This is a SOURCES SOUGHT ANNOUNCEMENT ONLY. It is neither a solicitation announcement nor a request for proposals or quotes and does not obligate the Government to award a contract. Responses to this sources sought notice must be in writing. The purpose of this sources sought announcement is for market research to make appropriate acquisition decisions and to gain knowledge of potential businesses interested and capable of providing the services described below. After review of the responses to this Sources Sought, a solicitation announcement may be published. Responses to this Sources Sought synopsis are NOT considered adequate responses for a solicitation announcement. The Veteran s Integrated Service Network 22 is seeking a contractor to upgrade the Bruker BioSpec 3T small-animal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system which is integrated into the centralized Microimaging Core facility at the VA San Diego Medical Center. Four upgrades are required 1. Expand from the current single-channel receiver system to a parallel 4-channel setup, permitting simultaneous data acquisition from the independent channels. permitting simultaneous data acquisition from the independent channels total acquisition time can be shortened by a factor of two or more permits mouse anatomical and functional cardiac assessment (facilitated by the 4-channel mouse cardiac array coil) 3 additional broadband receiver channels for a total of 4 receive-only Channels GRAPPA based parallel imaging reconstruction 2. Add a cryogenic RF coil system (CryoProbe) with an animal bed, which will result in a 2.5-3x increase in overall signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). The Cryoprobe must be able to plug into Bruker Avance NEO electrical consoles with compatible plugs. It also must be recognized by Bruker Paravision PV360 software and must insert precisely into the Bruker Biospin 3T MRI B-GA105S-HP gradient. 2.5-3x increase in overall signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) decrease scan times by the square of the gain in SNR (i.e., a 2.5x increase in SNR can allow a user to scan 6.25x faster while maintaining the same image quality). Improved scanner throughput cryogenically cooled MRI coil (20 - 30 K) MRI CryoProbeTM Animal Bed includes mouse position gauge Closed circuit cooling platform (cryo cooling unit, water cooled compressor, and connections) MRI CryoProbeTM mounting equipment Integrated temperature control unit for the MRI CryoProbeTM housing 3. Upgrade the gradient system from a standard 150A/300V amplifier, which yields 485 mT/m gradient strength and 5,000 T/m/s slew rate (field-tested), to a 300A/350V amplifier which will result in at least 900 mT/m strength and higher slew rate. at least 900 mT/m gradient strength faster acquisitions and increased spatial resolution high temporal and spatial data acquisition Increased linear (X, Y, Z) shim strength Max. linear slew rate: X, Y, Z 4200 T / m / s Gradient duty cycle, max. simultan. DC 3 x 65 A Shim: X, Y, Z 4000 Hz / cm 4. Add a broadband channel with a coil to allow multi-nuclear imaging capabilities beyond protons. multi-nuclear imaging capabilities beyond protons Broadband transmit and receive channel supporting ASL and X-nuclei signal detection with various schemes of 1H decoupling and NOE (e.g. WALTZ, MLEV). covers the 1H frequency, and standard X-nuclei (19F, 13C, 31P, 23Na, 129Xe) If you are interested and are capable of providing the required item(s) please provide the following information. (1) Company Name, Address, Point of Contact, SAM Unique Entity ID, and Cage Code. (2) Size status and representations of your business, such as but not limited to: Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), Veteran Owned Small Business (VOSB), Hubzone, Woman Owned Small Business (WOSB), Large Business, etc. (3) Is your company considered small under the NAICS code 334510 Electromedical and Electrotherapeutic Apparatus Manufacturing? (4) Does your company have an FSS contract with GSA or the NAC or are you a contract holder with any other federal contract? If so, please provide the contract type and number. (5) If you are an FSS GSA/NAC or other federal contract holder, are the referenced items/solutions available on your schedule/contract? (6) Please provide general pricing for your products/solutions for market research purposes. (7) Please indicate whether your product conforms to the requirements of the Buy American Act (8) Please submit a capability statement that addresses qualifications and verifies ability to provide required services. The Government is not obligated to nor will it pay for or reimburse any costs associated with responding to this sources sought announcement. This notice shall not be construed as a commitment by the Government to issue a solicitation or ultimately award a contract, nor does it restrict the Government to a particular acquisition approach. The Government will in no way be bound to this information if any solicitation is issued. The VA is mandated by Public Law 109-461 to consider a total set-aside for Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Businesses. However, if there are insufficient Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business responses, an alternate set-aside or full and open competition may be determined. No sub-contracting opportunity is anticipated. Responses to this notice shall be submitted via email to peter.kim33@va.gov . Telephone responses will not be accepted. Responses must be received no later than 4/26/2023 10:00 AM PT. After review of the responses to this sources sought announcement, a solicitation may be published on the SAM.gov or GSA eBuy websites. Responses to this sources sought announcement will not be considered adequate responses to the solicitation. All interested offerors must respond to the solicitation in addition to responding to this sources sought announcement. Prospective bidders must be authorized re-sellers in order to participate in the solicitation process. Notice to potential offerors: All offerors who provide goods or services to the United States Federal Government must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) at www.sam.gov. Additionally, all Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Businesses or Veteran Owned Small Businesses must be registered with the U.S. Small Business Administration s Veteran Small Business Certification program located at https://veterans.certify.sba.gov

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