Combined SSN and NOI_1333ND26QNB680562_FINAL.pdf

Combined Sources Sought Notice and Notice of Intent to Award a Sole Source Contract for :

Procurement of Cryogenic, Optical-Accessible, Magnetic-Field-Capable- Strain Cell "COM- Strain Cell”

Notice ID: 1333ND26QNB680562

Contract Opportunity Type: Combined Sources Sought Notice and Notice of Intent to Award a Sole Source

Response Date: 09/09/2026

Product Service Code (PSC): 6640

NAICS Code: 334515

BACKGROUND

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is conducting market research to identify alternative sources that (a) are capable of meeting NIST’s minimum requirements for the following commercial products and commercial services and (b) would be interested in competing for that requirement:

NIST requires one (1) Cryogenic, Optical-Accessible, Magnetic-Field-Capable Strain Cell ("COM- Strain Cell") system for the Physical Measurement Laboratory, Quantum Measurement Division.

The system must be compatible with NIST's existing Raman and photoluminescence spectroscopic and cryogenic instrumentation, including the existing attoDRY 2100 magneto-cryostat, and must enable optical measurements as a function of strain, temperature, magnetic field, and electrical bias. At a minimum, the system shall include a 47 mm diameter universal stress/strain cell capable of applying and measuring forces and displacements on micron-scale samples at cryogenic temperatures; a low-noise 2-channel, 4-way multiplexer; a capacitance bridge operating from 20 Hz to 300 kHz; capability for mounting and connecting electrical contacts to up to four samples; a two-channel, 4-quadrant (±200 V sink/source, bipolar) power supply; self-contained temperature calibration; interoperability with the attocube MIC stick and ANSz100 attocube scanner; all required cables, wires, sample base plate, and cage plate; and a measurement insert/probe compatible with the attocube U210000 that provides titanium rods, wires/twisted pairs, optical access, mounting for a low-temperature objective, and integration of the strain cell into the attocube U2100. All equipment must be new, commercially available equipment and meet applicable industry safety standards for cryogenic, electrical, mechanical, and optical components.

NIST has not yet determined its acquisition strategy for this requirement and encourages interested sources to respond to this Notice.

If NIST's market research indicates there are alternative sources that are capable and interested in competing to fill this requirement, separate and apart from Razorbill Instruments Limited, UEI YQJ3MKRBVEK1, then NIST will consider conducting a competitive acquisition in accordance with law and regulation. NIST's preliminary market research identified Razorbill Instruments Limited, through attocube, as the only source examined that can provide a strain system meeting the requirement and integrate it with NIST's existing infrastructure. Other products reviewed included C&T Factory's CTF-HHPC40, which applies pressure rather than the required strain and does not meet the installation or training requirements, and Almax Easy Lab's Diacell® OmniDAC, which does not provide the required force/strain capability and likewise does not meet installation or training requirements. To be clear, NIST's identification of Razorbill Instruments Limited in this Notice does not constitute a binding commitment or obligation for NIST to conduct a sole source procurement with Razorbill Instruments Limited through attocube for this requirement.

Therefore, if no responses or objections are made to this notice NIST, Acquisition Management Division (AMD) intends to negotiate, on a sole source basis, under authority of FAR Part 13.106-1(b) with Razorbill Instruments Limited for Cryogenic, Optical-Accessible, Magnetic-Field-Capable- Strain Cell "COM-Strain Cell.” The supplies will be utilized by the NIST Physical Measurement Laboratory (PML), in Gaithersburg, MD.

Instructions for Responding to Respond to This Notice

Parties that respond to this Notice are requested to voluntarily submit the requested information via email in Microsoft Word, Adobe PDF, and/or Microsoft Excel format to the designated point(s) of contact whose name and email address appears at the bottom of this notice. Please provide only the information requested by this Notice, and do not include proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information in a response to this Notice.

Information Requested in Response to This Notice: To help NIST with its market research, NIST is requesting that industry sources carefully review this notice and any attachments to it and voluntarily provide the following information:

Company Summary

Notice Identification: Notice ID and Title of this posting.

Corporate Details: Company name, physical address, website address, and Unique Entity Identifier

(UEI).

Point of Contact (POC): Name, phone number, and email address.

Company Size Standard: Your company’s size status relative to the NAICS code provided in this Notice. (Refer to the SBA Table of Small Business Size Standards).

System for Award Management (SAM) Registration: Indicate whether your company has an active registration for procurement purposes in SAM.gov.

Feedback for Draft Requirements https://www.sba.gov/document/support-table-size-standards https://sam.gov/

Review the potential requirements/minimum specifications included with this Notice. Then, please provide suggestions to (a) improve clarity of it; (b) to make it more competitive; (c) to indicate whether there anything in it that may inadvertently exclude domestic involvement; and (d) to indicate how the requirements could potentially be revised to improve the ability for domestic (“Made in America”) end products to be considered.

Information Regarding Your Company’s Products and Services

Provide specifications, company name of the original equipment manufacturer, and the country of manufacture for products and services that your company is legally authorized to sell and that may meet NIST’s minimum requirements.

Indicate whether, in your opinion, the product(s) meet the definition of (a) commercial product or

(b) commercially available off-the-shelf (COTS) item or COTS item as described at https://www.acquisition.gov/far-overhaul/far-part-deviation-guide/far-overhaul-part-2 and, if so, which definition applies ((a) or (b)).

Indicate whether, in your opinion, the service(s) meet the definition of commercial service as described at https://www.acquisition.gov/far-overhaul/far-part-deviation-guide/far-overhaul-part- 2.

Standard Commercial Pricing: Provide your company’s standard commercial pricing information for the identified products and services and explain what is included in those standard prices.

Estimated Price Range: You may provide an estimated price or price range for the requirements, including a brief explanation of how the price estimate was developed.

Standard Commercial Terms and Conditions: Provide a copy of the standard commercial terms and conditions for the commercial products and commercial services identified in the response to this notice, including nature and duration of standard commercial warranty.

Regulatory and Supply Chain Compliance

Indicate whether your company could comply with FAR Clause 52.219-14, Limitations on Subcontracting (OCT 2022) if this acquisition were to be set aside for small businesses. Provide a brief supporting explanation.

Existing Governmentwide Contract Vehicles

Indicate whether your company has its own GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) contract or other federal contract vehicles under which NIST could award an order and, if so, provide the contract details (contract number, Contracting Officer name/contact, SOW, terms and conditions, and price lists).

We truly appreciate your company’s willingness to provide the above-mentioned information which NIST will be valuable in helping NIST complete its market research.

Important Notes https://www.acquisition.gov/far-overhaul/far-part-deviation-guide/far-overhaul-part-2 https://www.acquisition.gov/far-overhaul/far-part-deviation-guide/far-overhaul-part-2 https://www.acquisition.gov/far-overhaul/far-part-deviation-guide/far-overhaul-part-2 https://www.acquisition.gov/far/part-52#FAR_52_219_14 https://www.acquisition.gov/far/part-52#FAR_52_219_14

This Notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay respondents to this notice for information provided in response to this Notice. Following a review of the responses and market research, NIST may publish a solicitation on an authorized site, depending on the chosen acquisition strategy. Responses received after the closing date for this Notice may not be considered.

There is no solicitation available at this time.

The Government reserves the right to use information that it receives in response to this Notice as it deems appropriate to establish final requirements or for other legally appropriate purposes.

Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine the organization’s capability.

Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted.

After a review of the responses received, a synopsis and solicitation may be published on GSA’s eBuy or SAM.gov. However, responses to this notice will not be considered an adequate response to any such solicitation(s).

QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS NOTICE

For additional information, please contact the primary contact or, if named, secondary contact identified at the bottom of this notice.

THANK YOU

Thank you for taking the time to read this notice and for your interest in helping NIST with its efforts to maximize competition!