SS_Posting.pdf

Date Posted:

January 3, 2017

Posting Confirmation

Solicitation #:

NIST-MML-17-SS-5

Procurement Type:

Sources Sought

Title:

Wavelength Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometer

ATTACHMENTS

Is this package sensitive/secure? No

Draft Statement of Objectives

Page 1 of 1Posting Confirmation - Federal Business Opportunities: Notices

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Date Posted:

January 3, 2017

Response Date:

Jan 30, 2017 9:00 am Eastern

Wavelength Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometer

SOLICITATION NUMBER: NIST-MML-17-SS-5

NOTICE DETAILS

Solicitation #:

NIST-MML-17-SS-5

Procurement Type:

Sources Sought

Title:

Wavelength Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometer

Classification Code:

66 -- Instruments & laboratory equipment

NAICS Code:

334516 -- Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing

Is this a Recovery and Reinvestment Act Action?:

No

Primary Point of Contact.:

DENNIS R. BAILEY

dennis.bailey@nist.gov

Phone: 3019756219

Description:

The National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST) seeks vendors that are capable of providing a wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometer to support NIST measurement efforts of the Inorganic Services Measurement Group. This announcement is not a Request for Proposals or Quotes (RFP/RFQ) and does not commit the Government to award a contract now or in the future. The information contained in this notice is DRAFT only and as such, is subject to change prior to issuance of a solicitation. No solicitation is available at this time.

The purpose of this notice is to:

1. identify organizations with the requisite qualifications to meet the requirements of the item stated herein, and

2. solicit candid feedback from industry regarding the attached draft Statement of Objectives as part of a comprehensive review to ensure the final solicitation includes the most appropriate and current methods of meeting NIST's needs while maximizing the efficient expenditure of taxpayer dollars.

After results of this market research are obtained and analyzed, NIST may conduct a competitive or non-competitive procurement and subsequently award a contract. If at least two qualified small business sources are identified during this market research stage, this acquisition may be solicited as a small business set aside. NIST

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is seeking responses from all responsible sources, including large and small businesses (SB, SDB, 8(a), WOSB, HUBZone, SDVOSB and VOSB). This requirement is assigned a NAICS code of 334516 with a Small Business Size Standard of 1,000 employees.

Interested business organizations that believe they are capable of meeting the requirements contained in the draft Statement of Objectives should submit responses which include the following information:

1. The contractor's name, address, DUNS number, and Socioeconomic Status (as defined by the Small Business Administration) under the applicable NAICS code.

2. A brief discussion of the contractor's capability to complete the requirements of the Statement of Objectives, including project description(s) of any work performed by the contractor of a similar nature as the subject requirement.

3. Any feedback regarding the draft Statement of Objectives, including concerns, potential issues, suggestions, any observed ambiguities, etc. The Government will take any such feedback under advisement when finalizing its Statement of Objectives. The Government makes no commitment to provide answers to questions received, however.

4. Any other relevant information that is not listed above which the Government should consider in developing its specifications and finalizing its market research.

Any proprietary information should be so marked. Responses should be submitted to dennis.bailey@nist.gov no later than 9:00 AM Eastern Time on 1/30/2017.

Place of Contract Performance:

Contractor facility with post-shipment (i.e., installation) requirements to occur at NIST's campus in Gaithersburg, MD

Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899 United States

Archiving Policy:

Automatic, 15 days after response date

Allow Vendors To Add/Remove From Interested Vendors:

Yes

Allow Vendors To View Interested Vendors List:

No

ATTACHMENTS

Is this package sensitive/secure? No

Draft Statement of Objectives

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DRAFT

DRAFT STATEMENT OF OBJECTIVES

Wavelength Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometer

Purpose:

To source, procure, install, and qualify a new Wavelength Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometer meeting the requirements set forth herein.

Period and Place of Performance:

NIST contemplates performance completion by the end of calendar year 2017.

Background:

The Inorganic Measurement Services Group (646.01) develops test methods for quantitative analyses of a wide range of materials. These test methods are critically evaluated and applied to the needs of stakeholders. One of the primary activities of the group is X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF) for development of standard test methods and certified reference materials, plus research into the fundamental physics of X-ray interactions with matter. To maintain the world-leading capabilities of the group, it is necessary to procure a new wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence (WDXRF) spectrometer.

Performance Objectives:

NIST requires a research grade sequential WDXRF spectrometer to perform homogeneity testing and quantitative elemental analyses of a wide range of materials, both liquid and solid forms. The spectrometer will consist of a high voltage generator (maximum power output of at least 4 kW and also capable of producing stable outputs at power settings as low as 200 W), X-ray tube, samples handling subsystem, and detection optics consisting of a set of interchangeable masks, a set of interchangeable collimators, a set of interchangeable crystals, a precision goniometer, and a set of interchangeable detectors all operated under computer control. The software includes both spectrometer operations and calibration/calculation capabilities, typically in a database-like environment.

A WDXRF spectrometer of the type needed by NIST consists of the following components:

A. Cabinet enclosure with provision for heating and cooling to maintain highly stable environment for spectrometer components. Greater temperature stability over time is desired and will be given stronger consideration.

B. Vacuum chamber(s) housing all optical path components, sample motion systems, detectors, X-ray tube, etc.

a. Chamber provides a safety interlock system based on the presence of vacuum to allow X-ray generation.

b. Chamber and pumping system capable of achieving and maintaining vacuum levels of 10 Pa or lower.

c. Chamber provides for operation in a helium atmosphere at slightly less than atmospheric pressure to maintain the vacuum interlock.

d. A sample airlock port and transport mechanism must be incorporated for automated loading and unloading of samples.

e. Internal sample handling shall allow for pumping of the chamber before the sample is placed in the measuring position.

C. Mechanical, programmable sample changer subsystem capable of unattended operation shall be provided.

a. Changer software must be fully integrated into the spectrometer operating system software.

b. Changer must provide for at least 72 sample positions for each of a variety of sample sizes, including 25 mm disks, 32 mm disks, 40 mm disks, liquid cells with 25 mm viewed areas, and liquid cells with 37 mm viewed areas.

c. Changer must be capable of operation either by moving and loading metal holders, into which the samples/liquid cells have been loaded by hand, or by lifting and placing solid disks into a single holder then loading that holder.

D. High power generator capable of providing up to 4000 kW of power or greater to drive an X-ray tube. The range of voltages needed is 25 kV to 60 kV, with up to 100 kV considered desirable, and the range of currents needed is 10 mA to 125 mA with up to 150 mA or higher considered desirable. The generator must be stable for long periods under maximum output conditions with stability at 0.5 % RMS (root-mean-square) deviation for 24 hours with performance exceeding 1 % RMS for one week or more being desirable.

E. End-window X-ray tube capable of operation across the range of power outputs provided by the generator.

The tube shall have the following characteristics:

a. Rh anode (tubes with other anodes in addition to the Rh anode are preferred))

b. Be end window 75 microns thick or less

c. System for minimization of contamination of Be end window from filament and other deposits accumulating on the inside

d. System for minimization of contamination (e.g., spills onto the tube) which facilitates ease of cleaning of exterior surface of Be end window

e. System for connection to and electronic interaction with the operating system software for automatic changes of settings and for logging of tube performance and errors

F. Inverted optics design with X-ray tube and other optical path components beneath the sample measurement position. The optical path shall have the following components at a minimum:

a. Programmable filter bar to modify the X-ray tube spectrum before it impinges the sample. The filters shall include a beam stop, a filter to fully attenuate Rh K scatter from the tube, both Compton and Rayleigh. A higher number of installed filters is desired and will be given stronger consideration.

b. Sample spinner to rotate the sample during measurement, controllable by the end user.

c. A minimum selection of four interchangeable (under program control) masks to define the size and shape of the viewed area of the sample is required. However, greater than four installed masks are preferred and will be given consideration.

d. Soller slit style collimators, or equivalent, for reduction of scatter between the sample mask and the crystals and between the crystals and the detectors. A selection of at least three interchangeable collimators, under computer control, between the masks and the crystals is required. A greater number of installed collimators will be given additional consideration.

G. The spectrometer shall be equipped with at least one detector of each of the following designs:

a. Flow proportional detector supplied with a mixture argon gas and methane gas. This design of detector is used for low to medium energy X-ray energies.

b. Sealed proportional detector supplied with xenon gas. This design of detector with Xe gas provides improved sensitivity to medium energy X-rays, over the Ar gas flow design, and it is characterized by cleaner pulse height distributions than scintillation detectors.

c. Scintillation detector for use with high energy X-rays.

d. Other detector technologies will be considered and will be evaluated based on performance in comparison to the three designs above.

H. The precision goniometer system is the heart of the sequential wavelength dispersive system. The goniometer shall have a two-theta range from approximately 10 degrees to approximately 150 degrees as appropriate for the useable energy ranges of the detectors. The goniometer shall carry a crystal turret capable of holding as many crystals as possible to cover the element range from Be to U, and beyond, if possible.

a. At a minimum, the following crystal are required: LiF (200), LiF (220), PE (002), Ge (111) curved, TlAP (100) coated

b. At a minimum, multilayer diffraction structures are required for optimum sensitivity for the elements Be through O. Typically, these structures have pseudo-crystal spacings from 50 nm to 400 nm.

I. Computer control of all functions of the spectrometer and all functions of the calculation capabilities.

a. Quantitative analyses of at least 30 elements per application is required. NIST often analyzes at least 15 to 25 elements in a single application program.

b. Semiquantitative analyses for material characterization should be available using the

“standardless” approach, using either scanning measurements or programmed channels or a combination. The capabilities will be evaluated for inclusiveness of all appropriate calculations/corrections in comparison to programs with which NIST has experience.

c. Qualitative analyses by scanning must be available with full control over the scan parameters.

d. Capabilities shall be included for graphical comparisons spectra from at least eight qualitative and semiquantitative measurements. Greater flexibility will be given additional consideration.

e. NIST desires a software option that performs stability testing of the spectrometer system of hours or days. The software must collect and display measured count rates from stability test samples and spectrometer operating parameters (vacuum level, water temperatures, power supply voltages, etc. and provide statistical summaries and graphical displays. This capability enables NIST to demonstrate the stability required of the spectrometer for homogeneity testing and quantitative analysis batches that take days or even weeks for data collection.

J. Required support equipment:

a. Refrigerated chiller to maintain the environmental conditions within the spectrometer as specified by the manufacturer.

b. Gas regulators for ultrahigh purity helium and P-10 detector gas cylinders. Highest quality available will be given consideration.

c. Compressor to provide air supply if the spectrometer has air pneumatic capabilities.

d. Computer, monitors, printer, cables, and normal computer operator accessories

e. Safety equipment such as X-ray indicator lights and additional interlock functions.

f. Spare parts kit for consumables for at least one year, and tools required for routine preventative maintenance.

K. Spectrometer and ancillary equipment must be installed by manufacturer’s service engineers in laboratory facilities at NIST, Gaithersburg, Maryland.

L. NIST desires a maintenance agreement. Please describe the following:

a. Warranty periods and features for the spectrometer, X-ray tube, and chiller

b. Selection and pricing of maintenance agreements and options

c. Whether maintenance will be performed by factory-trained service engineers. Service organization staffing and prior performance available to service the Gaithersburg, MD area.

It is known that WDXRF spectrometers incorporate a variety of additional capabilities beyond those listed above.

NIST is interested in the availability and function of the following capabilities and may incorporate one or more into its final statement of work.

A. Millimeter scale or smaller measurement capability integrated with the spectrometer. It may be useful to have the capability to map elements in samples to help characterize the heterogeneity of the material, to differentiate compositions of multicomponent/multiple phase materials, or to investigate interactions between joined parts.

B. Fixed channel, single element add-ons. Some designs include one or more ports into which a single element, fixed channel spectrometer can be added to enable simultaneous measurement during goniometer operation.

C. Energy dispersive spectrometry capabilities. Some designs include an energy dispersive spectrometer added to the chassis via a fixed channel port or other mechanism.

D. Other Capabilities: Some designs include additional capabilities targeted to certain business sectors.

Because NIST uses XRF in support of numerous business sectors, we are interested in available capabilities.

Contracting Office Address:

100 Bureau Drive, Building 301 Room B130 Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899-1410 United States

Primary Point of Contact.:

Dennis R. Bailey, Jr.

dennis.bailey@nist.gov Phone: 301-975-6219