Equipment: 7T MRI System with a dedicated, high-performance, local gradient subsystem.

COMBINED SYNOPSIS / SOLICITATION
SOLICITATION NUMBER: RFP-2026-NIH-7TMR AGENCY: National Institutes of Health (NIH)

NAICS CODE: 334510 . Electromedical and Electrotherapeutic Apparatus Manufacturing

CONTRACT TYPE: Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP), Single-Award

PROCEDURE: Negotiated RFP - Combined FAR Part 12 and FAR Part 15

RELEASE DATE: September 5, 2026
QUESTIONS SUBMISSION DEADLINE: September 9, 2026,  by 5pm EDT.

RFP RESPONSE DEADLINE: September 18, 2026, by 5pm EDT

POINT OF CONTACT: Tina Robinson @ robinsti@mail.nih.gov

1. Description of Requirement & Scope of Work
This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial products and commercial services prepared in accordance with the format in FAR Subpart 12.6, as streamlined by the active Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) commercial streamlining guidelines, and supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; proposals are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued.
The specific objective of this purchase is the acquisition of a 7T MRI System with a dedicated, high-performance, local gradient subsystem. The acquisition will allow the FMRIF to be able to provide the latest tools and techniques to NIH researchers to collect high quality brain imaging data from patients and research volunteers and develop novel scanning protocols advancing the state-of-the-art for structural and functional brain imaging. The upgraded system is to be used for clinical and preclinical human MRI research.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Core (FMRIF) Center requires the acquisition of a new, research-dedicated 7-Tesla (7T) Ultra-High Field Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) System or Technical Equal, a complete turn-key physical installation within the FMRIF Center, and the trade-in extraction and removal of an existing legacy Siemens 7T Plus MRI system.
The Contractor shall provide all equipment, personnel, engineering project management, specialized rigging, mechanical installation, calibration, onsite applications training, and legacy de-installation/trade-in services necessary to deliver and make fully operational the ultra-high field system under a single-award, Firm-Fixed-Price contract structure.
2. Section B: Supplies or Services and Prices/Costs
Bids must reflect the best and final price for a complete, turn-key delivery. Pursuant to standard commercial unbundling rules, pricing is separated into independent supply, service, and option Contract Line Item Numbers (CLINs) to ensure strict accountability and invoice integrity.
B.1 Contract Line Item Number (CLIN) Structure - SEE ATTACHMENT

B.2 Total Evaluated Price Calculation Formula - SEE ATTACHMENT

Section C: Statement of Work & Technical Salient Characteristics
Alternative systems must strictly comply with the following mandatory engineering baselines to be deemed technically acceptable:
1. Magnet Core Assembly
. Field Strength: Superconducting, actively shielded 7.0 Tesla (7.0T) magnet body suitable for human patient studies.
. Field Homogeneity: Less than 5 ppm peak-to-peak over a 25 cm Diameter Spherical Volume (DSV) fully shimmed with superconducting and/or passive shims.
. Spectral Linewidth: Water spectral linewidth of less than 0.1 ppm Full Width Half Height (FWHH) over a 25 cm DSV.
. Field Drift Rate: Main field drift less than 0.05 ppm/hour without field drift compensation, and less than 0.005 ppm/hour with field drift compensation actively enabled.
. Cryogenic System: Zero boil-off technology for continuous liquid helium preservation.
. Emergency Infrastructure: Integrated physical safety switch to shut off the main magnetic field quickly and safely during an emergency (final location designated at installation).
. Ramp Profile: Vendor must specify exact magnet ramp-up and ramp-down times following installation or service. Faster ramp times are preferred.
2. Room Temperature Shim & Gradient Coils
. Physical Clearance: Local head gradient system featuring an internal clear bore diameter of at least 40 cm free, available space.
. Gradient Performance: Amplifiers capable of generating a maximum peak amplitude of at least 200 mT/m along each axis simultaneously with a maximum slew rate of at least 900 T/m/s with the supplied coil.
. Active Shimming: Room temperature active shim coil set consisting of at least 8 independent channels (3 first-order and 5 second-order terms) with a dedicated power supply, fully controlled via the central operator console software environment.
. Waveform Architecture: Control unit operating with at least 10 ƒÊs time resolution and 16-bit amplitude resolution.
. Field Stability: Better than 0.5% deviation at maximum gradient strength on each axis.
. Thermal Protection: Dedicated hardware and software mechanisms to dynamically protect gradients and amplifiers from thermal overheating.
3. Radio Frequency (RF) Electronics & Coils
. Parallel Transmit Array: Transmitter system featuring 8 independently controllable RF transmit channels operating at frequencies suitable for protons (1H).
. Amplifier Output: RF transmit amplifiers supplying at least 1 kW pulsed, linear, on-resonance power independently per channel. All RF channels driven by independent
waveform generators with adequate waveform memory supporting concurrent amplitude and phase modulation. . SAR Safety Subsystem: Real-time RF transmit power monitoring on all individual channels with an automatic control mechanism ensuring estimated local and average Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) metrics remain below FDA/IEC guidelines. Includes power-limiting safety boundaries for individual transmit elements.
. Digital Receivers: A minimum of 64 digital receiver channels capable of receiving on-resonance MRI signals in parallel.
. Multinuclear Broadening: At least 8 receiver channels must be broadband (10.298 MHz), configured to detect non-proton nuclei including 1H, 1.F, 31P, 13C, and 23Na.
. Receiver Metrics: Minimum digital sampling bandwidth of at least 1 MHz with at least 16-bit dynamic range, allowing direct user access within the full range of imaging sequences to raw, pre-reconstruction MR sampled data.
. Included RF Array: Delivered with a minimum of one high-performance human head RF coil, configured as a multi-channel transmit and 64-channel receive array (8Tx/64Rx) optimized for accelerated imaging (GRAPPA, SENSE, and Simultaneous Multislice/Multiband).
. Open-Source Coils: Full specifications and interface tools to enable the secure attachment and operation of customer-developed, custom-built RF coils.
. External Gating: Subsystem for gated data acquisition with a minimum of 2 independent external signals and 4 BNC TTL output lines, providing digital recording and real-time display of respiratory and cardiac waveforms.
4. Host Operator Console & Image Reconstruction Computer
. Host System: State-of-the-art host workstation with current scanner operation, protocol planning, and image viewing software supporting automated shimming optimization for individual human subjects. Software must support acquisition and processing of advanced neuro-MRI and spectroscopy applications.
. Reconstruction Hardware: Dedicated high-end image reconstruction computer supporting advanced neuro-MRI and spectroscopy algorithms.
. Real-Time Processing: Capable of acquiring and reconstructing 64-channel data in real-time during accelerated (R4) gradient-echo echo planar imaging (GE-EPI) sequences for 30 continuous minutes at a minimum resolution of 128 ~ 96 at maximum slices per TR.
. Storage Infrastructure: At least 1 TB of dedicated disk storage for reconstructed images and at least 1 TB for raw data storage.
. Network Interface: Customer-accessible, configurable 10 Gb Ethernet interfaces on both the host workstation and reconstruction computers to maximize external network data transfer.
. Development Access: Delivery of original source code for purchased pulse sequences alongside offline software tools to allow local development of novel pulse sequences and custom image reconstruction workflows by NIH staff.
5. Patient/Scanner Table Subsystem
. Landmarking Precision: Automated scanner table equipped with high-accuracy physical and digital landmarking mechanics to ensure reproducible positioning of research subjects directly at the true isocenter of the 7.0T magnet.
. Gradient Integration: Table dimensions, tracks, and support frames must be fully compatible with the 40 cm internal free diameter of the local head gradient coil subsystem.
. Kinematic Stabilization: Engineered specifically with heavy-duty internal dampening materials to minimize physical vibrations transferred from the high-performance gradient coils to the subject during scanning.
6. Baseline System Warranties & Lifecycle Protections
. Comprehensive Year-One Protection: The Contractor shall provide an all-inclusive warranty covering 100% of parts and labor required to immediately repair or replace any defects, component failures, or performance degradation across all supplied hardware, electronics, magnets, and cryo-refrigeration components. This coverage initiates precisely on the date of formal written Government acceptance.
. Design Advance Upgrades: The Contractor guarantees to upgrade, at no additional cost to the Government, any integrated components, assemblies, or line items that become outdated due to hardware design advances or engineering revisions rolled out by the manufacturer within the one-year baseline warranty period.
. Continuous Software Maintenance: The Contractor shall supply and install all clinical, research, and operating system software updates, feature upgrades, security patches, and interface revisions free of charge within the first 12 months following system acceptance.
7. Technical Requirements for Turn-Key Execution & De-installation
. Regulatory Compliance: Vendor-specified documentation proving Non-Significant Risk (NSR) classification for human subject scanning is required for the entire integrated system.
. Turn-Key Physical Scope: Mechanical installation of the magnet, electronic cabinets, and consoles, including in-suite connections to facility power and secondary chilled water cooling supplies. Includes all facility construction adjustments required to bring the console and magnet rooms to NIH Clinical Center environmental standards required for clinical and research usage.
. Adjacent Field Isolation: Installation and fringe field planning must not adversely affect the operational state of any other active MRI systems operating within the facility at system handover.
. Legacy Extraction: Complete de-installation, field ramping down, decommissioning, safety monitoring, extraction, and haul-off/disposal of the existing Siemens 7T Plus system (FMRIF 7TA, site functional location ID: 400-342363) to release trade-in equity.
. Performance Certification Window: The Contractor must ensure and certify through empirical field testing that the initial performance of the integrated system satisfies every mandatory specification baseline within the 18-to-24-month period of performance specified in Section F following contract award.
. Staff Training Matrix: Delivery of a minimum of ten (10) operational days of dedicated, on-site, peer-to-peer applications training for FMRIF technologist and physicist staff. This training block must comprehensively cover: safe operation of the high-performance local head gradient system, patient handling, basic upkeep tasks, sequence optimization, data viewing, and console operations for raw data/online analysis. Separate specialized training paths must be provided for pulse sequence design and reconstruction software development for NIH method development staff.
8. Contractor Site Familiarization and Risk Allocation
By submitting a proposal, the Contractor acknowledges that a formal site inspection of the NIH Bethesda facility has been completed. Pursuant to FAR 52.236-3 (Site Investigation and Conditions Affecting the Work), the Contractor certifies that it is fully aware of all physical constraints, structural load capacities, ceiling clearances, and logistical pathways required to execute this turn-key installation. The Contractor assumes total financial responsibility for the delivery pathway and staging mechanics. The NIH will not fund any post-award modifications or equitable adjustments due to physical site complexities or transport path constraints.
Section F: Deliveries or Performance
F.1 Period of Performance
The overall Period of Performance for this contract shall be 18 to 24 months from the initial Date of Award. The exact execution window within this timeframe will be finalized based on the Contractor's approved engineering schedule. All physical deliverables, site positioning, calibration runs, and final government acceptance testing protocols must be completely executed and operational within this window.
F.2 Place of Performance & Delivery Terms
. Delivery Destination: National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda Main Campus, Building 10 (Clinical Center), Bethesda, MD 20892.
. Shipping Terms: F.O.B. Destination pursuant to standard commercial rules. The Contractor is entirely responsible for freight, international customs brokerage, off-loading logistics, and staging equipment.
F.3 Addendum to FAR 52.212-4(a) (Inspection and Acceptance Procedures)
Pursuant to the customized risk-shifting structure necessitated by this turn-key medical procurement, standard commercial delivery-dock acceptance rules are modified under the authority of FAR 12.402(b). Physical arrival of core hardware elements at the loading dock does not constitute contract acceptance.
Government inspection and final acceptance of the 7T MRI system, along with the subsequent transfer of title and risk of loss, shall occur only after successful on-site equipment calibration, field ramping to 7.0 Tesla, and a continuous 24-hour imaging performance verification run at the NIH Bethesda facility, formally signed off in writing by the Contracting Officer. The Contractor bears 100% of the financial liability for immediate remediation or item replacement if any components or surrounding NIH infrastructure sustain damage prior to formal acceptance.
Section I: Special Regulatory Contract Clauses
I.1 Streamlined Core Commercial Table Inclusions
Pursuant to the FAR commercial items provisions, master templates 52.212-3 and 52.212-5 have been eliminated. Statutory mandates and physical-risk provisions are integrated directly into this contract as individual standalone entries:
. FAR 52.212-1 . Instructions to Offerors.Commercial Products and Commercial Services: Incorporated by reference. Establishes governing pre-award framework.
. FAR 52.212-4 . Contract Terms and Conditions.Commercial Products and Commercial Services: Active Mandatory Core Clause. Outlines baseline governing commercial rules.
. FAR 52.04-13 . System for Award Management Maintenance: Incorporated by reference. Mandates post-award compliance continuously across the 24-month lifecycle [CPS Central, 2026].
. FAR 52.225-5 . Trade Agreements: Active Mandatory. The Buy American Act (BAA) is entirely waived by the total dollar value of this procurement. Only U.S.-made or designated country end products are authorized for delivery.
. FAR 52.219-9 . Small Business Subcontracting Plan (Alternate II): Active Mandatory. Requires large primes to manage approved small business target programs.
. FAR 52.219-16 . Liquidated Damages.Subcontracting Plan: Incorporated by reference. Protects small business target enforcement.
. FAR 52.236-2 . Differing Site Conditions: Immunizes the NIH against post-award adjustments if pre-existing facility footprints mismatch vendor assumptions.
. FAR 52.236-7 . Permits and Responsibilities: Shifts full operational compliance, campus street closures, and heavy lifting safety liability exclusively onto the contractor.
. FAR 52.236-9 . Protection of Existing Vegetation, Structures, Equipment, Utilities, and Improvements: Holds the contractor entirely liable for any structural or utility damage caused inside Building 10 during the transport sequence.
. FAR 52.222-51 . Exemption from Application of the Service Contract Labor Standards to Contracts for Maintenance, Calibration, or Repair of Certain Equipment.Requirements.
I.2 Departmental Information Technology Accessibility Deviations
. HHSAR 352.239-74 . Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility (DEVIATION): All electronic and information technology supplies, software applications, pulse sequence compilation toolsets, and user computer interfaces developed, acquired, delivered, or maintained under this contract must strictly comply with the Revised Section 508 Standards (36 CFR Part 1194) and WCAG Level AA metrics. The Contractor shall ensure all post-award software patches and interface revisions sustain full compliance over the lifecycle of the system.
Section L: Instructions to Offerors
L.1 Mandatory Site Visit Attendance and Proposal Eligibility Gating Rule
A mandatory site visit was officially conducted and concluded on September 3, 2026,at the NIH Bethesda facility. Only those prime contract offerors who formally registered, attended, and
signed the official government attendance log during that specific site visit are eligible to submit a proposal in response to this solicitation.
The Government will cross-reference all incoming proposals against the official site visit registration log immediately upon the closing of the response window. Proposals received from any vendor who did not attend the mandatory site visit will be deemed administratively non-responsive and will be excluded from the competitive range. Non-attending vendor proposals will not be evaluated by the Technical Evaluation Panel (TEP) or considered for award.
L.2 Incorporation of FAR 52.212-1 and Tailoring
Pursuant to FAR 12.301, the provision at FAR 52.212-1 is incorporated directly into this solicitation by reference. The terms of this provision apply to all aspects of this Request for Proposal (RFP). Offerors are explicitly instructed to separate their proposal submissions into three distinct, independent volumes: Volume I (Technical Proposal and Salient Characteristics Cross-Reference Addendum), Volume II (Past Performance References), and Volume III (Business, Price Proposal, and Signed Certifications).
L.3 Brand Name or Equal Notice (FAR 52.211-6)
The Government intends to acquire a 7T MRI System utilizing a "Brand Name or Equal" description. The Siemens MAGNETOM Terra.X Impulse Edition establishes the baseline standard of quality and performance required by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Proposals offering "Equal" items from alternative manufacturers will be fully considered for award. To be eligible for award, alternative systems must meet or exceed every technical metric and operational requirement defined in the Minimum
Salient Characteristics in Section C.
If the offeror proposes an alternative "equal" system, they must include a standalone technical section in their proposal titled "Volume I: Addendum . Technical Equivalence Demonstration." Within this addendum, the offeror must itemize formal engineering spec sheets and a line-by-line cross-reference matrix proving equivalence. Vague or conversational statements without verifiable technical metrics will result in a pass/fail rejection of the technical proposal during initial screening.
L.4 Small Business Subcontracting Plan Instruction
In accordance with FAR 52.219-9, other-than-small-business (large business) offerors must submit a formal Small Business Subcontracting Plan with their proposal. This requirement does not apply to small business concerns. If the offeror represents itself as a small business under the designated NAICS code 334510 for this procurement, no subcontracting plan is required.
Other-than-small-business offerors must establish realistic, positive subcontracting goals. While the core 7T MRI hardware manufacturing may be performed in-house by the prime contractor, offerors are expected to identify commercial subcontracting opportunities within the ancillary turn-key services, specifically targeting specialized mechanical installation, campus transit, and mobile crane rigging logistics (CLIN 0003). Failure to submit an acceptable Small Business Subcontracting Plan with the proposal will render the offeror ineligible for contract award.
L.5 Trade Agreements Certification Requirement
The Offeror shall complete and submit FAR 52.225-6 (Trade Agreements Certificate) with its business/price proposal. Failure to return the completed certificate or certifying an end product
from a non-designated country shall render the proposal ineligible for award. Contractor representations and certifications are verified electronically using active records in SAM.gov pursuant to FAR 12.205(a).
L.6 System for Award Management (SAM) Registration Requirements
Pursuant to FAR 52.204-7, incorporated by reference, offerors must be actively registered in SAM.gov at the time of proposal submission and at the time of contract award. In accordance with updated procurement guidelines, a temporary administrative lapse during the evaluation phase will not automatically disqualify an offeror, provided active status is fully restored prior to the final award determination. Offerors shall maintain their profile in accordance with FAR 52.04-13 post-award.
L.7 Certification of Exemption from the Service Contract Labor Standards (FAR 52.222-48)
The Offeror shall complete and submit the certification at FAR 52.222-48. By signing the proposal, the Offeror certifies that the specialized medical equipment, installation calibration mechanics, and lifecycle service agreements meet all commerciality criteria under FAR 22.1003-4(c), exempting this procurement from the Service Contract Labor Standards.
L.8 Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Requirements
Pursuant to HHSAR 352.239-73 (DEVIATION), the Offeror shall submit a completed Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR) for all user-facing software, console systems, and digital interfaces integrated into the 7T MRI system. The ACR must be generated using the Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) Version 2.4 (or later) Section 508 Edition. Failure to provide an ACR documenting compliance with the applicable Revised 508 Standards shall render the proposal technically unacceptable.
L.9 Past Performance Volume Submission Requirements
Offerors shall submit a maximum of three (3) past performance references for contracts executed or completed within the past five (5) years from the issuance date of this solicitation. To be deemed "relevant" to this procurement, references must demonstrate successful delivery, calibration, and field-ramping of an active 7-Tesla (7T) or higher human MRI system, or turn-key physical installations involving specialized heavy-tonnage rigging, crane maneuvers, and facility engineering integrations under contracts exceeding $5,000,000.
If the offeror intends to utilize a specialized third-party sub-contractor to execute the CLIN 0003 Turn-Key Rigging and Mechanical Installation Services, the offeror must submit at least one (1) past performance reference specifically validating that rigging subcontractor's successful completion of a high-tonnage medical equipment lift within a tight urban or campus envelope.
Section M: Evaluation Factors for Award
M.1 Initial Administrative Responsiveness Screening & Site Visit Gating
Prior to conducting a qualitative technical evaluation under Section M.4, the Contracting Officer will perform an initial administrative review of all proposals. A primary element of this screening is verifying attendance at the mandatory site visit.
If an offeror failed to register, attend, and sign the official attendance log during the mandatory site visit, their proposal will be rejected as administratively non-responsive and will be excluded from the competitive range. Non-attending vendor proposals will not receive a qualitative technical rating (Outstanding down to Unacceptable) or be considered for award.

M.2 Basis for Award - Best Value Tradeoff -  Award will be made to that responsible offeror whose proposal provides the combination of features that offers the best or greatest overall value to the Government. The Government is more concerned with obtaining performance capability superiority rather than lowest overall cost. However, the Government will not make an award at a significantly higher overall cost to the Government to achieve only slightly superior performance. Overall cost to the Government may become the ultimate determining factor for award of a contract as proposals become more equal based on the non-price technical factors.

M.3 Subcontracting Plan and Compliance Review  - Prior to contract award, the Contracting Officer will review the Small Business Subcontracting Plan submitted by the apparent successful large business offeror for acceptability in accordance with FAR 19.705-4. An offeror will be deemed ineligible for contract award if they fail to negotiate a subcontracting plan that is acceptable to the Contracting Officer

M.4 Non-Price Technical Evaluation Factors  - SEE ATTACHMENT