Maintenance Agreement: AxioScan.Z1 Microscopes

This NOTICE/SOLICITATION is modified to expand on the Sole Source Jusification. There are not other changes to this notice/solicitation.

REQUEST FOR QUOTATION (RFQ) / COMBINED SYNOPSIS Solicitation Number: 75N98027Q00037

Notice Type: Combined Synopsis

Posted Date: October 26, 2026

Response Date: November 4, 2026, 4:30 PM Eastern Standard Time

Set-Aside: None NAICS Code: 811210 –Electronic and Precision Equipment Repair and Maintenance

PSC Code: J066

GENERAL INFORMATION: This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial products/services prepared in accordance with the FAR Part 12. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation, and a separate written solicitation will not be issued.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Cancer Institute, intends to contract on a sole source basis with Carl Zeiss Microscopy – One North Broadway – White Plains, NY 10601 to procure a Protect Premium Service Agreement for the following (3) Carl Zeiss’s Microscopes:

1.AxioScan.Z1 - 4631000263 -

Consisting of:

Protect premium Axio Scan.Z1 BF/FL+

2.AxioScan.Z1 - 4631001084

Consisting of:

Protect premium Axio Scan.Z1 BF/FL+

3.AxioScan.Z1 - 4646000304

Consisting of:

Protect premium Axio Scan.Z1 BF/FL+

PROTECT PREMIUM SERVICE AGREEMENT INCLUDES:

• One (1)* preventative maintenance inspection per agreement year.

• All labor and travel charges associated with conducting the PM inspection visit.

All labor and travel charges associated with any repair service visit in addition to the PM visit as may be required during the contract period.

• All covered replacement parts

• Discount on Consumable Purchases

• Discount on Instrument Upgrades

• Phone Support and Priority Scheduling of service requests

Scheduled and emergency service performed between the hours of 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM Monday through Friday excluding Carl Zeiss Microscopy, LLC holidays

• Factory trained Field Service Engineers

• Access to remote diagnostics, service, and technical assistance

• Software updates

Period of Performance:

This will be a Base Year Plus One Option Period Firm Fixed Price procurement.

Base Year/Year 1: February 1, 2027 – January 31, 2028

Option Period 1/Year 2: February 1, 2028 - January 31, 2029

Cost for the Base and Option Period must be included in the quote/response.

The Government intends to solicit from a single source pursuant to FAR 6.302-1, Only One Responsible Source and No Other Supplies or Services Will Satisfy Agency Requirements. This notice of intent is not a request for competitive quotations. However, all quotations received by the closing response date will be considered by the Government. A determination by the Government not to compete with this proposed contract based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Any non-original equipment manufacturer (OEM) offerors to this solicitation must include enough information to establish the interested parties’ bona-fide capabilities of providing all products and service (s) needed. Responses must be accompanied by descriptive literature, warranties and/or other information that demonstrates that the offer meets all the foregoing requirements.

JUSTIFICATION FOR THE PROPOSED SOLE-SOURCE ACQUISITION:

Only Carl Zeiss Microscopy, LLC has technical service representatives who receive comprehensive, ongoing factory training and regular technical updates, as well as direct access to original manufacturer’s parts to maintain Carl Zeiss instruments in optimal condition. Only Carl Zeiss Microscopy, LLC technical service representatives can engage directly with the engineering teams that designed the instruments to resolve advanced diagnostic and technical support needs. Carl Zeiss Microscopy, LLC is the sole source for this requirement because utilizing unauthorized third-party technicians to service the proprietary AxioScan.Z1 Slide Scanning Microscope will immediately void existing Carl Zeiss maintenance agreements, compromise critical optical calibrations, and result in costly out-of-pocket recertification fees.

The Carl Zeiss AxioScan.Z1 Slide Scanning Microscope was designed and manufactured exclusively by Carl Zeiss Microscopy, LLC. It requires specialized professional maintenance, including scheduled service visits, continuous software alignment, and periodic proprietary part replacement. Continuous operation requires a renewable Protect Premium service contract. The internal components, calibration mechanisms, and administrative back-end software architectures of this instrument are strictly proprietary. Carl Zeiss Microscopy, LLC is the only known source capable of fulfilling the comprehensive service contract on these systems.

ZEISS service engineers hold the highest qualifications for repairing ZEISS automated slide scanning systems. They are factory-trained and certified in Germany on the exact hardware and software modules utilized by this model. No other firm possesses the certifications required to work on the Carl Zeiss AxioScan.Z1 Slide Scanning Microscope. The system's micro-metric alignment, focus-drift tracking, and high-throughput multi-axis robotics require specialized calibration fixtures and alignment tools that are only issued to factory-employed, certified ZEISS field service engineers. Third-party maintenance providers utilize generic biomedical or imaging technicians who lack these proprietary diagnostic tools and are unable to return the system to verified Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) specifications.

Furthermore, the required Protect Premium agreement provides features that a third-party administrator or broker cannot legally or technically deliver. This includes direct, encrypted access to the proprietary ZEISS remote diagnostics network and predictive service tools, alongside essential automated software updates, patches, and operating system compatibility licenses. These software architectures and diagnostic keys are strictly guarded intellectual property owned exclusively by ZEISS. They are contractually non-transferable and cannot be licensed to, bypassed by, or flowed down through an unauthorized third-party broker. Consequently, Carl Zeiss Microscopy, LLC is the sole source capable of providing the complete technical, hardware, and proprietary software infrastructure required to execute this contract.

DELIVERY / PLACE OF PERFORMANCE:

National Institutes of Health 9000 Rockville Pike

Bldg. 37, Room 1023B Bethesda, MD 20892

SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS :

Quotations shall be submitted electronically to: Tina Robinson@ Robinsti@mail.nih.gov Quotations are due no later than: November 4, 2026, prior to 4:30 PM Eastern Standard Time

Late submissions may be rejected and not considered for award.

Reponse to the solcitation and any questions must be sent via email to robinsti@mail.nih.gov and must include solicitation# 75N98027Q00037 in the subject line of email.

PRE-AWARD PROVISION:

52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors- Instructions to Offerors—Commercial Products and Commercial Services.

APPLICABLE FAR CLAUSES:

52.203-17 - Contractor Employee Whistleblower Rights

52.204-9 - Personal Identity Verification of Contractor Personnel

52.204-13 - System for Award Management Maintenance

52.209-6 - Protecting the Government's Interest When Subcontracting with Contractors Debarred, Suspended, or Proposed for Debarment

52.209-10 - Prohibition on Contracting with Inverted Domestic Corporations

52.212-4 - Terms and Conditions-Commercial Products and Commercial Services

52.217-9 - Option to Extend the Term of the Contract

52.222-3 - Convict Labor

52.222-19 - Child Labor-Cooperation with Authorities and Remedies

52.222-36 - Equal Opportunity for Workers with Disabilities

52.222-50 - Combating Trafficking in Persons

52.222-90 - Addressing DEI Discrimination by Federal Contractors

52.223-23 - Sustainable Products and Services

52.226-8 - Encouraging Contractor Policies to Ban Text Messaging While Driving

52.232-33 - Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer-System for Award Management

52.232-40 - Providing Accelerated Payments to Small Business Subcontractors

52.233-3 - Protest After Award

52.233-4 - Applicable Law for Breach of Contract Claim

52.240-91 - Security Prohibitions and Exclusions

52.244-6 - Subcontracts for Commercial Products and Commercial Services

Note: System updates may lag policy updates. The System for Award Management (SAM) may continue to require entities to complete representations based on provisions that are not included in agency solicitations, including 52.223-22, Public Disclosure of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Reduction Goals—Representation. Agencies will not consider or use these representations. Entities are not required to, nor are they able to, update their entity registration to remove these representations in SAM

This award incorporates only the Government provided provisions and clauses and terms and conditions as stated in the award. Contractor provided terms and conditions, or agreement are for reference only. Should the terms of the Governments award document and the terms of the Contractor provided terms and conditions or agreement conflict, the Government provided provisions and clauses and terms and conditions shall control.