Notice of Intent.pdf

FBO ANNOUNCEMENT: PRESOLICITATION NOTICE, NOTICE OF INTENT

ACTION CODE: SPECIAL NOTICE

CLASSIFICATION CODE: 66 – Instruments and Laboratory Equipment

SUBJECT: High Purity Gas Dilution System

The National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST) intends to negotiate on a sole source basis IAW RFO Part 12.102(a), statutory authority 41 U.S.C. 1901, with Environics, Inc., located in Tolland, CT for a Gas Dilution System for High Purity Gas Blending Manifold.

Sole Source Justification is based on the following:

The Chemical Sciences Division requires a high purity gas blending manifold-gas dilution system for Project 1.03 (Grand Challenge 1) Metrology for Materials Purity, Properties, and Provenance. This system will be utilized to prepare SI-traceable gas standards with low impurities to support standard reference materials (SRMs) supporting the semiconductor industry.

To meet the rigorous metrology needs of the CHIPS Act project, the system must satisfy the following critical parameters detailed in Statement of Requirements (SOR)

• Traceability & Precision: Mass flow controller calibration must be NIST-traceable, featuring a dilution range from (1-to-1 ratio) up to (1-to-1000 dilution ratio or better), with a relative uncertainty in dilution of <1% and a relative stability precision of <0.5%;

• Ultra-High Purity Configuration: Internal components exposed to gases must utilize electropolished stainless steel 316L treated internally with proprietary SilcoNert coating to prevent gas absorption and introduction of contaminants;

• Connection Standards: All gas inlet and outlet connectors must be standard 1/4-inch metal gasket face seal fittings (VCR fittings);

• Commercial Status: The system must be a standard, new commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) unit. Custom, experimental, or prototype items will not be considered due to data replication and stability mandates.

The Environics Series 4040 Computerized Gas Dilution System is the only standard commercial product line in the marketplace that natively integrates all specialized semiconductor-grade and metrological constraints that meets the Government’s requirements.

1. Integrated SilcoNert Treatment: Environics offers a standard commercial configuration where electropolished 316L internal components are factory-treated with SilcoNert coating prior to system assembly and calibration;

2. VCR Fluid Path Integration: Unlike standard industrial systems that utilize compression fittings, the Series 4040 provides 1/4-inch VCR metal gasket face seal fittings natively seamlessly joined to the high-precision mass flow controllers;

3. No Reseller Network: Market research indicates that Environics, Inc. sells and supports this specific high-purity line of instrumentation directly to the federal government without utilizing a network of third-party distributors or resellers.

Market research by the Government has only identified Environics, Inc., as the sole U.S. small business manufacturer of the High Purity Gas Dilution System that meets the Government’s requirement. The technical parameters dictated by the semiconductor metrology mission heavily restricted the market to Environics, Inc. as the sole viable small business source. No other domestic small businesses or large businesses were identified that manufacture a standard, non-customized product matching the critical parameters.

The resulting order will be a Firm-Fixed Price purchase order.

NAICS code for this requirement will be 334516 – Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing, with a small size standard of 1,000 employees.

No solicitation package will be issued. This notice of intent is not a request for competitive quotations; however, interested parties who regard themselves as capable of fulfilling these requirements are invited to submit responses to the Government for consideration. Responses received by 7/10/2026 @ 10:00am Eastern Standard Time will be considered by the Government.