SOLICITATION NOTICE
66 -- Rodent Behavior Analysis Software and Hardware
- Notice Date
- 9/18/2013
- Notice Type
- Combined Synopsis/Solicitation
- 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, United States
- ZIP Code
- 20892
- Solicitation Number
- HHS-NIH-NIDA-SS_SA-CSS-2013-3062155-MG
- Point of Contact
- Mario D. Gray, Phone: 3014352238
- E-Mail Address
-
Mario.Gray@nih.hhs.gov
(Mario.Gray@nih.hhs.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- Total Small Business
- Description
- COMBINED SYNOPSIS & SOLICITATION Solicitation Identifier: HHS-NIH-NIDA-SS_SA-CSS-2013-3062155-MG Title: Rodent Behavior Analysis Software and Hardware Description: (i) This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in Subpart 12.6 as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; proposals are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. (ii) The solicitation identifier is as follows: HHS-NIH-NIDA-SS_SA-CSS-2013-3062155-MG and this solicitation is issued as a 100% Small Business Set-Aside Request for Proposal (RFP). The acquisition is for a commercial item or service and is conducted under the authority of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 13-Simplified Acquisition Procedures; FAR Subpart 13.5-Test Program for Certain Commercial Items; and FAR Part 12-Acquisition of Commercial Items, and is expected to exceed the simplified acquisition threshold. (iii) This solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2006-69, dated September 3, 2013. (iv) The intended acquisition is classified under North American Industry Classification System Code 334516 with a Size Standard of 500 employees. (v) Project Title: Rodent Behavior Analysis Software and Hardware (vi) Project Description: The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Intramural Program is assembling a Rodent Behavior Analysis System to be shared by the laboratories of approximately 10 primary investigators that use rodent models to pursue research related to euro-psychiatric and associated brain disorders. The Rodent Behavior Analysis System must consist of a collection of hardware and software which possesses the following capabilities: 1. The capability to analyze a number of different rodent behaviors that includes fear and anxiety-related behaviors, learning and memory, locomotors activity and social interactions. Many of the relevant behavioral tests are performed in open topped or transparent boxes and mazes. The parameters that need to be analyzed include the rate of travel and location of the animal at a time resolution of seconds, as well as more subtle parameters such as "head dips", "stretched postures", and investigation of specific objects. The most efficient and flexible way to meet all of these requirements is to capture and store video recordings of the behavior and to analyze this data offline with behavioral analysis software. 2. The capability to analyze complex behaviors, such as investigation, the orientation of animals must be tracked over time, including the locations of the nose, body, and tail. This requires software that recognizes and continually tracks at least three distinct points on an animal's body and uses appropriate algorithms to identify and quantify specific behaviors or behavioral parameters including Zone Visits, Crossovers (CO), Partial COs, Speed, Motion, Distance to Points, Distance to Zones, Orientation to Points, Disappearing from view, Sniffing, In-place Motion, Shape, Stretch Attend, Head Dip, Immobility, Elongation, Turn, percentage body in a region of interest. 3. The software possesses the capability of analyzing complex behaviors in multiple arenas simultaneously and must be capable of operating in batch mode. It must adapt to changing environments and non-uniform illumination. The software must report data that includes detailed statistics of user selected and defined events and automatic or user selected binning, in a globally recognized format (e. g. tables with comma separated values). These behaviors are best analyzed from a view looking down on the container. 4. The software package must support expansion of ongoing experiments that use existing (Clever System's TopScan Software) licenses which allow for current expertise in configuring the software to be used, and, which facilitates comparison between and integration of data between multiple laboratories. 5. The Rodent Behavior Analysis System must permit several groups of investigators to simultaneously analyze maze behavior in multiple arenas--specifically to evaluate behavior in two tests of depression-like behavior: 1) the forced swim test; and, 2) the tail suspension test and it must be capable of evaluating multiple animals' behavior at one time and be validated in comparison to manual human scoring. 6. The Rodent Behavior Analysis System must be capable of detecting and quantifying the following behaviors of either rats or mice in a water tank: Escape/Struggle, Climb, Full Dive, Immobile/Float, Passive Dive, and Swim. 7. The software must have the capability to evaluate social and aggressive interactions between animals. 8. The software must be able to detect the following behaviors: Immobility, Exploration, Staring, Fighting, Approach Aggressively, Withdraw, Chase, Active Contact, Passive Contact, Contact by Body Parts, Approach, Leave, Follow, Sniff at nose, Sniff at body, Sniff at genitals, Social Distance, Mount, Stare. 9. The software must be able to analyze 4 arenas simultaneously, to track up to 4 animals at one time in each arena and to operate in batch mode. 10. The software is required to evaluate complex behaviors in the animals natural group housed environment, including: Rear Up, Come Down, Walk/Run, Hang, Jump, Land, Turn, Eat, Drink, Chew, Sniff, Dig, Forage, Circle, Groom, Stretch, Sleep, Twitch, Pause, Awaken, and Urinate. 11. Shuttle boxes are required to assess fear and certain types of learning in tests that are called active and passive avoidance. Automated shuttle boxes are required so that testing is uniform over time, and, to avoid handling stress and variables associated with a manual method. Several boxes will be operated at one time for time efficient data collection. 12. Automated T-Mazes are required for the analysis of learning by transgenic mouse strains. The T -Maze is used in a simple learning task that is efficiently acquired by mice. For this test a mouse is placed at the base of a T -shaped maze. It is trained to select one of the arms of the T, based on a reward such as food placed at the end of that arm. The ability of the mouse to remember the location of the reward, or the rule it must use to identify the baited arm, is measured under various conditions. Manually moving a mouse from the end of an arm to the start position would provide a stressor that interferes with the test so an automated method to re-orient mice in a T-Maze is required. (vii) The system shall be delivered to the National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Mental Health Bethesda Maryland. The desired delivery time is 30 - 60 days after receipt of the order. (viii) The provision of FAR clause 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors - Commercial Items (July 2013), applies to this acquisition. (ix) The provision of FAR clause 52.212-2, Evaluation - Commercial Items (January 1999), applies to this acquisition. (a) The Government will award a contract resulting from this solicitation to the responsible offeror whose offer conforming to the solicitation will be most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered. The following factors in descending order of importance shall be used to evaluate offers: (1) Technical Capability of the items offered to meet the Government's requirements; (2) Past Performance; and, (3) Price. Technical and past performance when combined, are approximately equal, when compared to price. (b) Options: The Government will evaluate offers for award purposes by adding the total price for all options to the total price for the basic requirement. The Government may determine that an offer is unacceptable if the option prices are significantly unbalanced. Evaluation of options shall not obligate the Government to exercise the option(s). (c) A written notice of award or acceptance of an offer, mailed or otherwise furnished to the successful offeror within the time for acceptance specified in the offer, shall result in a binding contract without further action by either party. Before the offer's specified expiration time, the Government may accept an offer (or part of an offer), whether or not there are negotiations after its receipt, unless a written notice of withdrawal is received before award. (End of provision) (x) The offeror must include a completed copy of the provision at FAR clause 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications - Commercial Items (August 2013), with its offer. The FAR clause is located at http://www.acquisition.gov/far/. (xi) FAR clause at 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions - Commercial Items (July 2013), applies to this acquisition. (xii) FAR clause at 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders-Commercial Items (September 2013), applies to this acquisition. (xiii) There are no additional contract requirement(s) or terms and conditions determined by the contracting officer to be necessary for this acquisition and consistent with customary commercial practices. (xiv) The Defense Priorities and Allocations System (DPAS) are not applicable to this requirement. (xv) Responses and Questions: All responses to this solicitation shall contain sufficient information to establish the interested parties' bona-fide capabilities for fulfilling the requirement and include: an itemized list of the product, detailed description, suggested quantity, unit price, total amount, prompt payment discount terms, the F.O.B. Point (Destination or Origin), the Dun & Bradstreet Number (DUNS), the Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN), and the certification of business size. All offerors must have an active registration in the System for Award Management (SAM) www.sam.gov." All responses must be received by September 23, 2013, 4:30 P.M. Eastern Standard Time. All responses must reference this solicitation identifier as follows: HHS-NIH-NIDA-SS_SA-CSS-2013-3062155-MG. All responses may be submitted electronically to Mario Gray, using the e-mail address as follows: Mario.Gray@nih.hhs.gov or by U.S. mail to the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA), Station Support/Simplified Acquisition Branch (SS/SA); 31 Center Drive, Building 31, Room 1B59; Bethesda, Maryland 20892; Attention: Mario Gray. Fax or telephone responses will not be accepted. All questions must be submitted electronically within the ‘first two days' of this solicitation. All questions must reference this solicitation identifier as follows: HHS-NIH-NIDA-SS_SA-CSS-2013-3062155-MG. All questions must be submitted electronically to Mario Gray, using the e-mail address as follows: Mario.Gray@nih.hhs.gov. Fax or telephone questions will not be accepted.
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/HHS/NIH/NIDA-01/HHS-NIH-NIDA-SS_SA-CSS-2013-3062155-MG/listing.html)
- Place of Performance
- Address: Bethesda, Maryland, 20892, United States
- Zip Code: 20892
- Zip Code: 20892
- Record
- SN03193037-W 20130920/130918235220-e2b11e4152043d8a9a986e681e37f4c5 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
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