Detection of Toxins with Mobile Mass Spectrometers / Mass Spectrometers (MS/MS)

1. Purpose. The purpose of this announcement is to request white papers from Industry regarding United States Special Operations Command's (USSOCOM's) MS/MS requirement. USSOCOM plans to use this market survey to research, plan and implement an acquisition strategy to develop or procure MS/MS. This will inform interested SOCOM commands requirements and subsequent procurement or development efforts planned to begin FY24 depending on initial evaluation timelines. This announcement constitutes a Request for Information (RFI) for informational and planning purposes. The information requested will be used within USSOCOM as market research to facilitate decision making (i.e., determining acquisition strategy, small business concerns, etc.) and will not be disclosed outside the Government. USSOCOM is seeking interested vendors, or teaming ventures, with the ability to produce items that meets these requirements, or demonstrates the capability to produce prototype capabilities. The Government is particularly interested in industry recommendations and feedback to improve contract requirements, contract structure/type, and performance incentives for a MS/MS development effort beginning in FY24. Proprietary information submitted shall be appropriately marked. Please note that USSOCOM will NOT be responsible for any costs incurred by interested parties in responding to this RFI. USSOCOM highly encourages responses from capable businesses of all sizes to include all socioeconomic categories. 2. Background. The purpose of MS/MS effort is to develop, test, produce, and field an advanced capability to detect conotoxins and other potentially novel toxins in the field. Recent technological advances on mobile Mass Spectrometers have made this a possibility. 3. Objectives. A. Program Objectives. Phase I: RFI whitepaper submittals (see section 4 below). Phase II: Market survey response/Capability Review and Assessment. Based on the white papers received by the government from Phase I, USSOCOM will approach all or some vendor(s) to discuss/demonstrate their proposed M-MS capability in support of SOF mission sets conducted on land and maritime environments. Capabilities of interest include but are not limited to the feasibility of mass spectrometry to directly analyze DoD priority toxins in environmental samples, developing spectral libraries of the toxin panels using high resolution MS machines and technical objectives described in section B below. A final down-selection of suitable respondent(s) will be made with an invitation to a formal technology review to be conducted in FY24. B. MS/MS Technical Objectives. Vendors should discuss their ability to demonstrate advanced MS/MS capabilities on shipboard, aircraft and land relevant operational environments. Each mission space has unique requirements necessitating versatility in a MS/MS in order to meet the requirements for specified SOF missions. Specific capability areas of interest include: Resolving Power: (~mass resolution) Mass Resolving Power defined as m/dm. Where m designates the mass and dm the peak width necessary for separation at mass. A specific m/z value and also the method like 10% valley or 50% valley or full width at half maximum (FWHM) must be given. Resolving power is usually a large number (up to 2,000,000 for FT-MS) and is used as - performance parameter. [ T: 1,000 FWHM) resolving power of iontrap and quadrupole mass analyzers), O: 500,00 FWHM (resolving power of iontraps-furrier transform mass analyzers] Mass Range: m/z = mass to charge ratio (atomic mass unit-amu), usually = 1 so mz = BUT: some compounds can accept multiple charges thus the functional molecular weight of the instrument will depend on how many charges a compound can accept. Peptides are known to accept multiple charges due to side chains of amino acids and sample preparation methods many peptides will have R 9argentine) or K (lysine) at the end of the sequence , these amino acids accept additional charge if electrospray ionization is used -> a peptide of molecular weight of 2100 Da will give a doubly charged ion with m/z 1051 and/or triply charged ion of 667.67 Da, charge distribution depends on primary amino acid sequence/composition and pH of buffer you are analyzing your peptides in (forcing amino acid side chains to protonate or deprotonate in the buffer to push toward the desired m/z). BUT achieving single charge state is virtually impossible for peptides. [ T: m/z 50 to 1,200, O: m/z 50 to 40,000] Mass Accuracy: Mass accuracy is the difference in measured mass (experimental) from theoretical (calculated) mass, measured in Da or ppm. Current orbitraps are similar to the FTMS i.e. can be sub ppm. Portable MS accuracy is between 100-1000ppm. Ion Source: Electrospray ionization - ESI, needed for analyzing peptides to allow for multiple z (charge) and expanding the mass range of the instrument to be able to see peptides. [T: One ion source such as ESI, O: More than one swapable ion source with direct sampling from liquids or solids as needed.] Number of Vacuum Pumps: [ T: More than one pump, O: One pump] Removal, Cleaning and/or Replacement: [ T: Cleaning and replacement of capillaries requires specialized training, O: Cleaning and replacement of capillaries can be conducted by personnel with little to no training without breaking the vacuum in the analyzer chamber. Size: [T: Table top, 36x36x36 inches, O: Lab bench top 16x16x16 inches] Weight: [T: 50 lbs, O: 20 lbs] Ruggedization: [ T: Remains functional after transportation by air and/or over land in a ruggedized case, with minimal time (less than 1 hour) to recalibrate, O: Remains functional and calibrated after transportation by air and/or over land without a ruggedized case without the need for recalibration] Portable Gas: [ T: Small container and/or rechargeable containers, O: None or compressed breathable air.] Battery: [ T: None, O: 12 hours on battery without interruption during battery swap.] Extractable Data/output file type: [T: Any non-proprietary format, O: mzML format] Company Ownership: [T: Owned by non-adversarial nation, O: Owned by US Citizen] Ability to manufacture MS/MS machines: [T: Would need to order parts, O: Parts on hand to make 2 or more machines.] C. Contract Objectives. The results of this RFI may be used to create an overview of vendor capabilities and experience in the field of MS/MS, as well as to assist in plans for a potential procurement or development contract. 4. Information Requested Industry representatives interested in responding to this RFI shall submit the following information in the format outlined below. Responses shall be detailed (but no more than 10 pages total) and address the information requested below (title pages, cover letter, etc., will not count against the page limit). Respondents are highly encouraged to submit a tailored response to questions rather than a generic capability statement to ensure the needed information is provided. I. Company Information. A. Company Name B. Address: C. Point of Contact: D. CAGE Code E. Facility Clearance (FCL) Information (if applicable) F. Phone Number: G. E-mail Address: H. Web Page URL: II. MS/MS Experience: Discuss your experience developing, maintaining, or producing MS/MS to include, but not limited to: the feasibility of mass spectrometry to directly analyze DoD priority toxins in environmental samples. Other related emerging technologies. Describe your previous or current experience developing MS-MS systems into a tailorable, fieldable solution. Discuss the subject matter expertise employed by your company to develop advanced MS/MS capabilities specific to detecting conotoxins and other potentially novel toxins in the field Discuss your experience in assisting the Government to maintain similar type systems. Include your methodology for collecting and reporting predictive analytics. What is your typical transition plan for Government ownership of Intellectual Property? What is the one thing about your approach/capabilities that make you stand out amongst competition? Provide the following information for requirements similar to this effort: A brief description of the effort Contract number Period of performance Was your company a prime or subcontractor? Dollar value of the project/prime contract. If you were the subcontractor, provide your subcontract dollar value. Scope of the portion of the effort your company supported If your company is Other Than Small Business, have you partnered or subcontracted with small business to provide the same or similar services as this requirement? If no direct performance or experience with the above, please explain how you will perform tasks (i.e. utilizing experienced subcontractors, teaming arrangements, hiring qualified personnel)? III. Other Requested Information Please list all contract vehicles under which you hold contracts, which could be used to procure this effort. (i.e., OASIS, FABS, etc.). Please provide any other information or suggestions that may inform the CBST Effort. 5. Submission Information White papers, not to exceed ten (10) pages (Times New Roman, 12 font), shall be submitted via email to: marc.dadarria.civ@socom.mil erik.burnett.civ@socom.mil timothy.roach.civ@socom.mil Richard.fuentes@socom.mil Alicia.A.Rasich@socom.mil Kristin.a.cromwell.mil@socom.mil 6. Industry One-on-One Review Meetings In addition to reviewing white paper submissions, during Phase I the Government may extend an invitation for a One-on-One Review meeting to further discuss white paper submissions. RFI white paper submission does not guarantee a One-on-One meeting. The Government reserves the right to conduct informal Q&As through email based on white paper responses. Security Clearance Required: N/A Please direct questions or comments regarding the RFI in writing to the POC listed above in this announcement. **This RFI does not constitute an invitation to bid, nor is it a request for proposal. PROPOSALS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. This RFI shall not be construed as a commitment by the Government to issue a contract or otherwise pay for the information solicited.**