Notice of Intent to Sole Source - Acquisition of Two Multi-Fiber Photometry Systems

NOTICE OF INTENT to Sole Source SOLICITATION NUMBER: 75N95020Q00298 TITLE: Acquisition of Two Multi-Fiber Photometry Systems CLASSIFICATION CODE: 66 -- Instruments & laboratory equipment NAICS CODE: 334519 RESPONSE DATE: Wednesday September 15, 2020 at 3:00 pm Eastern Time PRIMARY POINT OF CONTACT: Alexander Beraud contact@example.gov Phone: +1 (555) 000-0000 DESCRIPTION: 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). The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), Office of Acquisitions intends to solicit by a request for quotation from Tucker-Davis Technologies for award on or around September 15, 2020. The purpose of this acquisition will be to provide the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) with two multi-fiber photometry systems that must be a 6-Channel LED Driver with easy to access and change LUX LED slots and must have 4 channel A/D sensor inputs for use by the Neuroimaging Research Branch Biobehavioral Imaging & Molecular Neuropsychopharmacology Unit, National Institute on Drug Abuse - Intramural Research Program. NORTH AMERICAN INDUSTRY CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM (NAICS) CODE and SET ASIDE STATUS The intended procurement is classified under NAICS code 334519 with a Size Standard of 500 employees. This acquisition is NOT set aside for small businesses. REGULATORY AUTHORITY This acquisition is conducted under the authority of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 13'Simplified Acquisition Procedures. Contracts awarded using FAR Part 13'Simplified Acquisition Procedures are exempt from the requirements of FAR Part 6'Competition Requirements. FAR Subpart 13.106-1 (b) Soliciting from a single source provides that: For purchases not exceeding the simplified acquisition threshold, Contracting officers may solicit from one source IF the contracting officer determines that the circumstances of the contract action deem only one source reasonably available (e.g., urgency, exclusive licensing agreements, brand-name OR industrial mobilization). The resultant contract will include all applicable provisions and clauses in effect through the Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2020-01 dated November 12, 2019. DESCRIPTION OF REQUIREMENT PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this acquisition is to procure two multi-fiber photometry systems. The Neuroimaging Research Branch's Biobehavioral Imaging & Molecular Neuropsychopharmacology Unit has been performing optogenetics and fiber photometry experiments in rodents. In a new collaborative effort, the lab will extend these measures to nonhuman primates. The fiber photometry systems should each be compact and able to drive up to six LED light sources and collect fiber photometry from 4 photosensors. The goal of the Biobehavioral Imaging and Molecular Neuropsychopharmacology Unit is to better understand the neurobiological antecedents of illicit drug use and abuse, the neuronal consequences of short and long-term drug use and the potential reversibility of these neuroadaptations. The acquisition of these fiber photometry systems will allow the lab to perform fiber photometry in rodents using novel designer reporters developed in collaboration with the NIDA IRP's Genetic Engineering and Viral Vector Core. In further collaborative efforts, these methods are also being applied in nonhuman primates so as to manipulate and measure, simultaneously neuronal activity in each species with cell-type specificity and combined this with simultaneous PET imaging. PROJECT REQUIREMENTS: Fiber Photometry System - Two (2) Lux RZ10x Fiber Photometry Workstations: 6-Channel LED Driver, Four (4) Photosensor Inputs - Four (4) Lux Integrated UV LEDs (405 nm) - Four (4) Lux Integrated Blue LEDs (465 nm) - Four (4) Lux Integrated Lime LEDs (560 nm) - Eight (8) Lux Integrated Photosensors - Two (2) Lux Integrated Power Meters - Four (4) Fiber Cable Kits for RZ10 (2 colors) - Two (2) Experiment Control Workstations - Two (2) Twenty-two (22) Inch Widescreen LCD Monitors - Two (2) Cables from Med Associates SuperPort to RZ Digital I/O Salient characteristics - Must be a 6-Channel LED Driver with easy to access and change LUX LED slots - Must have 4 channel A/D sensor inputs - Must have ability to collect fiber photometry data from up to four photosensors simultaneously - Must allow for independent control of three-LED imaging from up to two sites or subjects. - Should provide high-precision current over wide range to drive light power at the microwatt level for fiber photometry - Must have at least a ~50 kHz sampling rate - Must have additional A/D of 2 channels, 16-bit PCM - Must have digital I/O as 24 bits programmable with 4 bit addressable BNCs - Must allow for concurrent ephys support - Must be compatible with Synapse software - Must allow 3-color fiber photometry 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. The NIDA-IRP's Neuroimaging Research Branch requires two multi-fiber photometry systems that must be a 6-Channel LED Driver with easy to access and change LUX LED slots and must have 4 channel A/D sensor inputs. It was found that the requested LUX multi-fiber photometry system sold by Tucker-Davis Technologies (TDT) was the only commercially available solution to fit this need. A similar need was posted via an RFI from the National Institute of Aging, and it was found that only TDT and Technology International, Inc. (TII) may have the capability to fulfill this need. TII did not respond to our request for a competitive quote. Additionally, the lab has an existing multi-fiber photometry system that will be used in conjunction with the systems to be procured. Maintenance of compatibility between setup is of great importance as allow to standardize acquisition and analysis. Changing manufacture might be detrimental to ongoing research programs and might introduce changes, which may be deleterious to resolve to ensure compatibility. The intended source is: Tucker-Davis Technologies 11930 Research Circle Alachua, FL 32615 USA Tel. +1 (555) 000-0000 Fax. +1 (555) 000-0000 contact@example.gov 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. 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. All responsible sources may submit a capability statement, proposal, or quotation which shall be considered by the agency. 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. 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. All responses must be received by the closing date and time of this announcement and must reference the solicitation number, 75N95020Q00298. Responses must be submitted electronically to Alexander Beraud, Contract Specialist, at contact@example.gov. U.S. Mail and Fax responses will not be accepted.