SOLICITATION NOTICE
66 -- Vacuum Probe Station System
- Notice Date
- 2/25/2010
- Notice Type
- Combined Synopsis/Solicitation
- NAICS
- 339999
— All Other Miscellaneous 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-0102
- Archive Date
- 3/26/2010
- Point of Contact
- Joni L Laster, Phone: 301-975-8397, Carol A. Wood, Phone: 301-975-8172
- E-Mail Address
-
joni.laster@nist.gov, carol.wood@nist.gov
(joni.laster@nist.gov, carol.wood@nist.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- Total Small Business
- Description
- 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. THE 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 339999 with a small business size standard of 500 employees and only small businesses shall be considered for award as this requirement is set-aside 100% for small business. In accordance with the non-manufacturer rule, the manufacturer and distributor of these supplies must be a small business in accordance with the NAICS code identified. For size purposes, there can be only one manufacturer of the end item being acquired. The manufacturer is the concern which, with its own facilities, performs the primary activities in transforming inorganic or organic substances, including the assembly of parts and components, into the end item being acquired. The end item must possess characteristics which, as a result of mechanical, chemical or human action, it did not possess before the original substances, parts or components were assembled or transformed. The end item may be finished and ready for utilization or consumption, or it may be semi-finished as a raw material to be used in further manufacturing. Firms which perform only minimal operations upon the item being procured do not qualify as manufacturers of the end item. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has a requirement for a complete Cryogenic Vacuum Probe Station for Materials Science Research. All equipment must be new. Refurbished and or remanufactured shall not be considered for award. All interested Contractors shall provide a quote for the following line items: Line Item 0001: Quantity One (1) each, complete Vacuum Probe Station System that shall meet or exceed the following minimum specifications: 1. An electrical probe station built into a high vacuum chamber (hereafter referred to as a system), designed to operate under a wide range of temperature and pressure/vacuum conditions with automatic temperature control. a. The chamber shall be all stainless steel with metal sealed flanges. b. The system shall be capable of pumping to 1x10-4 Torr within 1 hour with the chamber at room temperature; OR to1x10-5 Torr within 1 hour with the chamber cooled to 77K. Stronger technical consideration shall be given to equipment that can pump down in shorter time; c. All feed throughs and probes shall be rated ultra high vacuum (UHV). For the purpose of this solicitation, UHV means 10-7 Pa or better d. The optical viewport shall be UHV rated. e. The chamber shall be bakeable to a minimum of 120 °C f. The operating temperature shall cover at least the range of 10 K to 650 K. Stronger consideration shall be given to equipment that can exceed the 650K minimum requirement. g. The system shall operate under a high vacuum and with a control gas environment. The system shall operate under both environments, however, is not required to operate under both environments at the same time. h. The system shall be fully wired and integrated into one functional system by the Contractor. i. The vibration level at the sample holder shall be less than 30 nm. Stronger technical consideration shall be given to equipment that can achieve a lower level than the minimum specified. j. The cryogen consumption shall be less than 0.2 L/hr at 80 K with liquid nitrogen as the cryogen. 2. The system chamber must include at least 6 probe access ports, a top viewing port with at least a 2" clear sample viewing window, a pumping port with evacuation valve, a safety pressure relief valve and multipin (or multiple) electrical feed throughs to provide electrical access to the electrical probes, sample stage, heaters and thermometers. The system shall include separate electrical feed throughs for the heater, temperature sensors, and probes. 3. The sample stage shall be centered under the viewing window and include an oxygen free copper sample holder at least 50 mm in diameter. The sample holder and the stage shall be capable of holding samples up to 50 mm in diameter and must be electrically isolated from the chamber, wired to an electrical vacuum feed through and capable of operation over a temperature range of at least 10 K to 650 K. Stronger consideration shall be given to equipment that can exceed the 650K minimum requirement. 4. The cryostat (for temperature control of the system) shall include temperature sensors, heaters, and controllers for sample temperature control: a. For operation between 30 K and 650K, at least one temperature sensor and one heater must be attached to the sample mount for temperature control. Stronger consideration shall be given to equipment that can exceed the 650K minimum requirement. b. For operation between 10 K and 475 K, at least one removable silicon diode thermometer must be attached to the sample mount for temperature control. c. At least one thermometer and one heater on the base of the sample mount must be installed. 5. The probe station chamber must include five independent micro-manipulated probe translators with X, Y, Z translation. Must provide at least 25 mm total travel along the probe axis (X-direction), at least 25 mm total travel in the horizontal direction perpendicular to the probe (Y-direction) and at least 10 mm total travel along the vertical direction perpendicular to the plane of the sample (Z-direction). Each translator shall be capable of mounting a single tip probe-holder or a triaxial probe-holder. 6. Two single-tip, cooled, probe-holders with replaceable tips on each probe, wired with flexible coaxial cable to BNC feed throughs for each probe. 7. Two single-tip, cooled, triaxial Kelvin-style probe-holders with replaceable tips on each probe, wired with two flexible triaxial cables to two independent triaxial feed throughs for each probe. 8. Twenty (total) tungsten tips for the probe-holders with tip radius of 25 microns. 9. The system shall be constructed on a base with vibration-damping leveling mounts. The system shall fit onto a NIST supplied vibration isolation table with a top that is 30 inches wide by 30 inches deep. 10. The system shall be capable of "rapid" samples changes (such as venting and sample changing) in approximately 1 hour when operating near 77 K. Implementation shall be the Contractor's responsibility; however, the Government is providing two suggested methods: a. One possible implementation would be to include additional heaters and temperature sensors to rapidly heat the sample stage and radiation shield. b. Another possible implementation is to incorporate an air-lock device to avoid venting the entire chamber. 11. The system shall include an automatic temperature controller (capable of PID control) with digital set point and readout, two heater outputs, a computer interface (IEEE-488, USB, etc), with at least one thermocouple and one silicon diode sensor inputs for operation over the entire specified temperature range. a. The controller shall be programmable both with a fixed set point and with temperature ramps. At a minimum, the controller must be capable of maintaining a fixed sample temperature of 100 K (plus or minus 1 K) for 1 hour as well as ramping the sample temperature from 100 K to 300 K at 1 K/min. b. The controller shall include all necessary wiring and be fully integrated with the thermometers and heaters in the sample chamber. 12. The system shall include a ¾ inch (minimum size) socket or tapped hole to mount a microscope for sample viewing. 13. The system shall include a gas metering flow control valve with variable flow (at least 3.6 to 72 Torr•L/s) to introduce different gases (nitrogen, argon, helium) into the chamber. The pressure in the chamber shall be displayed on a digital controller and controllable by an electronic controller with a computer interface capability. 14. The system shall include a vacuum pumping system comprising a turbo-molecular vacuum pump, oil-free backing pump, cold cathode and thermocouple gauges with controller(s) and readout(s), plus a stainless steel flexible pumping line and fitting adapters to match the evacuation ports on the system: a. The turbo pump shall have at a minimum a capacity of at least 40 L/s. b. The oil-free backing pump shall have a capacity of at least 1 m3/h. c. The pump exhaust shall include a silencer. d. The pumps shall include wide range vacuum gauge(s) (one or more, as needed, to span atmosphere to 10-8 Torr) with digital display(s). e. The pumps shall include all necessary controllers, cabling, sensors, interfaces and gauges. f. The pumps shall be mounted on a frame with casters and not attached to the probe system directly. g. The pumps shall connect to the chamber via a flexible stainless steel pumping line with a vacuum isolation valve and a pump-line vibration isolator. h. The pump-line shall have a nominal diameter of at least 25 mm (i.e NW25 or larger). 15. The system shall include a liquid nitrogen storage Dewar with a capacity of at least 50 liters with the necessary fittings for a matching cryogen transfer line. a. The Dewar must include a pressure gauge b. The Dewar must include a pressure relief valve that meets the requirements of the ASME Pressure Vessel Code. c. The Dewar must include a pressurization valve. 16. The system shall include a flexible transfer line that interfaces with the probe station chamber and the storage Dewar. The cryogen transfer line shall be shielded and provide a controllable stream of cryogen to the cryostat. The line shall include a control valve located at the bottom of the storage Dewar for reduced heat load into the flowing cryogen. The transfer line should permit full operation of the system with the storage Dewar with no circulating pump or other control loop required. The line shall be bendable to a 50 cm radius. 17. Prior to shipment, the system shall be assembled and tested by the Contractor with liquid helium to verify system operation. Testing shall include vacuum functions, cool down, rapid sample changing, automatic temperature control, electrical connections and the motion of the translation stages. The Contractor shall provide a certification or report documenting the testing performed and that the system has met all performance specifications. The certification documentation shall support the following: a. Vacuum pump down time to 10-4 Torr; b. Automatic temperature control holding 100 K for 1 hour; c. Automatic temperature control ramping from 100 K to 300 K in 200 minutes; d. Rapid sample changing time; e. Electrical connection testing; f. Translation stage motion testing. Line Item 0002: Design Not later than 30 days after award, the Contractor shall provide computer generated, scaled, top and side view drawings of the system. The drawings must be in high resolution PDF file format. The drawings shall be detailed sufficiently to serve as "as-built drawings" for the system the Contractor intends to manufacture. Drawings shall be submitted to the NIST Technical Information Contact (TIC), (to be identified at the time of award), for approval before the Contractor orders parts or commences manufacturing of the system. Drawings will be reviewed and written comments or approval provided to the Contractor within 5 business days. The Contractor shall revise drawings, based on comments provided by the TIC, and submit final drawings for review and final approval. Revisions shall be completed at no additional cost to the Government. The Contractor shall not proceed to manufacture the system without the written approval of the TIC. The system shall be manufactured in accordance with the design drawing. Should the design require a change, the Contractor must obtain the approval of the TIC and the Contracting Officer prior to implementing the change. A final as-built drawing shall be delivered with the system. Approval by the Government as required above 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 approval. The Government shall maintain data rights to all versions of the design drawing, in accordance with FAR 52.227-14 RIGHTS IN DATA - GENERAL. Line Item 0003: Installation: The Contractor shall provide installation for the system. Installation shall be completed on-site at NIST Gaithersburg and shall include, at a minimum, uncrating/unpackaging of all equipment, set-up and hook-up of the system, turn-key start up, and demonstration of all performance specifications. Line Item 0004: Training: The Contractor shall schedule and facilitate one (1) training session for NIST personnel on-site at NIST in Gaithersburg, MD. The training shall provide a thorough demonstration of all equipment functions, maintenance, and basic troubleshooting. The training may be completed at NIST immediately after installation and demonstration of performance specifications, however, not later than 30 days after successful completion of installation and demonstration of performance specifications. Installation and training shall be scheduled in advance with the TIC. Line Item 0004: Warranty: The Contractor shall provide, at a minimum, a one year warranty period for the system. Warranty shall be on-site or return to Contractor's site, at the discretion of the Contractor. All costs associated with parts, labor, travel and shipping shall be covered under the warranty. The warranty shall commence upon final acceptance by the Government. Final acceptance shall be provided upon successful completion of delivery, installation, training and demonstration of all performance specifications. Delivery, installation, training, and demonstration of performance specifications shall be completed not later than 5 months after receipt of an order. 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 all line items to NIST, Building 301, Shipping and Receiving, Gaithersburg, MD 20899. Evaluation Criteria: The Government will award a purchase order resulting from this solicitation to the responsible quoter whose quotation, conforming to the solicitation, results in the best value to the Government, price and other factors considered. The following will be used to evaluate quotations: Technical Capability, Past Performance and Price. Technical Capability and Past Performance shall be approximately equal in importance to price. Of the non-price factors, technical capability shall be most important. In determining best value, preference shall be given to systems with documented exceedances identified in specifications 1a, 1e, 1h, 3 and 4a. Technical Capability Evaluation of Technical Capability shall be based on the documentation provided in the quotation. Technical descriptions and product literature submitted shall be evaluated to determine that the proposed components meet or exceed the minimum specifications stated herein. The technical drawing shall be evaluated to determine its overall feasibility, compliance with the required specifications, and likelihood for success in meeting all system performance specifications. Pictures and/or documentation of systems manufactured shall be evaluated to discern the Contractor's knowledge of system integration, designing and fabricating high vacuum chambers, and designing, fabricating, and handling systems that work with liquid cryogens. Past Performance Past Performance will be evaluated to determine the overall quality of the product & service provided and the Contractor's history of successfully meeting delivery schedules. Evaluation of Past Performance shall be based on the references provided and/or the quoters recent and relevant procurement history with NIST or its' affiliates. Price shall be evaluated for reasonableness, consistent with the Contractor's technical submissions. 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: 52.212-4 Contract Terms and Conditions-Commercial Items; 52.212-5 Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders-Commercial Items including subparagraphs: 52.219-28 Post-Award Small Business Program Representation; 52.219-6, Notice of Total Small Business Set-Aside; 52.222-3, Convict Labor; 52.222-19 Child Labor - Cooperation With Authorities And Remedies; 52.222-21, Prohibition of Segregated Facilities; 52-222-26, Equal Opportunity; 52.222-36, Affirmative Action for Workers with Disabilities; 52.225-1 Buy American Act - Supplies 52.225-13 Restriction on Certain Foreign Purchases; 52.232-33 Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer-Central Contractor Registration. 52.227-14 Rights in Data-General; and 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. Required Submissions: 1. For the purpose of evaluation of Technical Capability, all quoters shall submit all of the following: a. For all commercial components, an original and one (1) copy of the technical description and/or product literature which clearly demonstrates that the proposed components meet or exceed the Governments minimum required specifications; b. Pictures and/or technical descriptions of systems that the Contractor has previously designed.This documentation must clearly demonstrate the Contractor's knowledge of: (1) System integration, specifically integration of controllers, sensors, pumps and heaters so the system works as one; (2) Designing & fabricating high vacuum chambers; and (3) Designing and handling systems for liquid cryogens. c. A technical drawing, in high resolution PDF Format, which clearly illustrates all of the following: -Exact dimensions of the proposed chamber; -Placement of the electrical components and feed-thrus, vacuum ports and viewing window; -Locations for pre-installed components such as the XYZ actuators, sample holder, heater or heaters, temperature sensor or sensors. 2. Past Performance Offerors must provide a list of at least three (3) references to whom the same or similar equipment has been provided. 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; the date of delivery or the date services were completed and a description of the equipment sold to the three (3) references; 3. An original and one (1) copy of a quotation which addresses all line items; 4. 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. All quotes must be received not later than 3:00 PM local time, on March 11, 2010 at the National Institute of Standards & Technology, Acquisition Management Division, 100 Bureau Drive, Building 301, Room B125, Mail Stop 1640, Gaithersburg, MD 20899-1640, Attn: Joni Laster. Any questions or concerns regarding this solicitation should be forwarded in writing via e-mail to the Contract Specialist (Joni L. Laster) @ joni.laster@nist.gov. Because of heightened security, FED-EX, UPS, or similar delivery methods are the preferred method of delivery of quotes. If quotes are hand delivered, delivery shall be made on the actual due date through Gate A, and a 24-hour (excluding weekends and holidays) prior notice shall be made to the Contracts Office at 301-975-8397. 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, bldg., 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-US 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. Electronic quotes are acceptable; however, faxed quotes shall not be accepted.
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/DOC/NIST/AcAsD/SB1341-10-RQ-0102/listing.html)
- Place of Performance
- Address: 100 Bureau Drive, Gaithersburg, Maryland, 20899, United States
- Zip Code: 20899
- Zip Code: 20899
- Record
- SN02076618-W 20100227/100226094749-68438916db3fa28f06a96968c154abc9 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
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FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
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