High resolution and high content Bio-imager
This is a Small Business Sources Sought notice. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. The purpose of this notice is to obtain information regarding: (1) the availability and capability of qualified small business sources; (2) whether they are small businesses; HUBZone small businesses; service-disabled, veteran-owned small businesses; 8(a) small businesses; veteran-owned small businesses; woman-owned small businesses; or small disadvantaged businesses; and (3) their size classification relative to the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for the proposed acquisition. Your responses to the information requested will assist the Government in determining the appropriate acquisition method, including whether a set-aside is possible. An organization that is not considered a small business under the applicable NAICS code should not submit a response to this notice.
This notice is issued to help determine the availability of qualified companies technically capable of meeting the Government requirement and to determine the method of acquisition. It is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government to issue a solicitation or ultimately award a contract. Responses will not be considered as proposals or quotes. No award will be made as a result of this notice. The Government will NOT be responsible for any costs incurred by the respondents to this notice. This notice is strictly for research and information purposes only.
Background: The NINDS NTDU develops and utilizes automated medium-high throughput assays to identify potential novel therapeutic compounds. In this capacity, the lab can screen libraries of small compounds in both rodent and human neuronal cell culture models of neurodegenerative disorders like ALS motor neuron disease, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease and neuronal cell models of neurologic infections from agents like HIV, Zika virus, human endogenous retroviruses and even Ebola virus. The Lab requires a high speed and high content image acquisition and analysis system capable of acquiring and analyzing hundreds/thousands of photomicrographs from neuronal cultures which have been exposed to various chemical and biological toxins to represent or mimic neurologic disease.
Purpose and Objectives: The purpose of this acquisition is to acquire a high resolution and high content laser based confocal molecular bio-imager instrument for the Neuro Therapeutics Development Unit, (NTDU), Translational Neuroscience Center, NINDS. We will incorporate the use of the new imager into our screening and bio-analysis workflow in order to achieve our goals of identifying, characterizing and developing of new and novel therapeutics for neurological diseases and infections of the nervous system. This work involves high resolution acquisition and high content analysis of our human neuronal cultures, which mimic the neurodegenerative states that are under investigation.
Project requirements:
High Content Analysis (HCA) Platform with multiple laser illumination, Confocal 3D acquisition, a fast, automated cellular imaging and analysis platform designed for quantitative microscopy and phenotypic screening. The instrument shall incorporate robotics to facilitate transfer of culture plates from our preexisting CytoMat 2C to a laser based confocal bio-imager. This system shall include 4X through 40X objectives, an environmental chamber with controlled humidity to facilitate live cell imaging and analysis, laser-based autofocus, high resolution phase contrast imaging in addition to fluorescence based imaging.
Salient characteristics
Minimum system specifications and characteristics shall be as follows:
• Bio-imager system must have a multi-color Laser-based imaging system
• System must image in widefield and confocal modes for high resolution microscopy of neuronal cultures, iPSC spheroids and cerebral organoids
• System must have either the latest high resolution cooled CCD camera or sCMOS camera with greater than ~75% quantum efficiency.
• System must have 4X, 10X, 20X and 40X objectives. Additional objectives, such as 1-2X or 60X objectives maybe added at later date.
• System must have laser based autofocus methods to accommodate a broad range of sample types and consumables on the platform.
• System must have multiple Imaging modes, both widefield and confocal modes including deconvolution, time series & maximum projection.
• System must have automated 3D imaging and volumetric image analysis combined with simultaneous multi-threaded parallel processing and automatic storage in a Microsoft SQL Database.
• System must have environmental control for Live-Cell options: CO2 control and/or CO2-O2 control.
• System must have Imaging capability with multiple wavelengths from the UV to near IR wavelength ranges.
• System must be capable of Imaging in SBS standard microplates, including 6 well through 96 well plates, plus 384 and 1536 well plates. Imaging in chamber slides and standard glass slide modes.
• System must have confocal mode settings for collecting Z-stacks of spheroids, cerebral organoids or other thick, asymmetrical objects.
• System should function in manual microscope mode - allows the user to switch objectives, filters, focus, fields of view on the fly as would be conducted in a manual system.
• System should have high NA air objectives that allow for high resolution imaging in all wells of the plate.
• System includes LED based Transmitted Light Capabilities
• System must be capable of a fully integrated walk-away software package that allows the user to analyze images with pre-built application modules, customize algorithm settings with a custom module editor and write scripts to control all functions of the hardware and software to create fully customizable high content image acquisition and analysis.
• System must include 2D on-the-fly and 3D deconvolution software capabilities.
• System must have High resolution analysis software-integrated for image acquisition and data analysis. The analysis must be able to provide quantitative image analysis in high resolution phase contrast images as well as fluorescent images of human neurons. Analysis of morphologic parameters in high resolution images of human neuronal processes and dendritic spines is required.
• System must come with two (2) licenses for the analysis software.
• Extensive technical training in use of new acquisition and analysis software onsite following installation is required.
• System must include a Robotic Plate Handler with hotels to store up to 88 plates.
• System must include integration of Bio-imager with existing NINDS Cytomat Incubator
• Robotic plate handler integration must include dynamic scheduling software with unlimited expansion
• Inside delivery
Anticipated period of performance: Delivery within 90 days ARO
Other important considerations: The contractor shall provide, at a minimum, a one (1) year warranty on this instrument. All products shall be warranted to be free from material defects in workmanship or material under normal use and service for the warranty period.
Capability statement /information sought. Contractors that believe they possess the ability to provide the required supplies or services should submit documentation of their ability to meet the project requirements. Respondents may provide, as part of their responses, a capability statement, "white paper," answers to questions/issues, etc. This may include but is not limited to:
• respondents' opinions about the difficulty and/or feasibility of the potential requirement or proposed acquisition, possible solutions and approaches that may currently exist in the marketplace, and information regarding innovative ideas or concepts;
• information regarding respondents': (a) staff expertise, including their availability, experience, and formal and other training; (b) current in-house capability and capacity to perform the work; (c) prior completed projects of similar nature; (d) corporate experience and management capability; and (e) examples of prior completed Government contracts, references, and other related information;
• general information regarding the respondent's estimate or rough order of magnitude of the effort or time that may be required for completion of the work. (NOTE: This type of information may only be requested as part of an RFI. However, care must be exercised in requesting such information. Information requested must be: (a) necessary; (b) broad in scope; and (c) used for planning purposes only. Detailed estimates must not be requested.);
The respondent must also provide their DUNS number, organization name, address, point of contact, and size and type of business (e.g., 8(a), HubZone, etc., pursuant to the applicable NAICS code and any other information that may be helpful in developing or finalizing the acquisition requirements.
For supplies, the respondent must identify whether supplies are or are not domestic end products. The respondent must identify if its organization is the manufacturer or a non-manufacturer (i.e. authorized reseller). If the respondent is a non-manufacturer, it must address its ability to comply with the Nonmanufacturer Rule consistent with FAR Deviation 2019-01.
One (1) copy of the response is required and must be in Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF format using 11-point or 12-point font, 8-1/2" x 11" paper size, with 1" top, bottom, left and right margins, and with single or double spacing.
The information submitted must be must be in an outline format that addresses each of the elements of the project requirement and in the capability statement /information sought paragraphs stated herein. A cover page and an executive summary may be included but is not required.
The response is limited to ten (10) page limit. The 10-page limit does not include the cover page, executive summary, or references, if requested.
The response must include the respondents' technical and administrative points of contact, including names, titles, addresses, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail addresses.
All responses to this notice must be submitted electronically to the Contract Specialist and Contracting Officer. Facsimile responses are NOT accepted.
The response must be submitted to Andrea King at e-mail address andrea.king@nih.gov.
The response must be received on or before May 27, 2019 at 9AM, Eastern Time.
"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 presolicitation 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: 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)."
Andrea TE King, Contract Specialist, Phone 3018275245, Email andrea.king@nih.gov
