SOURCES SOUGHT
70 -- Two-way ear selective noise cancellation MRI communication system
- Notice Date
- 8/7/2018
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 334310
— Audio and Video Equipment Manufacturing
- Contracting Office
- Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Mental Health, Contracts Management Branch, 6001 Executive Blvd, Rm 8154, MSC 9661, Bethesda, Maryland, 20892-9661
- ZIP Code
- 20892-9661
- Solicitation Number
- HHS-NIH-NIDA-SSSA-SBSS-2018-00391
- Archive Date
- 8/28/2018
- Point of Contact
- Kim Stapleton,
- E-Mail Address
-
kim.stapleton@nih.gov
(kim.stapleton@nih.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- This is a Sources Sought notice. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. The purpose of this notice is to obtain information regarding the availability and capability of all qualified sources to perform a potential requirement. 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: The Functional MRI Facility of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) helps investigators at NIMH and National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Strokes (NINDS) conduct brain research in youth and adults. This research often involves identifying different types of brain activity produced by stimulation and cognitive experiments as well as at rest in both patient groups and normal controls. These paradigms require well-controlled precise auditory stimulus to elicit a desired response. Many functional imaging experiments the Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Core Facility (FMRIF) at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) require presenting auditory stimuli to subjects while images of brain activity are collected with the MRI machine. In addition, good auditory stimulus presentation makes it possible for subjects to listen to music while they are being scanned and helps to make subjects, especially younger subjects, much more compliant and thereby provide higher quality data and reduce the need for repeated scans and also reduces the number of rejected scans. Purpose and Objectives: The studying of brain activation during different types of conditioning is an important neuroscience technique employed by many users of the FMRIF to identify potential biomarkers of processes as they relate to different brain diseases. These paradigms require simultaneous visual stimuli with auditory stimulus to elicit a desired response. In other work, the FMRIF must also sometimes convey auditory stimuli to babies. This can only be done using headphones, since the MRI scanner makes a lot of noise. Moreover, while various headphones are compatible with MRI, the FMRIF need headphones with active noise cancellation where the level of sound delivered to the ear can be precisely quantified. To ascertain that this need is addressed adequately, the equipment used must be of the highest caliber, and suitable for use with a wide range of ages and psychiatric populations. Contractor Requirements: Specifically, the following requirements are being requested: The Contractor shall: 1. Provide headphones that can be used among children and psychiatric populations in the MRI scanner. The headphones shall have a history of being used in MRI experiments that involve the delivery of auditory stimuli to such populations. The headphones shall be capable to deliver a sound at a specified decibel level at the patient's ear. 2. Provide headphones that simultaneously block out scanner noise and deliver an auditory stimulus (e.g. provide active noise cancellation). The headphones must produce the pre-specified sound level in a very noisy environment. 3. Provide headphones that are able to individually calibrate auditory stimuli. The headphones will be used in various experiments with various patient populations. As a result, there must be great flexibility in the equipment, in terms of the ability to vary the sound both within and across patient groups. 4. Provide the headphones associated accessories that allow the headphones to interface with the MRI system. The accessories shall include a pop screen, disposable protection film for the headphones, and a customized MultiPad. 5. Install the headphones and associated accessories. 6. Be an authorized Optoacoustics reseller and shall provide a copy of its authorization agreement or certification. Anticipated period of performance: Period of Performance will be defined upon award. Capability statement /information sought. Contractors that believe they possess the ability to provide the requirement should submit documentation of their ability to meet each of the project requirements to the Contract Specialist. The response should directly and specifically state in the, capabilities statement, which project requirements you can supply. Contractors must also provide their Company Name, DUNS Number, Physical 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. 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 (capability statements) sent in response to this Small Business Sources Sought Notice must be submitted electronically (via e-mail) to the Contract Specialist. Facsimile responses are NOT accepted. The response must be submitted to Kim Stapleton, Contract Specialist at e-mail address kim.stapleton@nih.gov The response must be received on or before August 13, 2018 at 11:00AM, Eastern Standard 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/NIMH/HHS-NIH-NIDA-SSSA-SBSS-2018-00391/listing.html)
- Record
- SN05023943-W 20180809/180807231213-8fbf036fb64fecc9cd94e892e8e25416 (fbodaily.com)
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