National Institute of Standards & Technology, Acquisition & Assistance Div.,100 Bureau Drive Stop 3572, Bldg. 301, Rm B117, Gaithersburg, MD 20899-3572

34 -- ION MILLING AND POLISHING SYSTEM SOL 53SBNB960102 DUE 061699 POC Patricia Duggan, (301) 975-8007, FAX (301) 963-7732 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 FAR 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. The solicitation number is 53SBNB960102 and is being issued as a Request for Quotation (RFQ) using Simplified Acquisition Procedures. This action is 100% set aside for small business concerns. The Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) Code is 3541. The small business size standard is 500 employees. The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 97-11. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has a requirement for one Ion Milling and Polishing System for the preparation of specimens for transmission electron microscopy with wide electron transparent regions. The design, physical, and performance characteristics of the Ion Milling and Polishing System shall include the following: (1) The ion guns shall be able to produce Argon ion beams with energies ranging up to 6 kV and shall define the ion beam by focusing rather than a cathodic aperture. (2) The specimen stage shall have the ability to be cooled by liquid nitrogen such that the temperature of a highly thermally conductive specimen will be as low as 120 K, while being milled/polished. Further, a LN2 dewar system shall be employed to provide cooling of the specimen to 120 K for a period of 3 to 4 hours. (3) The specimen stage shall have the ability to provide sector controlled milling for the preparation of cross-sectional TEM specimens as well as full rotation for plan view TEM specimens. (4) The specimen stage shall allow for specimen milling angles in the range of 0 to 10 degrees. (5) A clean vacuum system shall be employed to eliminate hydrocarbons and oils; thus a turbo-molecular pump (not an oil diffusion pump) is required. (6) The Ion Mill shall have an automatic termination system. The terminator shall have both timer-based as well as specimen perforation-based modes. As the Ion Mill is intended to prepare (visible light) optically transparent materials (such as MgO), an ion beam-based specimen perforation termination system is required (no laser or photon detection-based termination). (7) The Ion Mill shall have a micro-processor based control unit to provide accurate and reproducible milling/polishing conditions. (8) The Ion Mill shall have an installed base in North America of at least 5 units to ensure an adequate supply of spares and consumables. Required delivery is FOB Destination (Gaithersburg, MD) within 90 days after date of award. All shipping charges shall be included in the quotation. The provision at FAR 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors -- Commercial Items, is applicable to this acquisition. The Government will award a fixed price purchase order resulting from this solicitation to the responsible offeror whose offer conforming to the solicitation will be most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered. The following factors will be used to evaluate offers: (1) Technical Capability, (2) Past Performance, and (3) Price. Factors 1 and 2, when combined, are significantly more important than price. All responsible sources may submit a quote which shall be considered by the Government. All offerors shall submit the following with their quote: (1) technical description and/or product literature; (2) a list of three contracts completed during the past three years for identical items with the following information: name of contracting activity, contract number, total contract value, contracting officer, and telephone number; and (3) a completed copy of the provision at 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications -- Commercial Items (available at the Internet site www.arnet.gov/far). The following FAR clauses apply to this acquisition: 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions -- Commercial Items; and 52.212-5(a) -- Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders -- Commercial Items. The following additional FAR clauses, which are cited in 52.212-5(b), are applicable to this acquisition: 52.222-21, Prohibition of Segregated Facilities; 52.226-26, Equal Opportunity; 52.222-35, Affirmative Action for Special Disabled Vietnam Era Veterans; 52.222-36, Affirmative Action for Handicapped Workers; 52.222-37, Employment Reports on Special Disabled Veterans and Veterans of the Vietnam Era; 52.225-3, Buy American Act-Supplies; 52.225-21, Buy American Act -- North American Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act -- Balance of Payments Program (Alternate I); 52.232-34, Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer-Other Than Central Contractor Registration. Department of Commerce Agency-Level Protest Procedures Level Above the Contracting Officer may be downloaded at Internet site www.nist.gov/admin/od/ contract/protest.htm. All interested responsible firms should submit quotes by3:00 p.m. EDT on June 16, 1999. Quotes should be mailed to the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Acquisition and Assistance Division, 100 Bureau Drive, Stop 3572, Gaithersburg, MD 20899-3572, ATTN: Patricia Duggan. Faxed quotes will not be accepted. Posted 06/02/99 (W-SN338201). (0153)

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