Maintenance contract for JEM-1400 electron microscope

The National Institutes of Health, through the Department of Health and Human Services, intends to award a sole-source, firm-fixed-price purchase order to JEOL USA, Inc. for preventative maintenance services on a JEOL 1400Flash transmission electron microscope located at the NINDS Electron Microscopy Core Facility in Bethesda, Maryland. The contract is justified under FAR 6.302-1 due to the unique and compelling urgency of requiring manufacturer-certified service to ensure optimal performance and operational readiness of this highly specialized instrument, which is critical to ongoing neuroscience research. Only JEOL-certified field service engineers are authorized to perform all maintenance, repairs, and parts replacements, and no other vendor can meet the technical specifications necessary to sustain the equipment within manufacturer standards. The solicitation, identified by number 75N98026Q00681, was posted on June 23, 2026, with responses due by June 30, 2026, and is being conducted via electronic submission to david.shen@nih.gov without use of any federal procurement portal. The contract does not include option periods, security clearance requirements, or organizational conflict of interest provisions, and no small business set-aside is being used, though small business participation was encouraged during the pre-solicitation phase. The estimated award date is around July 9, 2026, though the full period of performance, contract value, and detailed pricing structure are not specified in the available notice. All services will be delivered on-site at the Bethesda facility, with no packaging, delivery, or invoicing details outlined, and no formal clause, evaluation factor, or inspection criteria document included in the preliminary materials.