General Information:

This is an RFI as defined in FAR 15.201(e) to ascertain whether a commercial item exists that provides the capabilities described herein.

This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes and does not constitute a solicitation. All information received in response to this RFI will be treated as business confidential information. Nonetheless, submitters should properly mark their responses if the information is confidential. Responses to the RFI will not be returned. Responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. Responders are solely responsible for all expense associated with responding to this RFI.

RFI Response and due date: 9 Nov 2018, 10AM Eastern time.

Instructions to Responders:

Responses from all capable and qualified sources are encouraged to respond to this request.

White papers should adhere to the following formatting and outline instructions:

1. All submissions shall be made electronically and be in one of the following formats: Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF.

2. Cover Page (1page)
• Title
• Organization
• Responders technical and administrative points of contact (names, addresses, phone, fax number and email addresses)
• Topic area(s) addressed

3. Complete Attachment 1 and Attachment 2. Please note that the response shall provide sufficient technical data to determine how you fully meet the requirements as specified in Attachment 2.

Please note that responses are due no later than 9 Nov 2018, 10AM Eastern time. The preferred method of submission is via email. The point of contact for this action is Hugo Robinson, Contract Specialist, [email protected]. Only electronic responses are requested. No evaluation letters and/or results will be issued to the respondents. At this time, no solicitation exists; therefore, please do not request a copy of the solicitation. NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE. It is the responsibility of any potential offeror to monitor this site for the release of any solicitation or synopsis.

Background/Overview:

The Laser Capture Microdissection (LCM) system is being purchased for the US Army Institute of Surgical Research (USAISR) at Ft. Sam Houston, TX. USAISR requires a process to capture specimens from cryosections, FFPE (formalin fixed and paraffin embedded) materials, native tissue like fresh plants, live cells and chromosomes allowing an investigator to define cells and tissue regions precisely, ensuring exact and reproducible results, without contamination. With the increasing use of histological samples at USAISR we require a system that allows for the simultaneous processing of tissues for multiple applications. Equipment is needed that allows for laser capture microdissection (LCM) and analysis for deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), ribonucleic acid (RNA) and protein isolation, whether from archive material or live cells. A system is needed that combines LCM with an integrated imaging workstation and that also can be used for cryosections, including FFPE tissue. It is desired where it can be performed even from standard glass slides, e.g. archived material.

Minimum Essential Characteristics:

• Shall be a laser pressure catapulting enabled instrument
• Shall allow for contact-free and contamination-free sample extractions
• Shall have an inverted microscope (motorized)
• Shall have a robotic mover for automated cell harvesting and sorting of multiple microdissected specimens simultaneously.
• Shall have a full range of objectives from low to high: 4X-100X
• Shall have digital cameras for fluorescence, bright field, and multi-channel fluorescence
• Shall have a workstation, monitor(s), and software