SOURCES SOUGHT
66 -- Drug Self-Administration System for Mice
- Notice Date
- 2/6/2018
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 334516
— Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing
- Contracting Office
- Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse, 6001 Executive Boulevard, Room 4211, MSC 9559, Bethesda, Maryland, 20892-9559, United States
- ZIP Code
- 20892-9559
- Solicitation Number
- NIHDA201800053
- Point of Contact
- Megan Nathan, Phone: (301) 443-6677, Andrew Hotaling, Phone: 301-443-6677
- E-Mail Address
-
megan.nathan@nih.gov, andrew.hotaling@nih.gov
(megan.nathan@nih.gov, andrew.hotaling@nih.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- 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 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 research and information purposes only. Background: One of the main goals of the Electrophysiology Research Section within the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Intramural Research Program (IRP) is to investigate changes in brain function after chronic consumption of drugs of abuse. Operant behavioral boxes allow the training of rodents to voluntarily self-administer drugs. There is an extensive literature taking advantage of this feature in order to construct behavioral paradigms which enable the modeling in rodents of specific clinical aspects of substance abuse disorders. These paradigms are then used to characterize the brain circuitry and mechanisms involved in drug addiction in the hope that a better understanding of these mechanisms will identify targets for therapeutic intervention. NIDA seeks to use this equipment to train mice to self-administer IV cocaine and to investigate changes in brain function after protracted voluntary cocaine use. It is this voluntary consumption of drugs by mice that gives NIDA the best insight into similar use patterns in humans. Our ability to use mice, instead of rats, allows NIDA to take advantage of the extensively available mice that have specific genetic changes targeting brain systems involved in addiction. This enables NIDA to precisely target specific mechanisms at the level of single molecules within the brain. Purpose and Objectives: The purpose of this acquisition is to obtain twelve drug self-administration chambers for mice, including sound attenuating enclosures, response levers, stimulus lights, drug delivery systems, and electronic controllers and interface cabinet and computer, that are compatible with NIDA IRP's existing systems consisting of Med Associates, Inc.'s operant boxes and components. Project requirements: The drug self-administration chambers for mice must have the following salient characteristics: •Drug-self-administration chambers deigned for mice in sound attenuating enclosures. •Retractable ultrasensitive (2 grams of force) response levers. •Infusion syringe pumps (3.33 rpm). •Control interface system with 8 inputs and 16 outputs at 28 V DC. •Fully programable control software system to allow the free design of behavioral protocols. •Compatability with Med Associates, Inc.'s operant boxes and components. Anticipated period of performance: Delivery is expected to be 30 days after receipt of order. All components will include a 2 year warranty. Capability statement /information sought: Respondents must provide clear and convincing documentation of their capability of providing the products specificed in this notice. Also, information must be provided in sufficient details of the respondents' (a) staff expertise, including their availability, experience, formal and other training; (b) current in-house capability to perform the work; (c) prior completed projects of similar nature; (d) corporate experience and other management capability; and (e) examples of prior completed Government contracts, references, and other related information. 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. Finally, respondents are also encouraged to provide a general overview of the respondent's opinions about the difficulty and/or feasibility of the potential requirement, and any other information regarding innovative ideas or concepts that may be applicable. Submission Instructions: One (1) copy of the response is required and must be 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, and with single or double spacing. The information submitted must be must be in and outline format that addresses each of the elements of the project requirement and in the capability statement /information sought paragraphs stated herein. A cover page and an executive summary may be included but is not required. The response is limited to ten (10) page limit. The 10-page limit does not include the cover page, executive summary, or references, if requested. The response must include the respondents' technical and administrative points of contact, including names, titles, addresses, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail addresses. All responses to this notice must be submitted electronically to the Contract Specialist and Contracting Officer. Facsimile responses are NOT accepted. The response must be submitted to Megan Nathan, Contract Specialist at megan.nathan@nih.gov and Andrew Hotaling, Contracting Officer at andrew.hotaling@nih.gov. The response must be received on or before February 16, 2018 at 3:00PM Eastern Time. 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 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).
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/HHS/NIH/NIDA-01/NIHDA201800053/listing.html)
- Record
- SN04811554-W 20180208/180206231215-5d78f248c453f7383d70e454c038424b (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
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