Source Sought Notice.pdf

Notice ID Number 1333ND-25-01298

Title: Sources Sought Notice for a Mid-Size Rotary Riffler

Department of Commerce -NIST Purchase Request Number: NB735150-25-01298

The purpose of this sources sought notice is to conduct market research and identify potential sources of commercial products/services that satisfy the Government’s anticipated needs.

BACKGROUND

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Engineering Laboratory, Intelligent System Division, Production System Group has a requirement for the following system:

The Production Systems Group (PSG) in the NIST Engineering Laboratory conducts research in metals-based additive manufacturing (AM) to develop and deploy advances in measurement science that will enable rapid design-to-product transformation. The PSG is expanding its measurement science facilities of additive manufacturing (AM) research.

A rotary spinning riffler or rotary sample divider is used for (dry) powder sampling. It is the most reliable method for creating representative samples of the original powder stock.

Powder is fed through a vibratory feeder into the divider head. As the divider head spins the powder is equally distributed to the containers (or attached bottles). These powder samples are used to test the repeatability and reproducibility of the results obtained from various ‘powder testing’ instruments. We need a mid-size rotary riffler that can sample around 2000 cm3 of the dry powder into 10 bottles.

The PSG aims to procure the above-mentioned ‘Mid-Size Rotary Riffler’ and the ancillary instruments (if any) to be installed at the PSG at NIST Gaithersburg, Maryland campus. The PSG has identified the scope of measurement science by identifying the challenges faced by key stakeholders in metal AM powder spreadability research.

Specifications:

The Vendor shall deliver (1) one, fully operational ‘Mid-Size Rotary Riffler’ and ancillary instruments (if any) delivered to the NIST Gaithersburg campus. The contractor shall also provide installation instruction, on-site or remote (via video conference), testing and validation of system operation, and training of NIST personnel on operating the instrument and instructions for the safe operation of the system. All are inclusive of F.O.B. Destination delivery, installation, warranty and training.

I. MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

The Contractor shall provide a system that meets all technical specifications identified below. All items must be new. Used or remanufactured equipment will not be considered for award.

Experimental, prototype, or custom items will not be considered. The use of “gray market” components are not authorized for sale in the U.S. by the Contractor is not acceptable. All line items shall be shipped in the original manufacturer’s packaging and include all original documentation and software, when applicable.

Line Item 0001: Mid-Size Rotary Riffler Description: The contractor must provide a fully operational ‘Mid-Size Rotary Riffler’ capable of handling metal AM powders that meets the following specifications.

Quantity: One (1)

A. Technical Specifications

a. System volume (installed):

i. The maximum external height (installed) is 36 inches tall, not including accessory components (if any)

ii. The maximum external width (installed) is 24 inches wide, not including accessory components (if any)

iii. The maximum external length (installed) is 24 inches long, not including accessory components (if any).

b. System weight:

i. The weight must not exceed more than 50 kg.

c. Material compatibility:

i. The system must be capable of handling metal AM powders.

ii. Smooth metal surfaces from the vibratory feeder to the collecting bottle entrance are required.

iii. All parts should be easy to clean.

d. ‘Mid-Size Rotary Riffler’:

i. Material feed size should be < 10 mm

ii. Number of divisions: 10

iii. Each bottle (i.e., sample collector) volume should be 250 cm3.

iv. Maximum rotation per minute (RPM): Around 100 to 120 RPM is desirable.

v. A minimum of the time setting: at least 15 minutes is desirable.

vi. Accuracy of divisions: Must be better than 99%.

e. Operation:

i. Automatic.

ii. Power: at least 15 W.

iii. Power chord: compatible with the US standards.

f. Powder material removal:

i. The unit must have (physical) access to remove the sample bottles and clean the internal surfaces of the sample divider.

II. TRAINING

The contractor shall conduct training sessions for up to 2 (two) users at NIST. The training shall provide a thorough demonstration of all system/solution functions, maintenance, data administration, and basic troubleshooting, of which can be performed remotely via video conference.

The training may be completed at NIST Monday – Friday during the operating hours of 8 am to 5 pm immediately after installation and demonstration of specifications and must be completed no later than 5 days after installation. Further training requirements are identified below:

A. Training should include modules on:

a. Operation of all hardware and software components required for ‘Mid-Size Rotary

Riffler’.

B. Vendor will provide electronic and hard copies of manuals covered during training.

HOW TO RESPOND TO THIS NOTICE

In responding to this notice, please DO NOT PROVIDE PROPRIETARY INFORMATION.

Please include only the following information, readable in either Microsoft Word 365, Microsoft Excel 365, or .pdf format, in the response: Submit the response by email to the Primary Point of

Contact and, if specified, to the Secondary Point of Contact listed in this notice as soon as possible, and preferably before the closing date and time of this notice. Please note that to be considered for award under any official solicitation, the entity must be registered and “active” in SAM at the time of solicitation response.

• Provide the complete name of your company, address, name of contact for follow-up questions, their email, their phone number and, if your company has an active registration in https://sam.gov, your company’s Unique Entity ID (UEI).

• Identify the equipment that your company sells that can meet the objectives addressed in the BACKGROUND section of this notice. For each product recommended to meet the Government’s requirement, provide the following:

o Manufacturer name o Model number o Technical specifications o If your company is not the manufacturer, provide information on your company’s status as an authorized reseller of the product(s)

• Describe performance capabilities of the product(s) your company recommends to meet the Government’s requirements. Additionally, if there are other features or functions that you believe would assist NIST in meeting its objectives described above, please discuss in your response.

o Discuss whether the equipment that your company sells and which you describe in your response to this notice may be customized to specifications and indicate any limits to customization.

• Identify any aspects of the NIST market research notice, including instructions, and draft minimum specifications in the BACKGROUND section you cannot meet and state why.

Please offer suggestions for how the market research notice and draft minimum specifications could be made more competitive.

• State whether the proposed equipment is manufactured in the United States and, if not, state the name of the country where the equipment is manufactured.

• Identify any plans/possibilities for changes in manufacturing location of the aforementioned equipment and provide relevant details, including timeline.

• For the NAICS code listed in this notice:

o Indicate whether your company is (a) a small business or (b) other than small business. See the Table of Small Business Size Standards and the associated .pdf download file for small business size standards and additional information.

o If you believe the NAICS code listed in this notice is not the best NAICS code for the type of product addressed in this notice, identify an alternative NAICS code that you believe would be more appropriate for the planned procurement.

• Describe services that are available with the purchase of the aforementioned equipment from your company such as installation, training, and equipment maintenance.

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

• Describe standard terms and conditions of sale offered by your company for the recommended equipment such as: delivery time after your company accepts the order;

FOB shipping terms; manufacturer warranty (including details regarding nature and duration); if available, description(s) of available extended warranty; equipment setup and test; operator and service instruction manual(s); cleanup after installation; and if applicable, other offered services. Provide a copy of manufacturer standard terms and conditions that typically relate to the sale of the specified equipment, if available.

• State whether your company offers facility renovation services related to installation of the recommended equipment at its delivery destination, if required per the NIST-identified minimum specifications, and provide description of said services. Indicate if your company performs the facility renovation services or typically subcontracts the work to another company. Indicate if your company would be interested in inspecting the intended installation site during the market research phase.

• State published price, discount, or rebate arrangements for recommended equipment and/or provide link to access company’s published prices for equipment and services.

• If the recommended equipment and related services are available for purchase on any existing Federal Supply Schedule contract(s) or other contracts against which NIST may be able to place orders, identify the contract number(s) and other relevant information.

• Identify any customers in the public or private sectors to which you provided the recommended or similar equipment. Include customer(s) information: company name, phone number, point of contact, email address.

• Provide any other information that you believe would be valuable for NIST to know as part of its market research for this requirement.

• State if you require NIST to provide additional information to improve your understanding of the government’s requirement and/or would like to meet with NIST representatives to discuss the requirement and the capabilities of the identified equipment.

QUESTIONS REGARDING THIS NOTICE

Questions regarding this notice may be submitted via email to the Primary Point of Contact and the Secondary Point of Contact listed in this notice. Questions should be submitted so that they are received by [June 10, 2025]. If the Contracting Officer determines that providing a written amendment to this notice to document question(s) received would benefit other potential respondents, the questions would be anonymized, and a written response to such question(s) would be provided via an amendment to this notice.

IMPORTANT NOTES

This notice is for market research purposes and should not be construed as a commitment by NIST to issue a solicitation or ultimately award a contract. There is no solicitation available at this time.

This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in response.

NIST reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate.

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).

The responses shall not exceed [5] pages including all attachments, charts, etc.

Thank you for taking the time to submit a response to this request!