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The information requested will assist the Government in determining the appropriate acquisition method including small business socio-economic set-aside possibilities and to determine the availability of qualified Small Business companies technically capable of meeting the Government's potential requirement. All Small Business companies with the capability and availability to perform the requirement under the applicable NAICS code are invited to submit a response to this notice.
NORTH AMERICAN CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM (NAICS) CODE
The NAICS code applicable to this requirement is 333314 Optical Instrument and Lens Manufacturing with size standard 500 employees.
BACKGROUND
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) is one of 27 Institute Centers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) committed to making important discoveries that improve health and save lives. NIMH is the lead federal agency for research on mental disorders. The mission of NIMH is to transform the understanding and treatment of mental illnesses through basic and clinical research, paving the way for prevention, recovery, and cure. The NIMH Intramural division plans and conducts basic, clinical, and translational research to advance understanding of the diagnosis, causes, treatment, and prevention of mental disorders through the study of brain function and behavior.
The Section on Behavioral Neuroscience (SBN) within the Intramural program is driven to study functional neuroanatomy, and specifically elucidating the brain mechanisms underlying the control of executive function, which are both central to human cognitive behavior and adversely affected in psychiatric disorders. The SBN focuses on the cognitive effects of manipulating particular brain circuits and is at the forefront in state-of-the-art behavioral testing.
The SBN currently owns and operates a software program for neuron tracing and analysis called the Neurolucida base system that is used for neuron tracing and reconstruction, neuron analysis, and 3D brain mapping. Neurolucida is fully integrated with an existing SBN microscope and allows for automatic neuron tracing and analysis containing tools to reconstruct and edit somas, dendrites, axons, spines, and synapses in 3-dimension. Neurolucida was previously purchased from and is manufactured by Microbrightfield, Inc located at 185 Allen Brook Ln, Williston, VT 05495.
Purpose and Objectives
This Sources Sought notice seeks to determine eligible sources capable of achieving the essential features of this potential requirement. The purpose of this potential requirement is to obtain an upgrade to the Neurolucida studio system in order to advance the SBN's analysis of brain specimens from mice, rats and marmosets from experimental trials that study the neuronal circuits controlling processing and behavior.
Project Requirements
This potential requirement includes obtaining: Neurolucida 360 Studio, qty. 1, NL2-360-ST; Neurolucida 360 1-year Software Upgrade and Support Subscription NL-360-SUSS; Remote training, IR-40; 100x/1.40 Oil Objective, 420790-9901; Remote online installation/integration assistance for MBF supplied equipment from authorized OEM technicians, IR-70.
Contractors submitting a response to this Sources Sought notice shall possess the ability to achieve the salient government essential features of this potential requirement. Specifically, Offerors to this Sources Sought notice shall document evidence of being able to provide an upgrade that will allow for the essential features described herein to be accomplished.
Delivery
Offerors should indicate an estimated delivery time in full after receipt of an order. Inspection and acceptance will be performed at Building 35 on the NIH Main Campus located at 9000 Wisconsin Ave, Bethesda, MD 20892.
CAPABILITY STATEMENTS SOUGHT
Interested parties are expected to review this notice to familiarize itself with the requirements of this project. Failure to do so will be at your firm's own risk.
Respondents must provide, as part of their response: (a) product, catalog, model, and/or part number(s); (b) product description; (c) all relevant information and documentation that the item(s) offered meets the salient physical, functional, or performance characteristics as specified in this announcement; (d) quantity; (e) shipping, handling, and/or installation instructions, and/or any special delivery conditions after receipt of an order.
Respondents that believe that they are manufacturers or authorized re-sellers of the equipment specified in this announcement must provide, as part of their response: (a) product, catalog, model, and/or part number(s); (b) product description; (c) all relevant information and documentation that the item(s) offered meets the salient physical, functional, or performance characteristics as specified in the purchase description; (d) quantity; (e) estimated price or cost; (f) shipping, handling, and/or installation charges; and delivery date after receipt of order.
The respondent must also provide 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 information submitted must be in outline format that addresses each of the elements of this requirement. A cover page and an executive summary may be included but is not required.
The response is limited to ten (10) pages. The 10-page limit does not include the cover page, executive summary, or references, if requested.
The response must include the respondents' technical and administrative points of contact, including names, titles, addresses, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail addresses.
Respondents must reference announcement number HHS-NIH-NIDA-SSSA-SBSS-2017-034 on all correspondence related to this Sources Sought notice. The response must be submitted to Hunter Tjugum electronically, at [email protected], and electronically to [email protected], and be received prior to the closing date specified in this announcement.
CONCLUDING STATEMENTS
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).