Notice of Intent to Award Sole Source - Home-cage Electrophysiology Recording Equipment

THIS IS A NOTICE OF INTENT TO AWARD A SOLE SOURCE CONTRACT, NOT A REQUEST FOR COMPETITIVE QUOTES. A REQUEST FOR QUOTE (RFQ) WILL NOT BE ISSUED AND QUOTES WILL NOT BE REQUESTED.

The National Institute of Health (NIH), National Institute on Mental Health (NIMH) intends to award a firm fixed price sole source contract under the authority of FAR 13.106-1(b)(1)(i), only one source being available to meet the Government's needs, to:

SpikeGadgets, Inc.

230 9th Street

San Francisco, CA 94103

The National Institute on Mental Health (NIMH)hereby submits a notice of intent to award a sole source firm fixed price purchase order for a commercial-of-the-shelf (COTS) for access to Home-cage Electrophysiology Recording Equipment. This equipment will complement the electrophysiological recording equipment that has already been acquired, some of which is from the same brand. The new system will contain the following items: (i) eight head stage loggers for wireless recording, and (ii) a recording system for signal acquisition.

The Section on Cellular and Cognitive Neurodevelopment (SCCN) at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) studies the role of thalamocortical circuits in psychiatric disorders using a comprehensive "cell-to-system" approach. Our research focuses on the neurodevelopmental links between cognition, brain activity, and cellular circuits. Due to the complexity of modeling such systems, we use a variety of techniques. We would like to acquire equipment that can selectively record from specific cortical regions to assess their role in different forms of cognition as part of a network. These probes will be connected to the wireless acquisition system to record brain activity while the animals perform a behavioral task.

One of the main approaches that SCCN specializes in is MRI-guided injection. This allows us to reproduce a specific condition in animals before they undergo behavioral testing. During this time, their cortical activity is recorded simultaneously, which allows us to assess the causal influence of a brain region on the link between the cortical network and a specific behavior. Additionally, the equipment we wish to acquire is from the same brand as another brain recording system that we have. Note that this system is not home-cage compatible. Our existing setup is designed to allow drug injections prior to experiments, providing another approach to assessing causality.

The period of performance will be for one (1) 12-month base period.

This notice of intent is not a request for competitive proposals, and no solicitation document exists for the requirement. This hereby constitutes a synopsis of the requirement.

CLOSING STATEMENT

The determination not to compete this proposed contract action is solely within the discretion of the Government. Information received will normally be considered for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. The Government will not be responsible for any costs incurred by responding to this notice. This is NOT a request for quotes or proposals.

Questions or comments to this Notice of Intent should be directed to the Primary Point of Contact Em’Ria J. Briscoe via e-mail only emria.briscoe@hhs.gov (no phone calls/voice mail). Messages regarding questions will not be accepted and will not receive a response). Please indicate in the subject of your email: Notice of Intent Question Submission – 7571TE26Q00103 - Home-cage electrophysiology recording equipment.

Contracting Office Address:

Office of Mission Acquisition Solutions (OMAS) 

Office of Acquisitions (OA) | Assistant Secretary for Financial Resources (ASFR)

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 

Primary Point of Contact:

Em’Ria J. Briscoe – emria.briscoe@hhs.gov