Inactive

PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR QUOTES OR PROPOSALS, NO SOLICITATION EXISTS AT THIS TIME. This synopsis is for information and planning purposes and is not to be construed as a commitment b... PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR QUOTES OR PROPOSALS, NO SOLICITATION EXISTS AT THIS TIME. This synopsis is for information and planning purposes and is not to be construed as a commitment by the U.S. Government, nor will the U.S. Government pay for information solicited The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal Plant Health Inspection Services, National Wildlife Research Center (USDA/APHIS/NWRC) is developing a new laboratory exclusively dedicated to research of the prion-based Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). Because of the difficulty in decontaminating prions, and its labile infectivity, all equipment will be solely dedicated for the new Bio Safety Level 2 (BSL2) laboratory space. One key technique used to diagnose CWD in wild cervids is immunohistochemistry, which is imaged on a microscope/camera set up. The NWRC needs a complete, all in one microscope system that can produce publication-ready micrograph images. In addition. This system must have the capacity to quickly scan and archive historical samples, for future AI-lead data analysis. To satisfy a project objective of creating a biorepository, a fast imager that will allow all scanning and archiving of multiple slides for each specimen is needed. The microscope must include, an entire standard 2cm slide that can be scanned at publication-quality 40x magnification in less than 4 minutes. The system would also need to be capable of keeping acquisition parameters saved for future reference. The key requirements for this imaging system are: All-in-one microscope system: Series of high-quality objectives Multiple imaging modes (fluorescence, brightfield, contrast, etc.) Easily decontaminated surface (reduced number of crevices and potentially sharp corners) Fast imaging, and supported AI image analysis. Something more than the usual multiple-module fully-motorized scopes currently found on the market. High quality monochrome camera (CMOS or better) High quality and removable objectives, with high NA Fluorescent light source with LED and LDP Fluorescence cubes (DAPI, CY2, eGFP, CY3, and CY5 capability) Workstation with monitor (equivalent to 32GB, DDR4 RAM, 512 GB SSD, 2TB HDD, NVIDIA RTX A4000 16 GB graphics). Scan times for an entire 20mm X 20mm coverslip: 4x – 26 seconds; 10x – 1 min 5 seconds; 40x – 3 min 20 seconds Other Requirements Warranty: 1 year minimum, with 1 hr in-person or remote support included. Installation: In-person installation and training provided by machine-specific technicians and/or engineers. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code is 334516 (Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing). The Small Business Standard Size is 1,500 employees. Interested parties are encouraged to complete and return Attachment 1 along with product literature and pricing to the contracting office. Telephonic inquiries will not be honored. Please email all questions regarding subject item(s) prior to Sources Sought closing date to Carol.Dingess@usda.gov. This is not a request for competitive quotes or proposals, but instead a market research method to determine interested sources. A determination by the Government not to compete this requirement based on responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. No requests for capability briefings will be honored as a result of this notice. Interested sources who submit data are responsible for appropriately marking information if it is proprietary in nature. Please provide SAM ID Number, and point of contact information. The Government will not award a contract based on the information received, nor reimburse participants for information or samples they provide. Information or materials provided is strictly voluntary. Please Email (ONLY) Attachment 1, Product Literature and Pricing info to Carol Dingess at Carol.Dingess@usda.gov.