Solicitation QA 2-3-26.docx

Amendment 03 to Solicitaiton 1333ND26QNB680013 Questions and Answers February 3, 2026

1. Can the list of the site visit attendess be shared?

Answer: Yes, a copy of the Site Visit Sign-In Log has been included as a solicitation Attachment E.

1. MAINTENANCE OF GFE TANKS: In the lump sum CLIN on PG 2 of the RFQ, annual inspection services are listed for offerors to price for the GFE tanks across the (3) campuses, but general maintenance and repairs of the GFE tanks are not mentioned. As the GFE tanks are owned by NIST and the maintenance and repairs of the tanks are the GOV’s responsibility, will the GOV please confirm how GFE maintenance will be handled under the contract? Will a CLIN be provided in an itemized pricing sheet for offerors to price the service if offerors are expected to perform maintenance, repairs, and related services on government-owned tanks? Please note that a priced CLIN would cover the cost of deploying a tech out to the site for any required maintenance, but the service tech fee does not include the cost of any required parts & follow up labor.

Answer: The contract will cover the cost of annual inspection services only for the GFE tanks. Maintenance and repair of any issues that are discovered in the annual inspection or through the year will be handled as purchases outside of this contract. These will typically be handled as purchase card transactions.

1. TANK INSTALL AT BOULDER CAMPUS: PG 7 of 12 in the SOW states the following regarding a 3,000G rented tank that will be moved from the Gaithersburg campus to the Boulder campus (under NOTE 2): “PML Gaithersburg 3,000 gallon rented tank will be moved to PML Boulder once a concrete pad is in place.” Will the GOV please confirm the timeline for the pad to be poured at the Boulder campus and the timeline for a rented tank to be installed on the pad? How does the GOV expect to cover the tank removal costs at Gaithersburg and the tank installation costs at Boulder? We ask because the expected timeline and estimated usage for the Boulder location will affect a contractor’s option year pricing and return on a tank installed later in the contract. Additionally, will the GOV please provide an estimated annual usage for the tank while in use on the Boulder campus?

Answer: 3000 gallon rented Tank will not be installed at Boulder campus due to changing priorities. The Attachment B SOW has been amended to remove Note 2.

1. CHARLESTON CAMPUS DELIVERY PROCEDURES: The table on PG 8 of 12 in the SOW states the following regarding the NMR 646 3,000G tank in Charleston: “The Contractor shall provide a lock with two keys for the gate that surrounds the bulk tank. The delivery driver must always have a key.” However, PG 9 (under NOTE 5) states the following regarding the BIO 646 3,000G tank: “The Contractor must call the phone number(s) provided on the bulk tank gate to obtain a key to the lock. Several phone numbers are provided to ensure someone is on-site and able to provide a key to the lock. This is to ensure the Contractor is filling the proper tank and to ensure the safety of NIST personnel in case of emergency during the fill (i.e., over-pressurization of the tank.” Will the GOV please clarify why there is a difference in procedures for the (2) tanks with gated access at the Charleston campus? Will the GOV be providing a POC to monitor each delivery (across tanks and locations), even if the contractor retains their own key for gate access?

Answer: We apologize for the confusion, and have confirmed that only one set of instructions is necessary. In Charleston there is a gate surrounding each of the two liquid nitrogen tanks. In both cases, the delivery driver will call one of the phone numbers listed on the bulk tank gate to have the gate unlocked by a NIST employee. The same employee can unlock both gates at the same time. NIST provides the locks for the gates. The delivery driver will not carry a key. The NIST POC will not monitor the delivery process. The Attachment B SOW has been amended to utilize the same procedure for both tanks (call to get gate unlocked) through added Notes 3 and 4.

1. PROOFS OF DELIVERY (PODs): Will the GOV please confirm that each POD will be signed by a GOV POC upon completion of the supervised/observed delivery?

Answer: For all locations, Proof of Delivery (POD) will not be signed by a government POC. This requirement will be removed as a holdover from earlier years. The Contractor will be required to provide an email confirmation of POD to the COR. Multiple PODs may be provided in the same email. POD will also be included with all invoices. For Gaithersburg Building 301, a paper POD at time of delivery is required in addition to the email POD. The paper POD shall be left at the delivery location in a receptacle found near the tank.

1. DELIVERY FEES: The lump sum CLIN on PG 2 of the RFQ does not specify whether delivery fees are included for offerors to price. Will the GOV please confirm if delivery fees are authorized for offerors to quote for each of the (3) campuses, as they are standard industry costs/practice?

Answer: Delivery fees must be included in the offeror's price for the lump sum Contracting Line Item Numbers (CLINs). The offeror cannot quote delivery fees as a separate item. Please see Attachment F Price Schedule for updated CLIN structure.

1. TRANSITION: There is no mention of the transition timeline in the SOW and the industry standard for a bulk gas services contract that involves tank installations is 90 days. Will the GOV please confirm the transition timeline for the incoming contractor for both begin filling of GFE tanks and installing of contractor owned tanks (more extensive transition)?

Answer: Filling of all tanks, GFE and contractor-owned rentals, is to begin immediately upon the contract start date to provide continuous supply. The government intends to fill all tanks in anticipation of a transition to a new Contractor to minimize the number of immediate fills required. The transition timeline for installation of contractor-owned tanks is targeted to be 90 days. Coordination between the new Contractor and previous Contractor to maintain continuous supply for the rented tanks will be required.

1. TANK INFORMATION:

7. What are the current FULL TRYCOCK, REORDER POINT, REFILL POINT, & LOW-LEVEL ALARM tank set points (in inches) for each of the tanks across the (3) campuses?

Answer: Government requirements for setpoints are contained in the solicitation.

7. Can the GOV provide pictures of the tanks, gauges, and data plates?

Answer: Yes, they are now included in Attachment K.

7. What is the average daily nitrogen usage (in inches) for each tank?

Answer: The estimated annual consumption for each tank is provided. Tank usage profiles vary by application, but none are extremely different from a calculation of the average daily nitrogen usage.

7. When was the most recent annual inspection of each tank, and will the GOV provide copies of the reports?

Answer: The most recent annual inspection of each tank was in 2024. The government does not intend to provide inspection reports. No serious maintenance issues are known, and all tanks receive regular fills.

7. Has there been any history of vaporizers icing up due to high volume?

Answer: Yes. NIST has experienced iced vaporizers due to high volume. Switchable vaporizers are employed where this has been identified as an issue of concern. Fully iced vaporizers is not a common occurrence.

1. TECHNICAL SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS: PG 4 of 20 in the RFQ states that “The vendor is required to submit certificates of analysis demonstrating that liquid nitrogen requirements are met at the distribution point for each campus served: Gaithersburg, Boulder, and Charleston.” Will the GOV please clarify what is being required at the time of bid submission under Volume I? Can offerors submit examples of certificates of analysis? It’s unclear how submissions are to prove that the requirements “are met at the distribution point.”

Answer: The government requests confirmation that liquid nitrogen specifications can be met for each of the campuses. A recent certificate of analysis for each campus is required demonstrating that liquid nitrogen that would be delivered to that campus by the Contractor meets the quality specifications.

1. INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS: There is no mention of required liability insurance in the RFQ. How is the GOV going to validate that offerors are properly insured for NAICS 325120 – the actual requirement for this work to comply with the RFQ? How do offerors confirm to the GOV that they have the correct type of Liability Insurance, and does this need to be affirmed at the time of bid submission (if not, an awarded firm could be turned down or not be able to afford this coverage in the amounts the GOV requires, respective to NAICS 325120)? This is important because there are very few underwriters that will insure small businesses for the distribution of compressed gases and why confirmation of the applicable NAICS is being requested, in accordance with paragraph (a) of FAR 52.228-5 – Insurance Work on a Government Installation.

Answer: Thank you for bringing this to the attention of the government. This was an inadvertent omission. FAR Clause 52.228-5 Insurance – Work on a Government Installation (JAN 1997) is hereby added through this Amendment. Contractors will need to affirm they have insurance with the submission of their offer.

1. USAGE: What is the liquid nitrogen used for in general? Is any of the Liquid Nitrogen used for human consumption?

Answer: Liquid nitrogen is used for creating and maintaining cryogenic temperatures in scientific equipment, as the working cryogen for the preservation of biological samples, for generating high purity nitrogen gas for use in laboratories, and potentially other uses across the different campuses. None of the liquid nitrogen is used for human consumption.

1. PRICE SCHEDULE: Will NIST attach a complete Price Schedule to the solicitation? In other words, will NIST provide a pricing submission template that includes a line item for each requirement, location, building number, tank size, and annual volume per building/facility/tank(s) at Boulder, Charleston and Gaithersburg and include line items for tank rental and telemetry?

Answer: Yes, see Attachment F Price Schedule.

1. PRICE SCHEDULE: Can the CLINs be restructured as follows?

Gaithersburg: 11 tanks; Boulder: 2 tanks; Charleston: 2 tanks

Total:

Answer: Please see Attachment F Price Schedule for restructured CLINs.

1. Can you check to see if our 5.0 spec would be acceptable to the teams?

Answer: The 5.0 spec would not be acceptable for any of the three campuses. NIST carries out many measurements that are extremely sensitive to impurities. We employ our own filters as well but require a clean supply.

1. Can a site survey please be scheduled for Boulder and Charleston?

Answer: No, but we have now included maps for all three campuses, as well as photos of tanks, gauges and data plates in Attachments G-K.

1. Is a Safety information Accident Prevention Plan to be submitted with the RFQ submittal or is it just a requirement once a contract is awarded?

Answer: It is to be submitted after a contract is awarded.

1. In reviewing the RFQ, there are 3 tanks that are not owned by the Govt. We only see a line for pricing for the product and nothing for Rental or Installation for the 3 rental tanks. Is there a place to put a charge for rental or is that to be included in the Product Pricing? Page 2 reads as everything has to be in the product pricing.

Answer: Please see Attachment F Price Schedule for restructured CLINs which now include CLINs for the rental tanks.

1. What happens if we can only supply 2 of the 3 areas? Is our bid then void?

Answer: All CLINs in the Attachment F Price Schedule must be included in your offer for it to be considered complete. If CLINs for any locations are excluded, the offer is considered incomplete and will not receive consideration for award.

1. Is there a chance we can bid the locations separately?

Answer: No. See response to question 17.