A14_Sources_Sought_Notice_1.pdf

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) on behalf of Minerals and Environmental Resources has a requirement for the maintenance Oxford Instruments Aztec micsF+/x-stream2/*x MaxN 50/Unity/C-Nano.

THIS IS A SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE ONLY FOR MARKET RESEARCH PURPOSES.

THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP), REQUEST FOR QUOTATIONS(RFQ) OR INVITATION FOR

BID (IFB).

NO FORMAL SOLICITATION IS BEING REQUESTED UNDER THIS NOTICE.

This Sources Sought Notice is for market research purposes to identify small businesses having an interest in and resources to support this requirement for the s maintenance Oxford Instruments Aztec micsF+/x-stream2/*x MaxN 50/Unity/C-Nano, located at the Denver Federal Center, Denver, Colorado.

The result of this market research will contribute to determining the method of procurement. The Government will review the information requested in this announcement based on the responses to this sources sought notice/market research, this requirement may be set-aside for small businesses or procured through full and open competition.

The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code is 811210 – Electronic and Precision Equipment Repair and Maintenance. The size standard is $34.0 Million.

The following is a brief description of services that are required to be performed but not limited to:

I. GENERAL INFORMATION

A. Introduction: An annual preventative maintenance and service contract is required to maintain and repair the mission critical Oxford AZtec Unity and C-Nano system. Included in the contract are the necessary parts and labor to effectively diagnose, repair, and replace essential operating components of the equipment, software updates, and one preventative maintenance service.

B. Background: The USGS Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center maintains and operates an Oxford Instruments AZtec EDS and EBSD integrated system in the Denver Microbeam Laboratory, Building 20, Denver Federal Center. The system provides critical analytical research data, including qualitative and quantitative chemical analysis and high-resolution imaging for programs in the Rocky Mountain Region as well as science centers in other USGS Regions and Mission Areas. The system also provides data for collaborators such as NASA, DOE, BLM, and non-Federal entities such as Colorado School of Mines, Colorado State University, Montana Tech, and University of Illinois, Chicago. The system supports the Resource Mapping, De-risked Development, and Skilled Workforce pillars of the USGS Mineral Resources Program goals towards a robust minerals economy. In addition, the system is used for critical minerals research which supports EO’s 14154, 14272, 14285 and SO’s 3418, 3422, and 3436. A well operating system is essential for reproducible data to meet the goals set out in EO 14303, Restoring Gold Standard Science. This system is booked year-round and any down time disrupts the schedule and funds coming into the lab. The service contract covers the maintenance of the detectors, peripheral control boxes, and software updates. It expires on July 20, 2026. The instrument is comprised of several critical subsystems including a silicon drift detector, electron backscattered electron camera, electronics consoles, PC, and proprietary software. The Oxford system must be maintained in full operating condition and to the manufacturer’s specifications at all times. This is necessary because of the strict scientific requirements of USGS scientists and our Quality Management System as well as our obligation to OFA clients. In order to meet these requirements, a full service contract for instrument preventative maintenance and repair is critical. The instruments must be maintained with highest priority service by Oxford trained service personnel in order to ensure proper maintenance and repair and to prevent damage to the instruments.

II. WORK REQUIREMENTS

Acceptable Quality Performance Standards:

For acceptable quality performance, the contractor shall assure that all laboratory equipment under this contract, and its modifications, are performing to the manufacturer’s performance standards and that service repairs and preventive maintenance are performed in accordance with the manufacture’s maintenance standards and meet the manufacture’s performance specifications.

Acceptable Time Performance Standards:

For acceptable time performance, the contractor shall assure that all laboratory equipment under this contract, and its modifications, are performing to the manufacturer’s performance standards without lapse of more than five consecutive working days; with no more than three lapses per contracted year. If a service is escalated the Contractor shall communicate with the technical liaison or other authorized Denver Microbeam Laboratory representative the nature of the repair, measures that are being pursued to complete the repair, and an estimate of the time period required to complete the repair.

Technical Requirements

1. The service agreement covers the entire Oxford Instruments AZtec Unity and C-Nano system and provides for priority telephone support and response within one business day, labor, genuine spare parts, travel-related expenses, and software updates and upgrades.

2. Oxford Instruments approved staff shall diagnose problems and provide and install replacement parts to restore the system to factory specifications. Shipping expenses for parts delivery and return is at the vendors cost. Vendor is responsible for removing parts from USGS facility and shipping to vendor.

3. The vendor will perform one preventative maintenance (PM) and calibration to factory specifications per year. This visit will occur in the last three months of the performance period. When possible, the PM visit can coincide with a maintenance visit.

4. The vendor will provide software updates that provide bug fixes and/or safety related improvements.

5. Should the detector fail, the vendor shall ship a detector that meets the specifications of the originally purchased detector or repair the detector. Exchange or repair will be based upon availability of detector stock but will be less than 4 weeks. The vendor will send a service engineer to the site as soon as possible, within 4 weeks of detector failure, to de-install the faulty detector and re-install the replacement. If offsite repairs and testing are longer than four weeks, vendor will provide a loaner detector for the duration of the repair and reinstallation.

6. The vendor shall verify performance after exchanging the detectors. The vendor service engineer shall pack the faulty detector and return to the vendor. Vendor shall pay for all shipping costs.

THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION. ALL COST ASSOCIATED WITH PROVIDING INFORMATION AS REQUESTED

BY THIS SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE SHALL BE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE CONTRACTOR.

SUBMISSION IS VOLUNTARY.

This is NOT a Request for Proposal (RFP), Request for Quotation (RFQ) or Invitation for Bid (IFB) and does not constitute any commitment by the Government. Responses to this source sought notice will be used by the Government to make appropriate acquisition decisions. All interested sources must respond to future solicitation announcements separately from responses to this market survey. Any solicitation that may be issued will be posted on the Federal Business Opportunities website and no paper copies will be provided.

Responses to this announcement are requested from (1) SBA certified Small Business HUBZone firms; (2) Small Business firms certified by a Small Business Administration (SBA) district or regional office for participation in the 8(a) program; (3) Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned small Business firms; (4) Small Businesses.

In response to this announcement, please indicate your firm's socioeconomic status (e.g. small business, service-disabled veteran-owned, women owned, HUBZone, etc.) This information will assist the Government in determining how small businesses can fit into the acquisition strategy.

A firm is considered small under NAICS code 238220 – Plumbing, Heating, and Air Conditioning Contractors. Any information submitted is voluntary. If sufficient interest and capability is not received from firms in categories (1) through

(4) above, any solicitation may be issued as unrestricted without further consideration.

Interested small business firms shall submit (1) NAME, ADDRESS, and PHONE NUMBER OF THE FIRM, and UEI

NUMBER.

Your company must have an active UEI number and be registered on-line at the System for Award Management (SAM).

You will also be required to provide your small business status information either via the RFQ or the On-line Representations and Certifications (ORCA) also located at the SAM website before an award to your company can be made. Your on-line ORCA registration will cover any/all of your offers to the Federal Government and only needs updated annually.

All responses must be submitted NLT August 21, 2026 at 12:00pm MT via e-mail to: jennifer_rollin@ios.doi.gov.

All submissions must have 140G0226Q0 – Oxford in the subject line.

mailto:jennifer_rollin@ios.doi.gov