Sources Sought for Advanced Photodetectors

NIST is conducting market research through Sources Sought Notice NIST-SS26-121 to identify commercial vendors capable of supplying advanced photodetectors for integration into serial flow cytometers, with the goal of enhancing biophysical and biomedical measurement capabilities. Respondents must provide detailed technical descriptions of photodetector systems meeting specific performance criteria, including spectral sensitivity between 450–750 nm, at least 16 non-overlapping spectral channels with bandwidths no greater than 20 nm, peak photon detection efficiency of at least 10%, bandwidth of 500 kHz or higher, readout noise not exceeding 10 mV p-p, dynamic range of at least 10,000, and output voltage between 500 mV and 10 V via SMA or BNC connectors. The system must support fiber optic input through an SMA905 connector with a numerical aperture of at least 0.1 and a core diameter no smaller than 105 µm, include a dedicated power supply and tunable gain functionality, and accommodate resolution of fluorescence intensities ranging from 10² to 10⁵ MESF. Vendors are expected to describe customization limits, manufacturing origin, warranty terms, and support services such as installation, training, and maintenance. Responses are limited to 25 pages and must be submitted via email in Microsoft Word 365, Excel 365, or PDF format by the deadline of May 29, 2026. Respondents are required to provide their Unique Entity ID from SAM.gov and indicate whether their business qualifies as small or other than small under NAICS code 334516; no socioeconomic certifications such as WOSB or HUBZone are requested. The place of performance is Gaithersburg, Maryland, 20899, where equipment will be delivered, installed, and accepted based on adherence to the specified technical requirements. No contract value, pricing information, or formal evaluation criteria are disclosed, as this is strictly a market research notice and not a solicitation or commitment to award a contract. No contract clauses, packaging standards, payment details, invoicing systems, or contracting officer representations are included because this document is intended solely to gather industry input, and all proposed solutions must be submitted without proprietary cost data. The primary point of contact for inquiries is Forest Crumpler at forest.crumpler@nist.gov.