Small Business Sources Sought Notice

Phenosys JetBall Virtual Reality System or equal

Notice ID: HHS‐NIH‐NINDS‐SBSS‐20‐009349

Type: Small Business Sources Sought

Office: NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH, Office of Acquisitions, NIDA

Published Date: August 4, 2020

Response Date: August 14, 2020

Reference Number: HHS‐NIH‐NINDS‐SBSS‐20‐009349

NAICS Code: 334516—Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing

Title: Phenosys JetBall Virtual Reality System or equal

Description: This is a Small Business Sources Sought notice. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. The purpose of this notice is to obtain information regarding: (1) the availability and capability of qualified small business sources; (2) whether they are small businesses; HUBZone small businesses; service‐ disabled, veteran‐owned small businesses; 8(a) small businesses; veteran‐owned small businesses; woman‐owned small businesses; or small disadvantaged businesses; and (3) their size classification relative to the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for the proposed acquisition. Your responses to the information requested will assist the Government in determining the appropriate acquisition method, including whether a set‐aside is possible. An organization that is not considered a small business under the applicable NAICS code should not submit a response to this notice.

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 because of this notice. The Government will NOT be responsible for any costs incurred by the respondents to this notice. This notice is strictly for research and information purposes only.

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) is establishing a new laboratory: Spatial Navigation and Memory Unit. The laboratory will use cutting-edge imaging and virtual reality behavioral approaches to investigate the neural basis of spatial navigation and memory at the circuit, synaptic, molecular and cellular levels. The new laboratory requires a mouse virtual reality system for their investigations. The purpose of this requirement is to acquire the Phenosys JetBall Virtual Reality System or equal virtual reality system for mice with customization options.

The salient physical, functional, or performance characteristics that “equal” products must meet are as follows:

1. The system should allow the combined usage with a multiphoton microscope. It must be compatible with such a microscope in physical arrangement and in how its operations are synchronized (for example, via analog and TTL signal). The complete microscope system (including virtual reality equipment) will occupy half of a 5’ x 10’ anti-vibration table.
2. The system must enable the researcher to create spatial virtual reality environments (one- or two-dimensional environments) through which the mouse can navigate by moving its limbs while atop a floating ball (two-dimensional movement) or a treadmill (one-dimensional movement).
3. The horizontal distance between the optical axis of the microscope’s objective and the microscope body will be approximately 10” (depending upon the multiphoton system chosen). The vertical distance between the bottom of the objective and the anti-vibration table upon which the microscope sits will be no more than 13”. Any virtual reality equipment underneath the microscope’s objective – such as a treadmill or floating ball – must fit in this space.
4. The virtual reality system must be suitable for use with a head-fixed mouse.
5. The contractor must supply a software package for control and programming of the virtual reality environment. The software must allow users to specify the visual reality environment using a graphical user interface, a script, or a high-level programming language. By “high level” we mean a widely-used, interpreted language such as Matlab, LabView, or Python. The software must allow users to design virtual counterparts of such standard mouse behavioral environments as the linear mazes, the T maze, the open field, the Y maze, and the plus maze.
6. A computer capable of running the virtual reality system must be provided, along with all necessary peripherals and cabling. The computer system shall meet or exceed the follow specifications: Windows 10 Pro operating system, Intel Core i7 3GHz processor, 16 GB memory, 256 GB solid-state drive (with at least 1 TB total storage), 19” monitor.
7. In order to move in both one- and two-dimensional environments, the head-fixed mouse shall sit atop and move on a floating ball (as, for example, in Harvey et al, Nature 461:941-946 (2009))). Therefore, the system shall include a floating ball, and it must be possible to modify the system to substitute a treadmill. The floating ball shall be air cushioned with a diameter of at least 6”. Other solutions enabling both one- and two-dimensional movements are also acceptable.
8. In the case of a floating ball, all regulator(s) and other parts necessary for pressure distribution must be provided.
9. The principal sensory stimuli manipulated by the virtual reality system will be visual. The system must therefore include visual displays (e.g., a panel of LCD displays) that encompass much of the mouse’s visual field. If using the LCD display, there should be a single piece of LCD screen right in front of the mouse and the total number of screens should be five.
10.  The system must be expandable to other sensory modalities. In particular, the system shall include or be able to incorporate a liquid dispenser (liquid reward), a whisker stimulator, a mechanism to deliver an air puff to the mouse’s eye, and a system for tone delivery. Different sensory stimulations should be delivered at specific locations of the environment.
11.  The system should be able to deliver different patterns of continuously-changed tones as a function of virtual linear track position, such as sine wave tones with continuously changed frequencies or amplitudes along different locations of a linear track.
12. The system should allow flexible modifications of experimental environments and fast repetitions of simple tasks.
13. The Contractor shall provide customizations and modifications to the system functions according to specific experimental needs, such as, but not limited to, flexibility of maze geometry, appearance, and interactions, as well as flexibility of delivering sensory cues at different patterns. The program office estimates 1-2 customizations and modifications to system functions during the base period.

Capability statement /information sought. The respondents must submit clear and convincing evidence that their product is equivalent or superior to the brand‐name product specified in this notice. The response shall include: the unit price, list price, shipping and handling costs, delivery days after contract award, delivery terms, prompt payment discount terms, F.O.B. Point (Destination or Origin), product or catalog number(s); product description; and any other information or factors that may be considered to determine the method of acquisition. The information must address each of the minimum specifications and the equivalent elements of the brand‐name parts stated herein. The response must also indicate the country of manufacturer.

For equipment/supply requirements, small business responses must include: (1) the place of manufacturing (i.e. address if supply/equipment is a domestic end product and include country of manufacture), as well as (2) the size status of the manufacturer under the applicable NAICS code (i.e. address Nonmanufacturer Rule).

The response must also include 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.

The response must include the respondents’ technical and administrative points of contact, including names, titles, addresses, telephone, and e‐mail addresses.

All responses to this notice must be submitted electronically to Sneha V. Singh

at [email protected] on or before August 14, 2020 at 12:00 PM. Facsimile responses are NOT accepted.

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 provide the product or perform the services specified herein.

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 presolicitation synopsis and solicitation may be published in Beta sam.gov. 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).”