Sources Sought Notice: Optical Tensiometer
Sources Sought Notice: Optical Tensiometer
MARKET RESEARCH PURPOSES ONLY
NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL OR SOLICITATION
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Office of Acquisitions and Grants Services (OAGS) is conducting market research to support the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition's (CFSAN) Division of Food Progressing Science and Technology (DFPST).
DFPST requires the capability to study food contact surfaces and interfaces to support multidisciplinary food safety research projects in the areas of food packaging, microbiology, nanotechnology, and food allergens. Optical tensiometers/ contact angle meters have the capability to measure static and dynamic contact angles, surface free energy, and surface and interfacial tension. These measurements are useful for a wide array of surface science applications including cleanliness evaluation, coating wettability characterization, surface homogeneity, and predicting adhesion. However, surface roughness and interfacial rheology measurements generally require an additional, separate instrument, such as an optical profilometer. The Attension Theta Flex with 3D Topography Module (Biolin Scientific) is a one-of-a-kind optical tensiometer on the market that can acquire 3D and 2D surface roughness information simultaneously with contact angle and surface free energy measurements at the exact same spatial locations. Measuring surface roughness together with contact angle makes it possible to separate the influence of surface chemistry from surface roughness on wetting and adhesion behavior, which is a critically important distinction for the type of food contact surfaces which we test at DFPST. Bacteria, viruses, and allergens impart their negative health impact via their contamination and adhesion to food contact surfaces and subsequent transfer to humans via the food supply. Surface treatments, such as plasma activation, typically affect both surface roughness and surface chemistry. Research projects quantifying the ability of microorganisms and allergens to adhere to food processing equipment and packaging material surfaces require an optical tensiometer which can also characterize surface roughness. Likewise, the surface energy of food packaging materials may have a safety impact on chemical migration of polymer additives and contaminants into foods in addition to having effects on package seal integrity.
The objective of this notice is to identify small business sources that can provide an optical tensiometer that can simultaneously characterize surface roughness and contact angle of food contact surfaces to strengthen current and planned research projects that support FDA's Office of Food Safety and Office of Food Additive Safety. This instrument is a critical tool to progress our research program on microbiological and allergen adhesion to food contact materials and on the effect of polymer surface properties on chemical additive migration and food package seal integrity.
This is a Sources Sought notice to determine the availability of Small Businesses capable of supplying the required supply item/services. This notice is for planning purposes only, and does not constitute an invitation for Bids, Request for Proposal or Request for Quotation or an indication the Government will award a contract, nor does the Government intend to pay for any information submitted as a result of this notice. Your responses to the information requested will assist the Government in determining the appropriate acquisition method, including whether a set-aside is possible.
Capabilities Required:
Capable sources shall be required to furnish an instrument that meets or exceeds the following salient characteristics:
• An optical tensiometer shall be able to measure static contact angle (sessile drop, meniscus, and captive bubble method), surface free energy, and roughness corrected contact angle. The instrument shall utilize a high quality monochromatic cold LED light source to minimize undesirable sessile drop evaporation, a high-resolution digital camera, quality optics, and an accurate drop fitting method.
• A smart modular instrument frame design which allows for future applications, including high and low temperature environmental chambers, a high pressure chamber, and a tilting cradle, should research projects arise.
• An automated, motorized sample stage and single dispenser for drop placement on the substrate which allows for more accurate and reproducible results relative to manual operation. The dispensing volume allows for droplets of 1-10 μL with a range up to 200 μL and a dispensing volume resolution of 0.1 μL.
• A 3D Topography module that allows you to measure the roughness first and then measures the contact angle on the same spatial location and combines the two measurements in the data file and the results. This allows the measurement of roughness-corrected contact angles to eliminate the effect of surface roughness for contact angle results. The sample surface area for quantification of surface roughness is greater than 1.0 mm2 and the resolution of the roughness measurement is between 1-60 μm in profile height.
• Uses the fringe projection phase-shifting method based on structured lighting, where light patterns are projected onto a sample surface and the sample shape is analyzed from images taken by a camera to measure surface roughness. This method allows simultaneous characterization of 2D and 3D shapes at pixel-level resolution.
• An anodized aluminum and glass room temperature environmental chamber which provides draft control and allows for chemical disinfection of microorganisms on sample surfaces.
• Calibration and verification packs are available for both contact angle and surface tension as a glass sample plate with contact angle and surface tension images. A surface topography validation pack is available as a plastic sample with known structured microroughness that enables to compare measured and theoretical roughness values.
The operating software is capable of both automated and/or manual operation for reproducible and flexible data acquisition. The software user interface should be intuitive and easy to learn with a logical interface even for complex measurements. Data analysis, plotting, and statistical analysis should be accurate and easy to export further to other spreadsheet or data analysis and graphing software packages.
Capability Statements:
Responses to this sources sought shall unequivocally demonstrate the respondent's capabilities to provide the instrument, accessories, and services described above. Though the target audience is small business, all interested parties may respond. At a minimum, responses 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 to provide a service offered by another firm.
2. Past Performance information shall include date of services, description, dollar value, client name,
3. Client address, client contact name, client point of contact mailing address (if different from that provided for client), client point of contact phone number, client point of contact email address, and name of company (to include DUNS number and size status) if not the respondent.
4. Descriptive literature, brochures, marketing material, etc. detailing the nature of services the responding firm is regularly engaged in providing.
5. If applicable, identification of the firm's GSA Schedule contract(s) by Schedule number and Schedule Item Numbers (SIN)s that are applicable to this potential requirement are also requested. If a large business, clarify if subcontracting opportunities exist for small business concerns. The Government is not responsible for locating or securing any information, not identified in the response.
Response Instructions:
Interested parties shall respond with capability statements in person, by e-mail, fax, mail or other delivery method before 3:00 PM Eastern Time on June 6th, 2019 to Christopher.mcgucken@fda.hhs.gov.
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: 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).
Christopher R. McGucken, Contract Specialist, Phone (240) 402-7566, Email christopher.mcgucken@fda.hhs.gov
