SOLICITATION NOTICE
66 -- LIQUID SCINTILLATION COUNTER SYSTEM
- Notice Date
- 7/28/2014
- Notice Type
- Combined Synopsis/Solicitation
- NAICS
- 334519
— Other Measuring and Controlling Device Manufacturing
- Contracting Office
- Department of Commerce, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Acquisition Management Division, 100 Bureau Drive, Building 301, Room B130, Gaithersburg, Maryland, 20899-1410, United States
- ZIP Code
- 20899-1410
- Solicitation Number
- SB1341-14-RQ-0452
- Archive Date
- 9/30/2014
- Point of Contact
- Randy E. Schroyer, Phone: (301) 975-6314, Mimi Robinson, Phone: 301-975-3696
- E-Mail Address
-
randy.schroyer@nist.gov, mimi.robinson@nist.gov
(randy.schroyer@nist.gov, mimi.robinson@nist.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- Total Small Business
- Description
- TITLE: LIQUID SCINTILLATION COUNTER RFQ NO.: SB1341-14-RQ-0452 THIS IS A COMBINED SYNOPSIS/SOLICITATION FOR COMMERCIAL SERVICES 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. FAR PART 13 SIMPLIFIED ACQUISITION PROCEDURES ARE UTILIZED IN THIS PROCUREMENT. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONSTITUTES THE ONLY SOLICITATION; QUOTATIONS ARE BEING REQUESTED AND A WRITTEN SOLICITATION DOCUMENT WILL NOT BE ISSUED. ***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) 2005-75.*** *** The associated North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code for this procurement is 334516 with a small business size standard of 500 employees.*** ***This acquisition is being set-aside 100% for small businesses*** ***The National Institute of Standards and Technology is seeking to purchase one (1) Large Capacity Liquid Scintillation Counter.*** ***All interested small businesses parties shall provide a firm fixed-price quotation for the following instrument / accessories / service in accordance with the minimum specifications noted: CLIN 0001: Large Capacity Liquid Scintillation Counter QTY: 1 ea. CLIN 0002: Ambient Kit (no refrigeration) for room temperature operation QTY: 1 ea. CLIN 0003: Unquenched LSC Standards, 20ml Vials QTY: 1 ea. CLIN 0004: Laser Printer, 110V QTY: 1 ea. CLIN 0005: High Sensitivity Option QTY: 1 ea. CLIN 0005: Unquenched TC Stds. (LL) set/3 QTY: 1 ea. CLIN 0006: Utility Cart (assembled) QTY: 1 ea. CLIN 0007: Training QTY: 1 job CLIN 0008: Extended Warranty QTY: 12 mo. CLIN 0009: Removal of Radioactive Source from existing Tri-Carb 3100 (trade-in) QTY: 1 job Minimum Specifications: Functional Requirements: 1. The Liquid Scintillation Counting (LSC) system shall consist of a unit that shall include a sample transport mechanism, two (2) Photomultiplier Tubes (PMTs), signal amplifiers and discriminators, a multichannel analyzer (MCA), an internal calibration source, a sample capacity of at least 300 standard vials, a sample conveyor mechanism, power supplies and other components necessary for operation. 2. The two (2) PMT's shall be initially matched in gain to within 10 percent. 3. The MCA must have a beta particle energy resolution of at least 0.5 keV per channel, with at least 4000 data channels. This energy resolution shall be maintained across the dynamic range of the instrument, which shall extend from 0 to 2000 kev. Each channel must have a capacity for at least 1E6 counts. 4. The LSC must be capable of being calibrated for and accurately counting samples utilizing solid scintillators. 5. The absolute counting efficiency must be at least 65% for a sealed LS vial containing tritiated toluene cocktail. The background count rate for this region under the same conditions shall not exceed 10 CPM. 6. The two (2) PMT's must be able to operate in a non-coincidence mode for Cherenkov and luminescence counting. It must be possible in this mode to record the spectrum from these PMT's. The normal operation of the PMT's shall be in coincidence mode. 7. There must be the capability for determining the relative Compton photon production efficiency (quench) in a LS vial. The number of measurements to be made on each vial must be software selectable from 0 to at least 5. The measurement time using the source must be software selectable up to at least 60 seconds. 8. There must be a non-Radioactive static control mechanism to dissipate static electricity on the outside of a LS vial before it enters the counting chamber. 9. The LSC system shall incorporate a bi-directional sample changer that is capable of handling at least 300 standard vials or 500 small vials. 10. The counter must be capable of collecting and storing for later retrieval and analysis the complete unaltered spectrum acquired by the MCA for each measurement on each LS vial. The counter must store the sample rack number, the sample position within the rack, the date of the measurement, the starting time of the measurement accurate to one second, the actual live time of the measurement accurate to one second, a quench parameter, and an error number or other parameter to indicate phase separation or problems in the measurement. The counter must be capable of continuing all of its normal operations in automatic count mode if the computer unit is being used for another purpose. 11. The counter must have an automatic diagnostic and calibration routine that, as a minimum, tests the mechanical and electrical components of the counter unit for proper operation, measures the background count rate for each PMT separately and in coincidence, measures the tritium counting efficiency for each PMT, performs a Chi-squared test, and displays the results. At least the background, tritium efficiency and sensitivities must be stored so as to maintain a record of the results. The system diagnostics shall allow a historical report of the background, calibration and performance data for at least the last 100 calibrations. 12. The counter shall be capable of performing an 'on demand' count during a sequence of automatic counts. It shall also return the system to the 'interrupted' sample without losing any of the count/sample data and continue counting samples. 13. The system shall have provisions for the storage of at least 40 User defined counting protocols with the option for overwrite protection. These protocols shall be protected against loss during power failure. 14. In the event that the AC power to the counter unit goes off, the counter unit must be able to resume operation automatically when the AC power comes back on. The counter unit must not lose any data acquired before the start of the measurement in progress at the time of the power failure and it must not lose track of the correct date and time or of the sample rack number and sample position. 15. The counter must be capable of transferring, storing, processing, and reprocessing any number of times all of the acquired spectra. Spectral data must be available as an Excel spreadsheet and/or standard ASCII text files if so desired. Analysis reports shall also be exportable and/or saved as requested by the user. 16. System hardware must include: • 2GHz, or better based PC with 2GB RAM or larger • 200 GB or larger hard disk drive. • Backup system. • LCD Monitor • DVD+RW Disk Reader/Writer. • Laser or dot matrix printer. • MS Windows 7 or later. • EtherNet support 17. The software shall support saving the sample count results to an electronic media such as disks, CD/RW, or other standard and supportable computer data transfer media or transmitted via an RS232 link to an external computer. The data files shall be retrievable, transferable, and editable as needed using common database or spread sheet software (This software shall also be supplied and loaded onto the computer). The system shall indicate when the disk memory is nearing capacity to allow the user to remove files without loss of data. 18. The computer unit must be capable of displaying and printing the integral count rates for at least 3 software selectable regions in the spectrum currently being collected or in any stored spectrum. Each of the regions must be able to include any portion of the channels in the spectrum. The user shall be able to dynamically adjust these regions during analysis. 19. The computer unit must be capable of displaying on the monitor the spectrum that is currently being collected by the MCA or any stored spectrum. The boundaries of the integral regions must also be displayed. The display is to be in the form of an X/Y graph. The X axis must be software selectable from a range of approximately 0 to 20 keV beta particle energy up to a range of 0 to 2000 keV. The system shall also be capable of displaying sample count rate as a function of time in either a two or three dimensional format. The y axis shall be adjustable in scale and be able to toggle between linear and log scale. 20. The system must be able to print out at least the following items for each spectrum: starting date, starting time accurate to one second, live time accurate to one second, total counts in each region, total count rate in each region, a quench parameter, an error number or other parameter to indicate phase separation or problems in the measurement, and the complete spectrum as a listing of counts (or count rate) in each channel. Any or all of these items, in any order, must be software selectable for printing on the system printer. 21. The system shall be delivered with all components or accessories necessary for data input/output and programming control including but not limited to computer, keyboard, mouse or track ball, monitor, printer, plugs, and cables. 22. The system shall provide for corrected DPM output based on quench curves for single, dual, and triple label counting. These counting modes shall utilize automatic quench correction for counting efficiencies and window settings. Provisions for stored quenched or unquenched isotope beta spectrums shall be provided for 3-H and 14-C. 23. The system shall be capable of sample recall and reprocessing without recounting of the sample. 24. The system shall be designed such that the user can easily perform basic cleaning and maintenance without the use of specialized equipment and materials. Instructions for these operations shall be included. 25. The system shall come with a complete set of 7 ml and 20 ml racks, one set of protocol flags, one set of calibration standards (a background, 3-H, and 14-C vials), and a set of quench standards. 26. Submissions with regularly sold "Off the Shelf" and "Turn key" systems are expected. No prototypes, demonstration models, used or refurbished instruments will be considered. 27. (2) sets of detailed operations and maintenance manuals shall be furnished for the model being proposed. This shall include operating, calibration, and repair procedures, algorithm instructions, and hardware schematics. 28. A list of suggested spare parts inventories, including current pricing and current estimated delivery times, shall be furnished for the model being proposed. Business Considerations: DELIVERY: The Contractor shall deliver the LSC to NIST within three months of the award of the resultant purchase order. INSTALLATION: Within two months of delivery the Contractor shall provide for installation of the LSC at NIST. TRAINING: Within two months of delivery the Contractor shall provide for familiarization/ training of the LSC to six NIST Health Physics staff during the set-up, initial calibrations, and initial usage of the monitor. TRADE-IN: During the training session, the Contractor shall remove the radioactive source from an existing Tri-Carb 3100 (S/N 429599) LSC that is to be used as a trade-in and issue a certificate rendering the unit inoperable. WARRANTY: The Contractor shall provide a minimum warranty period of one year on all parts, labor and travel. The time period shall commence after the system is set-up and fully operational and NIST staff is trained. EXTENDED WARRANTY: The Contractor shall provide an extended warranty of (1) additional yr. which includes parts, labor and travel. TECHNICAL SUPPORT: The Contractor shall provide at least one year of technical support including onsite support if required. The time period shall commence after the system is set-up and fully operational and NIST staff is trained. This technical support shall include any required software upgrades or patches at no additional cost. ***END OF MINIMUM SPECIFICATIONS*** Delivery 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 delivery order, be responsible for any loss of an/or damage to the goods occurring before receipt and acceptance of the shipment by the consignee at the delivery point specified in the delivery order; and pay all charges to the specified point of delivery. QUOTATION PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS: All offerors shall submit the following: Technical Quotation (Vol. I), Past Performance/References (Vol. II) and a Business/Pricing Quotation (Vol. III), as three (3) separate electronic files. Incomplete quotations may be considered non-responsive and removed from further consideration. Quotations shall be clearly and concisely written as well as being neat, indexed (cross-indexed as appropriate) and logically assembled. All pages of each part shall be appropriately numbered and identified with the name of the offeror, the date, and the solicitation number. A 1-page transmittal letter signed by an individual authorized to commit the organization shall be transmitted with the quotation to the Government. Each quotation shall be on 8.5" x 11" paper, in a commercially standard font, not smaller than 12 point font. Each page in the quotation shall be separately numbered. The quotation shall be limited to five (5) single-sided, single-spaced pages (excluding the letter of transmittal, product literature and past-performance information). Overall Arrangement of Documents Technical Quotation (Volume I) - No pricing information shall be included in the technical quotation Technical Capability: The offeror must submit a technical description of the system it is proposing, to include product literature which clearly identifies the manufacturer, make and model. The offeror must demonstrate that its proposed system meets each minimum requirement described in the specifications by providing a citation to the relevant section of its technical description or product literature. An operations manual, clearly describing compliance with the specifications and performance parameters, including but not limited to, sample data from current operating systems may be submitted. Evidence that the offeror is authorized by the original equipment manufacturer to provide the item(s) in the quotation should be included. The offeror must acknowledge that NIST will not store the instrument onsite before it is installed. The technical quotation must designate the country of origin for the system being offered. Past Performance/References (Volume II) Offerors must provide a list of at least three (3) references to which 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 and e-mail address 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 the delivery or the date services were completed. Business/Pricing Quotation (Volume III) The offeror must propose a firm fixed FOB Destination price, for each CLIN, including an allowance for the trade-in unit. The offeror must state express warranty coverage. Price quotation must remain valid for a period of 90 days from the date quotations are due. BASIS FOR AWARD AND EVALUATION CRITERIA: ***BASIS FOR AWARD*** The Government will award a purchase order resulting from this solicitation to the responsible offeror whose quotation, conforming to the requirements of the solicitation, is evaluated to be the Lowest Price Technically Acceptable (LPTA) quotation and has satisfactory past performance, considering the Government's evaluation of all non-price and price factors. The Government intends to make a single award and reserves the right to make no award as a result of this solicitation. The Government intends to evaluate quotations and award a purchase order without discussions with offerors. Therefore, the offeror's initial quotation should contain the offeror's best terms from a price and technical standpoint. However, the Government reserves the right to conduct discussions if later determined by the Contracting Officer to be necessary. The Government may reject any and or all quotations if such action is in the public interest. Non-price factors (technical capability, past performance/references) and price are approximately equal in importance. Past Performance and Price will not be evaluated on quotations that are determined technically unacceptable under the Technical Capability evaluation factor. ***EVALUATION CRITERIA*** NIST will evaluate quotations as follows: ***TECHNICAL Technical Capability The Government will evaluate the offerors proposed system and related literature to determine the extent to which the system meets all minimum specifications. Quotations that do not demonstrate the proposed system meets all requirements will not be considered further for award. If an offeror does not indicate whether its proposed instrument meets a certain minimum requirement, NIST will determine that it does not. ***PAST PERFORMANCE Evaluation will be based on the past performance of the Contractor selling the equipment, their experience, the dependability of the equipment, the manufacturers repair policies and support record, the expertise and capability of the manufacturer to provide the customer with phone support, ability to remotely troubleshoot problems related to operation and communicate accurate instructions for user repairs. It is the offeror's responsibility to ensure this information is accurate. ***PRICE The Government will evaluate the offeror's proposed prices to determine the lowest priced of those technicaly acceptable offers. Unreasonably low or high may not be considered. ***PROVISIONS / CLAUSES*** The following provisions apply to this acquisition: 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors - Commercial Items 52.212-3 Offerors Representations and Certifications- Commercial Items; 52.222-22 Previous Contracts and Compliance Reports; 52.222-25 Affirmative Action Compliance; 52.225-25 Prohibition on Contracting with Entities Engaging in Sanctioned Activities Relating to Iran - Representation and Certification 52.252-1 Solicitation Provisions Incorporated by Reference SOLICITATION PROVISIONS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE (FEB 1998) This solicitation incorporates one or more solicitation provisions by reference, with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make their full text available. The offeror is cautioned that the listed provisions may include blocks that must be completed by the offeror and submitted with its quotation or offer. In lieu of submitting the full text of those provisions, the offeror may identify the provision by paragraph identifier and provide the appropriate information with its quotation or offer. Also, the full text of a solicitation provision may be accessed electronically at this/these address(es): http://acquisition.gov/far/index.html All interested offerors must be actively registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) website located at https://www.sam.gov and must complete annual representations on-line in SAM 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: 52.204-7 System for Award Management; 52.223-7 Notice of Radioactive Materials; NOTICE OF RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS (JAN 1997) (a) The Contractor shall notify the Contracting Officer or designee, in writing, fifteen days prior to the delivery of, or prior to completion of any servicing required by this contract of, items containing either (1) radioactive material requiring specific licensing under the regulations issued pursuant to the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended, as set forth in Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations, in effect on the date of this contract, or (2) other radioactive material not requiring specific licensing in which the specific activity is greater than 0.002 microcuries per gram or the activity per item equals or exceeds 0.01 microcuries. Such notice shall specify the part or parts of the items which contain radioactive materials, a description of the materials, the name and activity of the isotope, the manufacturer of the materials, and any other information known to the Contractor which will put users of the items on notice as to the hazards involved (OMB No. 9000-0107). (b) If there has been no change affecting the quantity of activity, or the characteristics and composition of the radioactive material from deliveries under this contract or prior contracts, the Contractor may request that the Contracting Officer or designee waive the notice requirement in paragraph (a) of this clause. Any such request shall- (1) Be submitted in writing; (2) State that the quantity of activity, characteristics, and composition of the radioactive material have not changed; and (3) Cite the contract number on which the prior notification was submitted and the contracting office to which it was submitted. (c) All items, parts, or subassemblies which contain radioactive materials in which the specific activity is greater than 0.002 microcuries per gram or activity per item equals or exceeds 0.01 microcuries, and all containers in which such items, parts or subassemblies are delivered to the Government shall be clearly marked and labeled as required by the latest revision of MIL-STD 129 in effect on the date of the contract. (d) This clause, including this paragraph (d), shall be inserted in all subcontracts for radioactive materials meeting the criteria in paragraph (a) of this clause. 52.245-1 Government Property; 52.232-40 Providing Accelerated Payments to Small Business Subcontractors; 52.237-2 Protection of Government Buildings, Equipment, and Vegetation; 52.247-34 F.o.b. Destination; 52.252-2 Clauses Incorporated by Reference; CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE (FEB 1998) This contract incorporates one or more clauses by reference, with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make their full text available. Also, the full text of a clause may be accessed electronically at this/these address(es): http://acquisition.gov/far/index.html 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: 52.204-10 Reporting Executive Compensation and First-Tier Subcontract Awards; 52.209-6 Protecting the Government's Interest When Subcontracting with Contractors Debarred, Suspended, or Proposed for Debarment; 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; 52.223-18 Contractor Policy to Ban Text Messaging While Driving; 52.225-3 Buy American Act, Alt I - Free Trade Agreements - Israeli Trade Act; 52.225-13 Restriction on Certain Foreign Purchases; and 52.232-33 Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer-Central Contractor Registration The following Department of Commerce (CAR) provision applies to this acquisition: 1352.213-70 Evaluation Utilizing Simplified Acquisition Procedures The following Department of Commerce (CAR) clauses apply to this acquisition: 1352.201-70 Contracting Officer's Authority; 1352.209-72 Restrictions Against Disclosure; 1352.209-73 Compliance with the Laws; 1352.209-74 Organizational Conflict of Interest; 1352.237-71 Security Processing Requirements-Low Risk; 1352.246-70 Place of Acceptance; 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 ***This is an Open-Market Combined Synopsis/Solicitation for equipment and services as defined herein. The Government intends to award a firm fixed-price 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). The Government has the right to reject exception(s), deletion(s), and addition(s). Offerors that fail to furnish required representations or information, or reject the terms and conditions of the solicitation may be excluded from consideration. ***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. ***Offerors shall e-mail their quotation to randy.schroyer@nist.gov so that it is received by the response date/time for this solicitation. It is the responsibility of the offeror to confirm NIST's receipt of its quotation. Each quotation shall include sufficient data to allow the Government to determine the amount, realism and consistency of the quoted fixed price. ***All questions regarding this solicitation shall be submitted in writing via e-mail to the Contract Specialist, Randy Schroyer, at randy.schroyer@nist.gov no later than 5:00PM EST August 4, 2014. ***The due date and time for receipt of quotations is August 8, 2014, 2014 no later than 5:00PM EST.
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