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), 8 days left.
| 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 | Oct 26, 2026 |
| Response deadline | Nov 4, 2026, 4:30 PM (UTC-5) (8 days left) |
| Add the deadline to | Google Calendar · Apple / Outlook (.ics) |
Federal prevailing wage rates for this place: Maryland Davis-Bacon and SCA wage determinations.
Description
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 Two Option Periods 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 Option Period 2/Year 3: February 1, 2029 - January 31, 2030 Cost for the Base and Option Periods 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 and on-going factory training and regular technical updates, as well as having direct access to original manufacturer’s parts to help maintain Carl Zeiss instruments in optimal condition.
Only Carl Zeiss Microscopy, LLC technical service representatives can engage directly with the engineers that designed your Carl Zeiss instruments, to help resolve the most challenging 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 Carl Zeiss maintenance agreement, compromise critical optional calibrations, and result in costly out-of-pocket recertification fee.
The Carl Zeiss AxioScan.Z1 Slide Scanning Microscope was designed by the firm Carl Zeiss Microscopy, LLC. It requires professional maintenance including scheduled service visits and periodic part replacement. Continuous service requires a renewable service contract.
The internal components and mechanisms of this instrument are proprietary and Carl Zeiss Microscopy, LLC is the only known source capable of fulfilling the service contract on these instruments. Zeiss service engineers have the highest qualification for repairing Zeiss confocal microscopes. They are factory trained and certified in Germany on the latest models of the instrument.
No other firm is known to have the certifications that are required to work on the Carl Zeiss AxioScan.Z1 Slide Scanning Microscope. The micro-metric alignment, focus-drift tracking, and high-throughput multi-axis robotics of the Axio Scan.Z1 require specialized calibration fixtures only issued to factory-employed, certified ZEISS field service engineers. Third-party maintenance providers utilize generic biomedical or imaging technicians who lack the specific training and diagnostic tools required to bring the system back to verified Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) specifications.
Carl Zeiss Microscopy LLC holds multiple patents on this instrument, and it is the sole source for replacement parts. The parts of the confocal instrument require special handling, and this handling needs approval of Carl Zeiss Microscopy LLC to get the warranty replacements. The requesting lab is constantly upgrading these confocal systems with newest versions of the proprietary software and hardware.
These new pieces require fine-tuning, which is more cost effective if done as part of the service contract. The Axio Scan.Z1 operates exclusively on proprietary ZEISS ZEN software. Software patches, operating system compatibility updates, and advanced internal diagnostic software tools are intellectual property closely guarded by ZEISS.
Third-party mainten
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.
Companies that win this kind of work
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About the buyer
The National Institutes of Health awarded $5.8 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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