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The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Cancer Institute (NCI), Center for Cancer Research (CCR), Laboratory of Cell Biology (LCB) intends to p... The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Cancer Institute (NCI), Center for Cancer Research (CCR), Laboratory of Cell Biology (LCB) intends to procure, on a sole source bases, one (1) inverted microscope upgrade and one (1) motorized stage upgrade for a Government-owned AcCellerator System (SN2008-0012) from Zellmechanik Dresden GmbH, Tatzberg 47/-49, D-01307, Dresden, Sachsen, 01307, Germany. The response close date of the notice for this requirement is in accordance with FAR 5.203(b). This acquisition will be processed under FAR Part 12 – Acquisition for Commercial Items and will be made pursuant to the authority in FAR Part 13.106-1(b)(1); and is exempt from the requirements of FAR Part 6. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code is 334516 and the business size standard is 1000 employees. 1.0 BACKGROUND The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Cancer Institute (NCI), Center for Cancer Research (CCR), Laboratory of Cell Biology (LCB) requires the procurement of one (1) inverted microscope upgrade and one (1) motorized stage upgrade for a Government-owned AcCellerator System (SN2008-0012). The AcCellerator is a high-speed imaging cytometer for mechanical cell characterization through real-time deformability cytometry measurements. Mechanical properties of cells have been suggested to be a viable biomarker in LCB’s development of novel therapeutics in cancer. Through the procurement of the AcCellerator system, LCB can robustly interrogate single cells in a high through-put manner. This is especially critical when assessing clinical samples as rapid phenotyping will be needed to fully take advantage of the paucity of these samples. The required upgrade allows LCB to visualize the morphology of the cells in addition to sorting based on the mechanical properties. This gives LCB an orthogonal measurement as cell morphology has been a key biomarker employed for both cancer progression and histopathology. This upgrade allows LCB to do it rapidly for cells in suspension making it amenable to examination of precious clinical samples. 2.0 TYPE OF ORDER This is a Firm-Fixed-Price Purchase Order. 3.0 PRODUCT FEATURES/SALIENT CHARACTERISTICS The AcCellerator system upgrade shall: Include a ZEISS Axio Observer 3 inverted microscope equipped to perform real-time deformability cytometry using the AcCellerator with the following specifications: 100 % transmission to left side port with camera mount; modified for seamless integration with current set up. 40x objective, numerical aperture (NA) 0.65, air/no immersion to provide sufficient resolution for high magnification imaging of single cells and clusters. Four additional modified ports allowing for potential future upgrades to add flow cytometry using multi-color fluorescence. Include a motorized XY stage for temporal speeds needed for rapid visualization of single cells/clusters of cells in suspension. Include a proprietary code to translate images into quantifying shapes and to calculate the mechanical properties. 3.1 DELIVERY / INSTALLATION Delivery shall be within 70 calendar days of the Purchase Order award. Upon delivery, the Contractor shall notify the NCI Technical Point of Contact (TPOC), TBD at award, to schedule the installation date and time that shall occur within 30 business days after delivery. Onsite installation shall be provided during standard business hours (defined as 8:00 am – 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday, excluding Federal Holidays). Installation shall be performed by, or under the direct supervision of, a certified operator. The Contractor shall deliver and install the equipment at the following address: 37 Convent Dr, Bldg 37 Rm 2132 Bethesda, MD 20892 3.2 TRAINING Within 7 business days after installation, 1 day of onsite training shall be provided for at least five (5) users of the equipment on how to use and maintain the instrument and associated software. If onsite training is unavailable due to COVID-19 restrictions, virtual training shall be coordinated with the TPOC. All training expenses, including materials and/or travel expenses, shall be included in the quoted price. 3.3 WARRANTY The Contractor shall warrant that any instruments, equipment, components, or other supplies (“Supplies”) procured by this purchase are free of defects in design, material, or manufacture for a period of at least one (1) calendar year from date of acceptance by the Government. The Contractor shall warrant that all consumables or expendable parts are free of defects in design, material or manufacture for a period of at least 90 calendar days from date of acceptance by the Government. Supplies which are repaired or replaced shall be warranted for the remainder of the initial warranty period or for 90-days – whichever is greater. 4.0 UNIQUE QUALIFICATIONS OF THE CONTRACTOR NCI, CCR, LCB currently owns an AcCellerator system – a high-speed imaging cytometer for mechanical cell characterization through real-time deformability cytometry measurements. This system is manufactured by Zellmechanik Dresden GmbH. The AcCellerator is currently equipped with proprietary image processing and unique synchronized high-power LED illumination which are protected by patents (PCT/EP2014/063532 and for the national phases under EP14732901.5, US 14/913,699). The synchronized high-power illumination AcCellerator allows the ability to “freeze” the motion of cells moving through the channel at more than 10 cm/s. It also includes a high-power stroboscopic LED illumination system is that is used to control the light exposure time between 1 – 10 ?s with a wavelength distribution (460 ± 20 nm) and the software Shape-In that controls and triggers the illumination signal synchronized with the camera acquisition with jitter as low as 200 ns. The required upgrade allows LCB to visualize the morphology of the cells in addition to sorting based on the mechanical properties. This gives LCB an orthogonal measurement as cell morphology has been a key biomarker employed for both cancer progression and histopathology. This upgrade allows LCB to do it rapidly for cells in suspension making it amenable to examination of precious clinical samples. This is a hardware and software upgrade to Government-owned equipment. Due to the complexity of the existing cytometer configuration, the AcCellerator upgrade provided by Zellmechanik is the only option to ensure full compatibility and hardware utilization and therefore any other vendor would be incompatible. The upgrade includes a Zeiss Axio Observer 3 which Zellmechanik configures to be compatible with the AcCellerator. This configuration is performed through a value-added-partnership with Zeiss in which Zellmechanik is able to pass on the warranty of the equipment. Furthermore, Zellmechanik is the sole installer of the required upgrade. In the event that a vendor besides a Zellmechanik certified service engineer attempted to install the upgrade, the warranty and any future warranty on the entire system would become void. In addition to the information stated above, the proposed sole source vendor, Zellmechanik, must provide the AcCellerator upgrade to ensure that any future upgrade to the equipment is possible. A sole source procurement ensures continued functionality and laser safety requirements. 5.0 RESPONSE INSTRUCTIONS This notice is not a request for competitive quotations. However, if any interested party, especially a small business, believes it can meet the above requirement, it may submit a proposal or quote for the Government to consider. The response and any other information furnished must be in writing and must contain material in enough detail to allow NCI to determine if the party can perform the requirement. All responses must be submitted via email to Adam Hernandez, Contracting Officer at adam.hernandez@nih.gov. Responses are due no later than 11:00 A.M. ET, Friday, January 29, 2021 (01/29/2021). A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed requirement based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Information received will be considered solely for determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. To receive an award, Contractors must be registered and have valid certification in the System for Award Management (SAM) through SAM.gov, and have Representations and Certifications filled out. Reference 75N91021Q00013 on all correspondence.