SOURCES SOUGHT
K -- Notice of Intent to Modify Purchase Order SB1341-05-N-1721
- Notice Date
- 8/8/2006
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- 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, MD, 20899-1640
- ZIP Code
- 20899-1640
- Solicitation Number
- Reference-Number-06-842-2245
- Response Due
- 8/15/2006
- Archive Date
- 8/16/2006
- Description
- This is a notice of intent to award a sole source modification to an existing purchase order that was awarded to VeriCold Technologies GMBH for custom wiring services as detailed below. BACKGROUND NIST purchased a dilution refrigerator, specified to be able to cool a sample to a base temperature of 20 milliKelvin and having a cooling power of 200 microWatts at a temperature of 100 milliKelvin, from VeriCold Technologies. At the time of the purchase of the refrigerator, NIST?s exact requirements for coupling electrical and optical signals into (and out of) the refrigerator were not known. In the meantime, NIST has settled on a need for at least two radiofrequency signal lines, for signals up to 500 MHz. In addition, NIST plans to use six optically encoded nanopositioners made by Attocube Systems. These nanopositioners are each controlled via two electrical wires and monitored with one optical fiber. REQUIRED SERVICES NIST now requires a Contractor to install two coaxial cables inside the dilution refrigerator which is currently being manufactured for NIST by VeriCold Technologies. The coaxial cable must be installed as follows: On the top of the dilution refrigerator are four DN 25 KF vacuum flanges and one DN 40 KF flange. The Contractor shall use one of the DN 25 KF flanges to rout the coaxial cables into the dilution refrigerator. The Contractor shall provide a flange containing two 50 Ohm SMA vacuum feedthroughs, either employing one of the DN 25 KF flanges directly or using an adaptor as necessary. Any adaptor must not obstruct any of the other KF flanges also present on the dilution refrigerator. A length of semirigid coaxial cable shall run from each SMA vacuum feedthrough to the second stage heat exchanger (at approximately 4 Kelvin), where both inner and outer conductors are to be thermally anchored. The coaxial cable shall also be thermally anchored at the first stage heat exchanger. From the second stage heat exchanger down to the mixing chamber, superconducting coaxial cable must be used. The cables at the mixing chamber shall be terminated in SMA connectors. In addition, the Contractor shall use one of the remaining DN 25 KF flanges to install appropriate wiring and optical fibers to allow control and readout of six Attocube nanopositioning stages, four of type ANPx100/LIN and two ANPz100/LIN. Again, the wires shall be thermally anchored at the first and second stage heat exchangers, and superconducting wire is to be used from the second stage heat exchanger to the mixing chamber. The optical fibers shall be heat sunk as necessary to maintain system performance. At the mixing chamber, appropriated connectors shall be provided to interface both optical fibers and electrical wires directly to the Attocube positioners. At the room temperature end, all electrical wires shall be connected to a single multi-pin vacuum feedthrough. The fibers shall be provided with FC/APC connectors at the room temperature end, and it is not necessary that they exit the vacuum chamber (NIST will handle that). A DN 25 KF vacuum tee shall be provided such that both wires and fibers can exit the same DN 25 KF flange on top of the dilution refrigerator, and subsequently the wires shall be routed horizontally and the fibers will exit vertically. NOTICE OF NIST'S INTENT Based on the fact that NIST is procuring the refrigerator from VeriCold Technologies, NIST intends to modify Purchase Order No. SB1341-05-N-1621 that was awarded to VeriCold Technologies to procure the services required as detailed above so that NIST will have a complete refrigerator solution. The modification will be done under the authority of Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Subpart 13.106-1(b). Other responsible sources that believe they should be provided an opportunity to complete for the wiring services detailed above shall identify themselves to joseph.widdup@nist.gov on or before the response date for this posting and clearly and unequivocally demonstrate their capability to satisfy the wiring requirements noted above and provide a rationale for how the services required as detailed above could be competed, notwithstanding the fact that the refrigerator hasn't been delivered to NIST yet. The Government will determine, based on written responses received in response to this posted notice, whether this procurement will be competed.
- Record
- SN01108722-W 20060810/060808220251 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
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