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

A -- RETENTION INDEX ASSESSMENT SERVICES SOL 52SBNB960099 DUE 070299 POC Angela Mills, Contract Specialist, (301) 975-8008 or Sandra Febach, Contracting Officer, (301) 975-6326 WEB: NIST Contracts Homepage, http://www.nist.gov/admin/od/contract/contract.htm. E-MAIL: NIST Contracts Office, Contract@nist.gov. THIS REQUIREMENT IS SET-ASIDE FOR SMALL BUSINESSES UNDER THE SIC CODE 7389. SIZE STANDARD (DOLLAR AMOUNT) $5M. The Physical and Chemical Properties Division of the Chemical Science and Technology Laboratory of the National Institute of Standards and Technology intends to solicit on a competitive basis for retention index assessment services and measurement of retention index data. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Mass Spectral Data Center (MSDC) is engaging in an on-going program to enhance the quality of its NIST Mass Spectral Library. Addition of a Gas Chromatograph Retention Index Database to the existing Mass Spectral Library would increase the reliability and confidence in identification of the Mass Spectral Library. The public literature contains many useful retention indices, but these retention indices need to be assessed for quality before being included in the NIST Retention Index Database. This assessment needs to be done in a timely and efficient manner. The contractor shall assess the quality of reported retention indices. The assessment shall involve determining that the retention index of a compound with a given structure is reasonable for the column and experimental conditions. The assessment shall require the ability to identify the possibility of column contamination or degradation. The assessment shall be sent to NIST in electronic form and include for each compound an unambiguous chemical name, Chemical Abstracts registry number (CAS#), recommended retention index, the number and type of original data used for deriving the recommended value, a standard deviation for the recommended uncertainty, and a complete list of all literature references. Assessments shall include conversion of retention times to retention indices when necessary. The contractor shall also provide a description of the methods for estimation in hard copy. NIST will provide to the contractor copies of the literature references to be assessed. These will be provided either in the form of paper copies or electronic files. In order to read the electronic files a copy of the NIST Retention Index Database will be made available to the contractor. Measurements of retention indices (RI) are needed for added accuracy to the RI determination from published retention times. These measurements shall focus on non-polar columns, and columns where data may be reasonably extrapolated to non-polar columns. The retention times shall be measured using a capillary Gas Chromatograph. The measured retention indices shall be sent to NIST in electronic form and entered into the database. The Chemical Abstracts number (CAS#) shall be included if available, as well an unambiguous chemical name, column and experimental conditions, measured retention time and corresponding retention index. NIST will deliver approximately 800 literature references per year, with a minimum of 20 literature references per month, to be analyzed. A minimum of 25 retention indices per year shall be measured. The contract shall consist of a base period of one year starting with the date of the award and 2 option periods of one year each. The total number of literature references to be analyzed for the base and option periods shall not exceed 6000. The total measured retention indices shall not exceed 2000 total for the base and option periods. NIST requires delivery of the analysis no later than 45 calendar days following the receipt of the literature references from NIST -- F.O.B. Destination, Gaithersburg, MD. All responsible contractors are invited to submit a offer which will be considered by the agency. A solicitation will be issued on July 6, 1999. All request for a copy of the solicitation shall be submitted in writing. Written request may also be faxed to (301) 963-7732. See Note 26. Posted 06/21/99 (W-SN345119). (0172)

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