G
This notice is issued to help determine the availability of qualified companies technically capable of meeting the Government requirement and to determine the method of acquisition. It is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government to issue a solicitation or ultimately award a contract. Responses will not be considered as proposals or quotes. No award will be made as a result of this notice. The Government will NOT be responsible for any costs incurred by the respondents to this notice. This notice is strictly for information purposes only.
Background: The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) is establishing a new laboratory that will use cutting-edge physiological, imaging, and behavioral methods to investigate the relationship between human neurological disorders and brain function at the molecular, synaptic, cellular, and circuit levels. The new laboratory requires equipment to test mice on the cue-based fear conditioning task. The equipment must allow testing of four (4) mice simultaneously under low-light conditions and for the incorporation of optogenetic stimulation.
Purpose and Objectives: The NINDS will soon establish the Laboratory of Circuits, Synapses, and Molecular Signaling (LCSMS), which will be led by the new Scientific Director. The LCSMS will study fundamental issues of synaptic transmission, neuronal excitability, neuromodulation, and neural circuit activity using animal models (principally, the mouse). These issues will be related to human neurological disorders, such as Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative disorders, and will be explored in brain areas including (but not limited to) the amygdala, basal forebrain cholinergic areas, the ventral hippocampus, and the prefrontal cortex.
One major line of research will employ behavioral tests of fear conditioning in mice. For this research, the LCSMS requires equipment that allows for testing of four (4) mice simultaneously on cue-based fear conditioning. The equipment must allow for testing under low-light conditions (room lights off, illumination at near infrared wavelengths) and incorporation of fiber optic cables for optogenetic stimulation or calcium imaging.
Project requirements/Salient Characteristics:
The NINDS LCSMS requires fear conditioning equipment that allows for testing four (4) mice simultaneously on cue-based (sound or light) fear conditioning. The equipment must have these characteristics:
• Four testing enclosures that can be stacked 2 x 2.
o Each enclosure should be smaller than 36" L x 42" W x 36" H.
o Stacking add-ons (e.g., blocks or brackets) enabling the four enclosures to be stacked 2 x 2.
o Sound attenuation by lining the inside of each enclosure with foam or other absorbing material.
• Programmable tone generator, speaker, and sound calibration package.
• LED light stimulus for use as a cue.
• Programmable and calibrated shock through insertable grid floors, to provide the unconditioned stimulus (US).
• A variety of grid floors and walls (different patterns, stripes, polka dots, curved walls) shall be available to explore and/or control for contextual aspects of fear learning. The grid floors and walls must be interchangeable.
• A digital camera, computer peripherals, and software to run fear conditioning experiments and acquire real-time video recordings (30 frames per second) under low-light conditions. Video must be synched with experimental parameters (i.e, time of cue delivery). Equipment must include and be compatible with near-infrared illumination.
• Software and computer peripherals to analyze fear conditioning-related behavior (time spent motionless, number of freezing episodes, percent of time motionless). There should be a means of exporting data (both raw video and analysis) to other commonly-used software environments, including both Matlab and Python.
• All software must be compatible with the Windows 10 (64-bit) operating system. If a specialized computer is required, it must be provided.
• There must be a means of synchronizing video data with data from other scientific equipment (e.g., electrophysiological or imaging equipment). For example, data might be synchronized by the sending or receipt of TTL signals.
• The fear conditioning system will be used together with optogenetic stimulation, fiber photometry, microendoscopic imaging, or extracellular electrophysiology. The system must accommodate these by including: (1) an opening in the fear conditioning enclosure for the requisite cables, (2) space for a commutator to be used with these cables, and (3) a means of synchronizing the output of these other systems and the fear conditioning system (e.g., a TTL signal from one to the other).
Quantity: Contractor shall provide one (1) System.
Anticipated period of performance:
The contractor shall deliver the equipment within 45 days after receipt of order. Delivery must be FOB destination and include inside delivery.
The Contractor shall deliver the required equipment in coordination with the COR. Delivery must be FOB Destination.
Warranty: Contractor shall warrant that the Equipment will be free from defects for a period of twelve (12) months from the date of acceptance. All service performed on this equipment shall be provided by certified and factory trained technicians.
Capability statement /information sought:
Respondents must provide clear and convincing documentation of their capability of providing the equipment specified in this notice.
The respondent must also provide their DUNS number, organization name, address, point of contact, and size and type of business (e.g., 8(a), HubZone, etc., pursuant to the applicable NAICS code and any other information that may be helpful in developing or finalizing the acquisition requirements.
Respondents should provide responses accordingly: (1) submit information electronically by email. No mail, telephone or facsimile responses will be accepted; (2) format capability statements using Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF including attachments, resumes, charts, etc. Use single space, 12 font minimum and 8.5 x 11 size paper; (3) organize material in such a manner that clearly identifies and addresses capability requirements and provide an executive summary; (4) capability statement should not exceed two pages not including the cover page, executive summary, or references; (5)
RESPONSES SHOULD BE RECEIVED NO LATER THAN 10:00 AM EASTERN TIME ON April 22, 2019; (6) include respondents' technical and administrative points of contact, including names, titles, addresses, telephone and fax numbers, and email addresses; and (7) send responses to this notice via email to [email protected]
"Disclaimer and Important Notes: This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in response. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine the organization's qualifications to perform the work.
Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted. After a review of the responses received, a pre-solicitation synopsis and solicitation may be published in Federal Business Opportunities. However, responses to this notice will not be considered adequate responses to a solicitation.
Confidentiality: No proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included in your response. The Government reserves the right to use any non-proprietary technical information in any resultant solicitation(s)."