Special Notice Robotic Gait Simulator This is not a solicitation. This is a notification of an intent to award a single source procurement under NAICS code 333999. The Program Contract Activity Center in Independence, OH intends to make a sole source award to Mikrolar Inc. This procurement will obtain a Robotic Gait Simulator (R3100) for use at VAPSHCS RR&D Center for Limb Loss and Mobility. A focus of the RR&D Center for Limb Loss and Mobility is to measure how foot pathology, such as osteoarthritis and diabetes, and intervention, such as joint replacement or fusions, affect foot function. Often times living subjects cannot be used to study pathology or intervention as to do so would be unethical or just unnecessary. The Center's solution to this problem was to develop the robotic gait simulator or RGS that simulates human walking using cadaveric feet. The RGS also allows functional and failure testing of prosthetic feet. The system was developed between 2004 and 2010 by Dr. Patrick Aubin; he was awarded his M.S. and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering for this work. Since then, the RGS has been used for numerous projects (2-4 per year) but has not received any software or hardware upgrades since development. Over 10 studies have been completed using the RGS with 4 studies currently in-development. Veterans Affairs funded studies include Dynamic Gait Simulation: Neutrally Aligned and Pathologic Feet (A3923R), Surgically Reestablishing Foot Shape in Severely Deformed Flatfeet (A6669R), and Foot Bone Motion in End Stage Ankle Arthritis Patients (F7968R). Seattle Institute of Biomedical and Clinical Research (SIBCR) funded studies include A Prosthetic Foot Emulator to Optimize Prescription of Prosthetic Feet in Veterans and Service Members with Leg Amputations (MD13). Studies are typically interested in prosthetic performance and functional changes due to foot and ankle pathology or intervention. One major upgrade is currently needed to reduce hardware limitations of the simulator, reduce/eliminate intermittent failures, and remove concern of catastrophic failure that would make the RGS nonfunctional. The first addressable limitation is that the RGS currently simulates walking sideways at slower than normal walking speeds. By upgrading the Mikrolar Inc. R2000 rotopod robot currently used to the newer version, called the R3100, which includes a special speed package, and the rotopod mounting frame, the RGS could simulate walking right-side up (i.e. gravity would be acting in the proper direction of the foot) and at faster speeds. The current rotopod has seen two motor amplifier failures in its lifetime for which we had two replacements because we purchased them soon after the R2000 was purchased. These amplifiers are now obsolete making replacement difficult to impossible. If another amplifier were to fail, the RGS would become nonfunctional. The software that the rotopod utilizes is also near end-of-life and only runs on a purely 32-bit computer system, making computer replacement difficult. In summary, updating the rotopod to an R3100 and rotating the system using a new frame would reduce hardware limitations of the simulator by walking the specimen upright and at faster speeds, reduce intermittent failures, and remove concern of catastrophic failure of the rotopod robot. In addition, this equipment will be used for VA and SIBCR funded research studies (F7968R and MD13) as well as non-funded Medical Student Research Training Program or MSRTP summer projects, other graduate student work, and pilot work. This procurement is being conducted in accordance with procedures in FAR subpart 13.5 under the authority for other than full and open competition FAR 13.106-1(b)(2) soliciting from a single source. If vendors believe they have the technical capability to meet this need, submit a complete technical package, which provides clear and convincing evidence that they can meet the Government's requirement. Vendors who are not registered in System For Award Management (SAM) database prior to award will not be considered. Vendors may register with SAM by going on via the web to https://www.sam.gov. Responses must be received within five (5) days of this notice by 9:00 a.m., Eastern Standard Time. Responses should be submitted electronically to
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[email protected]. This notice of intent is not a request for competitive proposals; however, the Government will consider all responses received by the response date stated above. A determination by the Government not to compete this acquisition based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Information received will normally be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. TELEPHONE REQUESTS WILL NOT BE HONORED.