National Institute of Standards & Technology, Acquisition & Assistance Div., Bldg. 301, Rm B117, Gaithersburg, MD 20899

66 -- CARBON COATER UNIT AND METAL SPUTTER COATER SOL 53SBNB860133 DUE 090498 POC Brena K. Lee, (301) 975-6394 WEB: NIST Contracts Homepage, http://www.nist.gov/admin/od/contract/contract.htm. E-MAIL: NIST Contracts Office, Contract@nist.gov. This is a combined synopsis/ solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation. Quotations are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. Solicitation 53SBNB860133 is issued as a Request for Quotation (RFQ) using simplified acquisition procedures. The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 97-04. The Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) code is 5049. This is a small business size set-aside and the related small business size standard is 500 employees. This is a brand name or equal RFQ. The Contract Line Item Number (CLIN), quantities, and unit issues are as follows: CLIN 0001, 1 each. Carbon Coater Unit (Cressington Model C208SEM): 1) Vacuum evaporator system includes a turbo-molecular pump backed by a mechanical rotary pump mounted on an anti-vibration table. 2) Fully integrated all metal vacuum pumping system with minimum 80 liter/sec turbo pump, 2 cubic meter per hour rotary pump and quick connect flange system. 3) High and low vacuum meter system with selector switch. 4) Precision needle valve for control of air/gas to allow evaporation in lower vacuum modes with "no leak" mode selector switch. 5) Automatic vacuum pumping sequence and automatic venting. 6) Microprocessor-based feedback-controlled constant current power supply (0-200 A) for evaporating carbon rods with vacuum safety interlock. 7) Automatic and manual evaporation control. 8) Digital timer/voltage setting display. 9) Rapid evaporation source offset adjustment. 10) Precision rotary/planetary/tilting sample stage with variable speed control and variable tilting (0-90 degrees) able to coat multiple one inch mounts and half inch pin stubs simultaneously. 11) Integrated thickness monitor system with thickness terminating feature. Resolution of at least 0.1 nm for carbon and a densityrange of 0.5 to 30 gm/cc. Includes spare thickness monitor crystals. 12) Modular sample chamber with aluminum alloy rings and borosilicate glass spacers. With telescopic top plate support for rapid working distance adjustment and top plate port for insertion of metal evaporation fixture. 13) Capable of automatic coating sequence in less than 3.5 minutes with a minimum vacuum of 10-4 mb under normal operating conditions. 14) System operates on 115 volts AC without the need for water supply or compressed air. 15) System is of benchtop design. 16) Includes 50 preshaped carbon rods. 17) Includes rotary pump exhaust mist filter. 18) Includes metal evaporation fixture and power supply. CLIN 0002 1 each. Metal Sputter Coater Unit (Cressington Model 208HR): 1) Sputter coating system includes a molecular drag pump backed by a mechanical rotary pump mounted on an anti-vibration table. 2) Fully integrated all metal vacuum pumping system with minimum 7.5 liter/sec molecular drag pump, 2 cubic meter per hour rotary pump and quick connect flange system. 3) 57mm diameter magnetron sputter head. 4) Precision needle valve for control of Argon gas. 5) Automatic vacuum pumping sequence and automatic venting. 6) Microprocessor-based feedback-controlled constant current power supply (0-80 mA) with vacuum safety interlock. 7) Independent power and pressure adjustments. 8) Automatic and manual sputtering control with pause feature. 9) Digital timer/mA setting display. 10) Adjustable target to shutter distance. 11) Precision rotary/planetary/tilting sample stage with variable speed control and variable tilting (0-90 degrees) able to coat multiple one inch mounts and half inch pin stubs simultaneously. 12) Integrated thickness monitor system with thickness terminating feature. Resolution of at least 0.1 nm for carbon and a density range of 0.5 to 30 gm/cc. Includes spare thickness monitor crystals. 13) Modular sample chamber with aluminum alloy rings and borosilicate glass spacers capable of rapid working distance adjustment. 14) Capable of automatic coating sequence in less than 5 minutes under normal operating conditions. 15) System operates on 115 volts AC without the need for water supply or compressed air. 16) System is of benchtop design. 17) Includes chromium, platinum/palladium, gold and gold/palladium sputtering targets. CLIN 0003 1 set of operational and maintenance manuals for CLIN 0001-0002 The Government shall have the right to reproduce the manual for internal use; CLIN 0004 Installation & Set-up 1 lot; CLIN 0005 Capability Demonstration 1 lot. The National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST) intends to obtain a Carbon Coater Unit and Metal Sputter Coater Unit consisting of the specifications identified above. The Government requires these benchtop units with modular sample chamber and integrated thickness monitor and turbo/molecular drag pumping without any water or compressed air requirements. These units will be used to put high quality conductive thin films on specimens and research materials in support of standards research and other agency contracts. Required delivery within 90 days after contract award. The Government requires installation, set-up, a capability demonstration, and on-site training one-week after delivery. The contractor shall perform a capability demonstration after installation and set-up. The contractor shall produce a product sample identical to the product sample provided with the Contractor's proposal. The capability demonstration shall include: a) a demonstration that the units are capable of producing the same quality coatings on-site as was submitted with their proposal. (The Government will provide the substrates for this demonstration). These samples will be examined by field emission SEM for continuity, homogeneity, grain size, and reduction of charging artifacts. b) The films will be examined by field emission TEM for grain size, electron probe for contaminants, and time-of-flight SIMS for carbon purity and hydrocarbon contaminants and c) the contractor shall demonstrate that the units meet or exceed all specifications. The units shall successfully pass the capability demonstration before final acceptance. The Government requires a 12-month warranty. Warranty shall begin when the system has passed acceptance testing. On-site services shall be provided for a period of 12 month after acceptance. On-sites services shall include a maximum of 2-business day's turnaround from call to on-site services during the warranty period. FAR 52.247-35 FOB Destination, With Consignee's Premises, Delivery location is National Institute of Standards and Technology, Building 222, Room A148 Gaithersburg, MD, 20899. The provision at FAR 52-212-1, Instructions to Offerors -- Commercial Items are applicable to this acquisition. The provision at 52.212-2, Evaluation-Commercial Items, applies to this acquisition. The Government will make award to one offeror. The proposal selected for contract award will be made to the offeror whose proposal offers the best value to the Government, technical, price, and other factors considered. The Government will evaluate information based on the following criteria listed in descending order of importance. The technical factor "Meeting or Exceeding the Requirement the requirement" is worth slightly less than three-fourths of the total point score. Experience and Past Performance factors are equal in weight and are worth slightly less than one-sixth each of the total technical points. All evaluation factors other than price, when combined are significantly more important than price. 1) Meeting or Exceeding the Requirement. Evaluation of this subfactor will be based on the information provided in the technical proposal. a) The carbon evaporator shall provide high quality, reproducible, fine-grain-sized, 4 to greater than 50 nm electrically conductive carbon thin layers (coats) that have no detectable contaminant elements and minimal hydrocarbon concentration. These coats shall enable high quality electron microscope imaging and electron microprobe analyses to be performed on their underlying specimens. The evaporator shall use carbon rods, not carbon "ribbons" or "yarn" as a source. b) The sputter coater shall provide the capability of coating specimens with 2 to greater than 50 nm electrically conductive layers of ultra-fine-grained (less than 1-5 nm) Cr, Au, Pd, Pt, Au-Pd, Cu and other elements. These coats shall have no detectable contaminant elements (except minor Ar or Xe from the sputtering gas) and minimal hydrocarbon contamination. The metal coats shall have minimal oxidation immediately following deposition and venting of the coater. These coats shall enable highest quality electron microscope imaging (with field emission instruments) and high quality electron microprobe analyses to be performed on their underlying specimens. The sputter coater shall have an electronically controlled valve backing the gas inlet needle valve, permitting automatic operation at the correct gas bleed pressure. c) The instruments shall be clean-pumped with a fast pumping system, e.g., turbomolecular or molecular drag pumping. No oil diffusion pumped system will be considered. d) The systems shall be of table-top design and shall require minimum special utilities. Requiring circulating or chilled water service shall be considered a major negative feature. e) The instruments shall have accurate means to measure coat thickness and maintain its reproducibility from coating to coating. f) The instruments shall be nearly or completely automated in operation. g) The instruments shall be of modern (microprocessor-controlled) design and have an active current user base, including laboratories known to the NIST technical evaluators as doing high quality electron microscopy and quantitative x-ray microanalysis. h) The instruments shall have relatively small sample chambers (although large enough to high quality coating). Chambers are preferentially of cylinder design rather than domed "bell jar" design. It is desirable that more than one size (height) cylindrical specimen chamber be supplied as standard equipment with the systems. i) The instruments shall have high quality "planetary-rotation" stages, so that samples can be tilted and rotated about their own axis during stage rotation about a central axis to help provide for more uniform coating. 2) Experience. The Government will evaluate this factor or information provided in the technical proposal that demonstrates that the offeror has developed and delivered similar items. 3) Past Performance. Evaluation of this factor will be based on the references provided IAW FAR 52.212-1(b)(10). In accordance with FAR 52.212-1(d) offeror shall submit 3 product substrates, (a 10nm evaporated carbon film, a 5nm sputtered chromium film, and a 10nm gold film with date of each film included) with their response to this requirement. The Offerors shall contact NIST, Contracts Office, Brenda Lee, and telephone number identified above to obtain a substrate. The substrate will be mailed to the offeror by first class mail. The offer shall be responsible for requesting the substratein a timely fashion so that it can be submitted by the due date identified for receipt of responses. The Government will evaluate this information and product sample provided by the Offeror in response to the Request for Quotation (RFQ) Offerors must provide a list of at least 3 references of each unit confirming the installation and use of these units. Offerors shall comply with the provision at FAR 52.212-1(b) and submit 1) Three (3) copies of quotation which addresses CLIN 0001-0003; 2) three (3) copies of technical description of the items being offered in sufficient detail to evaluate compliance with the requirements in this solicitation and a copy of the term and condition of the proposed warranty; 3) Offeror must include the product sample with their proposal. 4) Two (2) copies of the most recent published price list(s); And 5) Two (2) copies of a list of references. The list of references shall include a minimum: The name of the reference contact person and the company or organization name; The telephone number of the reference contact person; The contract or grant number; The amount of the contract or address, and the telephone number of the Contracting Officer if applicable; And the date of services were completed. 6) Similar Experience. Offerors shall include a completed copy of the provision at 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications Commercial Items, which may be downloaded from http://www.nist.gov/admin/od/contract/repcert.htm. The clause at FAR 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions-Commercial Items, and the clause at FAR 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders-Commercial Items, applies to this acquisition, including subparagraphs (5) 52.219-14 (6) 52.222-26, (7) 52.222-35, (8) 52.222-36, (9) 52.222-37, (10) 52.225-3, (15) 52.225-21(ii) (Alternate 1), and 52.233.3, Protest After Award; Department of Commerce Agency Level Protest Procedures Level above the Contracting Officer, which can be downloaded from the NIST external web page, the Internet address is http://www.nist.gov/admin/od/contract/protest.htm. Submission shall be sent to the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Acquisition and Assistance Division, Building 301, Room B117, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, ATTN: Brenda K. Lee, Solicitation Number 53SBNB860133. Submission must be received by 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time on September 4, 1998. Faxed offers will not be accepted. Requests for a copy of a solicitation package will be disregarded. No solicitation package will be issued. If you have any questions regarding this announcement, please contact Brenda K. Lee at the telephone number identified above. See Number Note 1. Posted 08/21/98 (W-SN240341). (0233)

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