KAIROS Microfluidic Sorter UPGRADE for S/N A0183

Notice of Intent to Award a Sole Source Purchase Order

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) intends to award a Firm-Fixed-Price Purchase Order to Apogee Flow Systems.

Pursuant to FAR 6.302-1, Only One Responsible Source and No Other Supplies or Services Will Satisfy Agency Requirements, Apogee Flow Systems is the only known responsible source capable of providing the products and services required to meet the Government's needs.

The Laboratory of Molecular Biology (LMB) requires upgrades to its existing Apogee Flow Systems MicroPLUS Flow Cytometer. The instrument is used to analyze bacterial populations for heterogeneity in behavior, reporter expression, and competitive growth.

The required upgrades include:

• KAIROS Microfluidic Sorter Upgrade – This upgrade is essential for isolating and capturing bacterial subpopulations for downstream analyses, including sequencing and genetic selection studies.

• IOTA Enhancements for Nanoscale Applications – This upgrade is required to enable the analysis of nanometer-sized synthetic bacterial spores (SSHELS) and bacterial outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) that are being developed as delivery vehicles for anti-tumor therapeutics. The enhancement will also significantly improve the instrument's fluorescence detection sensitivity.

Because these upgrades must be integrated into the LMB's existing Apogee Flow Systems MicroPLUS flow cytometer, they can only be provided by the original equipment manufacturer, Apogee Flow Systems. The manufacturer does not authorize third parties to perform these proprietary instrument upgrades. Accordingly, no other known source is capable of meeting the Government's requirement.

This notice is not a request for competitive quotations. However, any responsible source that believes it can satisfy the Government's requirement may submit a capability statement demonstrating its ability to provide the required products and services. A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed action based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government.

It is anticipated that an award will be issued approximately five (5) days after the publication of this notice unless the Government determines that another source has demonstrated the capability to satisfy the requirement.

Interested parties shall submit responses via email to davisroshonna@mail.nih.gov no later than 9:00 a.m. EDT on August 14, 2026.