Contract Terms and Conditions Required To Implement Statutes or Executive Orders—Commercial Products and Commercial Services (JUN 2023) (See Attachment 3)

• NIH Invoice and Payment Provisions with IPP (Updated 4/21/2022) (See Attachment 4)

There are no additional contract requirement(s) or terms and conditions applicable to this acquisition.

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

All questions shall be received via email to Sneha Singh at sneha.singh@nih.gov before 10:00 a.m., Eastern Standard Time, on Friday, June 23, 2023.  

Responses to this solicitation must include clear and convincing evidence of the offeror’s capability of fulfilling the requirement as it relates to the technical evaluation criteria. 

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.”

All responses must be received on or before 10:00 AM, Eastern Standard Time, on Friday, June 30, 2023, and reference RFQ number 75N95023Q00215.  Late submissions shall be treated in accordance with the solicitation provision at FAR 52.212-1(f).  Responses shall be submitted electronically to the Contract Specialist at sneha.singh@nih.gov.

Fax responses will not be accepted.

For information regarding this solicitation, please contact the Contract Specialist, Sneha Singh at sneha.singh@nih.gov. 

Attachments:

Attachment 1 -  Purchase Description

Attachment 2 -  Additional Terms and Conditions

Attachment 3 - FAR 52.212-5 Contract Terms and Conditions – Commercial Products and Commercial Services (JUN 2023)

Attachment 4 - NIH Invoicing Instructions with IPP