Attune Xenith Flow Cytometer

Notice of Intent to Sole Source Notice Type: Special Notice / Notice of Intent to Sole Source Notice Number / NOI ID: NIH-NOI-26-PCA-NCI-02843 Title: Attune Xenith Flow Cytometer Posted Date: July 7, 2026 Response Date: July 20, 2026, 11:00 AM Eastern Time Classification Code: 6640 – Laboratory Equipment and Supplies NAICS Code: 334516 – Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing Contracting Office Address: National Cancer Institute Office of Acquisitions National Institutes of Health Description This is a Notice of Intent, not a request for quotations or proposals. The National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Cancer Institute (NCI), Center for Cancer Research (CCR), Pediatric Oncology Branch (POB), intends to negotiate and award a Firm-Fixed-Price purchase order on an open market basis for the acquisition of one (1) Thermo Fisher Scientific Attune Xenith Spectral Flow Cytometer, including the CytKick Max Automated Sample Loader, associated proprietary software, installation, startup services, user training, warranty coverage, and manufacturer-supported service. The Government believes that Thermo Fisher Scientific / Life Technologies Corporation is the only responsible source capable of providing a system that meets the Government’s minimum needs. This requirement is being processed as an open market purchase because the required product/configuration is not available on GSA or any other Government contract vehicle in a manner that satisfies the Government’s requirements. Required Capabilities / Salient Characteristics The required system must provide, at a minimum, the following: Spectral flow cytometry capability with full-spectrum fluorescence detection and spectral unmixing; Conventional compensation-based flow cytometry capability to support continuity with existing assays and workflows; Minimum six-laser optical configuration, including ultraviolet (UV), violet, blue, yellow-green, red, and near-infrared (NIR); Minimum 51 fluorescent detectors and 6 scatter detectors; Acoustic-assisted hydrodynamic focusing technology; High-throughput sample acquisition capability; Compatibility with complex biological samples, including tumor, tissue, blood, and cellular therapy samples; Compatibility with an automated sample loading system capable of processing 96-well and 384-well plate formats; Inclusion of the CytKick Max automated sample loader; Integrated instrument control and analysis software for acquisition, spectral analysis, quality control, and data export; Touchscreen operation and automated maintenance functions; Remote diagnostics and manufacturer-supported service support; Vendor-provided installation, startup, training, and warranty coverage. Justification for Sole Source The Pediatric Oncology Branch requires a spectral flow cytometry platform to support translational and clinical immunotherapy research involving CAR-T cells, T-cell receptor therapies, natural killer cells, ?? T cells, and immune monitoring of pediatric patient-derived tumor and blood samples. Market research identified multiple commercial spectral flow cytometry platforms. However, the Government determined that only the Attune Xenith satisfies the required combination of technical and operational characteristics necessary to support the mission. Specifically, the Attune Xenith is the only product identified that provides: Both spectral and conventional flow cytometry capability in a single platform, which is necessary to preserve continuity with existing assays while enabling higher-dimensional spectral analysis; Acoustic-assisted hydrodynamic focusing technology, which is required to support high-speed acquisition, difficult biological samples, and reduced clogging/downtime; Compatibility with the CytKick Max automated sample loader, which is required for high-throughput shared-resource operation; Operational continuity with existing Attune workflows and user familiarity, which minimizes implementation risk, retraining burden, workflow di...