Solicitation 1333ND26QNB680013 LN2 1-6-26.docx

Liquid Nitrogen Recompete / RFQ# 1333ND26QNB680013

THIS IS A COMBINED SYNOPSIS/SOLICITATION FOR COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS OR COMMERCIAL SERVICES PREPARED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE FORMAT IN FAR SUBPART 12.6-STREAMLINED PROCEDURES FOR EVALUATION AND SOLICITATION FOR COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS AND COMMERCIAL SERVICES-AS SUPPLEMENTED WITH ADDITIONAL INFORMATION INCLUDED IN THIS NOTICE. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONSTITUTES THE ONLY SOLICITATION; QUOTATIONS ARE BEING REQUESTED, AND A SEPARATE WRITTEN SOLICITATION WILL NOT BE ISSUED. THE SOLICITATION IS BEING ISSUED USING SIMPLIFIED ACQUISITION PROCEDURES FOR CERTAIN COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS AND COMMERCIAL SERVICES UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF FAR 13.5.

The solicitation number is 1333ND26QNB680013 and is a Request for Quotation (RFQ). The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2025-06 dated October 1, 2025.

The associated North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code for this procurement is 325120, Industrial Gas Manufacturing, with a small business size standard of 1,200 employees.

This acquisition is being solicited as full and open competition.

CAR 1352.215-72 INQUIRIES (APR 2010)

Offerors must submit all questions concerning this solicitation in writing to both the Contract Specialist Nina Lin at nina.lin@nist.gov and the Contracting Officer Donald Collie at donald.collie@nist.gov. Questions should be received no later than five (5) calendar days after the issuance date of this solicitation. All responses to the questions will be made in writing, without identification of the questioner, and will be included in an amendment to the solicitation. Even if provided in other form, only the responses included in the amendment to the solicitation will govern performance of the contract.

(End of Provision)

SITE VISIT

A site visit will take place at 10:00am ET on January 20, 2026, at the NIST Gaithersburg, MD campus. The site visit shall begin promptly at 10:00 AM ET and will allow interested vendors to inspect the liquid nitrogen tanks and the spaces where they reside. Only one site visit will be conducted, and vendors are strongly encouraged to attend. In no event shall failure to attend the site visit constitute grounds for a claim after contract award. Attendees shall convene at NIST, Building 215, Entrance Area, 100 Bureau Drive, Gaithersburg, MD. See Attachment A, NIST Site Visit Registration, for details on how to register to attend the site visit.

BACKGROUND:

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has a continued requirement for supply, delivery, and filling services for liquid nitrogen to multiple programs across three (3) NIST campuses/sites: Gaithersburg, MD; Boulder, CO; and Charleston, SC. The requirements for this acquisition also include tank rental, telemetry unit rental, vaporizer rental, and annual tank inspections. The contractor will be required to procure liquid nitrogen (specific to each campus/site), deliver the liquid nitrogen to the appropriate campus/site, fill both rented and NIST-owned tanks per the required percentage level for each tank, provide rented tanks and vaporizer, provide maintenance and repair services for rented tanks, provide rented telemetry units which the Government will have access to the tank readings from, conduct inspections, and removal of tanks. The Contractor is also responsible for the maintenance and repair of rented tanks and annual inspection of NIST-owned tanks to ensure the tanks remain in working order throughout the life of the contract.

The Government anticipates issuing a firm-fixed-price contract for this requirement. The anticipated period performance is one (1) 12-month base period from the effective date of April 1, 2026, followed by up to four (4) 12-month option periods.

See Attachment B, Statement of Work (SOW) for full requirement details.

LIST OF ATTACHMENTS:

The following documents and forms are hereby provided as attachments. The purpose of these attachments is for reference and to provide specification requirements to the vendor for quotation purposes only.

Attachment A: NIST Site Visit Registration Attachment B: Statement of Work (SOW) Attachment C: NIST Safety Guidelines All offerors shall provide a firm-fixed-price quotation for the following line items:

FAR 52.212-1, INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS – COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS AND COMMERCIAL SERVICES applies to this acquisition as well as the below Addendum, Quotation Preparation Instructions.

INSTRUCTIONS:

System for Award Management (SAM) Registration In accordance with FAR 52.204-7, offerors must be registered in the System for Award Management (www.sam.gov) at the time of quotation submission and shall continue to be registered until time of award, during performance, and through final payment of any resultant contract. Refusal to register shall forfeit award.

DUE DATE FOR QUOTATIONS

Offerors shall submit their electronic quotations, via email, so that NIST receives them not later than 10:00 am Eastern Time (ET) on February 3, 2026. E-mail quotations shall be submitted directly to the Contract Specialist Nina Lin at nina.lin@nist.gov and the Contracting Officer Donald Collie at donald.collie@nist.gov.

Please reference the RFQ number in the subject line of email communications. 0fferors’ quotations shall not be deemed received by the Government until the quotation is entered in the e-mail inbox set forth above.

Addendum to FAR 52.212-1, Quotation Preparation Instructions:

All quotations shall conform to solicitation provisions/clauses and be prepared in accordance with this section. The quotation shall be clearly and concisely written as well as be neat, indexed (cross-indexed as appropriate) and logically assembled. Note: The term “indexed” refers to a table of contents that lists sections and page numbers. All pages of the quotation shall be appropriately numbered.

In preparing the quotation, each volume shall stand on its own. For each given evaluation factor the Government will only evaluate the information provided in the corresponding section of the quotation. The Offeror’s quotation shall be clearly divided into the following distinct volumes as separate attachments:

Cover Letter Volume I – Technical Approach Volume II – Experience and Past Performance Volume III – Price Quotation Volume IV – Terms and Conditions

Cover Letter The cover letter shall contain the following information:

1) Name and address of organization

2) System for Award Management (SAM) Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) Number

3) Point of Contact Name, Title, Email, and phone number

Volume I – Technical Approach

No pricing information shall be included in this volume. The Technical Approach is defined as the vendor’s proposed solution(s) to successfully fulfill the contract requirements.

The vendor shall submit technical approach and capability documentation which may include a narrative, charts, graphs, tables, drawings, product/service literature, and demonstrated authority to provide the necessary items and perform the required services identified in the SOW (Attachment A). The documentation shall clearly describe, in sufficient detail, the vendor's authority, proposed items, resources and methods to successfully fulfill the requirements including specifications, performance capability requirements, tank telemetry, delivery schedules, rental tank installation and removal, warranties, and all service requirements per the Request for Quotation (RFQ).

The vendor is required to submit certificates of analysis demonstrating that liquid nitrogen requirements are met at the distribution point for each campus served: Gaithersburg, Boulder, and Charleston.

Volume II – Experience and Past Performance

This volume consists of the vendor’s experience in terms of relevancy (similarity in scope, size and complexity), as well as past performance (how well vendor has performed) as a means of evaluating the capability of the vendor to successfully meet the requirements of the RFQ.

The vendor shall provide the following information for relevant contracts and/or projects (item and/or service) to that of the requirement in the RFQ that were completed within the past five years:

a) Experience For: Organization Name, address, phone number, email and a Reference Point of Contact (POC).

b) Role as prime contractor or subcontractor.

c) Description of the work in terms of items and services provided and relevance to RFQ requirements.

d) Date of delivery (Items) and dates of services provided (Service contracts).

e) Contract/Project total dollar amount/value

The vendor is required to show experience with liquid nitrogen handling, bulk delivery, and response to technical issues both remotely and on-site at delivery locations. The vendor is encouraged to focus on prior projects encompassing the same RFQ requirements and describe how these requirements were specifically supported by the vendor. The vendor may use prior experiences in which they served as a prime contractor or subcontractor; however, experience as a prime contractor may instill higher confidence. The Government may contact the Reference POC to assess the validity and accuracy of the demonstrated prior experience submissions.

The Government reserves the right to review and consider any information contained within the Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS) or any other Government system, source, individual contact or any other source of information that may have knowledge or information on a vendor’s relevant past performance history.

Volume III - Price Quotation:

The price quotation shall be separate from any other portion of the quotation and not contain technical information. The vendor shall propose a firm-fixed-price inclusive of all shipping costs (FOB Destination) for all CLINs. Price quotations shall remain valid for a period of 90 days from the date quotations are due. Contractor shall state express warranty coverage (if applicable). The vendor shall also propose a payment schedule, if applicable.

Volume IV - Terms and Conditions

NOTE: System updates may lag policy updates. The System for Award Management (SAM) may continue to require entities to complete representations based on provisions that are not included in agency solicitations. Examples include:

52.223-22, Public Disclosure of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Reduction Goals—Representation, 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications—Commercial Products and Commercial Services - paragraph (d).

Contracting officers shall not consider or use these representations when making award decisions or enforce requirements. Entities are not required to, nor are they able to, update their entity registration to remove these representations in SAM.

Provisions Offerors shall provide a completed copy of all FAR provisions listed below:

1. 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial Products and Commercial Services (October 2025). The offeror shall complete only paragraph (b) of this provision if the Offeror has completed the annual representations and certification electronically via the System for Award Management (SAM) website accessed through http://www.sam.gov/portal. If the Offeror has not completed the annual representations and certifications electronically, the Offeror shall complete only paragraphs (c) through (u) of this provision.

2. 52.225-6, Trade Agreements Certificate (Feb 2021)

3. 52.225-18, Place Of Manufacture (Aug 2018)

4. 52.229-11, Tax on Certain Foreign Procurements—Notice and Representation (Jun 2020)

Small Business Subcontracting Plan:

In accordance with FAR 52.219-9 entitled “Small Business Subcontracting Plan,” a small business subcontracting plan must be submitted for this acquisition from all businesses not certified as a small business.

Acceptance of Terms and Conditions (Addendum to FAR 52.212-1(b) (11)):

If the contractor objects to any of the terms and conditions contained in this solicitation, the contractor 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:" [Contractor shall list exception(s) and rationale for the exception(s)]. It is the sole responsibility of the contractor to identify in their quotation any exceptions to the terms and conditions of the solicitation. If the contractor does not include such a statement, the submission of a quotation in response to this solicitation will be regarded as the Contractor's acceptance of the Government's terms and conditions for inclusion into the resultant purchase order (PO).

Note: 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 proposed 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.

(End of Provision)

PROVISION 52.212-2, EVALUATION-COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS AND COMMERCIAL SERVICES applies to this acquisition. The evaluation criteria included in paragraph (a) of the provision are as follows:

EVALUATION CRITERIA

The Government intends to award a single purchase order (PO) from this solicitation using simplified acquisition procedures for Certain Commercial Products and Commercial Services in accordance with FAR subpart 13.5. The Government will make an award, based on best value, to the vendor with the proposed solution that is most advantageous, price and non-price factors considered. When combined, non-price factors are more important than price. As the non-price factors become more equal among vendors, price shall become more of a determining factor. The Government reserves the right not to award a PO and to make an award without discussions based solely upon initial quotes.

Evaluation Factors:

1) Technical Approach: Evaluation of this factor is an evaluation of the vendor's demonstrated resources, capability and methods to meet all requirements. The vendor’s Technical Approach will be evaluated in terms of demonstrated understating of the requirements and demonstrated capability to meet or exceed the requirements. This may include the authority to provide the required items (i.e. authorized dealer/seller/reseller), authority to provide maintenance and repair services, and the capability and method to successfully meet all the requirements including but not limited to item specifications, delivery schedule, installation, warranty, etc. Requirement specifications must be met as established by certificate of analysis for each campus. Vendor proximity to NIST campuses may instill higher confidence.

2) Experience: Evaluation of this factor is an evaluation of the vendor’s experience, in terms of relevancy (similarity in scope, size and complexity), as a means of evaluating the capability of the vendor to successfully meet the requirements of the request for quotation. The vendor must show experience within the past five years delivering liquid nitrogen and being able to respond to technical problems remotely and on-site. Projects submitted for evaluation with a direct correlation to the proposed requirements may instill higher confidence than those with lesser relevance.

3) Past Performance: Evaluation of this factor is a subjective evaluation of how well the vendor performed on contracts/projects and a subjective evaluation of how relevant a recent contract effort is to the RFQ requirement. The Government reserves the right to review and consider any information contained within the Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS) or any other Government system, source, or individual contact any other source of information that may have knowledge or information on a vendor’s relevant past performance history. Projects submitted for evaluation with a direct correlation to the proposed requirements may instill higher confidence than those with lesser relevance. Vendors without any prior past performance will receive a neutral rating for this factor.

4) Price: The price quotation will be evaluated for consistency with the technical approach, current marketplace, and Independent Government Estimate. A price quotation that is found to be either unreasonably high or low in relation to the performance requirements may be indicative of an inherent lack of understanding of the RFQ requirements and may instill lower confidence. A price realism analysis will not be conducted. The price offer will be evaluated for reasonableness.

The option line items will be evaluated for award purposes by adding the total price for all options to the total price for the basic requirement. The Government may determine that an offer is unacceptable if the option prices are significantly unbalanced. Evaluation of any option shall not obligate the Government to exercise such option.

Evaluation Ratings:

The evaluation of each non-price factor (factors 1-3) may be done holistically with a rating scale of "high confidence," "some confidence," and "low confidence," representing the Government’s confidence that the vendor understands the requirement and will be successful in performing the work per factor.

requirement, proposes a sound approach, and will be successful in performing the agreement with little or no Government intervention.

performing the agreement with some Government intervention.

Once the Government determines the quoter that is the best-suited (i.e., the apparent successful quoter), the Government reserves the right to communicate with only that quoter to address any remaining issues, if necessary, and finalize a contract with that quoter. These issues may include technical and price. If the parties cannot successfully address any remaining issues, as determined pertinent at the sole discretion of the Government, the Government reserves the right to communicate with the next-best-suited quoter based on the original analysis and address any remaining issues. Once the Government has begun communications with the next-best-suited quoter, no further communications with the previous quoter will be entertained until after the purchase order has been awarded. This process shall continue until an agreement is successfully reached and a contract is awarded.

(End of Provision)

SOLICITATION PROVISIONS AND CLAUSES:

The following provisions and clauses apply to this acquisition and are hereby incorporated by reference or full text.

All FAR provisions and clauses may be viewed at https://www.acquisition.gov/browse/index/far All CAR provisions and clauses may be viewed at https://www.acquisition.gov/car

PROVISIONS Incorporated By Reference

FAR 52.203-18 Prohibition on Contracting with Entities that Require Certain Internal Confidentiality Agreements or Statements – Representation (JAN 2017) FAR 52.204-7 System for Award Management (OCT 2018) FAR 52.204-16 Commercial and Government Entity Code Reporting (AUG 2020) FAR 52.204-17 Ownership or Control of Offeror (August 2020) FAR 52.204-20 Predecessor Of Offeror (AUG 2020) FAR 52.204-24 Prohibition on Contracting for Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment (NOV 2021) FAR 52.204-26 Covered Telecommunications Equipment or Services - Representation (OCT 2020) FAR 52.204-29 Federal Acquisition Supply Chain Security Act Orders—Representation and Disclosures FAR 52.209-2 Prohibition on Contracting With Inverted Domestic Corporations-Representation (NOV 2015) FAR 52.209-5 Certification Regarding Responsibility Matters. (AUG 2020) FAR 52.209-7 Information Regarding Responsibility Matters (OCT 2018) FAR 52.209-11 Representation by Corporations Regarding Delinquent Tax Liability or a Felony Conviction under any Federal Law (FEB 2016) FAR 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors -- Commercial Items (SEP 2023) FAR 52.212-2 Evaluation—Commercial Products and Commercial Services (NOV 2021) FAR 52.222-22 Previous Contracts and Compliance Reports (FEB 1999) FAR 52.225-25 Prohibition on Contracting with Entities Engaging in Certain Activities or Transactions Relating to Iran – Representation and Certifications (JUN 2020)

PROVISIONS Incorporated By Full Text

Additionally, the highlighted provisions are required to be completed and returned with the solicitation Volume IV response:

FAR 52.212-3 Offeror Representations and Certifications—Commercial Products and Commercial Services (October 2025) The Offeror shall complete only paragraph (b) of this provision if the Offeror has completed the annual representations and certification electronically in the System for Award Management (SAM) accessed through https://www.sam.gov. If the Offeror has not completed the annual representations and certifications electronically, the Offeror shall complete only paragraphs (c) through (v) of this provision.

(b)

(1) Annual Representations and Certifications. Any changes provided by the Offeror in paragraph (b)(2) of this provision do not automatically change the representations and certifications in SAM.

(2) The offeror has completed the annual representations and certifications electronically in SAM accessed through http://www.sam.gov. After reviewing SAM information, the Offeror verifies by submission of this offer that the representations and certifications currently posted electronically at FAR 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial Products and Commercial Services, have been entered or updated in the last 12 months, are current, accurate, complete, and applicable to this solicitation (including the business size standard(s) applicable to the NAICS code(s) referenced for this solicitation), at the time this offer is submitted and are incorporated in this offer by reference (see FAR 4.1201), except for paragraphs __.

[Offeror to identify the applicable paragraphs at (c) through (v) of this provision that the offeror has completed for the purposes of this solicitation only, if any.

These amended representation(s) and/or certification(s) are also incorporated in this offer and are current, accurate, and complete as of the date of this offer.

Any changes provided by the offeror are applicable to this solicitation only, and do not result in an update to the representations and certifications posted electronically on SAM.

(End of Provision)

FAR 52.225-6 Trade Agreements Certificate (February 2021)

(a) The offeror certifies that each end product, except those listed in paragraph (b) of this provision, is a U.S.-made or designated country end product, as defined in the clause of this solicitation entitled "Trade Agreements."

(b) The offeror shall list as other end products those supplies that are not U.S.-made or designated country end products.

Other End Products:

[List as necessary]

(c) The Government will evaluate offers in accordance with the policies and procedures of part 25 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation. For line items covered by the WTO GPA, the Government will evaluate offers of U.S.-made or designated country end products without regard to the restrictions of the Buy American statute. The Government will consider for award only offers of U.S.-made or designated country end products unless the Contracting Officer determines that there are no offers for such products or that the offers for those products are insufficient to fulfill the requirements of this solicitation.

(End of Provision) FAR 52.225-18 Place of Manufacture (August 2018)

(a) Definitions. As used in this provision— “Manufactured end product” means any end product in Federal Supply Classes (FSC) 1000-9999, except—

(1) FPSC 5510, Lumber and Related Basic Wood Materials;

(2) Product or Service Group (PSG) 87, Agricultural Supplies;

(3) PSG 88, Live Animals;

(4) PSG 89, Subsistence;

(5) PSC 9410, Crude Grades of Plant Materials;

(6) PSC 9430, Miscellaneous Crude Animal Products, Inedible;

(7) PSC 9440, Miscellaneous Crude Agricultural and Forestry Products;

(8) PSC 9610, Ores;

(9) PSC 9620, Minerals, Natural and Synthetic; and

(10) PSC 9630, Additive Metal Materials.

“Place of manufacture” means the place where an end product is assembled out of components, or otherwise made or processed from raw materials into the finished product that is to be provided to the Government. If a product is disassembled and reassembled, the place of reassembly is not the place of manufacture.

(b) For statistical purposes only, the offeror shall indicate whether the place of manufacture of the end products it expects to provide in response to this solicitation is predominantly- [ ] (1) In the United States (Check this box if the total anticipated price of offered end products manufactured in the United States exceeds the total anticipated price of offered end products manufactured outside the United States); or [ ] (2) Outside the United States.

(End of Provision)

FAR 52.229-11 Tax on Certain Foreign Procurements--Notice and Representation (JUN 2020)

(a) Definitions. As used in this provision-- Foreign person means any person other than a United States person.

Specified Federal procurement payment means any payment made pursuant to a contract with a foreign contracting party that is for goods, manufactured or produced, or services provided in a foreign country that is not a party to an international procurement agreement with the United States. For purposes of the prior sentence, a foreign country does not include an outlying area.

United States person as defined in 26 U.S.C. 7701(a)(30) means—

(1) A citizen or resident of the United States;

(2) A domestic partnership;

(3) A domestic corporation;

(4) Any estate (other than a foreign estate, within the meaning of 26 U.S.C. 701(a)(31)); and

(5) Any trust if—

(i) A court within the United States is able to exercise primary supervision over the administration of the trust; and

(ii) One or more United States persons have the authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust.

(b) Unless exempted, there is a 2 percent tax of the amount of a specified Federal procurement payment on any foreign person receiving such payment. See 26 U.S.C. 5000C and its implementing regulations at 26 CFR 1.5000C-1 through 1.5000C-7.

(c) Exemptions from withholding under this provision are described at 26 CFR 1.5000C-1(d)(5) through (7). The Offeror would claim an exemption from the withholding by using the Department of the Treasury Internal Revenue Service Form W-14, Certificate of Foreign Contracting Party Receiving Federal Procurement Payments, available via the internet at www.irs.gov/w14. Any exemption claimed and self-certified on the IRS Form W-14 is subject to audit by the IRS. Any disputes regarding the imposition and collection of the 26 U.S.C. 5000C tax are adjudicated by the IRS as the 26 U.S.C. 5000C tax is a tax matter, not a contract issue. The IRS Form W-14 is provided to the acquiring agency rather than to the IRS.

(d) For purposes of withholding under 26 U.S.C. 5000C, the Offeror represents that--

(1) It [_]is [_]is not a foreign person, and

(2) If the Offeror indicates ''is'' in paragraph (d)(1) of this provision, then the Offeror represents that--I am claiming on the IRS Form W-14 [_] a full exemption, or [_] partial or no exemption [Offeror shall select one] from the excise tax.

(e) If the Offeror represents it is a foreign person in paragraph (d)(1) of this provision, then--

(1) The clause at FAR 52.229-12, Tax on Certain Foreign Procurements, will be included in any resulting contract; and

(2) The Offeror shall submit with its offer the IRS Form W-14. If the IRS Form W-14 is not submitted with the offer, exemptions will not be applied to any resulting contract and the Government will withhold a full 2 percent of each payment.

(f) If the Offeror selects ''is'' in paragraph (d)(1) and ''partial or no exemption'' in paragraph (d)(2) of this provision, the Offeror will be subject to withholding in accordance with the clause at FAR 52.229-12, Tax on Certain Foreign Procurements, in any resulting contract.

(g) A taxpayer may, for a fee, seek advice from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as to the proper tax treatment of a transaction. This is called a private letter ruling. Also, the IRS may publish a revenue ruling, which is an official interpretation by the IRS of the Internal Revenue Code, related statutes, tax treaties, and regulations. A revenue ruling is the conclusion of the IRS on how the law is applied to a specific set of facts. For questions relating to the interpretation of the IRS regulations go to https://www.irs.gov/help/tax-law-questions.

(End of Provision)

CAR 1352.233-70 Agency Protests (APR 2010)

(a) An agency protest may be filed with either: (1) the contracting officer, or (2) at a level above the contracting officer, with the appropriate agency Protest Decision Authority. See 64 Fed. Reg. 16,651 (April 6, 1999)

(b) Agency protests filed with the Contracting Officer shall be sent to the following address:

NIST/ACQUISITION MANAGEMENT DIVISION

ATTN: Donald Collie, CONTRACTING OFFICER 100 Bureau Drive, MS 1640 Gaithersburg, MD 20899

(c) Agency protests filed with the agency Protest Decision Authority shall be sent to the following address:

ATTN: Mr. Joe Widdup, Protest Decision Authority 100 Bureau Drive, MS 1640 Gaithersburg, MD 20899

(d) A complete copy of all agency protests, including all attachments, shall be served upon the Contract Law Division of the Office of the General Counsel within one day of filing a protest with either the Contracting Officer or the Protest Decision Authority.

(e) Service upon the Contract Law Division shall be made as follows:

U.S. Department of Commerce Office of the General Counsel Michael C. Ahl Acting Chief, Contract Law Division, Ste. 5717 Herbert C. Hoover Building 14th Street and Constitution Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20230.

FAX: (202) 482-5858

(End of clause)

CAR 1352.233-71 GAO and Court of Federal Claims Protests (APR 2010)

(a) A protest may be filed with either the Government Accountability Office (GAO) or the Court of Federal Claims unless an agency protest has been filed.

(b) A complete copy of all GAO or Court of Federal Claims protests, including all attachments, shall be served upon (i) the Contracting Officer, and (ii) the Contract Law Division of the Office of the General Counsel, within one day of filing a protest with either GAO or the Court of Federal Claims.

(c) Service upon the Contract Law Division shall be made as follows:

U.S. Department of Commerce Office of the General Counsel Michael C. Ahl Acting Chief, Contract Law Division Ste. 5717 Herbert C. Hoover Building 14th Street and Constitution Avenue N.W. Washington, D.C. 20230.

FAX: (202) 482-5858

(End of Clause)

CLAUSES Incorporated by Reference FAR 52.204-13 System for Award Management Maintenance (OCT 2018) FAR 52.204-18 Commercial and Government Entity Code Maintenance (AUG 2020) FAR 52.204-19 Incorporation by Reference of Representations and Certifications (DEC 2014) FAR 52.212-4 Contract Terms and Conditions – Commercial Products and Commercial Services (NOV 2023) FAR 52.232-39 Unenforceability Of Unauthorized Obligations (JUN 2013) FAR 52.247-35 F.O.B. Destination, Within Consignee`s Premises (APR 1984) CAR 1352.201-70 Contracting Officer's Authority (APR 2010) CAR 1352.201-72 Contracting Officer's Representative (APR 2010) CAR 1352.209-73 Compliance with the Laws (APR 2010) CAR 1352.209-74 Organizational Conflict of Interest (APR 2010)

CLAUSES Incorporated by Full Text

FAR 52.212-5 Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders -- Commercial Products and Commercial Services (OCT 2025)

(a) The Contractor shall comply with the following Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) clauses, which are incorporated in this contract by reference, to implement provisions of law or Executive orders applicable to acquisitions of commercial products and commercial services:

(1) 52.203-19, Prohibition on Requiring Certain Internal Confidentiality Agreements or Statements (JAN 2017) (section 743 of Division E, Title VII, of the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015 (Pub. L. 113-235) and its successor provisions in subsequent appropriations acts (and as extended in continuing resolutions)).

(2) 52.204-23, Prohibition on Contracting for Hardware, Software, and Services Developed or Provided by Kaspersky Lab Covered Entities (DEC 2023) (Section 1634 of Pub. L. 115-91).

(3) 52.204-25, Prohibition on Contracting for Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment. (NOV 2021) (Section 889(a)(1)(A) of Pub. L. 115-232).

(4) 52.209-10, Prohibition on Contracting with Inverted Domestic Corporations (NOV 2015).

(5) 52.232-40, Providing Accelerated Payments to Small Business Subcontractors (MAR 2023) (31 U.S.C. 3903 and 10 U.S.C. 3801).

(6) 52.233-3, Protest After Award (AUG 1996) (31 U.S.C. 3553).

(7) 52.233-4, Applicable Law for Breach of Contract Claim (OCT 2004)(Public Laws 108-77 and 108-78 (19 U.S.C. 3805 note)).

(b) The Contractor shall comply with the FAR clauses in this paragraph (b) that the Contracting Officer has indicated as being incorporated in this contract by reference to implement provisions of law or Executive orders applicable to acquisitions of commercial products and commercial services:

(1) 52.203-6, Restrictions on Subcontractor Sales to the Government (JUN 2020), with Alternate I (NOV 2021) (41 U.S.C. 4704 and 10 U.S.C. 4655).

(4) 52.203-17, Contractor Employee Whistleblower Rights (NOV 2023) (41 U.S.C. 4712); this clause does not apply to contracts of DoD, NASA, the Coast Guard, or applicable elements of the intelligence community--see FAR 3.900(a).

(5) 52.204-10, Reporting Executive Compensation and First-Tier Subcontract Awards (JUN 2020) (Pub. L. 109-282) (31 U.S.C. 6101 note).

(9) 52.204-27, Prohibition on a ByteDance Covered Application (JUN 2023) (Section 102 of Division R of Pub. L. 117-328).

(12) 52.209-6, Protecting the Government's Interest When Subcontracting With Contractors Debarred, Suspended, Proposed for Debarment, or Voluntarily Excluded. (JAN 2025) (31 U.S.C. 6101 note).

(13) 52.209-9, Updates of Publicly Available Information Regarding Responsibility Matters (Oct 2018) ( 41 U.S.C. 2313).

(16) 52.219-4, Notice of Price Evaluation Preference for HUBZone Small Business Concerns (Oct 2022) (if the offeror elects to waive the preference, it shall so indicate in its offer) (15 U.S.C. 657a).

(20) 52.219-8, Utilization of Small Business Concerns (JAN 2025) (15 U.S.C. 637(d)(2) and (3)).

(21) (i) 52.219-9, Small Business Subcontracting Plan (Jan 2025) ( 15 U.S.C. 637(d)(4)).

(23) 52.219-14, Limitations on Subcontracting (Oct 2022) (15 U.S.C. 657s).

(24) 52.219-16, Liquidated Damages—Subcontracting Plan (Sep 2021) (15 U.S.C. 637(d)(4)(F)(i)).

(26) (i) 52.219-28, Postaward Small Business Program Rerepresentation (JAN 2025) (15 U.S.C. 632(a)(2)).

(31) 52.222-3, Convict Labor (JUN 2003) (E.O. 11755).

(32) 52.222-19, Child Labor--Cooperation with Authorities and Remedies (JAN 2025) (E.O. 13126).

(35) (i) 52.222-35, Equal Opportunity for Veterans (JUN 2020)(38 U.S.C. 4212).

(ii) Alternate I (JUL 2014) of 52.222-35.

(36) (i) 52.222-36, Equal Opportunity for Workers with Disabilities (JUN 2020) (29 U.S.C. 793).

(ii) Alternate I (JUL 2014) of 52.222-36.

(37) 52.222-37, Employment Reports on Veterans (JUN 2020) (38 U.S.C. 4212).

(38) 52.222-40, Notification of Employee Rights Under the National Labor Relations Act (DEC 2010) (E.O. 13496).

(39)(i) 52.222-50, Combating Trafficking in Persons (NOV 2021) (22 U.S.C. chapter 78 and E.O. 13627).

(50) 52.225-5, Trade Agreements (NOV 2023) ( 19 U.S.C. 2501, et seq., 19 U.S.C. 3301 note).

(51) 52.225-13, Restrictions on Certain Foreign Purchases (FEB 2021) (E.O.'s, proclamations, and statutes administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the Department of the Treasury).

(55) 52.226-8, Encouraging Contractor Policies to Ban Text Messaging While Driving (May 2024) (E.O. 13513).

(56) 52.229-12, Tax on Certain Foreign Procurements (FEB 2021).

(59) 52.232-33, Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer--System for Award Management (OCT 2018) (31 U.S.C. 3332).

(63) 52.240-1, Prohibition on Unmanned Aircraft Systems Manufactured or Assembled by American Security Drone Act-Covered Foreign Entities (Nov 2024) (Sections 1821-1826, Pub. L. 118-31, 41 U.S.C. 3901 note prec.).

(c) The Contractor shall comply with the FAR clauses in this paragraph (c), applicable to commercial services, that the Contracting Officer has indicated as being incorporated in this contract by reference to implement provisions of law or Executive orders applicable to acquisitions of commercial products and commercial services:

(5)52.222-51, Exemption from Application of the Service Contract Labor Standards to Contracts for Maintenance, Calibration, or Repair of Certain Equipment--Requirements (MAY 2014) (41 U.S.C. chapter 67).

(d) Comptroller General Examination of Record. The Contractor shall comply with the provisions of this paragraph (d) if this contract was awarded using other than sealed bid, is in excess of the simplified acquisition threshold, as defined in FAR 2.101, on the date of award of this contract, and does not contain the clause at 52.215-2, Audit and Records-Negotiation.

(1) The Comptroller General of the United States, or an authorized representative of the Comptroller General, shall have access to and right to examine any of the Contractor's directly pertinent records involving transactions related to this contract.

(2) The Contractor shall make available at its offices at all reasonable times the records, materials, and other evidence for examination, audit, or reproduction, until 3 years after final payment under this contract or for any shorter period specified in FAR subpart 4.7, Contractor Records Retention, of the other clauses of this contract. If this contract is completely or partially terminated, the records relating to the work terminated shall be made available for 3 years after any resulting final termination settlement. Records relating to appeals under the disputes clause or to litigation or the settlement of claims arising under or relating to this contract shall be made available until such appeals, litigation, or claims are finally resolved.

(3) As used in this clause, records include books, documents, accounting procedures and practices, and other data, regardless of type and regardless of form. This does not require the Contractor to create or maintain any record that the Contractor does not maintain in the ordinary course of business or pursuant to a provision of law.

(e)

(1) Notwithstanding the requirements of the clauses in paragraphs (a), (b), (c), and (d) of this clause, the Contractor is not required to flow down any FAR clause, other than those in this paragraph (e)(1), in a subcontract for commercial products or commercial services. Unless otherwise indicated below, the extent of the flow down shall be as required by the clause-

(i) 52.203-13, Contractor Code of Business Ethics and Conduct (NOV 2021) (41 U.S.C. 3509).

(ii) 52.203-17, Contractor Employee Whistleblower Rights (NOV 2023) (41 U.S.C. 4712).

(iii) 52.203-19, Prohibition on Requiring Certain Internal Confidentiality Agreements or Statements (JAN 2017) (section 743 of Division E, Title VII, of the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015 (Pub. L. 113-235) and its successor provisions in subsequent appropriations acts (and as extended in continuing resolutions)).

(iv) 52.204-23, Prohibition on Contracting for Hardware, Software, and Services Developed or Provided by Kaspersky Lab Covered Entities (DEC 2023) (Section 1634 of Pub. L. 115-91).

(v) 52.204-25, Prohibition on Contracting for Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment. (NOV 2021) (Section 889(a)(1)(A) of Pub. L. 115-232).

(vi) 52.204-27, Prohibition on a ByteDance Covered Application (JUN 2023) (Section 102 of Division R of Pub. L. 117-328).

(vii) (A) 52.204-30, Federal Acquisition Supply Chain Security Act Orders-Prohibition. (DEC 2023) ( Pub. L. 115-390, title II).

(B) Alternate I (Dec 2023) of 52.204-30.

(viii) 52.219-8, Utilization of Small Business Concerns (JAN 2025) ( 15 U.S.C. 637(d)(2) and (3)), in all subcontracts that offer further subcontracting opportunities. If the subcontract (except subcontracts to small business concerns) exceeds the applicable threshold specified in FAR 19.702(a) on the date of subcontract award, the subcontractor must include 52.219-8 in lower tier subcontracts that offer subcontracting opportunities.

(ix) [Reserved]

(x) [Reserved]

(xi) 52.222-35, Equal Opportunity for Veterans (JUN 2020) (38 U.S.C. 4212).

(xii) 52.222-36, Equal Opportunity for Workers with Disabilities (JUN 2020) ( 29 U.S.C. 793).

(xiii) 52.222-37, Employment Reports on Veterans (JUN 2020) (38 U.S.C. 4212).

(xiv) 52.222-40, Notification of Employee Rights Under the National Labor Relations Act (DEC 2010) (E.O. 13496). Flow down required in accordance with paragraph (f) of FAR clause 52.222-40.

(xv) 52.222-41, Service Contract Labor Standards (AUG 2018) ( 41 U.S.C. chapter 67).

(xvi)

(A) 52.222-50, Combating Trafficking in Persons (NOV 2021) (22 U.S.C. chapter 78 and E.O 13627).

(B) Alternate I (MAR 2015) of 52.222-50 (22 U.S.C. chapter 78 and E.O. 13627).

(xvii) 52.222-51, Exemption from Application of the Service Contract Labor Standards to Contracts for Maintenance, Calibration, or Repair of Certain Equipment-Requirements (May 2014) ( 41 U.S.C. chapter 67).

(xviii) 52.222-53, Exemption from Application of the Service Contract Labor Standards to Contracts for Certain Services-Requirements (MAY 2014) ( 41 U.S.C. chapter 67).

(xix) 52.222-54, Employment Eligibility Verification (JAN 2025) (E.O. 12989).

(xx) 52.222-55, Minimum Wages for Contractor Workers Under Executive Order 14026 (JAN 2022).

(xxi) 52.222-62, Paid Sick Leave Under Executive Order 13706 (JAN 2022) (E.O. 13706).

(xxii)

(A) 52.224-3, Privacy Training (JAN 2017) ( 5 U.S.C. 552a).

(B) Alternate I (JAN 2017) of 52.224-3.

(xxiii) 52.225-26, Contractors Performing Private Security Functions Outside the United States (OCT 2016) (Section 862, as amended, of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008; 10 U.S.C. Subtitle A, Part V, Subpart G Note).

(xxiv) 52.226-6, Promoting Excess Food Donation to Nonprofit Organizations (JUN 2020) ( 42 U.S.C. 1792). Flow down required in accordance with paragraph (e) of FAR clause 52.226-6.

(xxv) 52.232-40, Providing Accelerated Payments to Small Business Subcontractors (MAR 2023) (31 U.S.C. 3903 and 10 U.S.C. 3801). Flow down required in accordance with paragraph (c) of 52.232-40.

(xxvi) 52.240-1, Prohibition on Unmanned Aircraft Systems Manufactured or Assembled by American Security Drone Act--Covered Foreign Entities (NOV 2024) (Sections 1821-1826, Pub. L. 118-31, 41 U.S.C. 3901 note prec.).

(xxvii) 52.247-64, Preference for Privately Owned U.S.-Flag Commercial Vessels (NOV 2021) ( 46 U.S.C. 55305 and 10 U.S.C. 2631). Flow down required in accordance with paragraph (d) of FAR clause 52.247-64.

(2) While not required, the Contractor may include in its subcontracts for commercial products and commercial services a minimal number of additional clauses necessary to satisfy its contractual obligations.

(End of Clause)

FAR 52.217-8, Option to Extend Services (NOV 1999) The Government may require continued performance of any services within the limits and at the rates specified in the contract. These rates may be adjusted only as a result of revisions to prevailing labor rates provided by the Secretary of Labor. The option provision may be exercised more than once, but the total extension of performance hereunder shall not exceed 6 months. The Contracting Officer may exercise the option by written notice to the Contractor within 10 calendar days prior to contract expiration.

(End of Clause)

FAR 52.217-9, Option to Extend the Term of the Contract (MAR 2000)

a) The Government may extend the term of this contract by written notice to the Contractor within any time prior to contract expiration; provided that the Government gives the Contractor a preliminary written notice of its intent to extend at least 10 calendar days before the contract expires. The preliminary notice does not commit the Government to an extension.

(b) If the Government exercises this option, the extended contract shall be considered to include this option clause.

(c) The total duration of this contract, including the exercise of any options under this clause, shall not exceed 5 years and 6 months.

(End of Clause)

FAR 52.252-2 Clauses Incorporated By Reference (FEB 1998) This contract incorporates one or more clauses by reference, with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make their full text available. Also, the full text of a clause may be accessed electronically at this/these address(es):

FAR Clauses: https://www.acquisition.gov/browse/index/far CAR Clauses: https://www.acquisition.gov/car

(End of Clause)

CAR 1352.246-70 Place of Acceptance (APR 2010)

(a) The Contracting Officer or the duly authorized representative will accept supplies and services to be provided under this contract.

(b) The place of acceptance will be:

NIST Gaithersburg, 100 Bureau Dr., Gaithersburg, MD 20899 NIST Boulder, 325 Broadway, Boulder, CO 80305 NIST Charleston, 331 Ft. Johnson Road, Charleston, SC 29412

(End of clause)

NIST LOCAL-53 Contract Performance During Changes in NIST Operating Status Unless otherwise stated in the contract terms and conditions, normal days of business operation are Monday through Friday, excluding Federal Holidays. However, throughout the contract period of performance, there may be circumstances beyond the control of the U.S. Department of Commerce, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), that will impact normal days of business operation, such as inclement weather, power outages, etc. In circumstances such as these, the Contractor must call the appropriate NIST campus status line to verify the operating status:

Gaithersburg Campus Operating Status Line:

(301) 975-8000

(800) 437-4385 x8000 (toll free)

Boulder Campus Operating Status Line:

(303) 497-4000

Charleston Campus Operating Status Line:

(843) 762-8811

During a lapse in appropriation, access to Government facilities and resources, including equipment and systems, will be limited to excepted personnel for both Federal employees and Contractor personnel. If performance of the contract is onsite and/or requires Government interaction, unless you have been, or are notified that you are to work under an excepted status, you will automatically enter a temporary work stoppage. The work stoppage shall remain in effect until the lapse is resolved and notification is provided via the NIST website at https://www.nist.gov/ and/or the NIST operating status lines. Additionally, Contractors are encouraged to monitor public broadcasts or the Office of Personnel Management’s website at www.opm.gov for the Federal Government operating status.

NIST will provide notification to all contractors that are determined to have excepted status. All excepted contractors are required to continue performance and communicate with the appointed Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) for further guidance, or NIST Contracting Officer if a COR is not appointed.

Contractors with supply or service contracts that are fully funded at the time of contract award and do not require access to Government facilities, resources, or active administration by Government personnel in a manner that would cause the government to incur additional obligations during the lapse in appropriation may continue performance.

(End of clause)

NIST LOCAL-54 Electronic Billing Instructions NIST requires that Invoice/Voucher submissions are sent electronically via email to INVOICE@NIST.GOV.

Each Invoice or Voucher submitted shall include the…