RFQ 480883-Questions and Answers.pdf

RFQ 480883-Questions and Answers:

Q1: Equivalency of readout hardware and software. SOW Section 3(a) specifies "AdvaBoard USB-C readout (or equivalent)" and Section 3(d) specifies "PIXET PRO software (or equivalent)." Please confirm that functionally equivalent readout hardware and control/analysis software from another manufacturer are acceptable, provided they deliver the capabilities stated in Section 3 — including external trigger and external clock input, access to all detector parameters, data collection and processing, and a license permitting use in a scientific research environment at BNL.

A1: Readout hardware and control/analysis software from another manufacturer are acceptable, provided they deliver the capabilities stated in Section 3 — including external trigger and external clock input, access to all detector parameters, data collection and processing, and a license permitting use in a scientific research environment at BNL. I think it is stated in all relevant places (or equivalent), so we are not stack with any software, it has to fit the goal of taking data.

Q2: Vacuum specification. SOW Section 4(a) requires the vendor to demonstrate compatibility with a vacuum level of ≤ 5×10⁻⁹ mbar. The NRE-2 row of the Deliverables table (SOW Section 6, and the corresponding row in Section I of the Draft Contract) requires a written test report confirming ≤ 10⁻⁹ mbar compatibility. These differ by a factor of five.

Please confirm which value governs, both for the design and for the NRE-2 acceptance report.

A2: The vacuum level of ≤ 5×10⁻⁹ mbar should be achieved for both design and NRE-2.

Q3: Bakeout. Section 4(e) requires the system to be bakeable to a minimum of 80 °C.

Please confirm whether this applies to the complete delivered assembly or only to components exposed to vacuum, and whether the bakeout is to be demonstrated as part of the NRE-2 test report.

A3: Yes, bakeout has to be demonstrated with working detector after the procedure. The flange with the detector has to be bakeable to minimum of 80 °C, if electronics has to be installed after bakeout without breaking the vacuum it is a possibility.

Q4: Spatial and timing resolution. Section 2 specifies pixel pitch and simultaneous ToA/ToT capability, but the SOW does not state a required spatial resolution at the detection plane, nor a required time resolution or timing accuracy relative to the external clock input. Please state the required or target values for each, or confirm that no requirement applies beyond the pixel pitch of Section 2(b).

A4: The TimePix3 or 4 spatial and timing resolution significantly exceeds our requirements, so that is why it is not described. Most important is data taking rate of 1 MHz per chip, which is well within TimePix3 or 4 specifications as well.

Q5: Active area. Section 2(b) states a minimum active area of approximately 28 mm × 24

mm. Please confirm that this is a floor rather than a target, that larger active areas are acceptable, and whether active area in excess of the minimum carries any weight in the evaluation.

A5: Minimum active area is based on four TimePix3 detectors put side by side, larger area is acceptable, but it has to fit into CF100 flange.

Q6: Scope of technical documentation required with the quote. The RFQ states that our submission must include descriptive information demonstrating how the proposed system meets all requirements. Could you clarify the expected level of technical detail at this stage

— for instance, should we include a technical proposal addressing the detector specifications, our approach to UHV compatibility, feedthrough/flange design, and references for prior UHV-compatible detector deliveries (as referenced in SOW Section 4)?

Or is that level of detail expected only after award, at the design review milestones?

A6: The final decisions on the design of the detector should be driven by the UHV level and bakeable at 80 degrees C, so if company takes time and resources to make additional development they cannot provide it yet. Thus, that level of detail expected only after award, at the design review milestones. The flange size, facing the vacuum is fixed, it is CF100 or smaller, as the chamber design is finished.

Q7: SAM registration and UEI for a foreign vendor. Section 5.2 states that foreign vendors are not required to be registered in SAM, provided AMS-Form-050 (Enclosure B) is completed. However, the Concurrence paragraph of the Quotation Pricing Sheet (Enclosure C) reads "We affirm we are registered in SAM ... The UEI number associated with our SAM profile is: (Insert Number Here)," and Enclosure C must be signed and returned for the quotation to be complete. As a non-U.S. entity we cannot sign that affirmation as written. Please confirm the acceptable treatment — for example, striking or annotating that sentence in Enclosure C and submitting Enclosure B in its place — and confirm that doing so will not render the quotation non-responsive.

A7: For a foreign vendor not required to be registered in SAM, the SAM/UEI portion of Enclosure C may be annotated “N/A – Foreign Vendor, see completed AMS-Form-050 (Enclosure B).” The vendor should still sign and submit Enclosure C and provide a completed AMS-Form-050 (Enclosure B). This treatment will not render the quotation non-responsive.