SOURCES SOUGHT
66 -- Micro X-ray Fluorescence (μXRF)
- Notice Date
- 2/6/2017
- 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
- AMD-SS17-20
- Archive Date
- 3/7/2017
- Point of Contact
- Lynda M Horton, Phone: 3019753725, Patrick K Staines, Phone: (301)975-6335
- E-Mail Address
-
Lynda.Horton@nist.gov, patrick.staines@nist.gov
(Lynda.Horton@nist.gov, patrick.staines@nist.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- INTRODUCTION This is a Sources Sought notice. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. The purpose of this notice is to obtain information regarding the availability and capability of qualified business sources. Your responses to the information requested will assist the Government in determining the appropriate acquisition method, including whether a set-aside is possible. NIST is seeking responses from all responsible sources, including large, foreign, and small businesses. Small businesses are defined under the associated NAICS code for this effort, 334516, as those domestic sources having 1000 employees or less. Please include your company's size classification and socio-economic status in any response to this notice. NOTE: This notice is strictly for obtaining Market Research. There will be no Question & Answer period under this Sources Sought Notice. BACKGROUND/PURPOSE The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) seeks information on commercial contractors that are capable of providing a Micro X-ray Fluorescence (μXRF) to support research in the Physical Measurement Laboratory. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Radioactivity Group within the Radiation Physics Division performs elemental and isotopic measurements using a variety of spectro-chemical instrumental methods, fulfilling customer needs through the provision of NIST Standard Reference Materials (SRMs). As a part of the certification process for our natural matrix and nuclear forensics SRMs measurements of the homogeneity of these materials is required. Typical methods that have been used in the past have been limited to only a few measurements as well as limited to only a few elements on the periodic table or have had to rely on the equipment of other laboratories to achieve the needed measurements. With the expansion of our nuclear forensics SRM program to include the production of particle SRMs which will require instrumentation capable of performing an elemental survey on small (< 500 micron) particles and our existing natural matrix program we require an instrumental technique that is capable of assessing multiple elements simultaneously and that can perform a large number of measurements to adequately asses the homogeneity of our SRMs as well as perform these measurements on small particles. This critical need is currently not available in the Radiation Physics Division. A micro X-ray Fluorescence (μXRF) is an instrument which can achieve the tasks required significantly enhancing our capabilities. After results of this market research are obtained and analyzed, and specifications developed, NIST may conduct a competitive procurement and subsequently award a Purchase Order(s) for the complete system. If at least two qualified small businesses are identified during this market research stage, then any competitive procurement that resulted would be conducted as a small business set-aside. SCOPE NIST is seeking contractors who have the capabilities to provide a Micro X-ray Fluorescence (μXRF) meeting or exceeding the following specifications: Section 1: X-ray Optics: Minimum specifications The instrument must be designed to accommodate two X-ray sources within the instrument housing. 1. The system must be equipped with one (1) poly-capillary optic coupled to a Rhodium X-ray tube. a. Must be co-aligned within < 5 m to the cross hair of the coupled optical magnifying camera. b. The polycapillary optic must be capable of achieving "spot-sizes*" (long axis of the ellipse) that range from less than 30 µm to a minimum of 200 µm. The method used for determining the spot size must be provided. *The "spot-size" must be expressed as the major and minor dimensions of the ellipse (note that either 1/e2 width or FWHM are acceptable expressions, provided the source is known to have Gaussian beam character). 2. The system must also be equipped with one (1) collimated Cu X-ray tube. a. Must be co-aligned within <10 µm to the cross hair of the coupled optical magnifying camera. b. Must use a collimator permanently aligned to the X-ray tube. c. The "spot-size" must be a minimum of 1 mm in any dimension. Section 2: X-ray detector hardware 1. The system must contain two energy dispersive X-ray detectors, aligned to detect fluoresced X-rays from the sample. a. The X-ray detectors must be a silicon drift detectors (SDDs). b. The detectors must have a minimum active area of 30 mm2. c. The detectors must have an active silicon area of at least 400 m thickness. d. When counting at an output count rate of 100,000 counts per second, FWHM of the Mn Kα peak must be 150 eV or lower. 2. The system must be equipped with pulse processor(s) paired to (each of) the X-ray detector(s). Service Maintenance The contractor shall provide on-site field service (in addition to the one-year warranty) for a minimum period of one up to three years after receipt and acceptance. Service shall be provided within 5-10 business days of the initial telephone call from the end user. The service shall include an on-site visit covering all travel, labor and related parts (parts include general parts of the instrument, xray tubes, anodes, and consumables), shipping, one preventive maintenance visit per year, unlimited telephone support and software upgrades. The warranty shall commence upon successful completion of delivery, installation, training and demonstration of all required specifications. RESPONSE INFORMATION In order for a contractor to clearly convey their capability to fulfill the above-identified need, they MUST SUBMIT the following information. It is preferred that Capability Statements address each of the components in the order in which they are listed below. Please provide information regarding the following: 1. Companies that manufacture or can provide the instrument with the desired capabilities must submit a detailed capability statement, addressing all of the specifications discussed above, in an organized format (preferably in the same order as listed above) that allows for a direct correlation to the requested information. 2. Indication of number of days, after receipt of order that is typical for delivery of such systems. 3. Any other relevant information that is not listed above which the Government should consider in developing its minimum specifications and finalizing its market research. 4. The contractor must describe the length of its warranty and what is included in the warranty. The contractor needs to describe if they offer an extended warranty option and what it includes. 5. The contractor needs to specifically describe its maintenance and support strategy and warranty terms for any components or sub-systems, including those that are manufactured by a third-party contractor. If maintenance or support is needed, the contractor needs to discuss if various parts of the system will need to be shipped out or if a technician will travel to NIST. 6. The contractor shall indicate how long it would take to manufacture the system based on the specifications identified in this sources sought notice as well as indicate time frames for delivery. Each response shall include the following Business Information: 1. Name of the company that manufactures the system components for which specifications are provided 2. Name of company(ies) that are authorized to sell the system components, their addresses, and a point of contact for the company (name, phone number, fax number and email address). 3. Name, title, telephone number, and e-mail addresses of individuals who can verify the demonstrated capabilities identified in the responses. 4. Business size for NAICS 334516 (1000 employees) and status, if qualified as an 8(a) firm (must be certified by SBA), Small Disadvantaged Business (must be certified by SBA), Woman-Owned Small Business, HUBZone firm (must be certified by SBA), and/or Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (must be listed in the VetBiz Contractor Information Pages). 5. DUNS number, CAGE Code, Tax Identification Number, and company structure (Corporation, LLC, partnership, joint venture, etc.). Companies also must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM www.sam.gov ) to be considered as potential sources. 6. Identification of the firm's GSA Schedule contract(s) by Schedule number and contract number and SINs that are applicable to this potential requirement are also requested. SUBMISSION INFORMATION Responses must be submitted no later than February 20, 2017 at 11:00AM, EST. Capability statements will not be returned and will not be accepted after the due date. GENERAL INFORMATION As previously stated, the Government will not entertain questions regarding this Market Research; however, general questions may be forwarded to the following: Contracts Specialist: Lynda Horton Email Address: Lynda.Horton@nist.gov Phone: 301-975-3725 Contracting Officer: Patrick Staines Email Address: Patrick.Staines@nist.gov "Disclaimer and Important Notes. This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in response. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine the organization's qualifications to perform the work. Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted. After a review of the responses received, a pre-solicitation synopsis and solicitation may be published in Federal Business Opportunities. However, responses to this notice will not be considered adequate responses to a solicitation. Confidentiality. No proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included in your response. The Government reserves the right to use any non-proprietary technical information in any resultant solicitation(s)."
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