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NOTICE OF INTENT to Sole Source SOLICITATION NUMBER: NIMH-NOI-21-004092 TITLE: 7-Tesla phosphorus (31P) and proton (1H) dual tuned MRI head coil CLASSIFICATION CODE: 66 -- Instruments & laboratory equ... NOTICE OF INTENT to Sole Source SOLICITATION NUMBER: NIMH-NOI-21-004092 TITLE: 7-Tesla phosphorus (31P) and proton (1H) dual tuned MRI head coil CLASSIFICATION CODE: 66 -- Instruments & laboratory equipment NAICS CODE: 334516 - Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing RESPONSE DATE: July 5, 2021 at 5:00 PM EST PRIMARY POINT OF CONTACT: Michael Horn michael.horn@nih.gov DESCRIPTION: INTRODUCTION THIS IS A PRE-SOLICITATION NON-COMPETITIVE (NOTICE OF INTENT) SYNOPSIS TO AWARD A CONTRACT WITHOUT PROVIDING FOR FULL OR OPEN COMPETITION (INCLUDING BRAND-NAME). The National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Mental Health intends to negotiate on a sole source basis with Quality Electrodynamics, LLC for a 7-Tesla phosphorus (31P) and proton (1H) dual tuned MRI head coil for the Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS) Section and Core Facility in Bethesda, MD. NORTH AMERICAN INDUSTRY CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM (NAICS) CODE and SET ASIDE STATUS The intended procurement is classified under 334516 - Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing with a Size Standard of 1000 employees. REGULATORY AUTHORITY This acquisition is conducted under the authority of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 13—Simplified Acquisition Procedures. Contracts awarded using FAR Part 13—Simplified Acquisition Procedures are exempt from the requirements of FAR Part 6—Competition Requirements. FAR Subpart 13.106-1 (b) Soliciting from a single source provides that: For purchases not exceeding the simplified acquisition threshold, Contracting officers may solicit from one source IF the contracting officer determines that the circumstances of the contract action deem only one source reasonably available (e.g., urgency, exclusive licensing agreements, brand-name OR industrial mobilization). The resultant contract will include all applicable provisions and clauses in effect through the Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2021-06 dated June 10, 2021. DESCRIPTION OF REQUIREMENT Phosphorus (31P) MR spectroscopy (MRS) is a non-invasive technique for the study of tissue and energy metabolism under various physiological and pathophysiological conditions. It also provides a way to measure tissue pH. NIH NMR Center, the center to support NMR/MRI research studies for entire NIH community, has two 7-Tesla (T) scanners running and will have the third 7T scanner installed soon. NIH requires one more 7-Tesla 31P/1H dual tuned MRI head coil to support 31P MR spectroscopy on three 7T scanners. Salient characteristics: 7-Tesla proton (1H) and phosphorus (31P) dual tuned MRI head coil Have two quadrature resonance channels, one for proton at ~ 297.2 MHz and another for phosphorus at ~ 120.3 MHz. Has a split design which contains one separate system interface box (containing transmit and receive switches, quadrature combiners, RF filters, preamplifiers, etc.) and one actual RF coil device. Provide good signal-to-noise ratios for both channels. Easy setup for placement of human head. Meet government radiofrequency (RF) safety guideline for human use Provide system interface file (so called coil file) to a Siemens 7-Tesla scanner Perform 3-dimensional electromagnetic field simulation maps of the coil with human head models and provide the results of RF safety evaluation of the coil. The contractor shall provide an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) certified service technician to perform setup, installation, and an on-site 2-day training session for staff members. CONTRACTING WITHOUT PROVIDING FOR FULL OR OPEN COMPETITION (INCLUDING BRAND-NAME) DETERMINATION The determination by the Government to award a contract without providing for full and open competition is based upon the market research conducted. This kind of radiofrequency (RF) coil is categorized as a special coil and not supplied by the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) of MRI scanners. It is usually purchased from third parties who provide customized RF coil for the major MRI manufactures. Of the third parties providing customized RF coils, Quality Electrodynamics, LLC (QED) manufactures a head coil with a split design that includes one separate system interface box (containing transmit and receive switches, quadrature combiners, RF filters, preamplifiers, etc.) and one actual RF coil device. With this split design, NIH can connect its “home-made” 31P/1H coils to the system interface box to perform different 31P spectroscopy studies. For the compatibility reason noted above, QED is the only source that can satisfy NIH’s split design requirement. The intended source is: Quality Electrodynamics, LLC 6655 Beta Drive Suite 100 Mayfield Village, OH 44143 CLOSING STATEMENT THIS SYNOPSIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR COMPETITIVE PROPOSALS. However, interested parties may identify their interest and capability to respond to this notice. A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed contract based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. All responsible sources may submit a capability statement, proposal, or quotation which shall be considered by the agency. The information received will normally be considered solely for the purposes of determining whether to proceed on a non-competitive basis or to conduct a competitive procurement. Responses to this notice shall contain sufficient information to establish the interested parties' bona-fide capabilities for fulfilling the requirement and include: unit price, list price, shipping and handling costs, the delivery period after contract award, the prompt payment discount terms, the F.O.B. Point (Destination or Origin), the Dun & Bradstreet Number (DUNS), the Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN), and the certification of business size. All offerors must have an active registration in the System for Award Management (SAM) www.sam.gov. One (1) copy of the response is required and must be 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, and with single or double spacing. The response is limited to ten (10) page limit. The 10-page limit does not include the cover page, executive summary, or references, if requested. All responses must be received by the closing date and time of this announcement and must reference the solicitation number, NIMH-NOI-21-004092. Responses must be submitted electronically to Michael Horn, Contracting Officer, at michael.horn@nih.gov. U.S. Mail and fax responses will not be accepted.