NB610030-9-03063 Combined Synopsis.doc

FBO ANNOUNCEMENT: COMBINED SYNOPSIS/SOLICITATION

ACTION CODE: <PRESOL>

CLASSIFICATION CODE: 66- Laboratory Equipment and Supplies

SUBJECT: White Beam Berylium Filter

SOLICITATION NUMBER: SB1341-09-RQ-0090

RESPONSE DATE: March 10, 2009 CONTACT POINTS: Kim Stavish, Contract Specialist, (301) 975-2672 Todd Hill, Contracting Officer, (301) 975-8802 DESCRIPTION: THIS IS A COMBINED SYNOPSIS/SOLICITATION FOR COMMERCIAL ITEMS PREPARED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE FORMAT IN FAR SUBPART 12.6-STREAMLINED PROCEDURES FOR EVALUATION AND SOLICITATION FOR COMMERCIAL ITEMS-AS SUPPLEMENTED WITH ADDITIONAL INFORMATION INCLUDED IN THIS NOTICE. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONSTITUTES THE ONLY SOLICITATION; QUOTATIONS ARE BEING REQUESTED, AND A WRITTEN SOLICITATION DOCUMENT WILL NOT BE ISSUED. THE SOLICITATION IS BEING ISSUED USING SIMPLIFIED ACQUISITION PROCEDURES.

This solicitation is a Request for Quotation (RFQ). The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2005-30.

The associated North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code for this procurement is 331528 with a small business size standard of 500 employees. However, this requirement is unrestricted and all interested Contractors may submit a quotation.

Objective

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Center for Neutron Research (NCNR) has a requirement for one beryllium block with dimensions, purity, and physical characteristics specified to achieve the desired performance as a neutron filter. A single large conical block is required to filter the beam that emanates from the NCNR cold source located in Gaithersburg, MD.

Background

The Department of Commerce and the National Institute of Standards and Technology have developed a major national facility for neutron scattering. This project provides for over fifteen unique instrument stations for use by national and international researchers for materials research. In addition, instruments are also provided for fundamental physics research, neutron interferometry, and neutron optics.

To remain at the forefront of science, the NCNR is continuously developing new and improved instruments for neutron scattering. The present procurement is for the Multi Axis Crystal Spectrometer (MACS).

This procurement is for a pure polycrystalline beryllium block that will be used to reject unwanted high energy neutrons. Due to the crystalline structure of the material and the coherent nature of interactions between neutrons and beryllium, neutrons with wave lengths greater than 0.4 nm pass through this material with a low probability for scattering and absorption. However, shorter wavelength neutrons are strongly scattered so that an incident parallel beam of neutrons with wave lengths shorter than 0.4 nm is converted into an approximately isotropic point source emanating from the filter.

All interested Contractor’s shall provide a quote for the following line items(s):

Line Item 0001 – The contractor shall furnish one (1) each, White Beam Berylium Filter. The contractor shall ship an accurately dimensioned beryllium block of specified chemical purity to the NCNR. A certified analysis verifying compliance with all specifications shall be included.

The White Beam Berylium Filter shall meet or exceed the following minimum technical specifications:

A. Bulk Materials Specification

Chemical composition (weight %): These specifications are set to ensure sufficient content of the desired metallic beryllium majority phase.

- Beryllium >98%

- Beryllium oxide <2.5%

Density: This specification ensures that the materials density is high enough to perform the achieved filtering function. The density should be within 0.5% of the theoretical crystalline density corresponding to the actual Be and BeO content. The room temperature crystalline density of Be and BeO is 1.8477 g/cm3 and 3.009 g/cm3 respectively.

Grain distribution: This specification is set to maximize Bragg diffraction of neutrons with wave lengths shorter than the 0.4 nm filter cut-off.

- Average grain size between 5 m and 20 m

- Grain orientation distribution anisotropy over 1 mm3 < 5%

- Average grain size variation over items in order < 0.5% RMS

Limits on Impurity content: The following limits on the content of specific elements, ensure that more than 95% of 2.5 meV neutrons are transmitted through 100 mm of the material without absorption or incoherent scattering. The sum over weight % divided by concentration limit for the following elements shall be less than one.

The maximum content of any other impurity element apart from oxygen shall be less than 0.2% by weight.

Physical Characteristics: The following specifications ensure that the beryllium blocks can be mounted as mechanical bodies without shedding toxic parts.

- Ultimate tensile strength >50 kpsi

- Yield strength (0.2% offset) >35 kpsi

- No cracks are permissible.

- Largest dimension of any mark on the surface < 1.5 mm

- Number of surface marks with size between 0.015 mm and 1.5 mm < 4 per 25 cm2

B. Physical Dimensions The material shall be delivered as an accurately dimensioned block. The physical dimensions, tolerances and surface finish are specified on the attached drawing.

C. Certified Materials Analysis

The material delivered under this order shall be accompanied by a certified chemical analysis indicating the Be/BeO content, the impurity content and compliance with the grain size distribution requirements.

D. Samples

The contractor shall provide a materials sample. It shall have a mass of at least 1 gm and shall form a single contiguous body with 1 mm being the smallest linear dimension. The shape is otherwise unimportant.

a. Pre-manufacturing sample:

Upon issuance of a contract, the contractor shall deliver a sample that is representative of the materials to be delivered so that the NCNR can verify compliance with the chemical purity and grain size specifications. If the sample is found not to satisfy the requirements described in line item 0001 above, then the government shall have the option to terminate the contract in accordance with 52.212-4 (Contract Terms and Conditions for Commercial Items), or to continue to work with the contractor to identify a material that does satisfy the requirements.

b. Sample to be delivered with order

The beryllium block shall be accompanied with a materials sample and a certification that the sample is representative of that block. The samples may be subject to any form of analysis chosen by the NCNR to verify compliance with specifications.

Inspection and Acceptance Criteria Pre-manufacturing Sample: The government will perform at least two types of analysis on the pre-manufacturing sample and report the results to the contractor. Neutron activation analysis will be used to determine the impurity content, and neutron diffraction will be used to determine the grain size and orientation distribution.

Sample with Order: Similar analysis as above may be performed on the acceptance samples and if these samples are found not to satisfy the requirements, then the results will be reported to the contractor.

· Acceptance: Receipt of certification that all requirements are met and that the 1 g test sample included with the order is representative of the beryllium block. A certified compositional analysis for the Be block. Verification, through neutron measurements at the NCNR, that the material satisfies the composition and grain size requirements.

· Inspection: Neutron activation analysis will be performed on the test sample to verify compliance with the impurity limits. Small angle neutron scattering will be performed to verify compliance with the grain size requirements. Neutron diffraction will be performed to verify compliance with the grain orientation distribution. The physical dimensions, tolerances, and surface finish will be inspected to determine whether they satisfy the requirements.

Manufacturing: Prior to commencement of the manufacturing stage, the Contractor shall submit a sample (see pre-manufacturing sample requirement above) to NIST’s Technical Contact for comment/approval. Please refer to CAR clause 1352.217-102 in full text below.

1352.217-102 Government Review, Comment, Acceptance and Approval (JAN 1987):

(a) Documentation, including drawings and other engineering products and reports, required by the contract to be submitted for review, comment, acceptance or approval will be acted upon by the Government within 30 calendar days after receipt by the Government, unless another period of time is specified.

(b) Review, comment, acceptance or approval by the Government as required under this contract and applicable specifications shall not relieve the Contractor of its obligation to comply with the specifications and with all other requirements of the contract, nor shall it impose upon the Government any liability it would not have had in the absence of such review, comment and acceptance or approval.

Warranty:

The Contractor shall provide a standard Warranty and state the coverage provided.

Delivery shall be FOB DESTINATION and be completed in accordance with the contractor’s commercial schedule.

FOB Destination means: The contractor shall pack and mark the shipment in conformance with carrier requirements, deliver the shipment in good order and condition to the point of delivery specified in the purchase order, be responsible for any loss of and/or damage to the goods occurring before receipt and acceptance of the shipment by the consignee at the delivery point specified in the purchase order; and pay all charges to the specified point of delivery. The contractor shall deliver to NIST, Building 301, Shipping and Receiving, Gaithersburg, MD 20899-0001.

EVALUATION CRITERIA FOR SELECTION OF QUOTE: Award shall be made to the Contractor whose quote offers the best value to the Government. The Government will evaluate quotations based on the following evaluation criteria: 1) Technical Capability factor “Meeting or Exceeding the Requirement,” 2) Past Performance, 3) Past Experience, and 4) Price.

Technical capability, past performance, and past experience, when combined, shall be approximately equal in importance to price. If technical capability, past performance, and past experience are equivalent, price shall be the determining factor.

Technical Capability: Evaluation of Technical Capability will be based on the information provided in the quotation. Quotations shall include the make and model of the products, manufacturer sales literature or other product literature, which addresses all specifications & clearly documents that the product offered meets or exceeds the specifications identified herein.

Past Performance: Past Performance will be evaluated to determine the overall quality of the products and services, provided by the Contractor. Evaluation of Past Performance shall be based on the references provided IAW FAR 52.212-1(b)(10) and/or information from other sources, including NIST. Offerors shall provide a list of at least three (3) references to whom the same or similar products have been sold. The list of references shall include, at a minimum: the name of the reference contact person and the company or organization; the telephone number of the reference contact person; the contract or grant number; the amount of the contract and the address and the telephone number of the Contracting Officer, if applicable; and the date of delivery or the date services were completed.

Past Experience: Past Experience will be evaluated to determine the degree of vendors’ experience in successfully providing comparable systems for the types of applications described herein. Evaluation of past experience may be based on contacts used for past performance; however, the vendor should provide additional references relating to its past experience information, if necessary.

Past Performance, Past Experience, and Price shall not be evaluated on quotes that are determined technically unacceptable in accordance with the Technical Capability Evaluation factor.

The full text of a FAR provision or clause may be accessed electronically at http://acquisition.gov/comp/far/index.html.

The following provisions apply to this acquisition:

52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors-Commercial Items;

52.212-3 Offerors Representations and Certifications- Commercial Items.

Offerors shall complete annual representations and certifications on-line at http://orca.bpn.gov in accordance with FAR 52.212-3 Offerors Representations and Certifications- Commercial Items. If paragraph (j) of the provision is applicable, a written submission is required.

The following clauses apply to this acquisition:

52.212-4 Contract Terms and Conditions—Commercial Items;

52.212-5 Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders—Commercial Items including subparagraphs:

52.222-3, Convict Labor;

52.222-19, Child Labor – Cooperation With Authorities And Remedies;

52.222-21, Prohibition of Segregated Facilities;

52.222-26, Equal Opportunity;

52.222-36, Affirmative Action for Workers with Disabilities;

52.225-3, Buy American Act—Free Trade Agreement, 52.225-3 (ii), Alternate I

52.225-13, Restriction on Certain Foreign Purchases;

52.232-33, Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer-Central Contractor Registration. Department of Commerce Agency-Level Protest Procedures Level above the Contracting Officer is also incorporated. It can be downloaded at www.nist.gov/admin/od/contract/agency.htm.

52.232-18, Availability of Funds (Apr 1984), FULL TEXT-- Funds are not presently available for this contract. The Government’s obligation under this contract is contingent upon the availability of appropriated funds from which payment for contract purposes can be made. No legal liability on the part of the Government for any payment may arise until funds are made available to the Contracting Officer for this contract and until the Contractor receives notice of such availability, to be confirmed in writing by the Contracting Officer. (End of Clause)

All vendors shall submit the following: 1) An original and one (1) copy of a quotation which addresses all of the above items; 2) An original and one (1) copy of the technical description and/or product literature; 3) Description of commercial warranty; and 4) An original and one (1) copy of the most recent published price list(s).

This is an Open-Market Combined Synopsis/Solicitation for equipment as defined herein. The Government intends to award a Purchase Order as a result of this Combined Synopsis/Solicitation that will include the terms and conditions that are set forth herein. In order to facilitate the award process, ALL quotes shall include a statement regarding the terms and conditions herein as follows:

The offeror shall state “The terms and conditions in the solicitation are acceptable to be included in the award document without modification, deletion, or addition.”

OR

The offeror shall state “The terms and conditions in the solicitation are acceptable to be included in the award document with the exception, deletion, or addition of the following:

Offeror shall list exception(s) and rationale for the exception(s)

Please note that this procurement is not being conducted under the GSA Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) program or another Government-Wide Area Contract (GWAC). If an offeror submits a quotation based upon an FSS or GWAC contract, the Government will accept the quoted price. However, the terms and conditions stated herein will be included in any resultant Purchase Order, not the terms and conditions of the offeror’s FSS or GWAC contract, and the statement required above shall be included in the quotation.

All quotes shall be received not later than 3:30 PM local time, on March 10, 2009, at the National Institute of Standards & Technology, Acquisition Management Division, 100 Bureau Drive, Building 301, Room B125, Mail Stop 1640, Gaithersburg, MD 20899-1640, Attn: Kim Stavish. Any questions or concerns regarding this solicitation should be forwarded in writing via e-mail to the Contract Specialist (Kim Stavish) @ kim.stavish@nist.gov. E-mailed quotes are acceptable and shall be addressed to: kim.stavish@nist.gov. Faxed quotes will NOT be accepted.

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