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FBO DAILY ISSUE OF DECEMBER 24, 2009 FBO #2952
SOLICITATION NOTICE

66 -- The National Institute of Standards and Technology is seeking to purchase Flexible Polyurethane Foam. - Solicitation in Word Document

Notice Date

12/22/2009
 

Notice Type

Combined Synopsis/Solicitation
 

NAICS

326150 — Urethane and Other Foam Product (except Polystyrene) Manufacturing
 

Contracting Office

Department of Commerce, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Acquisition Management Division, 100 Bureau Drive, Building 301, Room B129, Mail Stop 1640, Gaithersburg, Maryland, 20899-1640
 

ZIP Code

20899-1640
 

Solicitation Number

SB1341-10-RQ-0046
 

Archive Date

1/27/2010
 

Point of Contact

Janet M. Lamb, Phone: 3019756205, Todd D Hill, Phone: 301-975-8802
 

E-Mail Address

janet.lamb@nist.gov, todd.hill@nist.gov
(janet.lamb@nist.gov, todd.hill@nist.gov)
 

Small Business Set-Aside

N/A
 

Description

Flexible Polyurethane Foam solicitation THIS IS A COMBINED SYNOPSIS/SOLICITATION FOR COMMERCIAL ITEMS PREPARED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE FORMAT IN FAR SUBPART 12.6-STREAMLINED PROCEDURES FOR EVALUATION AND SOLICITATION FOR COMMERCIAL ITEMS-AS SUPPLEMENTED WITH ADDITIONAL INFORMATION INCLUDED IN THIS NOTICE. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONSTITUTES THE ONLY SOLICITATION; QUOTATIONS ARE BEING REQUESTED, AND A WRITTEN SOLICITATION DOCUMENT WILL NOT BE ISSUED. ***This solicitation is being issued using Simplified Acquisition Procedures. *** ***This solicitation is a Request for Quotation (RFQ). The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2005-38. *** *** The associated North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code for this procurement is 326150 with a small business size standard of 500 employees. However this requirement is unrestricted and all interested Contractors may submit a quote. *** *** The National Institute of Standards and Technology is seeking to purchase Flexible Polyurethane Foam. *** Background: NIST has the need of Flexible Polyurethane Foam for evaluating whether flexible polyurethane foam can be produced as a reference material. To determine whether such a reference material is feasible, polyurethane foam formulations with well controlled properties are needed for a combustion study. ***All interested Contractors may provide a quote for the following: LINE ITEM 0001: Quantity Ten (10) Flexible Polyurethane Foam Formulations as defined in Requirement 1. OPTION LINE ITEMS: The following items are option line items. The Contractor shall provide pricing for these items. Prices quoted shall be effective for a period of one year from the date of award. Award of option line items is at the sole discretion of the Government in accordance with 52.217-7. OPTION LINE ITEM 0002: Quantity Ten (10) Flexible Polyurethane Foam Formulations as defined in Requirement 2. OPTION LINE ITEM 0003: Quantity Four (4) Flexible Polyurethane Foam Formulations as defined in Requirement 3. The Flexible Polyurethane Foam for Line Item 0001, and if exercised, Line items 0002 and 0003, shall meet or exceed the following minimum specifications: Requirement I (Line Item 0001) Ten formulations of flexible polyurethane foam are to be produced in the amount needed for tests with method A, B and C as described in Table 1. First, one formulation is to be prepared from a conventional polyether polyol that fulfills the specification given in Table 2. Then, eight further foam batches are to be prepared by systematic variation of the type of the polyether polyol and the type of surfactant used in the formulation as shown in Table 3. such that all possible combinations are prepared. One further formulation is to be prepared by substituting 25 wt.% of the conventional polyol of the initial formulation with a polyol from a renewable resource. All other formulation and processing parameters are to be held constant. Density and air permeability are to be determined by the manufacturer for a minimum of two foam pours per formulation on samples taken from identical positions near the center of the foam bun. The air flow value specified in Table 2 should be met as closely as practically possible for all foams with variations and shall not be lower than 3 ft3 min-1, with the exception of the material containing a renewable resource polyol. The ILD is to be determined by the manufacturer from at least a single foam pour per formulation on samples taken from identical positions near the center of the foam bun. It is acknowledged that the ILD target defined in Table 2 might not be met by the foam produced with variations to the formulation as defined below. Once testing of the foams with method A at NIST is completed, the NIST technical point of contact will select one of the ten formulations to be the target formulation in requirement II (Option Line item 0002). Table 1: Specimen size and minimal required number of specimens for test methods (Please see attached in word document for correct formulations. test methoddimensionsnumber of specimens l (in)w (in)d (in) A. Bench scale smolder test111165 B. Cone calorimeter4428 C. Vertical flammability test8626 D. Mock-up I 88340 58340 E. Mock-up II1812324 183.25324 Allowance for all dimensions: 0.08 in Table 2: Specifications of the initial formulation. ValueUnit Density1.8lb ft-3 Indentation Load Deflection (ILD)27.5 Air permeability> 4ft3 min-1 Polyol TypePolyether Isocyanate TypeTDI 80-20 Table 3: Polyether polyols and surfactants to be used for a 3×3 variation of the target formulation (Please see attached in word document for correct formulations). #Variation 1polyether polyol: - conventional polyol 1 (approximately 7 % ethylene oxide content) - conventional polyol 2 (approximately 12 % ethylene oxide content) - conventional polyol 3, with added grafted polyol. 2Surfactant: - conventional grade - flame retardant grade - universal grade Requirement II (Option Line Item 0002) After selecting the target formulation (as defined under Line Item 0001), a new batch of the target formulation and nine foam batches with controlled variations to the target formulation are to be provided in the amount needed for tests with method A, B and C. It is acknowledged that the ILD and the air flow target defined in Table 2 might not be met by the foam produced with variations to the formulation as defined below, since a controlled variation of these properties is aimed for. The requirements for the batches with controlled variations are the following: First, the amount of the tin catalyst, the amount of water and the mixing head pressure are to be varied systematically in a 23 design with the levels given in Table 4. All other formulation and processing parameters are to be held constant at the levels used in the target formulation. Table 4: Process parameters of the target formulation to be varied (Please see attached in word document for correct formulations). #Variation 3Amount of tin catalyst: - up to 25 % decrease of the amount used in the formulation - up to 25 % increase of the amount used in the formulation (The amount of tin catalyst shall be changed to such a degree that a substantial difference in foam permeability is reached, but the overall foam quality is maintained). 4Amount of Water: - such that the free rise density is 1.5 lb ft-3 - such that the free rise density is 2.1 lb ft-3 5Mixing head pressure: - lower - higher Second, a single foam batch shall be produced with the target formulation, except that the amount of water is to be adjusted such that a free rise density of 2.1 lb ft-3 is reached. During processing of the foam, the density is to be adjusted to 1.8 lb ft-3 using a vacuum process. ¬ Density and air permeability are to be determined by the manufacturer for a minimum of two foam pours per formulation on samples taken from identical positions near the center of the foam bun. The ILD is to be determined by the manufacturer from at least a single foam pour per formulation on samples taken from identical positions near the center of the foam bun. Requirement III (Option Line Item 0003) From the test results obtained with method A, B and C on the 10 foams delivered according to Line Item 0002, the NIST COTR will select four formulations for production in a sufficient amount to perform tests A, D, and E. The selected formulations may vary from the exact specifications given in Table 3 and Table 4, although not in a way such that other production equipment or different raw materials are required; e.g. the required density may be 2.0 lb ft 3 instead of the 2.2 lb ft-3 as specified in Table 4. Density and air permeability are to be determined by the manufacturer for a minimum of two foam pours per formulation on samples taken from identical positions near the center of the foam bun. The ILD is to be determined by the manufacturer from at least a single foam pour per formulation on samples taken from identical positions near the center of the foam bun. Other considerations that apply to Line Item 0001 and if exercised option Line Item’s 0002 and 0003: All samples are to be produced on equipment that is dedicated to this project for the period required to consecutively produce the formulations of each requirement. The equipment can be used for other purposes after accomplishment of one requirement until preparation for the next requirement begins. The equipment needs to be clean and flushed appropriately before use in order to prevent any cross-contamination with previous foam formulations processed on the machine. The manufacturer shall provide recent run data from the foam production equipment to NIST that demonstrates that the manufacturer can repeatedly produce foams with specific chemical composition (formulation) of a quality similar to the specifications set in Table 2. All samples are to be post-cured with process parameters recommended by the manufacturer. Details of the formulations to be produced are to be provided to the NIST COTR before sample preparation starts. NIST reserves the right to require changes to the formulations defined above during the course of the project, depending on the outcome of the experimental results. These changes shall not modify the total number of formulations and total number of samples to be prepared. Sample handling and packaging All samples are to be provided to NIST with a disclosure of the raw materials used, the date of preparation, any relevant run data, and the ambient temperature and relative humidity in the laboratory on the day of production. All samples are to be cut as specified in Figure 1 to Figure 7. The samples are to be packed in the same orientation as cut from the foam bun, such that the position of the samples in the foam bun can be identified. It should be clearly marked which samples were at the top and bottom side of the foam bun prior to cutting. The samples are to be packed in polyethylene bags and to be put inside cardboard boxes that protect the samples from light exposure. Cutting of samples for test method A, B, C as in requirements I and II Line Item 0001, and Option Line Item 0002: All samples are to be cut according to the schematics in Figure 1 to Figure 3 or in an equivalent manner that yields at least the amount of test specimens specified in Table 5. Any alternative cutting scheme must be approved by the NIST COTR. Two additional foam buns of the same size as the foam buns used to prepare samples for tests A (Figure 1) shall be prepared to cut samples from the center of the foam for the determination of ILD, air flow and density bun with the same orientation as the samples in Figure 1 to Figure 3. Table 5: Minimal, total amount of specimens required. The number of specimens shall be evenly distributed amongst the formulations requested in each requirement. For instance, the 50 specimens requested in requirement I (Line Item 0001) for test method A shall consist of 5 specimens for each for the ten formulations. Test methodrequirement Irequirement IIrequirement III (Please see attached in word document for correct formulations). A505020 B8080 C6060 D160 160 E96 96 Figure 1: Positions of the samples to be cut from foam buns with minimal dimensions of 26’’×26’’×10’’ for test method A. Two foam buns are needed per formulation in requirement I (Line Item 0001) and two foam buns are needed per formulation in requirement II (Option Line Item 0002). Figure 2: Positions of the samples to be cut from foam buns with minimal dimensions of 26’’×26’’×10’’ for test method B. One foam bun is needed per formulation in requirement I (Line Item 0001). One foam bun is needed per formulation in requirement II (Option Line Item 0002). Figure 3: Positions of the samples to be cut from foam buns with minimal dimensions of 26’’×26’’×10’’ for test method C. The foam piece in the center, measuring 4’’×4’’×18’’ is to be provided for miscellaneous measurements. One foam bun is needed per formulation in requirement I (Line Item 0002). One foam bun is needed per formulation in requirement II (Option Line Item 0002) Cutting of samples for test method A, D, E as in requirement III (Option Line item 0003): All samples are to be cut according to the schematics in Figure 4 to Figure 7 or in an equivalent manner that yields the same amount of samples. Any alternative cutting scheme must be approved by the NIST COTR. At least one additional foam bun of the same size as the foam buns used to prepare samples for tests A (Figure 5) shall be prepared to cut samples from the center of the foam for the determination of ILD, air flow and density bun with the same orientation as the samples in Figure 4 to Figure 7. Figure 4: Positions of the samples to be cut from foam buns with minimal dimensions of 26’’×26’’×10’’ for test method D. Four foam buns are needed per formulation in requirement III (Option Line Item 0003). Figure 5: Positions of the samples to be cut from foam buns with minimal dimensions of 26’’×26’’×10’’ for test method A. Two foam buns are needed per formulation in requirement III (Option Line Item 0003). Figure 6: Positions of the samples to be cut from foam buns with minimal dimensions of 26’’×26’’×10’’ for test method E. Six foam buns are needed per formulation in requirement III (Option Line Item 0003). Figure 7: Positions of the samples to be cut from foam buns with minimal dimensions of 26’’×26’’×10’’ for test method E. Two foam buns are needed per formulation in requirement III (Option Line Item 0003). The Government will evaluate information based on the following evaluation criteria: 1) Technical Capability factor "Meeting or Exceeding the Requirement," 2) Past Performance, 3) Experience, and 4) Price. Technical Capability, Past Performance, and Experience, when combined, are more important than Price. Award shall be made on a best value basis. ****Evaluation of Technical Capability shall be based on the information provided in the quotation. Quotations shall include the manufacturer sales literature or other product literature which CLEARLY DOCUMENTS that the offered product(s) meet or exceed the specifications stated above. ****Past Performance will be evaluated to determine the overall quality of the product and service, provided by the Contractor. Evaluation of Past Performance should be based on the references provided IAW FAR 52.212-1(b)(10) and/ or information provided by NIST or its’ affiliates. Quoters should provide a list of at least three (3) references to whom the same or similar products have been sold. The list of references shall include, at a minimum: The name of the reference contact person and the company or organization; the telephone number of the reference contact person; the contract or grant number; the amount of the contract and the address and the telephone number of the Contracting Officer if applicable; and the date of delivery or the date services were completed. Experience shall be evaluated to determine the extent of the Contractor's experience and knowledge in providing similar flexible polyurethane foam productions. Evaluation of relevant performance may be based on contracts used for past performance; however, the vendor should provide additional references relating to its past experience information, if necessary. Delivery terms shall be FOB Destination. FOB Destination means: The contractor shall pack and mark the shipment in conformance with carrier requirements, deliver the shipment in good order and condition to the point of delivery specified in the purchase order, be responsible for any loss of and/or damage to the goods occurring before receipt and acceptance of the shipment by the consignee at the delivery point specified in the purchase order; and pay all charges to the specified point of delivery. The contractor shall deliver line item 0001 to NIST, Building 301, Shipping and Receiving, Gaithersburg, MD 20899-1640. *** The full text of a FAR provision or clause may be accessed electronically at http://acquisition.gov/comp/far/index.html. *** *** The following provisions apply to this acquisition: 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors-Commercial Items; 52.212-3 Offerors Representations and Certifications- Commercial Items. *** *** Offerors must complete annual representations and certifications on-line at http://orca.bpn.gov in accordance with FAR 52.212-3 Offerors Representations and Certifications- Commercial Items. If paragraph (j) of the provision is applicable, a written submission is required. ******The following clauses apply to this acquisition: 1.52.212-4 Contract Terms and Conditions—Commercial Items; 2.52.212-5 Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders—Commercial Items including subparagraphs: a.52.219-28 Post Award Small Business Program Rerepresentation b.52.222-3 Convict Labor c.52.222-19 Child Labor – Cooperation With Authorities And Remedies d.52.222-21 Prohibition of Segregated Facilities e.52.222-26 Equal Opportunity f.52.222-35 Equal Opportunity for Special Disabled Veterans, Veterans of the Vietnam Era, and Other Eligible Veterans g.52.222-37 Employment Reports on Special Disabled Veterans, Veterans of the Vietnam Era, and Other Eligible Veterans h.52.225-3 Buy American Act-NAFTA; i.52.225-13 Restriction on Certain Foreign Purchases, and j.52.232-33 Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer-Central Contractor Registration. 3.52.217-5 Evaluation of Options Except when it is determined in accordance with FAR 17.206(b) not to be in the Government’s best interests, the Government will evaluate offers for award purposes by adding the total price for all options to the total price for the basic requirement. Evaluation of options will not obligate the Government to exercise the option(s). 4.52.217-7 Option for Increased Quantity—Separately Priced Line Item The Government may require the delivery of the numbered line item, identified in the Schedule as an option item, in the quantity and at the price stated in the Schedule. The Contracting Officer may exercise the option by written notice to the Contractor within Line Item 0002: within 1 year of the base award Line Item 0003: within 1 year of the base award Delivery of added items shall continue at the same rate that like items are called for under the contract, unless the parties otherwise agree. 5.1352.201-70CONTRACTING OFFICER'S AUTHORITY (MAR 2000) The Contracting Officer is the only person authorized to make or approve any changes in any of the requirements of this contract and notwithstanding any provisions contained elsewhere in this contract, the said authority remains solely in the Contracting Officer. In the event the Contractor makes any changes at the direction of any person other than the Contracting Officer, the change will be considered to have been made without authority and no adjustment will be made in the contract terms and conditions, including price. 6.1352.201-71CONTRACTING OFFICER'S TECHNICAL REPRESENTATIVE (COTR) (FEB 2005) a. TBA is hereby designated as the Contracting Officer's Technical Representative (COTR). The COTR may be changed at any time by the Government without prior notice to the Contractor by a unilateral modification to the Contract. The COTR is located at: TBA b. The responsibilities and limitations of the COTR are as follows: (1) The COTR is responsible for the technical aspects of the project and serves as technical liaison with the Contractor. The COTR is also responsible for the final inspection and acceptance of all reports, and such other responsibilities as may be specified in the contract. (2) The COTR is not authorized to make any commitments or otherwise obligate the Government or authorize any changes which affect the Contract price, terms or conditions. Any Contractor request for changes shall be referred to the Contracting Officer directly or through the COTR. No such changes shall be made without the expressed prior authorization of the Contracting Officer (CO). The CO may designate assistant or alternate COTR(s) to act for the COTR by naming such assistant/alternate(s) in writing and transmitting a copy of such designation to the Contractor. 7.1352.217-102 Government Review, Comment, Acceptance, and Approval. (a) Documentation, including drawings and other engineering products and reports, required by the contract to be submitted for review, comment, acceptance or approval will be acted upon by the Government within 30 calendar days after receipt by the Government, unless another period of time is specified. (b) Review, comment, acceptance or approval by the Government as required under this contract and applicable specifications shall not relieve the Contractor of its obligation to comply with the specifications and with all other requirements of the contract, nor shall it impose upon the Government any liability it would not have had in the absence of such review, comment and acceptance or approval. Department of Commerce Agency-Level Protest Procedures Level above the Contracting Officer is also incorporated. It can be downloaded at www.nist.gov/admin/od/contract/agency.htm. *** ***All quoters shall submit the following: 1) An original and one (1) copy of a quotation which addresses all Line Items/Requirements including the technical description and/or product literature; 2) explain how your product meets or exceeds each specification; 3) An original and one (1) copy of an established price list(s) for similar productions; 4) Country of Origin information for each line item; 5) A list of 3 references: Name of the reference contact person, the company, telephone number of the reference contact person; and 6) Provided recent run date from the foam producation. ***All quotes shall be sent to the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Acquisition Management Division, Attn: Janet Lamb, Building 301, Room B175, 100 Bureau Drive, Stop 1640, Gaithersburg, MD 20899-1640. *** This is an Open-Market Combined Synopsis/Solicitation for equipment as defined herein. The Government intends to award a Purchase Order as a result of this Combined Synopsis/Solicitation that will include the terms and conditions that are set forth herein. In order to facilitate the award process, ALL quotes shall include a statement regarding the terms and conditions herein as follows: The offeror shall state “The terms and conditions in the solicitation are acceptable to be included in the award document without modification, deletion, or addition.” OR The offeror shall state “The terms and conditions in the solicitation are acceptable to be included in the award document with the exception, deletion, or addition of the following: Offeror shall list exception(s) and rationale for the exception(s) Please note that this procurement is not being conducted under the GSA Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) program or another Government-Wide Area Contract (GWAC). If an offeror submits a quotation based upon an FSS or GWAC contract, the Government will accept the quoted price. However, the terms and conditions stated herein will be included in any resultant Purchase Order, not the terms and conditions of the offeror’s FSS or GWAC contract, and the statement required above shall be included in the quotation. ***Submission shall be received not later than 1:00 p.m. local time on January 12, 2010 at the National Institute of Standards & Technology, Acquisition Management Division, 100 Bureau Drive, Building 301, Room B175, Mail Stop 1640, Gaithersburg, MD 20899-1640, Attention: Janet Lamb. If quotes are hand delivered, delivery shall be made on the actual due date through Gate A, and a 48 hour (excluding weekends and holidays) prior notice shall be made to the Contracts Office at 301-975-6205. NIST is not responsible for late delivery due to the added security measures. In addition, offerors/quoters who do not provide 24-hour notification in order to coordinate entrance to the NIST campus shall assume the risk of not being able to deliver offers/quotes on time. The Government is not responsible for the amount of time required to clear unannounced visitors, visitors without proper identification and without complete information that would allow delivery (i.e. point of contact, telephone POC, Building, room number, etc.). If 24-hour notification was not provided, it is suggested your company representative or your courier service arrive at NIST at least 90 minutes prior to the closing time in order to process entry to the campus through the visitor center and complete delivery. Notice shall include the company name, name of the individual making the delivery, and the country of citizenship of the individual. For non-U.S. citizens, the following additional information will be required: title, employer/sponsor, and address. Please ensure that the individual making the delivery brings photo identification, or they will be denied access to the facility. Any questions or concerns regarding this solicitation should be forwarded in writing via e-mail to the Contract Specialist (Janet Lamb) at janet.lamb@nist.gov. FAXED QUOTES WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. HOWEVER, EMAILED QUOTES WILL BE ACCEPTED. ***
 

Web Link

FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/DOC/NIST/AcAsD/SB1341-10-RQ-0046/listing.html)
 

Place of Performance

Address: 100 Bureau Drive, Gaithersburg, Maryland, 20899, United States

Zip Code: 20899
 

Record

SN02029367-W 20091224/091222235007-3a66d5a60f1e7ca81a6c03b7ff439d8d (fbodaily.com)
 

Source

FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)

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