COMET Package: Automated seqIF Stainer and Imaging System for Spatial Multiomics Analysis

The National Institutes of Health, through its Office of Logistics and Operations within the Office of the Director, is seeking to acquire a COMET™ Package consisting of an automated multiplex sequential immunofluorescence (seqIF) stainer and imaging system for spatial multiomics analysis under a sole source procurement conducted under Simplified Acquisition Procedures as prescribed in FAR Part 13, with an estimated value not exceeding $350,000. This presolicitation notice, issued under solicitation number 75N98026Q00581, announces the intent to award a contract without competition and invites interested parties to demonstrate their capability to meet the technical and performance requirements. The system must deliver fully automated workflows for sequential staining, imaging, and signal removal to enable detection of multiple protein and RNA targets within a single tissue section, supporting advanced research in lung biology, transplant injury, immune cell interactions, and disease mechanisms. It must accommodate both frozen and formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) samples and generate high-dimensional datasets that preserve spatial context at the single-cell level to increase throughput, enhance reproducibility, and improve laboratory efficiency by reducing manual processing steps. All responses must be submitted electronically by June 20, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time, and must include a technical proposal, a cost-price proposal, and the proposed period of performance. Offerors are required to have an active registration in the System for Award Management (SAM), provide a Unique Entity ID and Taxpayer Identification Number, and certify their business size. The contract will be awarded under FAR Subpart 13.106-1(b)(1) for single-source procurement, and the applicable clauses will be drawn from the Federal Acquisition Circular 2005-99-1 dated July 16, 2018. The place of performance is Bethesda, Maryland, and the contracting officer is Michael Falzone, reachable via email at Michael.falzone@nih.gov. Fax submissions are not accepted, and responses must reference the solicitation number. While no formal inspection, packaging, or contract administration details are specified at this stage, all proposals must sufficiently demonstrate bona fide capability to fulfill the requirement. The NAICS code for this acquisition is 334516, and there is no set-aside designated for small businesses or other categories.