Notice of Intent to Sole Source to Interuniversitair Micro-Electronica Centrum

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) intends to award a Firm-Fixed Price purchase order to Interuniversitair Micro-Electronica Centrum, Leuven, Belgium.

In accordance with FAR Part 6.302-1, the Contractor is the only known responsible source who can provide the services for the requirement as described below.

The purpose of this notice is to inform the public that the National Institutes of Health, National Eye Institute intends to issue a purchase order to Interuniversitair Micro-Electronica Centrum (IMEC) for Neuropixels probes. Neuropixels probes were developed through an international collaboration. These high-channel probes were specifically developed for research use to increase the number of simultaneously recorded neurons in the brain. IMEC developed the recording system and the probes specifically for extracellular recordings in research animals in close collaboration with researchers. The system is state-of- the-art and is in the process of revolutionizing extracellular physiology experiments in mammals. Probes are designed, developed, and fabricated at IMEC. The Neuropixels 1.0 probe is a fully integrated silicon CMOS digital neural probe with on-chip circuitry for signal conditioning and digitization. To use the probe, one must acquire the dedicated control system and install or develop application software.

This notice is not a request for competitive quotes. However, any party that believes it can provide probes with equivalent characteristics as stated herein may submit a written capability statement that clearly supports its ability to provide the equivalent apparatus.

It is anticipated that an award will be issued within seven (7) days after the date of this notice unless the Government determines that another organization has the capability to meet this requirement.

Please email responses to zetherine.gore@nih.gov no later than 12:00 p.m. EST on Friday, May 26, 2023. Emails received in response to this notice must reference SS-NIH-6651974 on the subject line.

Attachments/Links