This Sources Sought opportunity from Department Of Commerce was posted on June 5, 2026. The submission period has ended. Browse the details below for market research, or find similar active opportunities.
Advanced Multichannel Multispectral Photodetection System
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The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), through its Biophysical and Biomedical Measurement Group within the Physical Measurement Laboratory, is seeking market input for an advanced multichannel multispectral photodetection system to integrate into its unique Serial Flow Cytometer. This system is critical for enabling high-temporal and high-spectral resolution optical measurements of biological micro and nanoparticles, including cells, gene therapy nanoparticles, and calibration particles, to support the development of microscale measurement science and advance Critical and Emerging Technologies in biotechnology. The photodetector must perform hyperspectral fluorescence detection with at least 16 non-overlapping spectral channels, each with a width of 20 nm or less, covering a spectral range from no higher than 450 nm to at least 750 nm, and must be capable of detecting light from four or more laser sources either through multiplexed or separated detection paths. The system must accept fiber optic inputs via SMA905 connectors with a minimum numerical aperture of 0.1 and core diameter of 105 micrometers, and employ a detector technology such as photomultiplier tube, avalanche photodiode, silicon photomultiplier, or hybrid design. Integration requires seamless connection to NIST’s optical routing and voltage signal recording systems. All responses must be submitted by email no later than June 12, 2026, and are limited to four pages, including attachments, in Word 365, Excel 365, or PDF format. Respondents are required to provide their company name, address, point of contact, Unique Entity ID if registered in SAM.gov, and business size classification under NAICS code 334516. They must specify the manufacturer and model of their proposed equipment, its country of origin, and whether it is U.S. manufactured, along with technical specifications meeting or exceeding NIST’s draft requirements. Additional details must include standard commercial terms such as delivery timelines after order acceptance, FOB shipping terms, warranty coverage, setup and test procedures, and cleanup protocols. Respondents are also requested to outline available installation, training, and maintenance services, and to identify any aspects of the minimum specifications they cannot meet, along with suggestions for improvement. Proprietary information should not be included. This notice serves solely as market research and is not a solicitation or commitment to award a contract.
General Info
Place of Performance
Gaithersburg, MD, 20899, USASet-Aside
Timeline
Submission Closed
Organization & Contact Information
Full Description
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Biophysical and Biomedical Measurement Group (BBMG) within the Microsystems and Nanotechnology Division of the Physical Measurement Laboratory (PML) requires an advanced spectral photodetection system for incorporation into NIST’s unique and world-class Serial Flow Cytometer for high temporal and spectral resolution optical measurements of biological micro and nanoparticles. This will enable accomplishment of our mission of developing microscale measurement science and technology applied to characterization of biological systems.
Flow cytometry is a technology that rapidly analyzes properties of thousands of single cells or particles per second as they flow in a fluid stream. A laser incident on the fluid stream interrogates the cells, which can be labeled with fluorescent markers to enable the quantification of specific cell markers and classification of different cell types within populations. NIST develops a Serial Flow Cytometer (SFC) that uses multiple light sources to repeat optical measurements of single cells to provide uncertainty quantification (UQ). UQ is a valuable outcome that enables optimization of flow cytometers and modeling to improve confidence in flow cytometry measurements and instrument comparability.
NIST requires a complete, multichannel and multispectral photodetector system as listed below in the Scope and specified below in Minimum Requirements. The system will integrate directly into NIST’s Serial Flow Cytometer to perform sensitive, dynamic, and hyperspectral fluorescence measurements of rapidly flowing micro and nanoparticles including cells, gene therapy nanoparticles, and fluorescence calibration particles. Incorporation of the system within NIST instruments requires compatible connections to optical lines and routing of voltage signals to NIST recording devices.
The advanced photodetector system is critical to achieve NIST project missions as it will enable the R&D team to build generalizable, multimodal cytometric tools with world-class deep spectral probing to advance Critical and Emerging Technologies (CETs) in Biotechnology.
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