Sources Sought Notice AUTOMATED CELL MONTORING SYSTEM This SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE. 2020-SS97. The purpose of this sources sought notice is to determine the interest and feasibility of small business set-asides. This synopsis is for information and planning purposes and is not to be construed as a commitment by the U.S. Government, nor will the U.S. Government pay for information solicited. The information from this notice will help the United States Department of Agriculture, USDA, Animal Plant Inspection Services, APHIS, National Veterinary Services Laboratory, NVSL, Ames, Iowa plan their acquisition strategy or plan. PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL, NO SOLICITATION EXISTS AT THIS TIME. CellZscope This piece of equipment is a device for measuring the impedance of barrier forming cell cultures. Specifically, the transepithelial/-endothelial resistance (TER) and the capacitance (Ccl) of cell layers over days and weeks under physiological conditions, automatically. This piece of equipment must control for the confluence of cell layers as well as studying the influence of biologically active compounds on their barrier function as imposed by the investigator. This piece of equipment must have full compatibility with standard cell culture inserts from all major manufacturers. This piece of equipment must provide a readout that gives TER quantitation of barrier function in real-time. Additionally, the cell layer’s capacitance is measured as an additional parameter characterizing cells under investigation. Key Specifications: (1) Independent impedance measurements on 24 separate cell layers, which are monitored from minutes to weeks, as the cells are held under physiological conditions in a standard cell culture incubator; data acquisition does not interfere with cell culture conditions. (2) Fully compatible with all standard, major commercial brand, cell culture inserts (e.g., Corning, Falcon, Greiner, Millipore) in 6-, 12- and 24-well sizes; no further device-specific, costly consumables are required. (3) Well-established protocols for culturing cells on permeable membranes can be used; no device-specific adaptation of protocols is required. (4) The independent impedance monitoring of 24 cell layers is computer automated and highly customizable by the investigator. Electrodes can be kept in place throughout the entire experiment avoiding disturbance of cell cultures. (5) Each cell layer under study separates two sub-chambers within each of the 24 wells, i.e. upper and lower sub-chambers, each containing liquid media, therefore, the contents of each sub-chamber can be manipulated and analyzed independently by the investigator, i.e., both the apical and basolateral sides of the cell layer are accessible to the investigator; simultaneous permeability studies are possible. (6) Readouts of TER, capacitance (Ccl), resistance of the liquid media, and other electronic signals are all displayable simultaneously for each of the 24 cell layers. (7) Spectral frequency sweeps are performed on each cell layer during monitoring. A wide sweep of 1 Hz - 100 kHz is possible for each impedance measurement, providing the full set of established, readout parameters in real units, i.e. TER in Ω·cm² and Ccl in μF/cm². (8) All components that come into contact with cells and the liquid culture media during operations are autoclavable, ensuring instrument sterility. Electrodes are medical grade, stainless steel, which is extremely robust and easy to clean. Please submit the following information: Name and address of company 2. Relevant past performance, including Contract name • Contracting Agency or Department Yearly contract value • Description of work and how it relates to the requirements DUNNS number and business size (the NAICS code is 334516 Submission requirements: Interested small business firms responding to this market survey must provide a capability statement demonstrating their experience, skills and capability to fulfill the Governments requirements for the above in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 19.502-2(b). Please specify one primary and one alternate Point of Contact (POC) within your firm, including telephone numbers and email addresses Only electronic copies of capability statements will be accepted and should be emailed to:
[email protected] The e-mail shall contain the following subject line: Response to Sources Sought Notice – CellZscope 2020-SS97. . A determination by the Government to proceed with the acquisition as a set-aside is within the discretion of the Government. If capability statements are not received from at least two (2) responsible small businesses or if the Government determines that no small business concerns are capable of performing this requirement based upon an assessment of the capability statements submitted, the Government may proceed with a full and open competition. Please submit all information to Submission requirements: Interested small business firms responding to this market survey must provide a capability statement demonstrating their experience, skills and capability to fulfill the Governments requirements for the above in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 19.502-2(b). Please specify one primary and one alternate Point of Contact (POC) within your firm, including telephone numbers and email addresses Only electronic copies of capability statements will be accepted and should be emailed to:
[email protected]. Please submit all information to
[email protected] Sept 9, 2020, by 13:00PMCST. NO TELEPHONE REQUESTS WILL BE ACCEPTED. Place of Contract Performance: AMES IA 50011 United States