Inactive

INTRODUCTION The U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity (USAMRAA) is issuing this sources sought synopsis on behalf of the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense (USAMRICD) ... INTRODUCTION The U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity (USAMRAA) is issuing this sources sought synopsis on behalf of the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense (USAMRICD) as a means of conducting market research to identify potential sources having an interest and industry technologies available to provide a rodent gait analysis system. The result of this market research will help contribute to determining the method of procurement. Based on the responses to this sources sought notice/market research, this requirement may be set-aside for small businesses (in full or in part) or procured through full and open competition. All small business set-aside categories will be considered. Telephone inquiries will not be accepted or acknowledged, and no feedback or evaluations will be provided to companies regarding submissions. DISCLAIMER This sources sought is for informational purposes only. This is not a request for quotes (RFQ) requesting quotes to be submitted. It does not constitute a solicitation and shall not be construed as a commitment by the government. Responses in any form are not offers, and the government is under no obligation to award a contract as a result of this announcement. No funds are available to pay for preparation of responses to this announcement. Any information submitted by respondents to this notice is strictly voluntary. PROGRAM BACKGROUND As the Department of Defense's lead laboratory for the development of medical countermeasures against chemical threat agents, the USAMRICD is increasingly called upon to provide expert analytical and consultative services related to medical chemical defense research and to the medical management of chemical casualties. As part of the Medical Toxicology Research Division, Neuroscience Department, USAMRICD studies how chemical and other threat agents affect brain health and neural inflammation, and how various therapeutics can lead to better health outcomes, lower mortality and reduced morbidity. Rodent studies allow researchers to extrapolate behavioral changes or deficits as a result of threat agent exposure, but the accuracy and reproducibility of these data are dependent on the chosen behavioral assays. While some behavioral assays offer firm quantitative data, others rely on qualitative observations that can vary widely between experimental subjects and personnel. REQUIRED CAPABILITIES The Government requires a rodent gait analysis system that includes parameters including swing speed, stride length, paw intensity and interlimb coordination to be calculated for qualitative and quantitative analysis of individual footfalls and gait of each rodent. The rodent gait analysis system needs to have the ability to measure nerve specific indexes, specifically the sciatic functional index, tibial functional index, and peroneal functional index. The system must be capable of eliminating velocity as a compounding variable. The analysis system must also needs to be capable of distinguishing differences between complete and incomplete contact with the floor, allowing the system to identify changes in dimensions, positioning and timing of each footprint. The intent of this Sources Sought is to determine the availability of these products with these capabilities to meet this requirement. ELIGIBILITY The applicable NAICS code for this requirement is 423490, ‘Other Professional Equipment And Supplies Merchant Wholesalers’, with a Small Business Size Standard of 150 employees. The Product Service Code (PSC) is 6640, Laboratory Equipment and Supplies. SUBMISSION DETAILS Interested businesses shall submit a brief capabilities statement package (no more than five 8.5 X 11 inch pages, font no smaller than 10 point) demonstrating ability to provide the products/systems listed in this Technical Description. Documentation should be in bullet format. No phone or email inquiries requesting a status of any potential future solicitations will be accepted, prior to the posting of that subject solicitation. Your response to this Sources Sought, including any capabilities statement, shall be electronically submitted to the Contract Specialist, Dan Pikus (daniil.y.pikus.civ@health.mil) in either Microsoft Word or Portable Document Format (PDF) format via email no later than 10:00 AM, Eastern Time, on 24 July 2023 and reference this synopsis number in the subject line of the e-mail and on all enclosed documents. Information and materials submitted in response to this request WILL NOT be returned. DO NOT SUBMIT CLASSIFIED MATERIAL. If your organization has the potential capacity to provide the required products/systems, please provide the following information: 1) Organization name, address, primary points of contact (POCs) and their email address, Web site address, telephone number, and type of ownership for the organization; and 2) Tailored capability statements addressing the requirements of this notice, with appropriate documentation supporting claims of organizational and staff capability. If significant subcontracting or teaming is anticipated in order to deliver technical capability, organizations should address the administrative and management structure of such arrangements. All data received in response to this Sources Sought that is marked or designated as corporate or proprietary will be fully protected from any release outside the Government.