LSM990 Confocal Airyscan2 Systemview on SAM.gov

This notice is to update FAR clauses and the attachment. There are no other changes to this notice. 1 GENERAL INFORMATION This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial products prepared in accordance with the Far Part 12 as supplemented with additional information included in this notice, and in conjunction Far 8.402(f). This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; quotations are being requested, and a separate written solicitation will not be issued. The National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), Intends to contract on a sole source basis with Carl Zeiss Microscopy – One North Broadway, White Plains, NY 10601 to procure a LSM 990 w/Airyscan-2 Microscope consisting of all the items per the attachment provided in this notice. The Government intends to award a Firm-Fixed-Price Purchase Order resulting from this solicitation. 2. DESCRIPTION OF REQUIREMENT 2.1 Background The NIDCD relies on high-resolution microscopy to image mouse inner ear tissues and to perform live imaging of cellular organelle development and function in zebrafish. The LSM990, equipped with the proprietary Airyscan 2 detector, provides the spatial resolution and sensitivity required to visualize subcellular structures that cannot be adequately resolved with conventional confocal microscopy. The 32-channel GaAsP detector array achieves resolution of approximately 90 nm in the lateral dimension and 200 nm in the axial dimension while simultaneously improving signal collection efficiency. The enhanced sensitivity of the Airyscan 2 detector allows imaging at lower laser powers, reducing photobleaching and phototoxicity during long-term live imaging experiments. This combination of high resolution and gentle imaging is essential for studying dynamic cellular processes in living tissues. In addition, the LSM990 offers substantial improvements in data handling compared with the older LSM780, generating raw datasets that are approximately eight-fold smaller and enabling Airyscan image processing that is up to five-fold faster. These advances improve both experimental throughput and data management for high-resolution live imaging studies. The Zeiss LSM 990 with Airyscan 2 enables gentle, high-sensitivity imaging of both live and fixed samples, including fine structures in the mouse inner ear and zebrafish lateral line. The Airyscan 2 detector array improves signal detection and spatial resolution while allowing imaging at low laser power, thereby minimizing photobleaching and phototoxicity. The Labs' current Zeiss LSM780 confocal system is heavily used by researchers from three NIDCD laboratories and is no longer covered by a service contract, with many replacement parts no longer available. Zeiss ZEN software is user-friendly and intuitive, allowing new users to become proficient quickly. Because the LSM990 operates on the latest version of the same software platform, it will provide a seamless trans…