This is a Sources Sought notice. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. The purpose of this notice is to obtain information regarding the availability and capability of all qualified sources to perform a potential requirement.

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 as a result 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: The mission of The National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) is to apply the tools of small molecule screening and discovery to the development of chemical probe research tools, for use in the study of protein and cell functions, and biological processes relevant to physiology and disease. This request will enable NCATS and the Bioprinting group to optimize Tissue Engineering techniques by providing a means to evaluate cell morphology in engineered tissues. This will ultimately increase the capability to optimize biochemical, cellular and model organism-based assays submitted by the biomedical research community; and perform automated high-throughput screening (HTS) and high-content screening (HCS). The Probe Development group is part of The National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS). The Probe Development group utilizes 3D bioprinting techniques. This approach can provide data more relevant to the whole body response than traditional studies which use two dimensional cell cultures. Initial research is being performed to advance fabrication techniques and protocols.

Purpose and Objectives: The purpose of this acquisition is to purchase a Laser Capture Microdissection System to generate tissues which will be used to perform studies into causes and treatments of various diseases.

Scope of Work
Brand Name OR Equal Leica LMD6 Laser Capture Microdissection System

The following parts are required:

100 LMD6 (LED, mot.Z)
No : 11888868

200 CTR6 LED
No : 11888873

300 Top LMD6/7, 5­fold, Fluo, 7xM25, mot.
No : 11888887

400 External light source EL 6000
No : 11504115

500 Lightguide coupler 1"
No : 11504117

600 Liquid Light Guide for EL6000, 2m
No : 11504116

700 Filter system LMD­BGR
No : 11513911

800 Condenser DIC for LMD
No : 11888830

900 LMD Scanning stage
No : 11888449

1000 Advanced XYZ­module LX
No : 11888425

1100 Smart Move for DM/DMI Series
No : 11505180

1200 LCC Module LMD
No : 11505285

1300 Obj. UVI 5x/0.12 Microdissection
No : 11518146

1400 Obj. UVI 10x/0.25 Microdissection
No : 11518147

1500 Obj. HC PL FL L 20x/0.40 CORR
No : 11506242

1600 Obj. HCX PL FLUOTAR L 40x/0.60 CORR XT
No : 11506208

1700 Obj. HC PL FLUOTAR L 63x/0.70 CORR XT
No : 11506222

1800 ICT­condenser prism K3
No : 11555017

1900 ICT condenser prism K6
No : 11521521

2000 ICT condenser prism K7
No : 11521522

2100 IC­Prism A for objective
No : 11555006

2200 IC­Prism C for objective
No : 11555009

2300 Filter system analyzer size 'k'
No : 11513900

2400 Wacom Cintiq 22HD Pen Display
No : 8102847

2500 17" Monitor
No : 8014894

2600 Keyboard US
USB Hub
No : 11600220

2700 LMD CC7000 camera
No : 11501478

2800 C­Mount HC 0.55x
No : 11541544

2900 Tube adapter incl. 1 docu. port
No : 11505161

3000 Mag.Changer, 2x, in fluo cube size k,
No : 11501467

3100 PEN Membrane Slide(4µm),glass,50 slides
No : 11600288

3200 Petri dishes w PEN­membrane sterile 20pc
No : 11505172

Minimum Requirements:

1. The system must be capable of laser microdissection of tissue sections to isolate and harvest single cells or entire areas of tissue.

2. The system must use a gravity based specimen collection to minimize cross contamination, and to enable sample collection from multiple tissue sites into one tube and to enable the sample to fall directly into lysis buffer or preservation solution to preserve the desiccate.

3. The system must use standard pcr tubes as capture devices.

4. The system must implement the following features:
a. actively cut the sample, in real-time, based on direct digital pen input drawn onto the monitor
b. automatically batch cut samples based on regions of interest drawn by the operator
c. use high-precision optics to steer the laser beam along the desired cut line on the tissue with prisms for extremely precise and fast laser control and cutting (accuracy of laser movement down to at least 0.007 um); and provide best view for convenient movie documentation.
d. fully adjustable laser settings, including adjustable pulse rate and laser width
e. ability to continuously cut in X-Y while moving the sample in Z to allow very thick tissue to be dissected and cut accurately
f. software module that allows for automatic Z movement of the objective so that it doesn't interfere with the high sides of a petri dish
g. UV offset for laser beam to be automatically saved with each objective; microscope should adjust laser focus based on individual objective compensation value
h. high UV throughput LMD objectives for easy laser transmission
i. encoded stage for highly precise sample movement to preserve any drawn regions of interest by eliminating any stage hysteresis
k. 5x objective w/ minimum 0.12 NA, 10x objective w/ minimum 0.3 NA, 20x objective w/ minimum 0.4 NA and 6.9mm of working distance, 40x objective with minimum 0.6 NA and between 1.9 and 3.3 mm working distance, and 63x objective with minimum 0.7 NA and between 1.6 and 2.8 mm working distance
l. objectives must use DIC
m. microscope must be fluorescence capable and allow cutting in real-time during fluorescence visualization
n. microscope stage must come with adapters that interface with petri dishes that allow for dissection of live cells in solution
o. camera with 1.2 megapixels of resolution that works over high-speed, real time GigE connection
p. 355nm wavelength laser with a pulse frequency of 80 Hz, pulse length of less than 4 ns, and max pulse energy of 70 uJ

Installation: The Contractor shall install the entire system/equipment. The Contractor shall provide qualified personnel to perform the installation, supervise the installation, and perform all activities necessary to ensure the system/equipment are 100% functional and meets original manufactures specifications.

Capability statement /information sought. Contractors that believe they possess the ability to provide the requirement should submit documentation of their ability to meet each of the project requirements to the Contract Specialist. The response should directly and specifically state in the, capabilities statement, which project requirements you can supply. Contractors must also provide their Company Name, DUNS Number, Physical 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 information submitted must be must be in an outline format that addresses each of the elements of the project requirement and in the capability statement /information sought paragraphs stated herein.
The response must include the respondents' technical and administrative points of contact, including names, titles, addresses, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail addresses.

All responses (capability statements) sent in response to this Sources Sought Notice must be submitted electronically (via

e-mail) to the Contract Specialist. Facsimile responses are NOT accepted.
The response must be submitted to Stacey Polk, Contract Specialist at [email protected].

The response must be received on or before September 5, 2016, 2016, 2 pm Eastern Standard Time.

"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 perform the work.
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 pre-solicitation 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)."

Bid Protests Not Available