This Small Business Sources Sought Notice is for information and planning purposes only and shall not be construed as a solicitation or as an obligation or commitment by the Government. This notice is intended strictly for Market Research. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases is conducting a market survey to determine the availability and technical capability of qualified small business, veteran-owned small business, service-disabled veteran-owned small business or HUBZone small businesses capable of providing The Vitrobot^TM Vitrification Robot.

The Vitrobot^TM (Vitrification Robot) is a fully PC-controlled device for vitrification (rapid cooling) of aqueous samples. Minimal training is required when operating the instrument for research purposes in a laboratory environment. The process of plunging, blotting and vitrification is fully automated upon placing a vial in the chamber and setting up the liquid coolant container. Operational parameters are reproducible and the result is strictly PC controlled, enabling a high throughput of vitrified samples, with an easy and straightforward control of the vitrification process. The parameters to be influenced are; temperature, humidity, the number of blottings and a number of critical time settings. The instrument will consistently produce excellent specimens for cryo-electron microscopy. Researchers can now rely on specimen preparation allowing the investigator to concentrate on structural studies of the specimen.

The intended procurement will be classified under North American Industrial Classification (NAICS) code 334513 with a size standard of 500. All respondents are requested to identify their firm's size and type of business. Interested firms responding to this market survey must provide (a) capability statement demonstrating their experience, skills and capability to fulfill the Government's requirements for the above. The capability statement shall be in sufficient enough detail, but not to exceed 15 pages, so that the Government can determine the experience and capability of your firm to provide the requirements above. Your capability statement, not to exceed 15 pages, should include references. Capability statement must be received at the email address identified in this synopsis by 11:00 A.M. local time on December 15, 2016. Any questions regarding this announcement must be sent via email to [email protected] and must include solicitation NICHD17018 in the subject line of email.

This synopsis is for information and planning purposes and is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government, nor will the Government pay for information solicited. 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 provided 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 response to a solicitation.

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 provided 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 response 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)." PLEASE NOTE: In order to receive an award, contractor must be registered and have valid certification in the System For Award Management (SAM) http://www.sam.gov

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