Single-Photon avalanche diode Camera

Advance Contract Award Notice (ACAN)

An ACAN is a public notice indicating to the supplier community that a department or

agency intends to award a contract for goods, services or construction to a pre-identified

supplier, thereby allowing other suppliers to signal their interest in bidding, by submitting

a statement of capabilities. If no supplier submits a statement of capabilities that meets

the requirements set out in the ACAN, on or before the closing date stated in the ACAN,

the contracting officer may then proceed with the award to the pre-identified supplier.

2. Definition of the requirement

o The Department of National Research Council of Canada has a requirement for

the supply of quantity 1 Single-Photon Avalanche Diode (SPAD) camera, to

support advanced research in 3D imaging under extreme lighting conditions,

including very low-light environments and scenes with high dynamic range

illumination. Conventional imaging sensors are inadequate for these applications

due to their limited sensitivity, susceptibility to readout noise, and inherent tradeoffs between frame rate, dynamic range, and spatial resolution.

3. Criteria for assessment of the Statement of Capabilities (Minimum Essential

Requirements)

o Any interested supplier must demonstrate by way of a statement of capabilities

that its product/equipment/system (as appropriate) meets the following

requirements:

∙ must have at least 320 pixels in a linear arrangement.

∙ must operate in the visible spectrum or in the wavelength range of 400nm

to 900nm. nm: nanometer

∙ must have a peak photon detection probability of 50% or better.

∙ must have the following operating modes: time-gating, time-tagging.

∙ must have a timing resolution of 20ps or less in tagging mode. ps:

picosecond

∙ must have a Gate width 5ns or less, a gate shift of 20ps or less, and a

death time 10ns or less. ns: nanosecond

∙ must have a median dark count rate of less than 250cps. cps: count per

second

∙ must allow external triggering with laser clocks.

∙ must at least used UBS3 connectivity and be compatible with Windows 1

∙ must be equipped with a C/CS-mount

∙ must allow integration into LabVIEW, Matlab, Python, and C++

4. Applicability of the trade agreement(s) to the procurement

This procurement is subject to the following trade agreement(s)

o Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA)

5. Justification for the Pre-Identified Supplier

The pre-identified supplier is the only manufacturer we are aware of who produce this

type of sensor and can supply the specifications required for the Single-Photon

Avalanche Diode camera.

6. Government Contracts Regulations Exception(s)

The following exception(s) to the Government Contracts Regulations is (are) invoked for

this procurement under subsection subsection 6(d) - "only one person is capable of

performing the work"

7. Exclusions and/or Limited Tendering Reasons

The following exclusion(s) and/or limited tendering reasons are invoked under the:

a. Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA) – Article 513 (1) (b) (iii): due to an

absence of competition for technical reasons;

8. Period of the proposed contract or delivery date

o The product/system/equipment (as appropriate) is to be delivered on or before

March 31 2026.

9. Cost estimate of the proposed contract

The estimated value of the contract, including option(s), is $ 38,250.00 USD (GST/HST

extra).

10. Name and address of the pre-identified supplier

Axiom Optics Inc

1035 Cambridge Street, Unit 19

Cambridge, MA, 02141

United States

11. Suppliers' right to submit a statement of capabilities

Suppliers who consider themselves fully qualified and available to provide the goods,

services or construction services described in the ACAN may submit a statement of

capabilities in writing to the contact person identified in this notice on or before the

closing date of this notice. The statement of capabilities must clearly demonstrate how

the supplier meets the advertised requirements.

12. Closing date for a submission of a statement of capabilities

The closing date and time for accepting statements of capabilities is January 29 2026 @

2:00 PM EST

13. Inquiries and submission of statements of capabilities

Inquiries and statements of capabilities are to be directed to:

Kelsie Trafford

Senior Procurement Officer

Telephone: 343-990-7031

E-mail: Kelsie.Trafford@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca

A contracting officer can use limited tendering for specific reasons outlined in the applicable trade agreements. The reason for this contract is described below:

• Exclusive Rights