Loren Data's SAM Daily™

FBO DAILY ISSUE OF AUGUST 28, 2010 FBO #3199
SOLICITATION NOTICE

66 -- Helium-3 Dipper Probe System

Notice Date

8/26/2010
 

Notice Type

Combined Synopsis/Solicitation
 

NAICS

334516 — Analytical Laboratory Instrument 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-0359
 

Archive Date

9/22/2010
 

Point of Contact

Joshua D. Holliday, Phone: 3019758497, Todd D Hill, Phone: 301-975-8802
 

E-Mail Address

joshua.holliday@nist.gov, todd.hill@nist.gov
(joshua.holliday@nist.gov, todd.hill@nist.gov)
 

Small Business Set-Aside

N/A
 

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. ***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) 2005-44.*** *** The associated North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code for this procurement is 334516 with a small business size standard of 500 employees. This requirement is unrestricted and all interested Contractors may submit a quotation.*** Background: The NIST Center for Neutron Research maintains as its chief goal the ability to provide the best neutron scattering facility possible. Accomplishing this goal places requirements on personnel, equipment and facilities. The purpose of this procurement is to meet the need for a low-temperature, high magnetic field system. The sorption-pumped helium-3 cryostat insert is a relatively simple, robust, and user-friendly means of achieving temperatures between 300 mK and 2K, a range that cannot be reached by pumped helium-4 systems. The cryostat will be designed to fit inside an existing NIST-owned wet-bore superconducting magnet. The complete turnkey system includes the insert, tail sets, temperature sensors, wires, cables and control electronics; flex hoses, and vacuum pumps. The helium-3 cryostat insert, when combined with the NIST existing liquid helium-based superconducting magnet, will form a complete, operable, controllable low temperature, high magnetic field system. ***All interested Contractors may provide a quote for the following: Line Item 0001: Quantity One (1) Helium-3 Cryostat Insert, which shall meet or exceed the following minimum specifications: STATEMENT OF WORK: Introduction: The Contractor shall furnish the necessary personnel, material, equipment, and services to design, fabricate, install and test one helium-3 cryostat insert. Specific Requirements: The Contractor shall design and build a helium-3 cryostat insert for neutron scattering experiments. The Contractor shall be responsible for developing the designs and ensuring the final product is capable of being combined with the existing NIST-owned, wet-bore superconducting magnet. Technical Specifications: General Specifications: A complete turnkey system shall include, at a minimum, the following components: A. Helium-3 cryostat insert B. Three (3) tailsets (a tailset is the vacuum can and mating taper), one (1) set installed and two (2) sets for spares C. Temperature controller D. 1K pot pump E. Cables and hoses F. Two (2) hard copy sets of all manuals G. Electronic copy of manual H. Electronic copy of drawings Performance Specifications: The following performance specifications assume no load on the sample stage. A. Guaranteed minimum temperature of 300mK B. Minimum hold time at base temperature of 60 hours C. Controlled temperature range from 300mK to 300K D. Temperature control shall be stable to within 0.030K below 1K, 0.1K below 10K, and to within 1% above 10K E. Temperature sensor at the sample position. One temperature sensor shall minimally span the temperature range from 0.200K to 300K a. The temperature sensor must have an accuracy of ± 0.005K or better at 1.4K, ±0.005K or better at 4.2K, ±0.030K or better at 77K, and ±0.100K or better at 300K in zero magnetic field. b. The temperature sensor must be appropriate for use in high magnetic fields. The temperature sensor must have a typical error in readings that is less than 5% (delta T/T) for temperatures 2K and above for all magnetic fields up to 10 Tesla, and less than 2% for temperatures 4K and above for all magnetic fields up to 10 Tesla. F. The 1K pot pump shall be a dry pump Beam Configuration: A. The neutron beam shall be considered to have a straight through beam at the sample position, plus an angular divergence above and below this straight through height. The straight through neutron beam height is 2.00 inches, symmetric about the neutron beam centerline. The vertical divergence is considered to be 5 degrees above and 5 degrees below this straight through height, measuring the angle from the sample position. Magnet Configuration: A. Cryostat shall provide 360 degree access to the sample in the horizontal scattering plane without intersecting any liquid cryogens or any part of the cooling system. B. Only thinned aluminum or aluminum alloy windows shall be used in the horizontal scattering plane. The maximum combined thickness of all neutron windows shall be 0.030 inches along a radial line from the outer containment wall to the middle of the sample space. C. The neutron beam centerline is located 34.625 inches below the mounting interface to the magnet cryostat (facility interface). The insert shall allow for vertical height adjustment of at least one (1) inch above and below the correct height (defined below) for future use flexibility. This can be achieved by means of a sliding seal or similar design. D. The flat surface of the sample mount is 1.75 inches above the neutron beam centerline when the cryostat is in its nominal position. E. The outer diameter of the vacuum can must be 3.000 ± 0.005 inches. The inner diameter of sample well in the neutron beam path shall be a minimum of 2.80 inches. F. The sample well depth below the neutron beam centerline should be maximized to accommodate large sample holders, and must be no less than 1.70 inches. This is to ensure that, the total depth of the sample area from flat mounting surface to inside bottom of can is no less than 3.45 inches. Facility Interface: A. The cryostat must fit in the well of a nominally 3.0 inch diameter open bore magnet, 36.5 inches deep. B. The magnet has three (3) studs (¼-20 studs, 1 inch long) for insert attachment equally spaced on a 3.75 inch diameter bolt circle. The insert will attach to the magnet by means of a flange with three (3) thru-holes for ¼-20 bolts on a 3.75 inch diameter bolt circle. C. Electrical power requirement: must run on 30A, 220V single phase (NEMA L7-30); 30A, 208V three phase (NEMA L21-30); or 20A, 120V single phase power (NEMA L5-20). D. In order to be useable on all intended instruments, cabling between the cryostat and the pumping stations and electronics must be at least 18 feet in length. E. Power cords on the electronics must be a minimum of 12 feet long. F. Vacuum hose between cryostat and pump must be a minimum of 10 feet long. G. Contractor shall provide all power connections Sample Mounting: A. The flat sample mounting surface will have a 5/16-18 male threaded stud that protrudes 0.375 inches in length. The stud shall be made for full thread engagement. B. The flat surface of the sample mount is 1.75 inches above the neutron beam centerline when the cryostat is in its nominal position. Tasks: Draft Design Drawing: The Contractor shall provide draft design drawings of the cryostat insert and related design information not later than one (1) month after award. The drawings shall illustrate the overall design and the interface to the magnet (defined below) and sample mounting surface (defined below). The design drawings shall include at a minimum, overall dimensions, dimensional and construction details of the vacuum shroud, and interface information for magnet and samples. The Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) will review the drawings for compliance with specifications and to make a reasonable determination that there will not be any unforeseen complications. The Government will provide comments on the draft design to the Contractor not later than two (2) weeks after receipt of materials. Final Design Drawing: The Contractor shall provide final design drawings of the helium-3 insert and related design information not later than two (2) months after award. The drawings shall illustrate the overall design and the interface to the magnet (defined below) and sample mounting surface (defined below). The design drawings shall include at a minimum, overall dimensions, dimensional and construction details of the vacuum shroud, and interface information for magnet and samples. Manufacturing: Upon completion of the design review and receipt of authorization from the Government, the Contractor shall manufacture the systems ordered in accordance with their proposed design. The Government shall provide authorization to proceed to manufacture the ordered systems. The Contractor shall not begin to manufacture the systems until the Government's authorization is provided. The COR shall provide this authorization. Authorization to proceed to manufacture by the Government does not imply acceptance or a decision by the Government that the proposed design will successfully meet all required specifications. All responsibility for the product to meet specifications rests on the Contractor. The Contractor will pack and ship the system and all required materials, such as manuals and documentation to NIST. Period of Performance: The period of performance shall be 6 months after receipt of order for the delivery of the systems. A one (1) year warranty begins upon receipt and acceptance of the systems at NIST. Government Responsibilities: The Government will review draft and final design documents. The Government will provide comments on the draft design documents, and if necessary on the final design documents. The Government will review and accept the draft and final design documents. Along with acceptance of the final design, the Government will authorize the Contractor to begin manufacturing the system(s). The COR shall provide this authorization. NIST requires limited data rights for the drawings. NIST requests to use Contractor supplied system drawings in internal documentation and user manuals, and for presentations in scientific meetings. NIST will attribute the drawings to the Contractor, if the Contractor's name is not already on the drawings. Deliverables: The Government requires delivery to be made according to the following schedule: Deliverable Due Dates Draft Design One (1) month from the date of award. Comments from Government due in three (3) weeks after receipt of materials. Final Design Three (3) weeks after receipt of Government comments on draft design. Delivery of Helium-3 Cryostat Insert Six (6) months after the date of award. Inspection and Acceptance Criteria (see FAR 52.212-4(a)): The Government will inspect the equipment within three (3) weeks of arrival at NIST. Upon delivery, and again during unpacking, NIST will inspect for shipping damage and lost or missing equipment. The three (3) week period commencing with delivery receipt at NIST will be used for acceptance testing. The equipment will be examined for conformance to NIST specifications. The equipment will be installed and run to establish conformance with design specifications for operating temperature range, base temperature hold time, etc. Delivery: 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. Provisions and Clauses: The following provisions and clauses apply to this acquisition and are hereby incorporated by reference. All FAR clauses may be viewed at http://acquisition.gov/comp/far/index.html. Provisions: 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors - Commercial Items 52.213-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications - Commercial Items Offerors shall 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. Clauses: 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 Rerepresentation 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 52.222-35 Equal Opportunity for Special Disabled Veterans 52.222-36 Affirmative Action for Workers with Disabilities 52.222-37 Employment Reports on Special Disabled Veterans 52.225-3 Buy American Act - Free Trade Agreement - Israeli Trade Act Alternate I of 52.225-3 52.225-13 Restriction on Certain Foreign Purchases, and 52.232-33 Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer-Central Contractor Registration. 52.247-34 F.O.B. Destination 1352.201-72 Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) 1352.271-83 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) The Government shall respond to Condition Reports, as defined in the Specifications, within five (5) working days, unless the Government notifies the contractor that a longer period of time will be required. If the contractor requests a response in less than five (5) working days, the Government will attempt to accommodate the request, but does not guarantee a response in less than the time limits stated above. (c) 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 Instructions to Offerors: Central Contractor Registration: In accordance with FAR 52.204-7, the awardee must be registered in the Central Contractor Registration (www.ccr.gov) prior to award. Refusal to register shall forfeit award. Due Date for Quotations: Offerors shall submit their quotations so that NIST receives them not later than 03:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday, September 7, 2010. FAX quotations shall not be accepted. E-mail quotations shall be accepted at joshua.holliday@nist.gov. Offerors' quotations shall not be deemed received by the Government until the quotation is entered into the e-mail address inbox set forth above. Quotations shall be sent to the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Acquisition Management Division, Attn: Joshua Holliday, 100 Bureau Drive, Stop 1640, Gaithersburg, MD 20899-1640. All offerors should ensure the RFQ number is visible on the outermost packaging. 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 48 hour (excluding weekends and holidays) prior notice shall be provided to Joshua Holliday, Contract Specialist on 301-975-8497. Addendum to FAR 52.212-1, Quotation Preparation Instructions: 1) Price Quotation: The offeror shall submit an original and one copy of the completed price schedule. If the quotation is submitted electronically, additional copies are not required. The pricing quotation shall be separate from any other portion of the quotation. The offeror shall propose a firm-fixed-price, preferably FOB Destination, for each CLIN. Price quotations shall remain valid for a period of 90 days from the date quotations are due. 2) Technical Quotation: The offeror shall submit an original and one copy of the technical quotation. If the quotation is submitted electronically, additional copies are not required. The technical quotation shall address the following: Technical Capability: The offeror shall submit a technical description or product literature for the equipment it is proposing, which clearly identifies the manufacturer, make and model. The offeror must demonstrate that its proposed equipment meets or exceeds each minimum requirement described in the statement of work by providing a citation to the relevant section of its technical description or product literature. The offeror shall submit a drawing that shows the general construction of the helium-3 cryostat insert that is being offered. If the drawing is not specific to this requirement, the offeror shall note the areas that will be modified to meet the requirements. If applicable, evidence that the Offeror is authorized by the original equipment manufacturer to provide the item(s) in the quotation should be included. Experience: The offeror shall demonstrate the extent to which it has recently manufactured, distributed, and installed similar equipment. Past Performance: The offeror shall provide past performance information regarding relevant contracts over the past three (3) years with Federal, state, or local governments, or commercial customers. If the offeror intends to subcontract with another firm(s) for part of this requirement, that firm's past performance information shall also be provided. If the offeror has no relevant past performance, it may include a statement to that effect in its quotation. The government reserves the right to consider data obtained from sources other than those described by the offeror in its quotation. It is recommended that approximately 3-5 contracts be referenced. The description of each contract/order described in this section shall not exceed one half page in length. For each contract/order, the offeror shall provide the following information: 1. Contract number 2. Description and relevance to solicitation requirements including dollar value 3. Period of Performance - indicate by month and year the state and completion (or "ongoing") dates for the contract 4. Reference Contact - If a non-Government contract, identify the name and address of the client with current telephone number and email address of a point of contact of the client responsible for the contract 5. Contracting Office - If a Government contract (Federal or state), identify the Procuring Contracting Officer (PCO), administrative Contracting Officer (ACO), and Contracting Officer's Representative (COR), and their names, current telephone numbers and email addresses. 6. Problems Encountered - include information regarding information regarding any problems encountered on the contracts described above and corrective actions taken to resolve those problems. Acceptance of Terms and Conditions: This is an open-market solicitation for equipment as defined herein. The Government intends to award a Purchase Order as a result of this solicitation that will include the clauses set forth herein. The quotation should include one of the following statements: "The terms and conditions in the solicitation are acceptable to be included in the award document without modification, deletion, or addition." OR "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) Note: 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. Basis for Award Determination: The Government will award a purchase order resulting from this solicitation to the responsible offeror 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 • Experience • Past Performance • Price Technical Capability, Experience, and Past Performance, when combined, shall be more important than Price. Technical Capability: Evaluation of Technical Capability will be based on the information provided in the quotation. NIST will evaluate whether the offeror has demonstrated that its proposed equipment meets or exceeds all minimum requirements. Quotations that do not demonstrate the proposed equipment meets all requirements will not be considered further for award. If an offeror does not indicate whether its proposed equipment meets a certain minimum requirement, NIST will determine that it does not. Experience: The Government will evaluate the extent of the offeror's experience providing similar equipment. NIST will give preference to offerors who demonstrate they have experience delivering the same equipment they are proposing for the current requirement. Past Performance: The Government will evaluate the offeror's past performance information and, if appropriate, its proposed subcontractors' past performance to determine its relevance to the current requirement and the extent to which it demonstrates that the offeror has successfully completed relevant contracts in the past five years. In assessing the offeror's past performance information, NIST will evaluate the quality, timeliness, and ability to control cost and schedule of the past work. Evaluation of this factor will be based on information contained in the technical portion of the quotation and information provided by references. The Government will evaluate past performance information by contacting appropriate references, including NIST references, if applicable. The Government may also consider other available information in evaluating the offeror's past performance. The Government will assign a neutral rating if the offeror has no relevant past performance information. Price: Quoted price will be evaluated for reasonableness. Past Performance, Experience, and Price shall not be evaluated on quotes that are determined technically unacceptable under the Technical Capability Evaluation factor. 1352.233-70 Agency Protests (Apr 2010) (a) An agency protest may be filed with either: (1) the contracting officer, or (2) at a level above the contracting officer, with the appropriate agency Protest Decision Authority. See 64 Fed. Reg. 16,651 (April 6, 1999) (b) Agency protests filed with the Contracting Officer shall be sent to the following address: NIST/Acquisition Management Division ATTN: Todd Hill, Contracting Officer 100 Bureau Drive, MS 1640 Gaithersburg, MD 20899 (c) Agency protests filed with the agency Protest Decision Authority shall be sent to the following address: NIST/Acquisition Management Division ATTN: Head of The Contracting Office (HCO) 100 Bureau Drive, MS 1640 Gaithersburg, MD 20899 (d) A complete copy of all agency protests, including all attachments, shall be served upon the Contract Law Division of the Office of the General Counsel within one day of filing a protest with either the Contracting Officer or the Protest Decision Authority. (e) Service upon the Contract Law Division shall be made as follows: U.S. Department of Commerce Office of the General Counsel Chief, Contract Law Division Room 5893 Herbert C. Hoover Building 14th Street and Constitution Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20230. FAX: (202) 482-5858 1352.233-71 GAO and Court of Federal Claims Protests (Apr 2010) (a) A protest may be filed with either the Government Accountability Office (GAO) or the Court of Federal Claims unless an agency protest has been filed. (b) A complete copy of all GAO or Court of Federal Claims protests, including all attachments, shall be served upon (i) the Contracting Officer, and (ii) the Contract Law Division of the Office of the General Counsel, within one day of filing a protest with either GAO or the Court of Federal Claims. (c) Service upon the Contract Law Division shall be made as follows: U.S. Department of Commerce Office of the General Counsel Chief, Contract Law Division Room 5893 Herbert C. Hoover Building 14th Street and Constitution Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20230. FAX: (202) 482-5858
 

Web Link

FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/DOC/NIST/AcAsD/SB1341-10-RQ-0359/listing.html)
 

Place of Performance

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

Zip Code: 20899
 

Record

SN02256862-W 20100828/100827000549-e66828e8ce5ac09dc99ba00ff06f56ed (fbodaily.com)
 

Source

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

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