Alazar ATS9380 Camera Acquisition Board

1.0 DESCRIPTION

This is a combined solicitation for commercial products and commercial services conducted in accordance with RFO FAR Part 12 – Acquisition of Commercial Products and Commercial Services, using the simplified procedures at RFO FAR 12.201-1. This notice serves as the solicitation. Quotations are being requested, and a separate written solicitation will not be issued.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Eye Institute (NEI), intends to procure, on a sole-source basis, an Alazar Technologies ATS9380 Camera Acquisition Circuit Board, ATS9416 camera acquisition board, external clock upgrade, and associated signal cable from the manufacturer, Alazar Technologies Inc.

The NEI Op10 clinical space conducts clinical research to advance understanding of ophthalmic diseases and refine diagnostic imaging capabilities through translational optical approaches, including adaptive optics optical coherence tomography (AOOCT) instruments deployed in clinical studies and trials, including ongoing clinical protocol 15-EI-0020. The NEI is advancing innovative clinical imaging using high-speed optical coherence tomography to support replication, reproducibility, and compliance across active patient studies at the NIH Clinical Center.

The Government requires a specialized high-speed camera acquisition circuit board capable of sampling speeds up to 10.4 GS/s and DC-to-5-GHz bandwidth to upgrade the existing AOOCT instrument deployed in the NEI Op10 clinical space. This controlled acquisition process is required to support the doubled speed of the imaging light source (PO# 75N98023P03120) and ensure seamless operation within the established software and hardware ecosystem. The required hardware includes a specialized combination of high-speed digitizing and 16-channel acquisition capabilities that can reliably interface with custom electronics implemented by IDEAS from NIBIB and the imaging light source (HHSN263201801017P).

The Government intends to procure the ATS9380 Camera Acquisition Board on a sole-source basis from Alazar Technologies Inc. The required system includes high-speed PCIe digitizer components that are integrated to provide synchronized data streaming and signal processing for clinical AOOCT imaging. The requirement also includes maintaining full ecosystem compatibility across software and hardware necessary to prevent disruption to ongoing clinical protocols within the NEI laboratory. The hardware will integrate directly with the existing custom electronics (PO#: 75N98023P02967) and AOOCT imaging setup to support proper system setup, configuration, and rapid operation. Acceptance of the hardware will be demonstrated by successful high-speed data acquisition of clinical AOOCT imaging within the NEI clinical facility.

The NEI conducted market research to identify potential sources capable of meeting the Government's specific technical and operational requirements, including U.S. and foreign manufacturers. The market research considered commercially available high-speed PCIe digitizers capable of providing the required combination of 10.4 GS/s sampling rate, 5 GHz bandwidth, 20.8 GB/s data rate, and 16-channel single-card acquisition density. Based on the market research conducted, Alazar Technologies Inc. was the only vendor identified as capable of providing a commercially available system with the required combination of specifications and configuration necessary to satisfy the Government's requirement.

The required combination of 10.4 GS/s sampling rate, 5 GHz bandwidth, and 16-channel single-card capacity is essential to the Government's intended application. The system must reliably and reproducibly process double-speed optical imaging signals to maintain clinical study integrity. Based on market research, U.S. manufacturer GaGe/Vitrek offers a 12-bit model limited to 6 GS/s and 1.75 GHz bandwidth, and an 8-channel maximum per card requiring multi-card synchronization and software reconfiguration. Foreign vendors Spectrum Instrumentation (Germany) and Teledyne SP Devices (Sweden) similarly fall short in sampling rate (10 GS/s), bandwidth (4.7 GHz and 2.5 GHz respectively), data throughput, and channel density. Alternative systems would require substantial modification, additional multi-card integration, and extensive software redesign, introducing severe technical and schedule risks that would delay ongoing clinical studies and compromise data reproducibility under protocol 15-EI-0020.

Alazar Technologies Inc. is the only vendor identified through the Government's market research as capable of providing the complete required configuration without requiring thousands of hours of re-engineering and re-characterization. Over past years, significant personnel time has been invested in integrating Alazar Technologies hardware into the AOOCT platform. Switching suppliers would result in critical delays and potential system incompatibilities detrimental to active clinical trials. Accordingly, based on the market research conducted, Alazar Technologies Inc. was the only source identified as capable of satisfying the Government's current technical and operational requirements.

The contractor shall provide a firm-fixed-price Alazar Technologies ATS9380 Camera Acquisition Circuit Board and associated ATS9416 compatibility components. The contractor shall deliver hardware fully compatible with the existing NEI AOOCT software and custom electronics ecosystem necessary to enable laboratory personnel to operate the upgraded equipment and perform required clinical imaging procedures.

The required delivery date for the hardware is within 90 days after award. The delivery location is NEI, 10 Center Drive, Building 10, Room 9N240B, Bethesda, MD 20892.

This RFQ is being posted to the Governmentwide Point of Entry (GPE) in accordance with FAR 5.201. This acquisition will be conducted in accordance with FAR Part 12 – Acquisition of Commercial Products and Commercial Services, using the simplified procedures at RFO FAR 12.201-1.

Required delivery date: Within 90 days after award

Delivery Location: NEI, 10 Center Drive, Building 10, Room 9N240B, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA

The applicable NAICS code is 334515 – Instrument Manufacturing for Measuring and Testing Electricity and Electrical Signals and PSC is 6625 – Electrical and Electronic Properties Measuring and Testing Instruments.

Please see the attached requirements document titled “75N98026Q01248 – Requirements Document” for additional information.

2.0 UNIQUE QUALIFICATIONS OF THE CONTRACTOR

The proposed contractor, Alazar Technologies Inc., is the manufacturer of the required Alazar Technologies ATS9380 Camera Acquisition Circuit Board and associated compatibility hardware necessary to support the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Eye Institute (NEI) research activities. The required equipment is a specialized high-speed digitizer board designed to provide sampling speeds up to 10.4 GS/s, 5 GHz bandwidth, and 16-channel acquisition density for the data capture of optical coherence tomography signals in clinical imaging setups. The system is required to support the controlled and reproducible double-speed optical imaging of adaptive optics systems for ongoing clinical studies and trials under protocol 15-EI-0020. The requirement includes the high-speed circuit board hardware, ATS9416 board, and associated compatibility components necessary to operate within the existing NEI AOOCT system.

The Alazar Technologies ATS9380 Camera Acquisition Board is a specialized high-speed digitizer board that provides the combination of extreme sampling speeds, broad input bandwidth, and 16-channel single-card integration required for the Government's intended application. The system must reliably combine with the double-speed imaging light source (PO# 75N98023P03120) and custom NIBIB IDEAS electronics (PO#: 75N98023P02967) to process high-frequency signals, thereby supporting the replication and reproducibility of clinical adaptive optics models. The required application involves specialized high-speed data acquisition, synchronization parameters, hardware ecosystem compatibility, and system configuration that must be maintained to achieve consistent and reliable clinical imaging data. Use of an alternative digitizer or acquisition system would require substantial modification, multi-card component integration, and additional development and optimization of synchronization, cabling, and software parameters, which could introduce technical and schedule risks and affect the consistency and reproducibility of the resulting clinical data. Market research was conducted to identify commercially available sources capable of meeting the Government's specific technical and operational requirements, and Alazar Technologies Inc. was the only vendor identified as capable of providing the complete combination of 10.4 GS/s sampling rate, 5 GHz bandwidth, 16-channel density, and compatibility with the existing software and electronic ecosystem necessary to meet the Government's requirements.

BASIS FOR AWARD

The Government intends to issue a firm-fixed-price purchase order to Alazar Technologies. However, all timely quotations received will be considered. To be considered for award, a quotation must demonstrate that the products offered satisfy all the Government's scientific and technical requirements identified in this RFQ and the attached requirements document. Award will be made to the responsible organization whose quotation satisfies the Government's requirements and whose price is determined fair and reasonable.

RESPONSE INSTRUCTIONS

This is a Request for Quotation (RFQ) for commercial products issued in accordance with the simplified procedures of RFO FAR Part 12. The Government intends to award a purchase order on a sole-source basis to Alazar Technologies based on the Government's determination that Alazar Technologies is the only source identified as capable of satisfying the Government's requirements. However, all responsible sources may submit a quotation that demonstrates their ability to satisfy the complete requirements identified in this RFQ and the attached requirements document. All timely quotations will be considered by the Government.

The response and any other information furnished must be in writing and must contain material in sufficient detail to allow the Office of Acquisition and Logistics Management (OALM) to determine whether the respondent can fulfill the requirement. Quotations shall identify the products being offered, manufacturer and applicable part numbers, quantities, unit and total prices, delivery schedule, and sufficient technical information to demonstrate that the products offered satisfy all of the Government's scientific and technical requirements identified in the attached requirements document.

All responses must be sent via email to Contract Specialist, Jordan Neal, at Jordan.Neal@nih.gov, copying Contracting Officer, Alice Pagán Pereira, at Alice.Pagan@nih.gov by no later than 12:00 p.m. (noon) Eastern Time on Friday, September 25, 2026.

To be eligible for award, the contractor must be registered in System for Award Management (SAM.gov) in accordance with applicable requirements. Reference: 75N98026Q01248 on all correspondence.