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

66 -- OPTIMA 3000XL SYSTEM SOL 40SBNB960118 DUE 071699 POC Kathy Fain, Contract Specialist (301)975-6337, or Anita Tolliver, Contracting Officer (301)975-6308; 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. The National Institute of Standards and Technology intends to negotiate on a sole source basis with Perkin-Elmer Corporation, 761 Main Avenue, Mail Station 10, Norwalk, CT 06859-0010 for an Optima 3000XL system under the authority of Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Subpart 13.106-1(b) "Soliciting from a Single Source" for the purchase of an on site Optima 3000XL, an ICP-OES W/Controller with Monitor, an AS91 Standalone Autosampler, and a refrigerated chiller. The equipment is already in place at NIST Gaithersburg under the terms of a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA). The equipment has been installed by the manufacturer and comes with a one year post-award warranty. The equipment includes torch glassware, nebulizers, spray chambers and spray chamber adapters, autosampler tubes, gas and liquid handling tubing kits, chemically resistant o-ring kits, and optical windows for entry optics protection. The software written at NIST to go with the system takes data directly from the instrument and processes it with a digital-filter drift correction algorithm, summarizes the resulting corrected sample measurements, and combines them with sample weight data to produce values and uncertainty estimates for the certification of Standard Reference Materials. This software is not compatible with any other product. Compatibility with other instruments in the NIST laboratory permits a single set of spare and consumable parts, balancing workloads between instruments, and provides redundant capability for critical measurements. The programs for which this instrument will be used are time critical and the availability of a common supply of parts is essential to the NIST laboratory's ability to deliver the needed measurements. Common instrument operating software permits method development operations to take place on one instrument and the method to be transferred, without modification, on diskette or over the network, from one instrument to another. This allows common methods to be shared amongst the instruments, and will permit a tested method library to be developed which can be maintained and which can be used to permit measurements of known and validated quality. Measurement precision of better than 0.02% RSD for a Zr/Y signal ratio has been measured and reported with this modified system. This instrument is a key component in NIST's Spectrometric Solutions SRM activity, and the methods which have been developed for many of the NIST measurements cannot be transferred to a different manufacturer's instrument. Purchase of this on-site equipment at the discounted price will result in cost savings which could not be recovered through competition and is believed to be in the best interest of the government. The Government anticipates the award of a firm-fixed price purchase order. Written responses to this synopsis shall contain sufficient documentation to establish a bonafide capability to fulfill this requirement. A solicitation is not available. A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed order based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Information received will normally be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. If you have any questions regarding this announcement, please contact Kathy Fain at the telephone number identified above. Posted 07/12/99 (W-SN352844). (0193)

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