FY26 Quantum DemonstrationExperiment System Combo Solicitation Amendment 3.pdf

COMBINED SYNOPSIS SOLICITATION

FA700026Q0057

U. S. Air Force Academy

Quantum Demonstration/Experiment System Amendment 3 dated, 26 Aug 2026

This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial products prepared in accordance with (IAW) Revolutionary FAR Overhaul (RFO) part 12. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation. Offers are being requested and a separate written solicitation will not be issued.

Solicitation number FA700026Q0057 is issued as a request for quotation (RFQ) for a Quantum Demonstration/Experiment System to include Time Correlation / Time Tagging (TCSPC) System and Fast Single Photon Detector IAW Salient Characteristics (Attachment 1) at the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA).

This acquisition is a 100% Small Business Set Aside. All responsible and eligible businesses may submit a quote, which if received timely, may be considered by the 10th Contracting Squadron at USAFA. It is anticipated that a purchase order will be established with only one quoter. This solicitation incorporates provisions and clauses by reference. The full text of provisions and clauses may be accessed electronically at www.acquisition.gov.

The associated North American Industry Classification Systems (NAICS) Code is 334516 Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing – with a size standard of 1000 Employees. The Product Service Code (PSC) is 6650 – Industrial Products & Services - Test & Measurement Supplies.

1. DESCRIPTION OF REQUIREMENT

The purpose of this combined synopsis and solicitation is for the purchase of Quantum Demonstration/Experiment System to include Time Correlation / Time Tagging (TCSPC) System and Fast Single Photon Detector IAW Salient Characteristics (Attachment 1) for the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) Physics Department and the Laser and Optics Research Center

(LORC).

All questions regarding this RFQ must be emailed to Mr. Dawson Hopkinson, dawson.hopkinson@us.af.mil, and Mr. Ken Helgeson, kenneth.helgeson.3@us.af.mil no later than 11 Aug 2026 2:00 P.M. Mountain Daylight Time (MDT). The questions and answers will be compiled and posted in SAM.gov under the solicitation notice.

The contract type will be a firm-fixed price contract.

Place of Delivery: USAF Academy, CO 80840.

The bid schedule and Contract Line-Item Number (CLIN) schedule is below

CLIN Description Qty Unit Unit Price

(USD)

Total CLIN Price (USD)

0001 Quantum Demonstration/Experiment System to include Time Correlation / Time Tagging (TCSPC) System and Fast Single Photon Detector IAW Salient Characteristics

1 Each $ $

TOTAL CONTRACT PRICE $ $

http://www.acquisition.gov/ mailto:dawson.hopkinson@us.af.mil mailto:kenneth.helgeson.3@us.af.mil

Payment terms: Net 30 All CLINs are Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP)

The Government will not consider any quotes that contain used, reconditioned, refurbished, gray market, or liquidated stock.

Note: The Government will not provide IUID labeling.

Delivery:

Delivery must be F.O.B. Destination to United States Air Force Academy, CO 80840.

F.O.B. Destination (defined in RFO 2.101), the seller or consignor is responsible for the cost of shipping and risk of loss.

Note: If a tariff must be paid, the vendor shall state the country and tariff percentage rate with the quote submission. Tariffs must be included with the total price amount, not be a separate line item.

Inspection and Acceptance The Government will inspect the Quantum Demonstration/Experiment System upon delivery.

Upon passing the inspection, the Government will accept the product at the Government’s location, U.S. Air Force Academy, CO 80840. Payment on invoices cannot be made until the Government has accepted the product. The contract/purchase order number must be included when shipping supplies.

Instruction to Offerors This Solicitation is being issued in accordance with (IAW) RFO Part 12 as a request for Quote.

In all instances throughout this solicitation any use of the word "proposal" should be understood as "quote". All instances of the word "offeror" should be understood as "quoter". Quotes supplied in response to this solicitation are not binding. Award of this requirement may be offered to the Quoter IAW 52.212-2, found herein.

Read the instructions in RFO 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors - Commercial Products and Commercial Services, the addenda to listed below, and instructions within this combined synopsis/solicitation and comply with all requirements for submitting a quote. Failure to comply with all instructions contained within this synopsis/solicitation could result in the quote being ineligible for award.

The provision at RFO 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors—Commercial Products and Commercial Services (Jan 2026), and the addendum below applies to this acquisition.

Addendum to RFO 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors—Commercial Products and Commercial Services (Feb 2026): is tailored to include the following.

Submission of quotes.

(a) Submit signed and dated offers must be emailed to:

Mr. Dawson Hopkinson, dawson.hopkinson@us.af.mil Mr. Ken Helgeson, kenneth.helgeson.3@us.af.mil mailto:dawson.hopkinson@us.af.mil mailto:kenneth.helgeson.3@us.af.mil no later than 31 Aug 2026 2:00 P.M. MDT.

At a minimum, offers shall include—

(1) The solicitation number;

(2) The name, address, telephone number of the Offeror;

(3) The Offeror’s Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and, if applicable, Electronic

Funds Transfer (EFT) indicator;

(4) Information necessary to evaluate the factors contained in the provision at

52.212-2 or as described below;

(5) Size of business;

(6) Responses to provisions that require Offeror completion of information, representations, and certifications (other than those collected via the System for Award Management (SAM)); and

(7) A statement specifying the extent of agreement with all terms, conditions, and provisions included in the solicitation and any solicitation amendments.

(8) Period for acceptance of offers. The Offeror agrees to hold the prices in its offer firm until 30 September 2026.

(9) For any quoted supplies it is USAFA’s preference/intent to acquire only domestic end products per the Buy American Statute (41 USC Chapter 83), except as provided in RFO 25.103. Foreign offers will be evaluated IAW R-DFARS 225.502 when comparing domestic and foreign offers.

This requirement is for commercial items; therefore, the manufacturing country of origin will determine if the quoted product is foreign or domestic. The Buy American – Balance of Payments Program Certificate (R-DFARS 252.225-7000), Attachment 3 – The Buy American – Balance of Payments Program Certificate, must be completed and submitted with the quote.

The Contracting Officer is not responsible for locating or obtaining any information not identified in the quote.

(b) Contract award. RFO 52.212-1(d) is amended as follows: The Government intends to evaluate offers and award a contract without interchanges with quoters.

Therefore, the initial quote should contain the Offeror’s best terms. However, the Government reserves the right to conduct discussions, if deemed necessary by the Contracting Officer, with one, some, none, or all quoters. The Government may reject any or all offers if such action is in the public interest, accept other than the lowest offer, and waive informalities and minor irregularities in offers received.

(c) Formal Communications. Requests for clarification and information concerning the solicitation must be provided in writing via email no later than 11 Aug 2026, 2:00 P.M. MDT. Answers will be compiled and posted electronically to the SAM.gov website: https://sam.gov/. Questions may be emailed to the points of contact listed above in section. All correspondence should reference the solicitation number.

(d) Specific Quotation Preparation Instructions. Quotes shall consist of three parts, as identified below:

(1) Part 1 – Technical. Submit technical capability IAW Attachment 1 - Salient https://sam.gov/

Characteristics v2 as well as anticipated delivery schedule and warranty information.

i. Technical capability IAW Attachment 1 - Salient Characteristics v2

ii. Offerors are encouraged to propose their best and most realistic delivery schedule.

iii. Warranty: The warranty shall include remedies for any installed parts and labor. A warranty that provides for a longer period of coverage, more comprehensive remedies, and is consistent with or exceeds customary commercial practice may be considered more favorable.

(2) Part 2 – Past Performance Information. The Government will assess the offeror’s record of recent and relevant performance. The Government will review SPRS and may contact references provided by the offeror.

(3) Part 3 – Price Quote. Price quotes must be firm-fixed priced. The Government will not provide contract financing for this acquisition.

(End of Addendum)

Note: Any email over 10MB and/or zip files are not an acceptable format for the Air Force Network and will not go through our email system.

The provision at RFO 52.212-2, Evaluation—Commercial Products and Commercial Services (Feb 2026), and the addendum listed below applies to this acquisition.

Addendum to RFO 52.212-2:

(1) Evaluation Factors. RFO 52.212-2(a) is amended as follows: The Government will submit an offer in the form of a purchase order to the quoter that represents the best value to the Government. All quotes submitted will be reviewed for completeness. Quotes that are incomplete or missing information may be excluded from the evaluation. The Government will select the awardee that represents the best value based on price, technical (based on salient characteristics to include applicable descriptive literature), and past performance based on sam.gov and SPRS. Technical Capability and Past Performance, when combined, are significantly more important than Price. The Government may award to a higher-priced offeror if its proposal is technically superior and demonstrates a lower performance risk.

(2) IAW Class Deviation 2026-O0043 – RFO Part 4, Defense FAR Supplement (DFARS) Part 204, the provision at DFARS 252.204-7024 Notice on the Use of the Supplier Performance Risk System (SPRS) applies and SPRS will be utilized.

(3) Options. RFO 52.212-2(b) is not applicable.

(4) Notice of Award. RFO 52.212-2(c) is amended as follows: The Government will submit an offer in the form of a purchase order to the selected quoter. A binding contract is formed when the supplier accepts the Government’s offer, either by written acceptance of the purchase order or substantial performance of the purchase order. The Contracting Officer may request that the contractor provide written acceptance of the order.

(End of Addendum)

Defense Priorities and Allocations System (DPAS) and assigned rating do not apply to this acquisition.

RFO and R-DFARS Provisions and Clauses:

(See provision and clause attachment for further details) (Attachment 2)

NOTE: The vendor acknowledges that should the quote terms and conditions conflict with mandatory provisions of the RFO and/or other Federal law applicable to commercial acquisitions, to the conflicting vendor terms and conditions are unenforceable and are not considered incorporated into any resultant contract.

52.222-90 Addressing DEI Discrimination by Federal Contractors. 2026-04 As prescribed in 22.2203, insert the following clause:

Addressing DEI Discrimination by Federal Contractors (2026-04) (DEVIATION)

(a) Definitions. As used in this clause—

Program participation means membership or participation in, or access or admission to: training, mentoring, or leadership development programs; educational opportunities; clubs; associations; or similar opportunities that are sponsored or established by the contractor or subcontractor.

Racially discriminatory diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) activities means disparate treatment based on race or ethnicity in the recruitment, employment (e.g., hiring, promotions), contracting (e.g., vendor agreements), program participation, or allocation or deployment of an entity's resources.

(b) In connection with the performance of work under this contract, the Contractor agrees as follows:

(1) The Contractor will not engage in any racially discriminatory DEI activities;

(2) The Contractor will furnish all information and reports, including providing access to books, records, and accounts, as required by the Contracting Officer, for purposes of ascertaining compliance with this clause;

(3) In the event of the Contractor's or a subcontractor's noncompliance with this clause, this contract may be canceled, terminated, or suspended in whole or in part, and the Contractor or subcontractor may be declared ineligible for further Government contracts;

(4) The Contractor will report any subcontractor's known or reasonably knowable conduct that may violate this clause to the Contracting Officer and take any appropriate remedial actions directed by the Contracting Officer; and

(5) The Contractor will inform the Contracting Officer if a subcontractor sues the Contractor and the suit puts at issue, in any way, the validity of this clause.

(6) The Contractor recognizes that compliance with the requirements of this clause are material to the Government's payment decisions for purposes of 31 U.S.C. 3729(b)(4).

(c) The Contractor must include the substance of this clause, including this paragraph (c), in subcontracts at any tier, including those for commercial products and commercial services, except those where the place of delivery or performance is outside the United States.

(End of clause)

Elimination of Use of Class I Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS)

(a) Contractors shall not:

(1) Provide any service or product with any specification, standard, drawing, or other document that requires the use of a Class I ODS in the test, operation, or maintenance of any system, subsystem, item, component, or process; or

(2) Provide any specification, standard, drawing, or other document that establishes a test, operation, or maintenance requirement that can only be met by use of a Class I ODS as part of this contract/order.

(b) For the purposes of Departmet of the Air Force policy, the following products that are pure (i.e., they meet the relevant product specification identified in AFI 32-7086) are Class I ODSs:

(1) Halons: 1011, 1202, 1211, 1301, and 2402;

(2) Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs): CFC-11, CFC-12, CFC-13, CFC-111, CFC-112, CFC- 113, CFC-114, CFC-115, CFC-211, CFC-212, CFC-213, CFC-214, CFC-215, CFC-216, and CFC- 217, and the blends R-500, R-501, R-502, and R-503; and

(3) Carbon Tetrachloride, Methyl Chloroform, and Methyl Bromide.

[NOTE: Material that uses one or more of these Class I ODSs as minor constituents do not meet the Department of the Air Force definition of a Class I ODS.]

(End of clause)

Ombudsman

(a) An ombudsman has been appointed to hear and facilitate the resolution of concerns http://static.e-publishing.af.mil/production/1/af_a4/publication/afi32-7086/afi32-7086.pdf from offerors, potential offerors, and others for this acquisition. When requested, the ombudsman will maintain strict confidentiality as to the source of the concern. The existence of the ombudsman does not affect the authority of the program manager, contracting officer, or source selection official. Further, the ombudsman does not participate in the evaluation of proposals, the source selection process, or the adjudication of protests or formal contract disputes. The ombudsman may refer the interested party to another official who can resolve the concern.

(b) Before consulting with an ombudsman, interested parties must first address their concerns, issues, disagreements, and/or recommendations to the contracting officer for resolution. Consulting an ombudsman does not alter or postpone the timelines for any other processes (e.g., agency level bid protests, GAO bid protests, requests for debriefings, employee-employer actions, contests of OMB Circular A-76 competition performance decisions).

(c) If resolution cannot be made by the contracting officer, the interested party may contact the ombudsman, Mr. James Anderson, 8110 Industrial Drive, STE 103, USAFA, CO 80840, Telephone number 719-333-2074, FAX 719-333-9018, Email:

james.anderson.72@us.af.mil. Concerns, issues, disagreements, and recommendations that cannot be resolved at the Center/MAJCOM/DRU/SMC ombudsman level, may be brought by the interested party for further consideration to the Air Force ombudsman, Associate Deputy Assistant Secretary (ADAS) (Contracting), SAF/AQC, 1060 Air Force Pentagon, Washington DC 20330-1060, phone number (571) 256-2395, facsimile number (571) 256- 2431.

(d) The ombudsman has no authority to render a decision that binds the agency.

(e) Do not contact the ombudsman to request copies of the solicitation, verify offer due date, or clarify technical requirements. Such inquiries shall be directed to the contracting officer.

(End of clause)

Attachments to this Solicitation

Attachment 1 - Salient Characteristics v3 Attachment 2 - Provisions and Clauses Attachment 3 - Buy American – Balance of Payments Program Certificate Attachment 4 - Questions and Answers mailto:james.anderson.72@us.af.mil