Maintenance Agreement: AxioScan.Z1 Microscopes
Updated
Solicitation from the National Institutes of Health, for work in Maryland. Due Nov 4, 2026, 4:30 PM (UTC-5), due today.
| Solicitation number | 75N98027Q00037 |
|---|---|
| Agency | National Institutes of Health |
| Office | National Institutes of Health Nichd |
| Notice type | Solicitation |
| Set-aside | None |
| Trade (NAICS) | Electronic and Precision Equipment Repair and Maintenance (811210) |
| Product or service code | J066 |
| Place of performance | Maryland |
| Posted | Nov 3, 2026 |
| Response deadline | Nov 4, 2026, 4:30 PM (UTC-5) (due today) |
| Add the deadline to | Google Calendar · Apple / Outlook (.ics) |
Federal prevailing wage rates for this place: Maryland Davis-Bacon and SCA wage determinations.
Description
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.
The description continues in the official notice.
Contracting contact
- Robinson, Tina · [email protected]
As published on the official notice. Ask questions in writing and before any questions deadline the notice sets.
Is your business small enough?
For NAICS 811210, a business counts as small if it has no more than $34.0 million in average annual receipts (SBA size standard). This notice is set aside, so only businesses under that size, or in the named program, can bid. SBA table, current as of Oct 15, 2026.
Notice history
- Nov 3, 2026: Solicitation Due Nov 4, 2026, 4:30 PM (UTC-5)
- Oct 26, 2026: Solicitation Due Nov 4, 2026, 4:30 PM (UTC-5)
Companies that win this kind of work
Federal contractors paid for electronic and precision equipment repair and maintenance work, who also hold NIH contracts (last 12 months): possible competitors, or partners to team with.
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About the buyer
The National Institutes of Health awarded $5.9 billion in contracts in the last 12 months; its biggest suppliers were Leidos Biomedical Research Inc, M. A. Mortenson Company and Deloitte Consulting LLP. See what NIH is buying now.
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