Gazetracker

INTRODUCTION This is a pre-solicitation non-competitive (notice of intent) synopsis to award a contract without providing for full or open competition (including brand-name). THIS IS A NOTICE OF INTENT, NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL. A SOLICITATION WILL NOT BE ISSUED AND PROPOSALS WILL NOT BE REQUESTED. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), Consolidated Station Support and Simplified Acquisitions (CSS/SA) Branch intends to negotiate and award a purchase order to Ryklin Software, Inc for a Gaze tracker without providing for full and open competition (including brand-name). NORTH AMERICAN INDUSTRY CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM (NAICS) CODE The intended procurement is classified under NAICS code 334519 with a Size Standard of 500 employees. REGULATORY AUTHORITY & STATUATORY AUTHORITY The resultant contract will include all applicable provisions and clauses in effect through the Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2005-89 dated July 14, 2016. This acquisition is for a commercial item or service and is conducted under the authority of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 13-Simplified Acquisition Procedures; FAR Subpart 13.5- Simplified Procedures for Certain Commercial Items; and FAR Part 12-Acquisition of Commercial Items, and IS expected to exceed the simplified acquisition threshold. DESCRIPTION OF REQUIREMENT control and data acquisition software suite, and the transition to and further development of MonkeyLogic experimental control and data acquisition software. The maintenance component the requested is to make NIMH Cortex, originally a DOS program, operate smoothly and reliably under the Windows 7 operating system. Over the past two years, much of work has been done to achieve Windows 7 compatibility. The is still some work is to complete Windows 7 capability for both 32-bit and 64-bit installations and to finish building the testing tools so that NIMH Cortex can be compiled using the latest Microsoft software development environment. The development component of the requested is to extend the compatibilities of MonkeyLogic (ML) (http://www.brown.edu/Research/monkeylogic/) to support the hardware and software that are essential to many of the current NIMH Cortex users. Because both NIMH Cortex and MonkeyLogic collect data and respond to recorded events within real-time requirements, the task of expanding MonkeyLogic is a challenging and delicate one that requires expertise at enough levels to assure safe and reliable program performance. Thus, another requirement is the development of reliable and robust performance that will not put the data acquired by monkey laboratories at risk for errors. This past year major steps have been taken support functionality for a primate touchscreen interface, and beta testing has begun with ~5 laboratories (McGill, Vanderbilt, Mount Sinai, Oxford, and NYU). This work also facilitates the integration of additional digital input devices such as joysticks, modern eye trackers, and other instruments that transmit their signal over USB. Significant upgrades to the video stimulus rendering system have been made. The low-level data acquisition system within ML has been completely rebuilt. As with graphics, data acquisition, has been brought up to date and as a result is significantly faster, samples from a wider array of DAQ devices, and is far less expensive for new users to setup. Our latest release of ML has cut the cost of hardware dramatically thanks to the new "NIMH DAQ toolbox" by as much as 33% by eliminating the need for 2x daq cards and Matlab daq toolbox licensing fees. All ML source code modifications along with documentation, have been incrementally posted online in an open source repository called GitHub.com. Specifically, the url of our repository is: https://github.com/ryklin/MonkeyLogic_stable. This makes it simple for users and developers to review, contribute, clone, and use the program. The official MonkeyLogic website's download page now directs users to download exclusively and directly from this repository, making it the official distribution. Develop and maintain a user support forum to exclusively handle MonkeyLogic users: There are 87 Members registered, consisting of at least 22 unique laboratories in the United States. There have been 529 posts in a little over a year. This compliments the previous user forum exclusively for NIMH-Cortex users, which also has about the same (78) registered members. This allows the programmer to prioritize bug reports and focus on any major concerns addressed by existing users. Identify and fix improper program operation (bugs) using both software and hardware techniques while maintaining a bug tracking database: We have started identifying beta testers for the last releases of ML. Testing will identify inconsistencies in the operation of the newest versions. These bugs will be the basis of a work-prioritized list of issues based on impact and frequency. Clearly identified issues will be studied and fixed. After each bug fix release, the software will be returned to the beta testers for approval. New releases of the software will require additional testing and final approval from the project manager (Dr. Mitz). Document all changes both internally (within the programming code) and in user documentation: ML programs are documented internally using best practices of the industry. User documentation will be maintained in both manual and web site formats. Major new features will be advertised in emails and posted on the web site. A history of changes will be maintained. New support programs will be documented either by adding chapters to existing manuals or through the introduction of new manuals. All manuals will be posted on the documentation page of the web site. Version information will be explicitly indicated on each manual as it is updated. Maintain open source code and use a modern source code repository: All source code for NIMH Cortex and ML must be openly available. Development must be done using a source code repository that permits tracking development. Support for new device drivers: Over the past several years the number of hardware cards supported by NIMH Cortex has been expanded through the software developments. This contract requires continued support of these new drivers. Drivers must not interfere with the real-time performance of the experimental control or data acquisition operations. Drivers will not interfere with the stability of the operating system (DOS or Windows). Drivers must continue to operate under a wide range of conditions to validate their performance. Provide user technical support by web, email and telephone: User technical support is a key requirement. Technical support will be in the form of web support on the NIMH Cortex and ML web site, answering questions and collecting bug reports. Technical support will also be in the form of email, and, when necessary, telephone (or voice over IP) support. Continued transition from NIMH Cortex to MonkeyLogic transition: It is essential to bridge the gap between the capabilities of new MonkeyLogic program and the capabilities of the more mature NIMH Cortex program. Major new features are required, like support for touch screens. This requirement is the most demanding, because it requires an understanding of NIMH Cortex, its users, the internal working of MonkeyLogic, and experience with behavioral neurophysiology experimental programs, in general. Additional steps include the implementation of a programming thread for storing hand position. Consolidate several versions to make it easier for users to know which version to install. Finally, the multiple versions of ML. Integrate the use of Matlab Data Acquisition Toolboxes (e.g. make Matlab fast enough to run ML) to make ML viable for the foreseeable future. The requested will investigate a replacement from Matlab graphics. At present Matlab graphics may prohibit presenting certain kinds of visual stimuli. The roadmap must reflect the abilities of both software packages and the needs of NIMH Cortex users as well as increase the transition to ML. Period of Performance One year from notice of award CONTRACTING WITHOUT PROVIDING FOR FULL OR OPEN COMPETITION (INCLUDING BRAND-NAME) DETERMINATION The determination by the Government to award a contract without providing for full and open competition is based upon the market research conducted. Specifically, Ryklin software is the only company that may provide the requested. Currently Ryklin is the only company that may provide mokey logic and cortex support. In order to further support the needs of NIMH it is essential that software support of both of these systems be provided by: Ryklin Software, Inc 60 Pearl Street, 3rd Floor New York, NY 10004-2455 CLOSING STATEMENT THIS SYNOPSIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR COMPETITIVE PROPOSALS. However, interested parties may identify their interest and capability to respond to this notice. Responses to this notice shall contain sufficient information to establish the interested parties bona-fide capabilities for fulfilling the requirement and include: unit price, list price, shipping and handling costs, the delivery period after contract award, the prompt payment discount terms, the F.O.B. Point (Destination or Origin), the Dun & Bradstreet Number (DUNS), the Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN), and the certification of business size. All offerors must have an active registration in the System for Award Management (SAM) www.sam.gov. A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed contract based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. The information received will normally be considered solely for the purposes of determining whether to proceed on a non-competitive basis or to conduct a competitive procurement. All responses must be received by the closing date and time of this announcement and must reference the solicitation number. Responses may be submitted electronically to Farrin Stanton, Contract Specialist, at Farrin.Stanton@nih.gov. US Mail and Fax responses will not be accepted.