BACKGROUND:
Notice is hereby given by the University of Ottawa of the intent to enter into a contract with Sony Biotechnology, Inc. to purchase an SH800 4-laser, multi-parameter, user-operated cell sorter for the purpose of fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS).
PROCESS:
Suppliers who consider their equipment functional, successfully tested, readily available and fully compliant may submit in writing a statement of specifications to the contact person identified in this Notice, on or before the closing date of this Notice. In the statement of specifications, the supplier must unequivocally demonstrate how their equipment, at minimum, equals, or exceeds the stated requirements.
If no other supplier submits a statement of specifications, on or before the closing date of this Notice, the competitive requirements of the University of Ottawa will be considered having been met. Following notification to any suppliers not successful in unequivocally demonstrating that their statement of specifications equals or exceeds the requirements set out in this Notice, the contract may then be awarded to the pre-identified supplier.
INTENDED USE:
This instrument will have a wide range of fluorescence activated cell sorting applications to be operated by various University of Ottawa research users and by the Flow Cytometry and Virometry (FCV) Core Facility without the need for a dedicated sort operator. The instrument will serve as a research workhorse to complete long (12-20h) sorts without interruption and with ease of use. The instrument will serve to increase the productivity of the FCV Core Facility by complementing the existing cell sorter by providing a means for user directed cell sorting beyond normal work hours, as well as a high-throughput option in the generation of clonal cell populations. This complementary system will reduce wait and experimental downtime for researchers.
FUNCTIONALITY:
The equipment must conform to the following Minimum Requirements:
- Must have minimum four (4) lasers: 405nm, 488nm, 561nm, 638nm
- Must have minimum six (6) fluorescence detectors
- Must have a minimum of one (1) forward-scatter detector
- Must have a minimum of one (1) side-scatter detector
- Must have software for automated alignment, daily quality control, sort delay droplet calibration, sort deposition, unclogging and replacement of flow cell and sample line
- Must have a disposable microfluidic chip with integrated flow cell and nozzle, including ability to exchange nozzle sizes (70um, 100um, 130um), such that this exchange can be made by a typical user without requirement of specialized training or assistance from a highly trained operator.
- Must support sorting into multiple collection devices including 96 and 384 well plates, minimum 2-way into tubes, PCR tubes, and slides
- Must include a biosafety cabinet designed to house the cell sorter to support up to BSL2 samples
- Must include four (4) year service contract in addition to manufacturer warranty
- Must be able to offer 48-hour guaranteed response time to requests for emergency on-site service, Mondays through Fridays, excluding statutory holidays
- Must include on-site installation and training
- Training must be provided within 1 week of instrument installation
- Equipment must have CSA or equivalent recognized certification mark as per the Electrical Safety Authority
Justification of Pre-Selected Supplier:
Supplier:
Sony Biotechnology, Inc. 1730 North 1st St., 2NW San Jose, CA 95112
Justification:
The Sony SH800 cell sorter is the only equipment on the market that meets the combination of technical specifications which are essential for the research requirements as well as for an instrument that will serve as a Core Facility workhorse for many researchers. Specifically, the SH800 is the only 4-laser cell sorter with exchangeable microfluidics chip, interchangeable nozzle sizes and integrated flow cell, as well as a high-throughput sort deposition system in a user-operated/automated platform.
The SH800’s exchangeable microfluidics chip and sample line supports the diversity of research areas of facility users by guaranteeing sterility between samples, eliminating concerns of cross-contamination between specific cell types, and eliminating problems and hazards of having clogs at flow cell. The ability to exchange all components that come into contact with the sample is essential, as sterilizing protocols can be subject to user error, and result in costly downtime, cancelled bookings and wasted samples. Users will be able to not only exchange the disposable flow cell, but the nozzle size as well with equal ease. With other systems on the market, the act of exchanging a nozzle requires specific expertise and inevitably results in downtime. This unique feature of the Sony sorter eliminates the need for either of these.
Additionally, having an automated, software-guided cell sorter, with exchangeable chip, will increase the Core Facility’s research capacity by providing researchers with the flexibility to sort their own samples and perform routine maintenance with minimal training, prior expertise, or the need for a highly-trained dedicated operator, both during and beyond normal work hours, allowing for periods of extended usage, upwards of 20 hours straight in some cases. Thus, the user-friendly, automated qualities of the SH800 sorter, particularly its disposable microfluidics chip, will facilitate increased capacity at the Core Facility, increased accessibility by a wider range of users, and prevent issues associated with bookings during normal work hours (staff limitations, overbookings, limited timelines, etc).
