SOURCES SOUGHT w scope.pdf

THIS SOURCES SOUGHT IS NOT A NOTICE OF SOLICITATION ISSUANCE. This is a special notice that includes a REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) issued solely for information and planning purposes; it does not constitute a Request for Quote (RFQ) or Proposal (RFP) or promise to issue a solicitation in the future. This notice does not commit the Government contractually for any services or supplies whatsoever. Responders are advised that the United States Government will not pay for any information or administrative costs incurred in the response to this RFI. Not responding to this RFI does not preclude participation in a future solicitation if one is issued. If a solicitation is released, it may be posted to the System Award Management (SAM) website, but it is not guaranteed, and it is the responsibility of the potential offerors to monitor the Government website for a potential solicitation and additional information pertaining to this requirement.

The proposed project consists of the following: The contractor shall furnish the necessary personnel, material, equipment, services, and facilities to supply LHe in 100, and 250-liter contractor-owned dewars, on an as-needed basis, in accordance with the statement of work (SOW) for the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Boulder, Colorado. This requirement is assigned a NAICS code of 325120 Industrial Gas Manufacturing with the Small Business Administration (SBA) size standard of 1,200 employees.

Submit an Interest and Capability (to include cut sheets, drawings, previous installation examples, etc.) shall be limited to 20 pages (Times New Roman, 12 point font, 8-1/2 x 11. Cut sheets and drawings are acceptable as 11 x 17) and submitted via e-mail to the contract specialist listed in this notice.

All correspondence sent via e-mail shall contain a subject line that reads " NB192020-26-02035 Liquid Helium Delivery Project Sources Sought". If this subject line is not included, the e-mail may not get through e-mail filters. Filters are designed to delete emails without a subject or with a suspicious subject or attachment. Attachments with files ending in .zip or .exe are not allowable and will be deleted. Ensure only .pdf, .doc, .docx, .xsls, or .xls documents are attached to your e-mail. All other attachments may be deleted.

All responses must reach the point of contact no later than 2:00 PM MT on July 2, 2026 and must include the following information: company name; address; phone number, fax number, e-mail address, and business size status for the applicable NAICS. Responses shall not include classified data. Proprietary information, if any, shall be kept to a minimum and MUST BE CLEARLY MARKED. To aid the Government, SEGREGATE proprietary information. Please be advised that all submissions become Government property and will not be returned.

Questions regarding this notice shall be submitted via e-mail to the point of contact listed in this notice. Questions shall be sent to the point of contact via e-mail ONLY. Verbal or FAX questions are not acceptable, and will not be answered

DRAFT STATEMENT OF WORK

Title: LIQUID HELIUM DELIVERY

I. BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Liquid helium (LHe) is used for cryogenic applications across the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) (including standards development and dissemination, initiatives, Innovations in Measurement Science (IMS) projects, and other agency projects). LHe has several unique properties, including an extremely low boiling point and its non-reactivity, so it cannot be replaced by other gases easily.

Helium is a non-renewable resource that is only found naturally in some natural gas deposits.

Therefore, the LHe supply is limited, both in quantity and location. LHe is volatile and must be used within a narrow window of time from delivery, typically within one to two weeks before significant loss of product.

II. PURPOSE

The Contractor shall furnish the necessary personnel, material, equipment, services, and facilities to supply LHe in 100, and 250-liter contractor-owned dewars, on an as-needed basis.

PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

LHe orders shall be delivered to NIST’s central drop off sites. Empty dewars shall be picked up at the same facility. The Contractor shall deliver to and pick-up from the central drop of sites located at, 325 Broadway, Boulder, CO.

The following designated delivery areas are established:

• Drop off/Pick up location 1: Bldg. 1 Wing 2

• Drop off/Pick up location 2: Bldg. 1 Wing 3

• Drop off/Pick up location 3: Bldg. 1 Wing 6

• Drop off/Pick up location 4: Bldg. 2/81 Dock

• Drop off/Pick up location 5: Bldg. 2 Annex

• Drop off/Pick up location 6: Bldg. 24

• Drop off/Pick up location 7: Bldg. 12

• Drop off/Pick up location 8: Bldg. 5

Regular Business Hours Regular business hours are Monday through Friday, Mountain Time, excluding Federal holidays and NIST closures.

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

The Period of Performance will be 12 Months from 1 October to 30 September.

III. SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS

1. LIQUID HELIUM PURITY

Purity of the LHe shall be a minimum of 99.998%;

2. DEWAR USAGE CHARGES

The Contractor shall deliver the actual number of dewars ordered in the 100 L, and 250 L. The Government shall pay the Contractor a flat monthly fee for unlimited use of dewars.

To the maximum extent practicable, the Government will return the dewars to the Contractor within 30 days from the date of delivery.

3. DEWAR REQUIREMENTS

3.1 Dewars shall have no icing or frost caused by dewar malfunction on them at delivery;

3.2 All valves shall open and close easily and seal completely;

3.3 Over-pressure valves and road relief valves shall be fitted and operate at the manufacturer-recommended nominal pressures;

3.4 Dewars shall have a working pressure gauge;

3.5 Dewars shall be delivered with an over-pressure valve in the open position, to avoid an unsafe buildup of large pressure;

3.6 Dewars shall have mechanical movement (wheels and travel) that is smooth and uninterrupted;

3.7 Dewars shall include all seals & fittings. All seals in the dewar and fittings shall be in good condition and create a complete seal, i.e. no cracks in the seals; These compression fittings shall be supplied with Teflon O-rings.

3.9 All dewars shall be provided with nominal liquid level to volume calibration charts. These charts must be legible. This chart is for the convenience of the end-user and is not used for weight determination of delivered product;

3.10 Dewars shall be provided with eye hooks along the supports for the top O-ring (halo ring).

Dewars shall provide 2 or 3 eye hooks, whichever is applicable to the dewar’s manufacture.

Welds shall be solid or bolts shall be tight, whichever is relevant to the particular dewar. The Contractor shall not be held liable for any damage resulting from use of these eye hooks for lifting the dewar. The liability for lifting dewars by these eye hooks shall rest with NIST;

3.11 All dewars shall have a maximum helium loss rate per day of the following:

100 L dewar – less than 2 percent per day; and 250 L dewar – less than 2 percent per day.

3.12 Dewars shall be delivered with a minimum volume in accordance with the following:

A 100 L dewar shall have no less than 85 L; and A 250 L dewar shall have no less than 237 L.

3.13 All 100-liter dewars shall be supplied with a 2.5-inch Ladish flange, or equivalent. This flange is called a 2.5-inch flange though its outside diameter is 3.068 inches. The flange must work when the NIST scientists clamp their equipment onto the dewar flange using the dewar’s clamp. The flange on the NIST equipment is a 2.5-inch Ladish flange. When connected, the seal is helium leak-tight and capable of holding an internal pressure of 5 psi;

3.14 All dewars shall be supplied with permanently attached wheels;

3.15 The Contractor shall deliver each dewar with a status ticket attached. The ticket must be cardboard, have perforated tabs, and be preprinted Full/In Use/Empty. This ticket shall be utilized internally by the NIST end-user, in the lab environment, to indicate the usage status of the dewar;

3.16 Dewars shall be of non-magnetic construction;

3.17 Tare weights shall be indicated on dewars;

3.18 Dewars which are returned due to defects must have the noted defect repaired before return to service at NIST;

3.19 If contamination is discovered in the bottom of the dewar, the Government shall notify the Contractor in accordance with Section 5 of the statement of work. The Contractor shall clean the dewar to alleviate this problem within a period not-to-exceed 30 days;

3.20 The Contractor shall replace any dewar not meeting the requirements herein at no additional charge to the Government. This includes charges for LHe, and delivery.

The replacement shall be provided on the next day, or on an alternate date as approved by the end-user. Delivery other than the next day must be approved, in advance, by the end-user.

Communication with respect to an alternate delivery day will be made by NIST authorized personnel. The Contractor shall not contact the end-user directly.

3.21 If the dewar or its contents present a safety hazard to NIST personnel or property, the Contractor, upon notification by NIST, shall take action to remove or mitigate the hazard in a timeframe appropriate to the hazard identified.

3.22 The Contractor shall provide Teflon O-ring fittings on all dewars. The Contractor shall utilize ½” Teflon O-rings on all dewars and ½” and 3/4” Teflon O-rings for 250-liter dewars.

4. SPECIALTY DEWARS

The Contractor shall have the capability to supply specialty dewars. These dewars are only needed on occasion. Specialty dewars shall be tagged with the end-user’s name prior to delivery. The end-user’s name shall be provided to the Contractor when the order is placed. To the maximum extent practicable, NIST shall provide the contractor a one (1) week advance notice when ordering these dewars, however, no additional charge shall apply if a one-week notice cannot be provided;

4.1 Wide mouth, 100-liter dewars. These dewars shall have a minimum opening of 2 inches to allow the use of cryogenic inserts.

4.2 Purged 100-liter dewars. These dewars shall be thoroughly purged with clean helium gas to remove all contaminants (i.e. water and air) that may have accumulated inside the dewar prior to filling with LHe.

5. NON-CONFORMANCE WITH SPECIFICATION & IDENTIFICATION OF DEWAR

MALFUNCTION

The Contractor shall utilize the NIST-supplied defective dewar tagging system by which end-users can:

(1) Identify dewar malfunctions and any dewar issues that do not conform to the requirements of Section 3;

(2) Report the dewar malfunctions and issues to the Contractor; and

(3) Return the dewar to the Contractor.

Non-conformance with specification or dewar malfunction does not necessarily imply that the dewar could not be used or that it must be replaced immediately as a defective dewar. The dewar in question must have the noted condition rectified before it is returned to NIST.

Use of this tag shall initiate the return process. The defective dewar tag is adhesive-backed and will be affixed by the end user to the top surface of the dewar. The end user does not have any further obligation in the return or return authorization process. NIST does not have any further obligation in the return or return authorization process. The Contractor shall be 100% responsible for the return authorization and the return. Follow-up information regarding returned dewars shall be provided by the Contractor to the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) and the Contract Specialist, not the end user reporting the problem.

Dewar problems shall be documented by NIST Authorized Personnel, and communicated to the COR and the Contract Specialist as problems are identified.

6. RECORDS OF DEWAR SERVICE

Records of dewar servicing shall be maintained and shall be made available to the COR, the NIST Contracting Officer or other contracting personnel upon request. Service records may be requested in the event a single dewar has repeated malfunctions.

7. REGULAR DELIVERY SCHEDULE

NIST will order LHe one time per week, with delivery occurring one time per week. NIST will provide a week lead time for Wednesday deliveries. The schedule shall be to place orders before Wednesday with the delivery within 14 calendar days. Orders shall be placed thru the vendors ONLINE ordering account, by authorized NIST personnel or Acquisition Management personnel, not later than 5:00 PM Tuesdays Mountain Time.

Deliveries shall be completed not earlier than 7:00 AM and not later than 3:30 PM Mountain Time. NIST prefers those deliveries be completed between 9:00 AM and 11:30 AM Mountain Time unless the Contractor is otherwise advised by the COR, Contracting Officer in Acquisition Management Division (AMD)

Delivery terms shall be FOB DESTINATION for all deliveries.

If NIST is scheduled for closure for any reason on order or delivery days, the following schedule shall apply. Scheduled closures include Federal holidays.

If the closed date falls on an order date, then the order will be placed on the first business day prior to the normal order date.

If the closed date falls on a delivery date, then the delivery will be scheduled for the first business day following the normal delivery date.

If NIST is closed due to national emergency, inclement weather or for any other unscheduled closure on order or delivery days, ordering or delivery shall occur on the following business day. The Contractor may call the NIST status line at 303-497-4000 to determine whether NIST is open for deliveries. This status line can be expected to be updated starting at 6 AM on any given regular business day.

To the maximum extent practicable, pick-up of empty dewars shall be coordinated with deliveries, however, the Contractor may pick-up at an alternate date. The Contractor’s delayed pick-up shall not be a basis for rental charges being incurred by the Government.

8. EMERGENCY DELIVERIES

8.1 The Contractor must have the capability to provide emergency deliveries of LHe on days and times other than under the regular delivery schedule discussed in Section 7.

An emergency delivery results when an order is placed, and the contractor is notified by the COR or other authorized representative of the government by email and phone notification.

8.2 Orders for emergency deliveries shall be placed by NIST authorized ordering representatives during normal business hours.

Emergency deliveries are expected preferably within 7 calendar days from the day of the request, unless otherwise directed by the Government.

The procedures and delivery requirements for emergency deliveries are the same as for regular deliveries except that the delivery is not for a regularly scheduled delivery day and access to the campus would have to be granted through the NIST visitor Cnter if the delivery day falls on a weekend or holiday.

8.3 The Contractor’s fee schedule shall include a flat fee for Emergency delivery as appropriate. The fee is per delivery and not per dewar.

This fee shall be structured for the base period and all option periods.

9. INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

Weight measurement shall be performed at NIST, by Contractor personnel, at the NIST dock. NIST delivery personnel shall witness the weight measurement and document the total weight and tare weight. The liquid helium product weight (total-tare) shall ve the LHe volume that will be paid by NIST. The product weight will be provided to the Contractor’s personnel for use by the Contractor when invoicing. NIST will not accept a weight determination from the Contractor’s site.

10. CONFIRMATION OF SERVICE DURING PRODUCT SHORTAGE PERIOD

The Contractor shall maintain procedures to continue service to NIST in the event of a product shortage. All shortages and any potential impact to price must be communicated to the Contract Specialist and the COR, via e-mail or other written form, not later than 24 hours after the shortage is identified.

Daily updates shall be provided to the Contract Specialist and COR via e-mail or telephone.

In accordance with Bureau of Land Management In-Kind Crude Helium Sales Contracts, the Contractor is required to provide priority service to the Government at all times over non-Government requirements. Such priority requirements of the Government or occasions of force majeure may cause delay or deferral of shipment of any refined helium deliveries by the Supplier for non-Government requirements.

11. SECURITY REQUIREMENTS

The Contractor shall maintain a current list of drivers to the NIST COR.

During regular business hours, delivery drivers shall produce current, valid photo identification.

12. PROOF OF DELIVERY

A delivery ticket shall be provided with every delivery. The delivery ticket shall include, at a minimum:

-Contract Number;

-Delivery ticket number;

-Number of dewars by size and serial number of each dewar;

-Date of delivery.

The Government will document the total weight on the delivery ticket after all weight determinations are complete.

13. SEMI-ANNUAL MEETINGS

The Contractor’s performance shall be monitored by the COR and the Contract Specialist. Compliance and non-compliance with specifications shall be documented. It is the Government’s intent to work with the Contractor to achieve 100% problem-free performance.

The COR and the Contract Specialist will meet with the Contractor on a semi-annual basis at a minimum to review documentation of dewar malfunctions and documented occurrences of dewars not meeting the specifications required in Section 3. This forum shall provide the Contractor an opportunity to discuss and/or dispute any documentation presented by the Government for that performance period. These meetings may be expanded to include the NIST user community to allow the Contractor an opportunity to discuss concerns and compliments directly with the users.

The Government will provide a final review of the Contractor’s performance through the Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS) on an annual basis.

14. COMMUNICATION

In the event of any required change by the Contractor to any scheduled delivery and/or the number of dewars being delivered, Contractor Key Personnel must notify the Government immediately upon learning of the change.

Telephone notification may be provided to the COR. The telephone notification must be followed up with an email to, at a minimum, the COR, within 30 minutes of the telephone notification. If the Contractor’s Project Manager (PM) is not the originator of the email, the PM must provide their written email concurrence in response to the email sent by Contractor Key Personnel.

The telephone and email notifications must identify the impact to the delivery including the actual number and sizes of dewars being delivered, the estimated time of arrival and the basis for the delay.

Notification must take place as soon as possible, before 9:00 AM is preferred, and be updated every two hours (via email) with the estimated time of arrival. Updates must be sent to the COR. Authorized NIST personnel may also be updated.

The COR will provide instructions to Contractor Key Personnel with respect to required action to be taken. It will be the responsibility of the NIST COR to establish an internal line of communication among Authorized NIST Delivery Personnel. NIST will be responsible for the guidance provided by authorized personnel.

The Contractor must ensure that all key personnel are adequately informed and convey accurate and timely information. It will be the responsibility of the Project Manager to establish an internal line of communication with key personnel. The Contractor shall be responsible for the information provided by their key personnel.

15. INVOICING & PAYMENT

The Contractor shall submit an invoice monthly. In addition to the information required by NIST LOCAL CLAUSE 04 “Billing Instructions”, the invoice shall include:

-Total number of 100, and 250-liter dewars delivered.

NOTE: Copies of delivery tickets may be attached to the invoice.

-Total number of liters of LHe delivered based on Government furnished weights provided at the time of delivery.

-Delivery ticket numbers for all deliveries that are being invoiced.

-Monthly rental fee for dewars.

-Fees associated with Emergency deliveries, as appropriate.

-Dates of deliveries shall be provided.

Payment shall be made upon submission of a proper invoice in accordance with Net 30-day payment terms.