SOURCES SOUGHT
R -- RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT AND TECHNICAL SUPPORT TO MULTIPLE NIST FACILITIES
- Notice Date
- 1/10/2011
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 541712
— Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Biotechnology)
- 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
- NB685040-11-00771
- Archive Date
- 3/31/2011
- Point of Contact
- Randy E. Schroyer, Phone: (301) 975-6314, Albert J Petto, Phone: 3019756338
- E-Mail Address
-
randy.schroyer@nist.gov, albert.petto@nist.gov
(randy.schroyer@nist.gov, albert.petto@nist.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE THIS IS NOT A FORMAL REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP) AND DOES NOT COMMIT THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY (NIST) TO AWARD A CONTRACT NOW OR IN THE FUTURE This is a SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE to determine the availability of small businesses (e.g., 8(a), service-disabled veteran owned small business, HUBZone small business, small disadvantaged business, veteran-owned small business, and women-owned small business) under NAICS code, 541712, that have the capability, experience, and expert knowledge in the area of providing technical support to R&D facilities conducting characterization and calibration of a variety of visible and infrared sources and radiometers. The Optical Technology Div. (OTD) at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) provides the nation with calibration and measurement services in the ultraviolet through infrared portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. The OTD requires Contractor support to fulfill its national calibration requirements and to provide measurement technology support to other government agencies and industry. BACKGROUND The facilities described below in the Optical Technology Division at NIST are used to support a number of programs that are required to continually maintain, characterize, and calibrate a variety of visible and infrared sources and radiometers. These programs are required to provide radiometric calibration support and optical characterization of materials for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Department of Defense (DoD), Missile Defense Agency, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and many of their supporting contractors. FACILITIES The Low Background Infrared (LBIR) Facility provides the infrared user community with a calibration base that includes both spectral and broadband measurements in a 20 K background environment. The spectral calibration capability is currently developed in three areas: spectral calibration of low-background infrared detectors, characterization of optical components, and two cryogenic transfer radiometers (BXR and MDXR) used to evaluate highly collimated infrared sources. The broadband measurements are performed for the calibration of blackbodies in radiance mode. The Optical Properties of Materials (OPM) Facility provides the scientific community with standard reference samples, as well as a service to quantitatively measure optical properties on user supplied samples. The OPM Facility provides this service from UV to Far IR with the use of a variety of dispersive spectrometers and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectrometers and sources that operate under ambient conditions. For signal detection the facility use a wide range of detectors including those that need to be operated under vacuum-cryogenic conditions. The infrared OPM Facility has established high accuracy infrared reflectance and transmittance capabilities for wavelengths between 1 µm and 18 µm. Near-normal absolute spectral reflectance and transmittance of both specular and diffuse samples can be measured from near ambient to 200 °C using a custom integrating sphere and Fourier transform (FT) spectrometer. Additional capabilities for specular samples include transmittance down to 10 K using an optical cryostat, as well as variable angle transmittance and reflectance using a custom goniometer and polarizers. Special test measurements are performed for both NIST and external customers in government and industry on a wide variety of materials including mirrors, filters, windows, coatings and cavity structures. Emittance and absorptance are obtained indirectly through combining the reflectance and transmittance under identical conditions. The measurement of directional spectral emittance, for sample temperature sup to 1000 °C, can also be performed through comparison of radiance with reference blackbody sources. To extend the ability to measure OPM to materials that operate under vacuum and cryogenic conditions, NIST is developing a new facility, the Controlled-Background System for Spectroradiometry and Spectrophotometry (CBS3). This facility will contain an evacuated, temperature-controlled infrared test chamber for measuring the optical properties of infrared materials and black body cavities and sources, and for calibrating and characterizing infrared sensors, in the 5 micrometer to 50 micrometer spectral region. This is a key spectral region for environmental satellite sensors for weather and climate monitoring. This facility will also contain a Fourier Transform Spectrometer and associated detectors and optics. The Advanced Infrared Radiometry and Imaging (AIRI) Facility mission is to establish, maintain, disseminate, and advance radiance-temperature and spectral radiance scales under ambient background conditions for Planckian sources with thermodynamic temperatures below the silver freezing point of 961 C. These scales provide traceability to the thermodynamic temperature scale and the International Temperature Scale of 1990 for internal and external customers performing radiance temperature measurements under ambient background conditions above 200 K. The Spectral Irradiance/Radiance Calibration using Uniform Sources (SIRCUS) Facility is used as a source to transfer optical and near infrared detector standards in an ambient background from primary standard detectors to transfer standards at the Spectral Comparator Facility (SCF). The SIRCUS Facility uses high power laser and linear and non-linear optical devices to create a broadly tunable, monochromatic, high power source. This source is calibrated with an absolute cryogenic radiometer, which in turn calibrates smaller, more portable transfer detector standards which can then be disseminated to the user community. The above-mentioned Spectral Comparator Facility (SCF), the Radiance and Radiance Temperature (R2T) Facility, and the Remote-Sensing Laboratory (RSL) serve to disseminate the radiometric calibration capabilities facilitated by SIRCUS to customers on a routine basis. The Aperture Area Measurement Machine (AAMM) Facility provides precision measurements of aperture areas. Aperture area measurement is essential to radiometry and uncertainties in measured aperture area directly affect uncertainties in radiometric calibration activities. The AAMM directly supports a wide variety of programs within OTD as well as missions in other government agencies and private organizations. The Hyperspectral Image Projector (HIP) facility is under development at NIST to enable electro-optical instruments to be tested with realistic dynamic scenes in which the spectrum of light projected into each spatial pixel can have an independently programmable spectrum. Prototypes are under development that operate over the ultraviolet, visible, infrared wavelength ranges, both for on-site use as well as delivery to other agency customers. The HIP units are calibrated with reference instruments that have a scale based upon the SIRCUS facility. The Thermal-Infrared Transfer Radiometer (TXR) is portable liquid-nitrogen-cooled radiometer that is calibrated and characterized at a variety of NIST facilities, including the AIRI facility, the Infrared-SIRCUS facility, and, in the future, the CBS3 facility. It is deployed off-site on an as-needed basis to check the black body source scales of industry, other-government-agency, and university facilities involved with radiometric calibrations of infrared instruments. OBJECTIVES The Contractor shall provide research and service assistance utilizing Government furnished laboratory equipment and facilities in OTD at NIST to accomplish the following general tasks: a. Operation and maintenance of the Low Background Infrared Facility (LBIR). b. Operation and maintenance of the Infrared Optical Properties Measurement (OPM) Facility. c. Development, operation, and maintenance of the Controlled-Background System for Spectroradiometry and Spectrophotometry (CBS3) Facility. d. Operation and maintenance of the Advanced Infrared Radiometry and Imaging (AIRI) Facility. e. Operation and maintenance of the Absolute Area Measurement Machine (AAMM) Facility. f. Operation and maintenance of the Spectral Irradiance/Radiance Calibration using Uniform Sources Facility (SIRCUS), including ensuring successful interaction with the SCF, R2T and RSL facilities and their capabilities to disseminate standards issued by SIRCUS. h. Operation and maintenance of infrared transfer radiometers BXR, MDXR, and TXR required of NIST by other government agencies such as NASA and DoD. i. Development of HIP hardware, software, and metrology infrastructure that supports the calibration and characterization of HIP and operation of the HIP both at NIST and at off-site facilities as needed. Effective support of these facilities will require a team of personnel with experience in the following areas: a. Large cryogenic refrigerator systems. b. Storage and handling of cryogenic liquids such as nitrogen and helium. c. Design, maintenance and use of large scale, high vacuum chambers and associated equipment. d. Design, maintenance and use of thermal infrared optical equipment, such as cryogenic radiometers, electro-optic detectors, cryogenic mirrors and opto-mechanical equipment. e. Maintenance and use of visible and infrared laser systems. f. Maintenance and use of Fourier transform infrared radiometers g. Hardware and software design and implementation for effective data acquisition and automation. h. Design, assembly, and operation of imaging, spectroscopic, and radiometric instrumentation and associated test and calibration procedures. i. Overall good mechanical skills for the routine maintenance of vacuum pumps, clean room facilities, and other simple hardware that needs routine maintenance. j. Overall good computer operating systems, hardware, security and networking skills for compliance with NIST internet technology security requirements. There is a limited need for access to national security classified information and classified work areas. Personnel with a security clearance are not required but would be advantageous to the performance of some tasks. All personnel shall have no clearly disqualifying history that would prevent national security clearance from being granted to any particular individual. In addition to research activities, the Contractor shall provide a means of recruiting additional personnel and provide incentives for retaining personnel under this initiative. Small businesses that currently possess such capabilities and have prior experience providing services using this expertise are encouraged to respond to this notice by providing the following information: 1. Narrative providing evidence of expertise in the above areas. The narrative should include: (1) description of services that align with the areas noted above; and (2) descriptions of similar projects worked on by your company as a prime contractor or as a significant subcontractor within the past five (5) years, including: (a) dollar amount of the contract; (b) detailed description of the technical AND schedule requirements of that project; (c) a copy of sample reports completed under that project (if releasable to NIST); (d) contract type used on that project; (e) indication of how long the project took/will take to complete from start to finish, and (f) name, address, point of contact, phone number and email address at customer organization for which the work was/is being done 2. Current socioeconomic status of your company including the North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code. 3. Indication of whether your company currently has an active registration in the Central Contractor Registration at www.ccr.gov and Online Representations and Certifications Application (ORCA) at https://bpn.orca.gov No telephone requests will be honored. All information provided will become property of NIST and will not be returned. The synopsis is for information and planning purposes and is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government. This is not a solicitation announcement for proposals and no contract will be awarded from this announcement. No reimbursement will be made for any costs associated with providing information in response to this announcement and any follow-up information requests. Respondents will not be notified of the results of the evaluation. All information submitted in response to this announcement must arrive on or before the closing date. All capability statements and information requested above can be submitted via e-mail to randy.schroyer@nist.gov. Responses must be submitted not later than 5:00PM EST January 28, 2011. Responses shall be limited to 15 typed pages, including attachments.
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/DOC/NIST/AcAsD/NB685040-11-00771/listing.html)
- Place of Performance
- Address: 100 Bureau Dr., Gaithersburg, Maryland, 20899-0001, United States
- Zip Code: 20899-0001
- Zip Code: 20899-0001
- Record
- SN02357559-W 20110112/110110234205-61be6878fa31ab838f66220d4bf83de7 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)
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