Sources_Sought_Notice.pdf

This is a SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE for market research purposes. THIS IS NOT A

REQUEST FOR QUOTATIONS. INFORMATION RECEIVED WILL BE USED FOR

MARKET RESEARCH PURPOSES ONLY.

Notice Number: NB733040-17-01263

Title: Standard Reference Material 1196 Cigarettes for smoldering experiments

Anticipated NAICS Code: 312230 – Tobacco Manufacturing

Contracting Office Address

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)

Office of Acquisition and Agreements Management

Acquisition Management Division

100 Bureau Drive, Mail Stop 1640

Gaithersburg, MD 20899-1640

This Notice is for planning purposes only and is not a Request for Proposal, Request for

Quotation, or an obligation on the part of the National Institute of Standards and Technology

(NIST) for conducting a follow-on acquisition. NIST does not intend to award a contract on the basis of this Notice, or otherwise pay for the information requested. No entitlement or payment of direct or indirect costs or charges by NIST will arise as a result of submission of responses to this Notice and NIST use of such information.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is seeking to identify sources capable of providing standard reference material cigarettes to support smoldering experiments in the NIST Engineering Laboratory.

Background Information:

Cigarette ignition of soft furnishings (upholstered furniture and mattresses) has been the largest single cause of fire deaths in the United States. NIST’s standard reference material cigarette

(SRM 1196) has enabled the development of several federal regulations and voluntary standards that are reducing the number of deaths, injuries, and property losses associated with cigarette ignition. For example, Consumer Products Safety Commission’s (CPSC) federal standard for mattresses and mattress pads (16 CFR part 1632), proposed standard for upholstered furniture

(16 CFR part 1634), and flammability standard for cellulose insulation (16 CFR part 1209) all require using SRM 1196 cigarettes. California Bureau of Electronic Appliance Repair, Home

Furnishings and Thermal Insulation’s (CBEARHFTI) residential furniture flammability standard

(Technical Bulletin 117-2013) require using SRM 1196 cigarettes. SRM 1196 is also required in

National Fire Protection Association’s standard methods for measuring the cigarette ignition resistance of upholstered furniture products (NFPA 260) and upholstered furniture mock-ups

(NFPA 261).

In all these tests, the current test cigarette (CTC) is commercial product, specified by its length

(85 mm 2 mm), a tobacco packing density (0.270 g/cm3 0.020 g/cm3), mass (1.1 g 0.1 g), and the absence of a filter tip. This particular cigarette had been selected because early data indicated that it had the highest ignition propensity of any of the cigarettes examined. As furnishing items resisting ignition by the CTC have replaced older pieces, there has been a sizable reduction in the number of furnishings fires and casualties.

Description of Requirement:

The Contractor shall provide SRM 1196 cigarettes that meet all of the following characteristics:

Physical Characteristics:

Property Value

Filter None

Length 83 mm 2 mm

Mass 1.1 g 0.1 g

Packing Density 0.270 g/cm3 0.020 g/cm3

Circumference – for guidance only Nominally 24.8 mm

Ignition Strength 70 PFLB to 95 PFLB*

* measured using the modified procedure defined in NIST Technical Note 1627. The manufacturer shall certify that the cigarettes meet the ignition strength specification in Section 2.b.1. Three sets of 40 determinations, conducted using method described in NIST Technical Note 1627, shall be used to support this certification.

Packaging Requirements:

There shall be no marking on the cigarettes, the packs or the cartons that indicates the manufacturer of the cigarettes.

Each cigarette will be marked "SRM 1196a" within 1.5 cm of one end of the tobacco column.

The packs shall be printed in a manner analogous to the printing on the existing packs of SRM

1196. The printing on the front and the back of the pack shall be like the following photograph, except that the blue printing shall be replaced with red. On one small side of the pack shall be the following statement:

FOR EXPERIMENTAL PURPOSES ONLY. NOT TO BE OFFERED FOR SALE, SOLD, OR

DISTRIBUTED TO CONSUMERS.

Figure 1. NIST SRM 1082 Package.

On the other small side of the pack shall appear one of the Surgeon General's warnings.

The cartons shall be printed in an analogous manner, also using red and black markings.

Instructions / Required Submissions:

Interested parties shall describe the capabilities of their organization as it relates to the services described above.

The small business size standard associated with the anticipated NAICS code for this effort is

312230 – Tobacco Manufacturing with a small business size standard of 1,500 employees.

Interested parties shall include their business size classification and socio-economic status in response to this notice.

The following information is required to be provided as part of the response to this sources sought notice:

1. Documentation/Description of capabilities, which clearly demonstrates the capability of providing the SRM cigarettes;

2. Documentation of any relevant experience in providing the required sensors;

3. Name, Address, DUNS number, CAGE code, business size, and point of contact information of the company;

4. Indication of whether the services described in this notice are currently on one or more

GSA Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) contract(s) or Government-wide Acquisition

Contracts (GWACs) and, if so, the applicable contract number(s).

5. Any other relevant information that is not listed above, which the Government should consider in finalizing its market research.

All information considered pertinent to the covered requirement shall be sent to Amber Gray, via e-mail at amber.gray@nist.gov. Information submitted shall be specific and address the aforementioned requirement.

Submissions shall be received not later than 5:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on February

14, 2017.

General Information:

After the results of this market research are obtained and analyzed, NIST may conduct a competitive procurement and subsequently award a contract. If at least two small businesses are identified during this market research, then a competitive procurement that results may be conducted as a small business set-aside.

mailto:amber.gray@nist.gov