POTS22-006518

Submitted by fratecm on
Post Date/ Solicitation Issue Date
Closing Response Date
Proposed Award Date
Project Title
Refurbish, repair, and upgrade existing 7 Tesla compatible two-way audio communication system (OptoACTIVE™ II to OptoACTIVE™ III)
Contracting Office
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

Contact Points

Primary Contract Specialist

Tam
Ngo
ngot@nih.gov
NAICS Code Number
334310
Set-Aside Status
Partial Set Aside
Competition Status
Brand Name Only
Vendor Name
Optoacoustics Ltd
Address
17 Hanotea
Mazor
7316000, Israel
Single-Sole Source Determination
The refurbishment, replacement, repair and calibration of the OptoActive two-way audio communication system is available from only one source and competition is precluded for the reasons indicated below. There are no substitutes available that can provide this service with the experience and knowledge needed to complete these services successfully.

This acquisition is restricted to the original vendor and manufacturer of the system, OptoAcoustics Limited, in Tel Aviv, Israel (Yuvi Kahana and Slava Orlov).

The essential characteristics of the refurbishment of the existing two-way audio systems that limit availability to a single source are as follows:

These systems were installed in 2011 by Optoacoustics Systems. These systems are extremely specialized and use laser-powered piezoelectric systems to deliver both audio stimulus and provide active noise cancellation to the audio stimulus and the speech signals produced by the subject in real-time. The system is proprietary and details of the system and repair can only be provided by the designer and provider of the system. Given the existing investment in these systems, there is no alternative for ongoing studies that utilize the noise-cancellation properties other than repair and refurbishment (or replacement) by the OEM vendor.
Background/Description of Requirement

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Functional MRI Facility (FMRIF) 7TA-FMRIF (located in 10/B1D710) has an Optoactive two-way communication system with active noise cancelling. This system was purchased in 2011. The system is not operating reliably at present.

The NIMH FMRIF was initiated by the NIMH and NINDS of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Intramural Research Program (IRP). The FMRIF provides a resource by which all NIH institutes can perform Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) studies of brain anatomy, function and physiology.

This system requires repair, modernization, and refurbishment. This system is vital for conducting cognitive neuroscience studies of healthy and subjects and patients in the MRI scanner. This work will provide expert maintenance, including testing, repair, and calibration of the existing system in our original 7 Tesla MRI suite operated by FMRIF.

 

 

Technical requirements:

 

Optoacoustics:

  • will upgrade and repair the existing OptoACTIVE™ II system to the technical specifications of the OptoACTIVE™ III version.
  • will test and repair and calibrate the existing fiber-optic interconnects. The contractor will also test and check the current system.

 

Optoacoustics will supply new MRI-compatible piezo-electric laser-driven headphones with the following characteristics/technical specifications:

  • Thin headphones compatible with the 7TA-FMRIF (32 channel dedicated Nova head coils) with a thickness of 0.4 Inches providing 22 dB of passive attenuation.
  • The upgraded ANC (active noise cancellation) system must remove at least 35 dB of the main harmonics of MRI noise and realize over 20 dB of total noise suppression.
  • Integrated inflatable MultiPAD to maximize individually the space available inside the Nova coils for any sized head.
  • Minimize mechanical linking between headphones and coil thereby reducing mechanical noise conduction.
  • Full control by subject of fit within coil to maximize long-term patient comfort and compliance.
  •  Multiple audio drivers for high audio fidelity for optimal frequency response
  • Improved noise reduction algorithm for Fiber Optic MRI (FOMRI) microphone (over 40 dB cancellation for speech production by subject).
  • Adaptive low-latency signal-processing software to supports a frequency range up to 12 kHz).  

 

OptoACTIVE™ is a component of Optoacoustics’ MRI Multi-Channel Optical Communication (MOC) System which has been granted approval as a US FDA 510(k) device.

Interested parties may identify in writing their interest and capability in response to this requirement. Responses to this notice shall contain sufficient information to establish the interested parties’ bona-fide capabilities for fulfilling the requirement and include: unit price, list price, shipping and handling costs, the delivery period after contract award, the 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 closing date and must reference the announcement. Responses may be submitted electronically to the attention of the contract specialist. Fax responses will not be accepted.

All responsible sources may submit a bid, proposal, or quotation which shall be considered by the agency.