Inactive

Description: This is a Small Business Sources Sought notice. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. The purpose of this notice is to obtain information regarding:... Description: This is a Small Business Sources Sought notice. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. The purpose of this notice is to obtain information regarding: (1) the availability and capability of qualified small business sources; (2) whether they are small businesses; HUBZone small businesses; service-disabled, veteran-owned small businesses; 8(a) small businesses; veteran-owned small businesses; woman-owned small businesses; or small disadvantaged businesses; and (3) their size classification relative to the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for the proposed acquisition. Your responses to the information requested will assist the Government in determining the appropriate acquisition method, including whether a set-aside is possible. An organization that is not considered a small business under the applicable NAICS code should not submit a response to this notice. 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 because 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 Information and Objective: National Institute on Aging (NIA), Intramural Research Program (IRP), Laboratory of Clinical Investigation, Diabetes Section, requires a Davis Rig Technology Like Apparatus for short access taste testing to assess taste perception in our insulin knockout mice. These instruments are the only apparatus currently available to test short access taste preference in mice. The Davis Rig instruments that we are currently using are over 10 years old and have been causing problems in our recent experiments. Specifically, connections between the rig and the computer are worn and damaged, leading to difficulties in acquiring data. The new system comes complete with a computer for each rig. Three rigs are required in total so that we can collect data from several mice of the same transgenic model at the same age in a timely fashion. The Davis Rig models that are currently used for short access taste testing in our projects are over 10 years old and have been causing problems in our recent assessment of the taste perception of our insulin knock -out mice. These are the only apparatus currently available to test short access taste preference in mice. Connections between the rig and the computer are worn and damaged leading to difficulties in acquiring data. The new system comes complete with a computer for each rig. Three rigs are required in total in order to obtain data in a timely fashion on our models so that we can collect data from several mice of the same model at the same age. There have been significant upgrades to the system we are requesting that we require to ensure that the results we are getting are accurate. Specifically, the model that we have currently uses a motorized shutter which can trap the snout of the mouse and thus hurt the mouse. This we understand has adversely affected our data acquisition by introducing a variable we cannot control for i.e. the adverse reaction of the mouse to being hurt by the shutter and thus not wanting to return to lick yet again. The desire for a particular taste in the short access study is quantified by the number of licks that the mouse gives to the bottle with that particular taste and the motorized shutter is adversely affecting their responses. The new system comes with a gravity controlled shutter that does not trap the mouse’s snout and thus does not confound the data with this effect. The intent of this action is to purchase a Lick Access Instrument. The Lick Access Instrument should be brand-name or equal to the Davis Rig Brief Access Lickometer , manufactures by Med Associates, Inc., P.O. Box 319, St. Albans, VT 05478, Part MED-DAV-160M for Mouse, 16 Bottle, Legacy Version; and COM-106-NV, Intel i5-7400 3.5GHz, 16GB RAM, 1TB HDD, Windows 10 Pro 64bit equipment. Salient characteristics. Brief access lickometery studies assess taste preference, chemotransduction pathways, and ingestive behavior in a rapid, efficient manner. Functional improvements from DiLog Instruments’ design: (1) “Normally up” shutter mechanism (gravity instead of motor driven); and (2) Longer sipper tube to fit new plate design. Prior to the 16 bottle setup, the most common taste response setup was the two bottle preference test, where two bottles of fluid are placed in an animal’s cage with one of taste solution (or water) and the other a different taste solution. This test is simple, doesn’t require much in the way of additional equipment, and is relatively straightforward to administer. However, such simplicity comes at the price of interpretive ability. Although taste plays a sizable role in influencing the amount and type of foods/fluids ingested (as in a 2-bottle test), other factors (such as post-ingestive events) can influence behavior. The brief access lickometer is designed to deliver taste samples and measure responses, increasing likelihood that the behavior of the animal is under orosensory control. It can also be used to assess taste preference, ingestive behavior, and chemotransduction pathways in a rapid, efficient manner as there is no dead space in stimulus delivery lines to make fluid volumes consistent across trials, as well as lick tracking without passing electrical current through the animal. It also enables measurement of both unconditioned and conditioned licking behavior to stimuli and/or can be used to train the animal with various stimuli to obtain a reward and/or avoid punishment. The Davis Rig packages contain everything needed for running brief access lickometery studies in a single subject. The eponymous Davis Rig is the only apparatus on the market to test for short access taste preferences in mice. Salient characteristics: (1) The product case must include a specimen enclosure to provide an observation environment that, even without a darkroom, will not impair the background contrast required for fluorescence observation; (2) The microscope must include, as standard components, an electronic shutter, XY and Z motorized stages, an electronic revolver, an electronic filter turret, electronic color filters, electronic phase-contrast slit switching mechanism, electronic dimmer filters, and an electronic aperture control; it is necessary that all of these components can be operated with the mouse; (3) The microscope must be able to recall all capture settings which include the shutter, aperture, light intensity, XYZ stage position, magnification, filter, imaging mode (brightfield / fluorescence / phase); (4) The stroke of the motorized XY stage must be at least 114 mm x 80 mm and the minimum travel pitch must be 1 ?m or smaller. Also, the stroke of the motorized Z axis stage must be at least 8 mm and the minimum travel pitch must be 0.1 ?m or smaller; (5) The installation space of the microscope unit must be within 500 mm (H) x 350 mm (W) x 500 mm (D) when the panel is closed; (6) Fluorescence filter replacement must be possible at four locations; (7) Up to six objective lenses whose magnifications are from 2x to 100x must be mountable; (8) he microscope must be equipped with a monochrome CCD that is cooled to a temperature that is lower than the ambient temperature by at least 25°C. The microscope must also be furnished with a mechanism that can capture full-color images using color filters inserted under electronic control; (9) The microscope must be equipped a “low photo bleach mode” which physically blocks the light to the sample when it is just stationary. Light is only let through when we move the sample or change the capture settings; (10) The microscope must be equipped with a navigation function that enables the user the following: to make observations at a high magnification while checking the position over the entire region using a wide-area map image linked with information on the XY stage coordinates and to move the observation position by clicking the desired point on the wide-area map image. It must also be possible to create the wide-area map image using any of the mountable lenses; (11) The microscope must include a function that enables the user, when using any of the mountable lenses, to set a maximum range of 50,000 x 50,000 pixels automatically by clicking the edges of the desired capture range, capture images in this range, and stitch them seamlessly; (12) The number of pixels that can be recorded in a single image must be at least 12,000,000; (13) The system must be compatible with Akoya’s CODEX technology; (14) It must be possible to report the progress status and completion of capturing by email; (15) The analysis software must include some basic image processing software such as Haze reduction (no-neighbor deconvolution), image overlays, scale bar, cut/paste, zoom, lookup table, black balance; (16) The microscope must include a function to record a video at a frame rate of 95 fps or higher; (17) The microscope must include a function that automatically selects cells based on the contour, color contrast, etc. and automatically counts/calculates the number of cells, area, perimeter, Feret diameter, major axis, minor axis, and/or integrated brightness value. The microscope must also include a function that, using selected image information as a target area, allows the user to set conditions again for images in each of such target areas and automatically counts various items. This function must also enable the user to measure area ratios or the like easily; (18) It must be possible to output a conditions file that indicates the measurement conditions that apply when the automatic counting function is used. A macro processing function must also be available that performs automatic counting on multiple image files in a batch under the same condition based on the conditions file; (19) Optical sectioning image mode must be usable during fluorescence capturing because it is unaffected by fluorescence blurring; and (20) It must accommodate multiple 50X75 mm slides. Anticipated period of performance / delivery date: The Government’s anticipated delivery period is six (6) to eight (8) weeks after receipt of order. Other important considerations: The response may cite any other information that is necessary for potential respondents to understand the nature of the potential requirement or proposed acquisition. Capability statement /information sought. The respondents must submit clear and convincing evidence that their product is equivalent or superior to the brand-name product specified in this notice. The response shall include: the unit price, list price, shipping and handling costs, delivery days after contract award, delivery terms, prompt payment discount terms, F.O.B. Point (Destination or Origin), product or catalog number(s); product description; and any other information or factors that may be considered to determine the method of acquisition. The information must address each of the minimum specifications and the equivalent elements of the brand-name parts stated herein. The response must also indicate the country of manufacturer. The response must also include their DUNS number, organization name, address, point of contact, 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 response must include the respondents’ technical and administrative points of contact, including names, titles, addresses, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail addresses. The response must be clear and concise in Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF format using 11-point or 12-point font, 8-1/2” x 11” paper size, with 1” top, bottom, left and right margins, with single or double spacing, and limited to ten (10) pages (exclusive of the cover page, executive summary, or references, if requested). All responses to this notice must be submitted electronically to Debra C. Hawkins Contractor, Acquisition Policy Analyst II, at debra.hawkins@nih.gov on or before June 1, 2020, 12:00 PM. Facsimile responses are NOT accepted. 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 provide the product or perform the services specified herein. 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).”