SOURCES SOUGHT
66 -- LARGE CAPACITY LIQUID SCINTILLATION COUNTER SYSTEM
- Notice Date
- 7/15/2014
- 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 B130, Gaithersburg, Maryland, 20899-1410, United States
- ZIP Code
- 20899-1410
- Solicitation Number
- NB152000-14-03716
- 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
- N/A
- Description
- SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE THIS IS NOT A FORMAL REQUEST FOR QUOTATION (RFQ) 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, 334516, that have the capability, to furnish Liquid Scintillation Counters. Large Capacity Liquid Scintillation Counter Specifications Description: (1) large capacity liquid scintillation counter with all appropriate accessories. 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 (PMT), 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 livetime 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, at a minimum, tests the mechanical and electrical components of the counter unit for proper operation, measures the background count rate for each PMT 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 USB 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 should 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, livetime 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. 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 preferred. Prototype or first of a kind offerings are highly discouraged. 27. The vendor shall provide two sets of detailed operations and maintenance manuals for the model purchased. This shall include operating, calibration, and repair procedures, algorithm instructions, and hardware schematics. 28. The vendor shall provide a list of suggested spare parts inventories including current prices, and current estimated delivery times. Delivery - The vendor shall provide for delivery of the LSC to NIST within three months of the award of the contract. Training - Within two months of delivery the vendor shall provide support personnel to train NIST HP staff during the set-up, initial calibrations, and initial usage of the monitor here at NIST. During this time, the Contractor shall remove the radioactive source from the old instrument (TriCarb 3100 S/N 429599) that is being used as a trade-in. Warranty - The vendor shall provide a minimum warranty period of 1 year that covers all parts, labor and travel. The time period shall start after the system is set-up and NIST staff is trained. The vendor shall also provide an extended warranty of 1 year which includes parts, labor, travel and 1 preventive maintenance visit. Technical Support - The vendor shall provide a minimum of 1 year of technical support, including onsite support if required. The time period shall commence after the system is set-up and NIST staff is trained. This technical support shall include any required software upgrades or patches without any additional cost. Small businesses that currently possess such capabilities and have prior experience providing Large Capacity Liquid Scintillation Counter Systems of the type described herein are encouraged to respond to this notice by providing the following information: 1. Narrative providing evidence of expertise in providing Large Capacity Liquid Scintillation Counter Systems. The narrative shall include a thorough description of the hardware/software, training, technical support available and warranty information offered. 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 System for Award Management (www.sam.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 to be included in the Government's assessment. 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 July 24, 2014. Responses shall be limited to 6 typed pages, including attachments.
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/DOC/NIST/AcAsD/NB152000-14-03716/listing.html)
- Place of Performance
- Address: TBD, United States
- Record
- SN03426279-W 20140717/140716022358-8ffff326ff6daa6f676f347632690ecf (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)
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