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.

Background / Purpose / Objective: The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Strokes (NINDS) requires stereotaxic frames for precise intracranial viral vector and drug injections as well as canula implantation in rodents and non-human primates (marmosets). The purpose of this equipment is to enable NINDS to micro-inject small volumes (starting from 1 nanoliter) of viral vectors, neuronal tracers, or drugs accurately into regions of interests. This apparatus must be integrated with automatic controllers to minimize human error of injectors within a comprehensive state-control system that can record and control behaviorally-relevant events in the experimental environment.

NINDS will study voluntary breathing and vocalization in freely behaving rodents and non-human primates, using chronically implanted electrodes or fiber optics, which allow NINDS to monitor synchronized activities from specialized regions of the brain using single or multiple electrode/optrode arrays. Presently NINDS seek to acquire an automated drill & microinjection stereotaxic instrument for automated drilling, followed by ultraprecise injection of small volumes (starting from 1 nl). The injection of viral vector-based expression of genetically encoded calcium indicators (GECI) is an essential step before implanting fiber optics and record Ca2+ activities in brain cells.

In addition to these essential features of injection, the automated drilling feature should enable NINDS to make a craniotomy window or skull thinning features with high accuracy positioning. Consequently, such procedures are essential to NINDS program's objectives, which include the characterization of functional architecture of brain circuits for breathing and vocalization in freely-moving animals. As such, a system is required with (1) automated drilling with auto-stop function to prevent damages to the brain, (2) a nanoliter injection capability to inject small volumes, (3) capability to be used in both rodents and marmosets, (4) correction for head-tilt errors.

Specifications: Robot Stereotaxic System manufactured by Neurostar GmbH, Kahnerweg 1, 72072 Tubingen, Germany, Telephone: +49-7071-770-4460, Fax: +49-7071-770-4463, email address: www.neurostar.de; web site [email protected], includes the following minimum specifications: (1) Drill & Nanoinjection Robot including Drill Autostop Function which includes: Interconnected Automated Drill and Glass-Capillary Nanoinjector with Including Robot Stereotaxic System, Full control by the Robot Stereotaxic software (included), Full Integrated Stereotaxic Atlas, Zeroing at Lambda/Bregma, Correction for Tilt Errors, Individual Atlas Scaling, Intuitive Movement Control, Drill Autostop function, Automated drilling procedure without damaging the underlying brain tissue, High accuracy positioning of Burr Hole with depth control, No tool exchange after drilling required, Use of Bregma-related coordinates, Glass-Capillary Ultraprecise Nanoinjector, Computer controlled, intuitive interface User defined Injection Volumes, User defined Injection Rates, Uses direct piston displacement, Robot Mode, Multisite Nanoinjections, Real-time atlas-based visualization of capillary tip and injection sites, No animal adaptor, ear bars and head holder included, and Compatible with Microsoft Windows 10; (2) Drill Automated Craniotomy Function to perform craniotomy procedures; (3) Automated synchronization device for cannula and drill bit to allow automated synchronization between the drill and syringe with optical detection of the drill bit and of the syringe needle; (4) Smart BregmaFinder with a Dual Camera System for high resolution 3D real-time probe monitoring, Automatic, Hands-Free, Precise positioning of the Probe over landmark, Smart Add-On to the Motorized Stereotaxic with Atlas Integration; (5) Cube3 - Manual Remote Control of Robot Stereotaxic for Intelligent Remote Control of the Robot Stereotaxic; (6) Mouse Gas Anesthesia Head Holder; (7) Non-Rupture Ear Bars (Mouse) with a 60° Non-Rupture tip; (8) Rat Adaptor; (9) Rat Anesthesia Mask; (10) Non-Rupture Ear Bars (Rat) with 45° Non-Rupture tip with a 0.8 mm radius; and (11) Integration of the Marmoset Atlas into the StereoDrive software.

Quantity: One (1) Each.

Anticipated period of performance / delivery date: The Government's anticipated delivery date is 4 to 6 weeks after receipt of order (ARO) of the duly executed purchase order.

Other important considerations: The response may cite any other information that is necessary for potential respondents to understand the nature of the potential requirement or proposed acquisition.

Capability statement /information sought. The respondents must submit clear and convincing evidence that their product is equivalent or superior to the brand-name 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.

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 fax numbers, and e-mail addresses.

The response must be clear and concise in Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF format using 11-point or 12-point font, 8-1/2" x 11" paper size, with 1" top, bottom, left and right margins, with single or double spacing, and limited to ten (10) pages (exclusive of the cover page, executive summary, or references, if requested).

All responses to this notice must be submitted electronically to Debra C. Hawkins Contractor, Acquisition Policy Analyst II, at [email protected] on or before July 31, 2019, 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 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)."