Request for Information (RFI)

Fluorescence Spectrometer Instrument

INTRODUCTION

The U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity (USAMRAA) is issuing this sources sought synopsis on behalf of the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense (USAMRICD) as a means of conducting market research to identify potential sources having an interest and industry technologies available to provide a Spectro Fluorometer Instrument and installation.

The result of this market research will help contribute to determining the method of procurement. Based on the responses to this request for information/market research, this requirement may be set-aside for small businesses (in full or in part) or procured through full and open competition. All small business set-aside categories will be considered. Telephone inquiries will not be accepted or acknowledged, and no feedback or evaluations will be provided to companies regarding submissions.

DISCLAIMER

This RFI is for informational purposes only. This is not a request for quotes (RFQ) requesting quotes. It does not constitute a solicitation and shall not be construed as a commitment by the government. Responses in any form are not offers, and the government is under no obligation to award a contract as a result of this announcement. No funds are available to pay for preparation of responses to this announcement. Any information submitted by respondents to this notice is strictly voluntary.

PROGRAM BACKGROUND

As the Department of Defenses lead laboratory for the development of medical countermeasures against chemical threat agents, the USAMRICD is increasingly called upon to provide expert analytical and consultative services related to medical chemical defense research and to the medical management of chemical casualties.

As part of an National Institute of Health (NIH) funded effort, the USAMRICD is conducting studies on superwarfarin and cyclodextrin association phenomenon to asses biding strengths of superwarfarin enantiomeric pairs within the macrocycle’s hydrophobic cavity. As superwarfarins possess a fluorophore and association phenomena can be monitored by changes in an analyte’s fluorescence characteristics, the USAMRICD requires a fluorescence spectrometer that can collect fluorescence excitation and emission spectra at both room and physiological temperatures to monitor superwarfarin/cyclodextrin binding.

REQUIRED CAPABILITIES

The Government requires a fluorescence spectrometer that meets the following minimum essential characteristics:

1. The instrument must be a single beam, fluorescence instrument.
2. The instrument must have single cuvette holder but have capabilities to be substituted for a four-cuvette turret holder.
3. The instrument must have:
   1. Wavelength selection and detection by Czerny Turner gratings (1200 g/mm)
   2. Incident and Detection slits operated by computer with range from 0-29 nm; slit widths mist be user-configurable, not predefined increments.
   3. A filter holder
   4. Quartz fluorescence cuvette
   5. Configurable computer
   6. Reference photodiode to correct for lamp layout
   7. Adjustable integration times ranging from 1msec to 160 sec
   8. Spectral correction factors
   9. Cuvette holder to hold standard 10 mm (1 cm) cuvette
   10. Detector that is orthogonal to the incident beam
4. The instrument must have:
   1. A controlled temperature range from -15 °C to -110 °C
   2. An air-cooled Peltier system
   3. Software controlled temperature ramp
5. The light source on the instrument must be a 150 W Ozone-free xenon arc lamp
6. The instrument must utilize software suite to generate, analyze, and save fluorescence data- must be able to write raw data as csv files
7. Software suite must be capable of collecting data with user-defined experimental setups, have real time control features, and ability to run batch experiments
8. The instrument must be able to display spectral data with capabilities of zooming and labeling artifacts and regions of interest
9. The instrument must be able to store and manage data in a secured storage on the workstation
10. Purchase must include full collegial support

The intent of this RFI is to determine the availability of products in industry that meet the capabilities of this requirement.

ELIGIBILITY

The applicable NAICS code for this requirement is 334516, ‘Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing’, with a Small Business Size Standard of 1,000 employees. The Product Service Code (PSC) is 6640, Laboratory Equipment and Supplies.

SUBMISSION DETAILS

Interested businesses shall submit a brief capabilities statement package (no more than five 8.5 X 11 inch pages, font no smaller than 10 point) demonstrating ability to provide the products/systems listed in this Technical Description. Capability Statement shall also indicate if instrument can be purchased on an existing contract as well as an estimated lead time. Documentation should be in bullet format. No phone or email inquiries requesting a status of any potential future solicitations will be accepted, prior to the posting of that subject solicitation.

Your response to this RFI, including any capabilities statement, shall be electronically submitted to the Contract Specialist, Tiffany Heath (tiffany.n.heath2.civ@health.mil) in either Microsoft Word or Portable Document Format (PDF) format via email no later than 8:00 AM, Eastern Time, on 7 June 2024 and reference this synopsis number in the subject line of the e-mail and on all enclosed documents. Information and materials submitted in response to this request WILL NOT be returned. DO NOT SUBMIT CLASSIFIED MATERIAL.

If your organization has the potential capacity to provide the required products/systems, please provide the following information: 1) Organization name, address, primary points of contact (POCs) and their email address, Web site address, telephone number, and type of ownership for the organization; and 2) Tailored capability statements addressing the requirements of this notice, with appropriate documentation supporting claims of organizational and staff capability. If significant subcontracting or teaming is anticipated in order to deliver technical capability, organizations should address the administrative and management structure of such arrangements.

All data received in response to this RFI that is marked or designated as corporate or proprietary will be fully protected from any release outside the Government.

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