Federal Business Opportunities (FBO) SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE Solicitation Number: NIMH20003961 Title: Upgrade or replacement of a Siemens Magnetom 7T MRI System Classification Code: 66 -- Instruments & laboratory equipment NAICS Code: 423450 - Medical, Dental, and Hospital Equipment and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers Description: This is a Sources Sought notice. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. The purpose of this notice is to obtain information regarding the availability and capability of all qualified sources to perform a potential requirement. This notice is issued to help determine the availability of qualified companies technically capable of meeting the Government requirement and to determine the method of acquisition. It is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government to issue a solicitation or ultimately award a contract. Responses will not be considered as proposals or quotes. No award will be made as a result of this notice. The Government will NOT be responsible for any costs incurred by the respondents to this notice. This notice is strictly for research and information purposes only. Background: The National Institute of Mental Health functional MRI Facility (FMRIF) is a core resource of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) intramural research program. Initiated in 1999 primarily by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and the National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). Its function is to serve as a resource by which all NIH institutes can perform Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) studies that further the understanding of healthy and diseased brain anatomy, function and physiology. The NIH pioneered the move from standard clinical 1.5T MRI through 3T to high-field (i.e. 7T and higher) MRI. The FMRIF currently operates four 3T and one 7T MRI human MRI systems. Over the last few years, MRI at 7 T has advanced significantly, particularly for Neuro applications such as functional MRI (fMRI) and diffusion methods (DTI, DSI). The existing FMRIF7T system was installed in 2010 based on an engineering platform that is now two generations old. Support for the system is now being phased out by the vendor. To remain at the forefront of research it is necessary that the FMRIF have the most modern equipment available to provide researchers with access to the latest equipment, tools, and techniques for their experiments. For these reasons, it is necessary to upgrade or replace our aging equipment which was installed during the pioneering phases in order to maintain state-of-the-art imaging capabilities. The specific objective of this purchase is for the upgrade or replacement of a high-field (7 Tesla) MRI System. The acquisition shall include either (a) upgrading of the electronics and support systems of an aging (i.e. >10 years old) existent 7T MRI system to allow the FMRIF to be able to provide the latest tools and techniques to NIH researchers, or (b) complete replacement of the aging 7T MRI Scanner. The upgraded or replacement system is to be used for clinical and preclinical human MRI research. Purpose: The FMRIF requires the upgrade or replacement of an existing high field (i.e. 7 Tesla) MRI system to a 7T MRI System suitable for state-of-the-art functional MRI research. Project requirements: Siemens offers an product upgrade suitable for our existing system which is referred to as the Siemens 7T Plus Upgrade (Siemens part number: SP02RD1765) which is further described as: 7T Plus Upgrade includes: 1. Single transmit System host upgrade for VE12 software line 2. Parallel transmit (8Tx) host upgrade for VE12 software line 3. Control system and imager upgrade (MARS) 4. Parallel transmit upgrade to the Terra-generation pTx system including 8 transmit channels (EPC 2) 5. Software packages for Single transmit system 6. Software packages for Parallel transmit system (8Tx) 7. QED Tune-Up coil (not for human imaging) Anticipated Period of Performance: The upgrade or replacement for the existing FMRIF equipment shall be performed by September 2021. Capability statement /information sought: Contractors that believe that they possess the ability to provide the required equipment, should submit documentation on their ability to meet each of the project requirements to the Contract Specialist. The Contractor should directly and specifically state in the, capabilities statement, which project requirements can be meet and/or supplied. The Contractor must also provide their DUNS number, organization name, address, point of contact, GSA info(If available) and size and type of business (e.g., 8(a), HubZone, etc., pursuant to the applicable NAICS code and any other information that may be helpful in developing or finalizing the acquisition requirements. The information submitted must be must be in and outline format that addresses each of the elements of the project requirement and in the capability statement /information sought paragraphs stated herein. A cover page and an executive summary may be included but is not required. The response is limited to two (2) page limit. The 2-page limit does not include the cover page or executive summary. The response must include the respondents technical and administrative points of contact, including names, titles, addresses, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail addresses. All responses to this notice must be submitted electronically to the Contract Specialist. Facsimile responses are NOT accepted. The response must be submitted to Thien Nguyen, Contract Specialist, at
contact@example.gov. The response must be received on or before June 12, 2020 at 12 pm, Eastern Time. 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 presolicitation 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).
