U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 26 W. Martin Luther King Dr., Cincinnati, OH 45268

99 -- X-RAY FLUORESCENCE SPECTROMETER SOL RFQ-OH-99-00096 POC Sharon Clement (513) 487-2030 WEB: Office of Acquisition Management -- Cincinnati Contracts, http://www.epa.gov/oam/cinn_cmd. E-MAIL: Sharon Clement -- Cincinnati Contracts Management, clement.sharon@epamail.epa.gov. The Environmental Protection Agency has a requirement for a research grade, wavelength dispersive, sequential X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometer to be used for the analysis of environmental air pollutants. Specifically the spectrometer will perform qualitative, semi-quantitative and quantitative measurement of elements of atomic number range 6 through 92 with sensitivities at the parts per million (ppm) level and with appropriate relative accuracies pf 10 to 50%. The spectrometer software must perform state-of-the-art "standardless" analysis of unknown specimens such as particulate captured on filters from the sampling of polluted air for which no standards exist. The Government's minimum requirements for this system are as follows: (1) 4 kilowatt x-ray tube with inverted geometry so that the sample is irradiated from below with an Rh anode and an end window thickness of not more than 75 microns; (2) stable, medium frequency, high-voltage generator sufficient to operate the x-ray tube in a range from 20 to 60 kilovolts and from 5 to at least 120 milliamperes; (3) programmable beam filter system of not less than 3 positions with a filter configuration optimized for rhodium radiation; (4) programmable collimator changer with at least four positions fitted with at least three collimators of the general description: fine, coarse, and extra coarse, the exact size of which will depend upon the geometry and optical system of the spectrometer selected; (5) at least an eight-position crystal changer fitted with at least the following 6 crystals and multilayer materials upon installation: a)LiF 200 for the analysis of potassium to uranium, b)LiF 220 for the high resolution analysis of vanadium to uranium; c)pentaerythrite (PET) crystal for the analysis of aluminum to chlorine, d)germanium 111 crystal for the analysis of phosphorus to chlorine, and e)two multilayer materials of sufficient d-spacing to cover the range of analysis of the light elements carbon through fluorine with the required sensitivity. The crystals must be temperature-controlled in the spectrometer chamber to 0.1 C; (6) a goniometer system for required positioning of the crystals and the detectors for analysis with a 2-theta angular range of not less than 4-148 degrees, a fast speed of angular positioning, a positional accuracy of not less than 0.015 degrees, and a long-term reliable positional reproducibility of not less than 0.0002. contained in a temperature-controlled vacuum chamber with supplied vacuum systems and the spectrometer cabinet temperature controlled to not less than 0.05 C; (7) a spectrometer detection system consisting of a flow proportional counter and a scintillation counter configured so that the required elements may be detected with specified accuracies, the flow counter accompanied by at least 5 replacement windows; (8) a sample handling system of approximately 50 positions, specimen holder opening sizes of about 23mm, 29 mm, or 32 mm including at least one specimen holder that holds small specimens in the correct configuration forcounting. The number of specimen holders required is not less than the number of sampling positions. The spectrometer shall have specimen spinning capability during analysis; (9) multichannel analyzer counting electronics with deadtime correction. The counting electronics shall ensure linearity of response of up to 1.5 million counts per second for the scintillation counter and up to 2 million counts per second for the flow proportional counter; (10) a helium system for liquid analysis; (11) a heat exchanger/water chiller cooling system for the x-ray tube and the spectrometer; (12) protected by integrated safety circuitry to monitor the status of the instrument and shut it down if the limits of any of its components are exceeded; (13) hardware and software with multitasking capability to operate and monitor the spectrometer, to diagnose problems including remote diagnosis of problems with the spectrometer via modem, adequate to handle the requirements for multiple and simultaneous functions, and to provide state-of-the-art capability for spectrometer set-up for data collection and for qualitative and quantitative analysis operating in a Windows 95 (or 98) or a Windows NT environment; (14) state-of-the-art analytical software to perform evaluations of data for qualitative, semiquantitative, and quantitative analysis using multivariable regression analysis accompanied by suitable mathematical correction models to minimize the influence of interfering elements in multicomponent matrices. The software must also be able to matrix-correct the intensities using fundamental parameters; (15) analytical software to perform quantitative analysis for specimens for which no standards exist capable of selecting optimal conditions for the elements to be analyzed, collecting the data, and providing a quantitative analysis with an accuracy and precision that is state-of-the-art. The standardless analysis software must be Uniquant, or, at minimum, provide the performance of Uniquant for analysis of unknown specimens; (16) equipped with calibration standards and calibrated to analyze the following elements in the following ranges in pressed pellets in a high calcium matrix (typical of cement kiln dust): (a) P, Mn, Cu: <0.1%, (b) Na, Mg, Ti, Sr <1.0%, (c) Al, Si, S, Cl, K, Fe <10.0%, (d) Ca and O <50.0%. Additionally, the purchase shall include installation including UL listing and labeling satisfactory to the North Carolina Building Code Council, on-site satisfactory calibration, on-site comprehensive training, 2 copies of instrument documentation and training materials, an 18 month warranty on the instrument, a 2-year non-prorated warranty on the x-ray tube, and timely on-site service. The hardware and software supplied must be year 2000 compliant and supported with service, parts, and upgrades for at least 10 years after purchase. THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS. This acquisition will be accomplished under FAR Par 12, Acquisition of Commercial Items. Only sources capable of fully meeting the unique technical performance specifications/capabilities outlined above, without exception, will be considered. Technical documentation must be submitted on or before March 31, 1999 to the office identified above. Posted 03/15/99 (W-SN308430). (0074)

Loren Data Corp. http://www.ld.com (SYN# 0295 19990317\99-0005.SOL)