NIST-SS26-154 -Combined SSN and NOI.pdf

Combined Sources Sought Notice and Notice of Intent to Award a Sole Source Contract for a Ferrovac UHV Suitcase Package for Room-Temperature Transfer

Notice ID: NIST-SS26-154

Contract Opportunity Type: Sources Sought

Response Date: 07/30/2026

Product Service Code (PSC): 6640

NAICS Code: 333242

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:

Line Item 0001:

Description: Ferrovac UHV Suitcase Package for Room-Temperature Transfer, product codes FER-VSN40S(VRV)L, FER-WMG40(EMS)-PGWMEMS-0440-0092, and FER-GRABSHOMADEMS, with the following minimum specifications

Quantity: One (1)

Minimum Specifications

1. The system shall use a combination of ion and getter pumps with electronic controls for pressure and temperature readout, and getter activation, all integrated and mounted on the frame of the suitcase.

2. The system will include a 2.75 CF gate valve with UNF threads to connect the suitcase to existing UHV chambers.

3. The system shall allow for an extended length of the wobble stick from the gate valve of at least 400 mm or larger for EMS type samples and at least 440 mm for flag type samples.

4. The system shall allow the ion pump to remain on with battery power only and the system under UHV during transfer to different locations with an onboard battery supply and controller.

5. All battery and electronic controls shall be mounted on the suitcase frame to allow easy movement between locations under UHV conditions and battery power.

6. The system shall include a battery controller to maintain the battery.

7. The system shall have an integrated ion and getter pump (NEG) with a pump speed of at least 290 l/s for H2 with the NEG activated and at least 6 l/s for H2 when the NEG is saturated.

8. The system shall include bakeout heaters and a bakeout tent to bake out the system to 150 degree C.

9. The system shall be made from completely UHV materials.

10. The system shall include a hard case to allow shipping the suitcase under UHV on airlines.

11. The system shall include a short CF40 to KF40 adaptor

12. The system shall include a Ferrovac dual shaft wobblestick manipulator with gripper

PGWMEMS, product code: FER-WMG40(EMS)-PGWMEMS-0640-0092

a. The wobble stick shall have a linear travel of at least 640 mm

b. The wobble stick shall have a retracted length of 92 mm or smaller

c. The wobble stick shall have an independently operated 1.5 mm allen key

d. The wobble stick shall be UHV compatible and bakeable to 150 degrees C.

13. The system shall have a secondary grabber for flag style plates, product code: FER-

GRABSHOMADEMS

a. The grabber shall be able to be picked up and gripped with the PGWMEMS gripper on the dual shaft wobble stick

b. The grabber shall be compatible with flag style sample plates

c. The grabber shall allow continuous rotation for safe handling.

d. The grabber shall be UHV compatible and bakeable to 150 degrees C.

Line Item 0002:

Description: Ferrovac Storage Stack for Flag Style Plates and EMS Sample plates, product codes FER-RECOMEMSSTACK, with the following minimum specifications

Quantity: One (1)

Minimum Specifications

1. The system shall include a storage tower of multiple drawers for both EMS sample plates, flag sample plates, and a parking space for the GRABSHOM in line item 0001.7.

2. The tower shall include two drawers for EMS sample plates with at least 18 mm clearance.

3. The tower shall include one drawer for flag type sample plates with at least 10 mm clearance.

4. The tower shall include one parking spot for the GRABSHOM gripper in line item 0001.7.

5. The tower shall be located inside the vacuum suitcase and allowed to be raised and lowered with a linear motion feedthru.

Line Item 0003:

Description: Ferrovac Support Trolley for Universal Suitcase Docking, product code FER- FRMCARTZXRVS, with the following minimum specifications

Quantity: One (1)

Minimum Specifications

1. The system shall include a support trolley that allows easy and secure docking of the Ferrovac suitcase in item 0001.

2. The support trolley shall allow at least 300 mm of height adjustment using hydraulic actuation.

3. The support trolley shall include a 360-degree rotating platform.

4. The support trolley shall allow at least 90 mm of linear travel.

5. The support trolley shall allow tilting up to plus or minus 2.5 degrees.

6. The support trolley shall have rubber wheels.

Line Item 0004:

Description: Ferrovac Fast Pump Down Dock with LN2 Dewar UHV Booster CF40, product code FER- VSCTDH40, with the following minimum specifications

Quantity: One (1)

Minimum Specifications

1. The system shall include a fast pump down docking chamber for the Ferrovac suitcase in item 0001.

2. The docking chamber shall include a DN40CF gate valve with UNF threads.

3. The docking chamber shall include an integral and isolated liquid nitrogen dewar.

4. The docking chamber shall include a thermal insulating sleeve and dewar lid.

5. The docking chamber liquid nitrogen system shall include a heat exchanger for fast pump down to reach 1E-8 mbar in 30 minutes or less.

6. The docking chamber shall include a Pt100 temperature sensor.

7. The docking chamber shall allow the cold trap to be heated for fast venting processes.

8. The docking station shall include a temperature controller and cable to heat up the cold trap.

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 United Mineral &

Chemical Corp (K84NBZG5JNJ5) then NIST will consider conducting a competitive acquisition in accordance with law and regulation. To.be.clear?.NIST"s.identification.of.

United Mineral & Chemical Corp.in.this.Notice.does.not.constitute.a.binding.commitment.

or.obligation.for.it.to.conduct.a.sole.source.procurement.with.United Mineral & Chemical Corp.for.this.requirement¡

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:

1. 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.

2. Feedback for Draft Requirements

• 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.

https://www.sba.gov/document/support-table-size-standards https://www.sba.gov/document/support-table-size-standards https://sam.gov/

3. 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.

o 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)).

o 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.

4. 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.

5. 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).

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-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

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

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!