Upgrade to existing atomic force microscope

RECOVERY - This is a Small Business Sources Sought notice for a future American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) requirement. THIS NOTICE IS PROVIDED FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. The purpose of this notice is to obtain information regarding: (1) the availability and capability of qualified small business manufacturing sources; (2) whether they are small businesses; HUBZone Small Businesses; Service-Disabled, Veteran-Owned Small Businesses; 8(a) Small Businesses; Veteran-Owned Small Businesses; Woman-Owned Small Businesses; or Small Disadvantaged Businesses; and (3) their size classification relative to the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code (NAICS 334516) for the proposed acquisition. Your responses to the information requested will assist the Government in determining the appropriate acquisition method, including whether a set-aside is possible. An organization that is not considered a small business under the applicable NAICS code of 334516 (Size Standard of 500 employees) should not submit a response to this notice. This Sources Sought Synopsis is in support of market research being conducted by the National Institutes of Health (Bethesda, MD) to identify capable small business sources for a Bioscope Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) system, Veeco Metrology Inc., BioScope Catalyst AFM or an equal integrated system that meets the specifications below. The BioScope AFM system shall include the following: 1. Shall include a BioScope AFM for an Olympus IX51, Inverted Optical Microscope (IOM). a. Shall provide all major Scanning Probe Microscopy (SPM) techniques. b. Shall integrate removable SPM head with an Olympus IX51, Inverted Optical Microscope (IOM). 2. AFM shall be capable of the following or better: a. x- y scan range - ?150�m, closed-loop operation. b. z scan range - ?20�m, closed-loop operation. c. IR super luminescent diode (SLD), ?=850nm. d. Height noise - <0.1nm RMS (air); <0.2nm RMS (fluid). e. Force noise � Thermally-limited, PicoForce-quality force measurements, 10pN RMS for cantilever with 20pN/nm. f. XY sample stage � Motorized stage with 10 x 10mm range; includes magnetic sample clamps for 1 x 3in slides, 25mm coverslips, 35 and 60mm plastic Petri dishes, and 50mm glass-bottom Petri dishes. 3. Shall include the following accessories with the following capabilities or better: a. MIRO software � allows real-time import and registration of optical and AFM images; optical images can be used to guide AFM imaging or force measurements; offline features allow image overlay, adjustment of colors and opacities, and flexible data export options. b. Perfusion cells � Petri dish perfusion for 50mm glass-bottom Petri dishes; Micro-volume perfusion cell (<60�L cell volume). c. Sample Heating � Physiological temperature range imaging (up to 400C). d. Spring constant calibration � Thermal tune method built into NanoScope software. 4. Shall include a BioScope Catalyst Control Station Computer for Existing NanoScope V Control Station. a. Shall include at a minimum Intel 2.4 GHz Quad Core, 4GB RAM, 500GB hard drive, DVD-RW drive; NanoScope v8 software running under Microsoft Windows XP Pro; single 30� LCD display, 2560 X 1600 pixel resolution. b. Shall include NanoMan Software or equal that provides the user with flexible, accurate control of the AFM probe for nanomanipulation and nanolithography applications. It shall allow precise manipulation of nanoscale objects as well as high resolution nanolithography, in either a graphical point-and-click mode or in a script driven mode. 5. Shall include shipping and handling, transport insurance, and customs charges if applicable in the price to avoid having to pay this as a separate line item. 6. Delivery ANY INTERESTED and CAPABLE small business manufacturer should submit a capability statement of the company along with applicable product lists which demonstrates the firm's ability to supply the products described above. Responses must reference Sources Sought Number HHS-NIH-OD-OLAO-SBSS-09-006 and include the following: (1) Name and Address of the Organization, (2) Size and type of business: Small Business; HUBZone Small Business; Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business; 8(a) Small Business; Veteran-Owned Small Business; Woman-Owned Small Business; or Small Disadvantaged Business, (3) Point of contact with name, title, phone, fax and email, (4) DUNS number, (5) Contractor�s capability statement addressing the required item, (6) List of organizations to whom the same or similar types of equipment have been previously provided to include contract number, dollar value, name and phone number of Contracting Officer, (7) Applicable Product list. ALL INFORMATION SUBMITTED IN RESPONSE TO THIS ANNOUNCEMENT MUST BE RECEIVED ON OR BEFORE THE CLOSING DATE. THE CLOSING DATE FOR RESPONSES IS DUE within 10 days of release of posting AT 3PM Eastern Time. Emailed capability statements are authorized (either in Microsoft Word or PDF), but it is the responsibility of the vendor to make certain that the email was received. All questions and/or comments must be in writing and may be emailed to Lorraine Geiser geiserl@od.nih.gov. Comments and questions will NOT be answered, but will assist in creating a solicitation for this requirement. Three (3) copies of the capability statement are required if submission is via mail. Submissions via mail shall be sent to: Lorraine Geiser (Ref. HHS-NIH-OD-OLAO-SBSS-09-0006), National Institutes of Health, Office of Acquisitions, 6011 Executive Blvd., Room 529P, (MSC 7663) Bethesda, MD 20892-7663. (NOTE: If you are using a courier service, Federal Express, UPS, or Express Mail, the city, state, and zip code should read ROCKVILLE, MD 20852). Facsimile copies will not be accepted. Disclaimer and Important Notes. This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in response. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine the organization�s qualifications to perform the work. Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted. After a review of the responses received, a pre-solicitation synopsis and solicitation may be published in Federal Business Opportunities. However, responses to this notice will not be considered adequate responses to a solicitation. Confidentiality. No proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included in your response. The Government reserves the right to use any non-proprietary technical information in any resultant solicitation(s).