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Charge Compensator for Zeiss Merlin SEM


Arkansas, United States
Government : Federal
RFP
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SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE # FDA_SSN_1209627 FOR CHARGE COMPENSATOR

Posted Date:         April 16, 2019


Response Date:     April 26, 2019 no later than 2:00 pm CDT


Set Aside:        N/A


Classification:     6640 Lab Supplies


NAICS Code:         334516 - Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing


Synopsis
MARKET RESEARCH PURPOSES ONLY - NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL OR SOLICITATION


This is a Sources Sought notice to determine the availability of Small Businesses capable of supplying the required instrument described below. This notice is for planning purposes only, and does not constitute an Invitation for Bids, Request for Proposal, Request for Quotation, or an indication the Government intends to award a contract, nor does the Government intend to pay for any information submitted as a result of this notice. Your response to the information requested will assist the Government in determining the appropriate acquisition method, including whether a Small Business Set-Aside is possible.


The appropriate NAICS code for this acquisition is 334516 - Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing; the Small Business Size Standard is 1,000 employees.


Requirement and Background
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) National Center for Toxicological Research (NCTR), Office of Scientific Coordination (OSC) NanoCORE facility owns and maintains a Gatan 3View2 block face SEM device mounted onto a Zeiss Merlin scanning electron microscope (SEM). This type of microscopy is a powerful new imaging technology that allows the FDA to study the 3D structures of treated biological animal tissues. These tissues are preserved in special embedding plastic for analysis, relative to the global structural changes that accompany the treatment of humans and veterinary animals to FDA-regulated products including food, drugs, makeup, and nanotechnology. Though powerful, the technology is plagued by charging artifacts caused by the electron microscope scanning the sample with an electron beam. The specimen absorbs too much energy from the microscope causing a buildup of charge and heat. This buildup, though subtle, causes minor local distortions of the image data that makes the downstream data analysis much more time-consuming. Additionally, there is an increasing number of FDA investigators requesting time on this instrument.


A recent advance in scanning electron microscopy is the development of what's known as a charge compensator for this system. This device injects a small amount of nitrogen gas onto the specimen to quench the charge build-up prior to imaging. Success has been shown with systems that employ this charge compensator in terms of eliminating the charge and resultant image distortion and vastly improving the quality of the image data; this will, in turn, dramatically increase the efficiency of data analysis, and therefore lead to more accurate data and shorter lead times for research conducted.


The current requirement is for a charge compensator device compatible with an existing Gatan 3View2 block face SEM device installed on a Zeiss Merlin scanning electron microscope (SEM).


Minimum Technical Requirements - SEM charge compensator
The SEM charge compensator shall meet the following technical requirements:


1. seamless integration with an existing Gatan 3View2 Serial Block Face SEM device, serial number 3V033M and Zeiss Merlin SEM, serial number MRL40-4265;
2. ability to significantly compensate or eliminate accumulated charge on the surface of an embedded biological tissue chemically prepared and processed for serial block face SEM and which has been charged by the electron beam (probe) of an SEM similar or identical to a non-environmental Zeiss FEG SEM;
3. technical literature, samples and media to support a current or prior application of the proposed device in a similar or identical system environment;
4. One-year warranty from date of system acceptance;
5. On-site installation and staff training;
6. Shipping FOB Destination.


Delivery Address:


U.S. Food and Drug Administration
National Center for Toxicological Research
Office of Scientific Coordination
3900 NCTR Road
Jefferson, AR 72079


Responses to this Sources Sought notice shall unequivocally demonstrate the respondent is currently engaged in providing the required charge compensator meeting the technical requirements set forth above. Although the target audience is small businesses or small businesses capable of providing these systems from another small business, all interested parties may respond. At a minimum, responses in the form of a Capability Statement shall include the following:


1.    Business name and bio, DUNS number, business address, business website, business size status (i.e., SB, VOSB, SDVOSB, HUBZone SB, SDB, WOSB, LB), point of contact name, mailing address (if different from business address), phone number and email address. Provide this same information again if responding with the capability of providing an instrument offered by another firm;
2.    Descriptive literature, brochures, marketing material, etc. detailing the instruments and equipment (to include consumables) which the responding firm is regularly engaged in providing;
3.    If applicable, identification of the firm's GSA Schedule contract(s) by Schedule number and SINs that are applicable to this potential requirement are also requested. If a large business, provide documentation if subcontracting opportunities exist for small business concerns;
4.    The Government is not responsible for locating or securing any information, not identified in the response.


Interested parties shall respond with Capability Statements, as described above, in person, by e-mail, fax, mail or other delivery method before 2:00 pm (Central Daylight Time - Local Prevailing Time in Jefferson, Arkansas) on April 23, 2019 to timothy.walbert@fda.hhs.gov, fax (870) 543-7990, or mail to the U. S. Food and Drug Administration, OO/OFBA/OAGS/DAP, Attention of Tim Walbert, 3900 NCTR Road, Building 50, Room 426, Jefferson, AR 72079-9502. Reference the following on the outside packaging: FDA-SSN_1209627.


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 and Proprietary Information
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).


 


Timothy A. Walbert, Contract Specialist, Phone 8705437267, Email timothy.walbert@fda.hhs.gov

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