SOW_Liquid Scintillation Counter 300 SL Revised 06162025.pdf

Statement of Work Liquid Scintillation Counting Systems

Background

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Radiation Safety Division (RSD) is responsible for radiation protection and regulatory compliance matters for NIST’s radioactive materials license at the NIST Gaithersburg, MD campus. As part of managing the radiation safety program, RSD is obligated to identify and quantify small radioactive sources and samples containing alpha, beta, and gamma emitting nuclides.

Identification and quantification is required to comply with Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) regulatory requirements, Department of Transportation (DOT) shipping requirements and for Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) disposal requirements. In order to ensure functional and calibrated instruments are available for the Source Users to conduct their surveys, GRSD needs to procure a replacement liquid scintillation counter for our current aging instrument to accurately detect low energy beta radiation in samples.

Scope/General Requirements

The requirements are for an automatic liquid scintillation counting system Hidex 300 SL (or equal).

Requirements

1. Instrument design: The instruments shall be able to count at least 40 samples of 20ml vials. The instrument shall have at a minimum: have 70 mm internal Pb shielding design for low background; an electrostatic controller; spectral analysis and sample replay capability; high sensitivity, low-level count mode; automatic color, chemical and luminescence (quenching) detection and correction; direct measurement of efficiency and DPM by triple-to-double coincidence ratio (TDCR); alpha/beta discrimination capability; Instrument Performance Assessment (IPA) capability.

2. System operation and user interface: The instrument shall be controlled primarily through a connected computer using an automated software system. The computer program shall allow the setup and storage of multiple preset counting protocols that are easily selectable. The software shall allow for the user to automatically calibrate the instrument. The software shall be able to generate reports for the samples counts (dpm or cpm), triple label dpm counts, background trends, and calibration summaries. The software shall provide the ability to track quality assurance parameters in the form of Instrument Performance Assessment (IPA).

3. Detection specifications: Detection of beta and alpha radiation by liquid scintillation counting (beta emitters up to 2,000 keV; alpha emitters up to 10,000 keV). Three low background PMTs to allow TDCR counting. The instrument efficiency for H-3 must be equal to or greater than 60% and the efficiency for C- 14 must be equal to or greater than 90%.

4. Unquenched and Quenched Standards: Quenched and unquenched standards are required for accurate calibration, quench correction, and efficiency verification.

Quenched standards must cover a representative range of quench levels and include certified beta emitters such as tritium (³H) and carbon-14 (¹⁴C). An alpha/beta mixed standard containing radium-226 (Ra-226) is also required to validate alpha/beta separation capability and dual-label counting performance.

Unquenched standards should represent the maximum achievable efficiency under optimal conditions. All standards must be traceable to national or international standards (e.g., NIST or ISO) to ensure reliability in routine analytical and quality control applications.

5. Physical specification:

a) The unit shall have a maximum weight of not to exceed 250 kg.

b) The units shall be operational with ambient temperature in the range of

60F to 85F.

c) The units shall be operational with an ambient relative humidity range of

10 to 90 percent.

d) The units shall be operable with a nominal power supply of 110-240

VAC,50/ 60 Hz.

6. Computer specifications: The supplied computer workstation shall work under a Windows 11 operating system. The processor shall be at least equivalent to an Intel Core i7. The hard drive shall have a minimum of 500 GB of storage. With the computer, the vendor shall supply a keyboard and mouse.

7. Business considerations: Submissions with regularly sold “Off the Shelf” and “Turnkey” systems are required. Onsite installation, calibration, and user training is required. The unit shall be fully warranted for all parts and labor for a period of one year from final acceptance. The vendor shall provide at least one year after installation of technical support including on-site support if required. This technical support shall include any required software upgrades or patches without any additional cost. 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 not authorized for sale in the U.S. by the proposer is not acceptable.

Delivery and Installation

Delivery shall be FOB DESTINATION and delivery and installation of the Liquid Scintillation Counter will be made within 90 days after award receipt.

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

The contractor shall deliver the Liquid Scintillation Counting system to:

The National Institute of Standards and Technology

Attention: Gaithersburg Radiation Safety Division, Jason Walia 100 Bureau Drive, Building 245 Room H113 Gaithersburg, MD 20899-1731

Warranty

The counter, including all components, shall be warranted for a period of not less than 365 days after final acceptance of the equipment by the Government. The warranty period shall commence only after the equipment has passed the performance tests and evaluations set forth by NIST staff. All parts, labor, travel, and other expenses required to repair any equipment shall be borne by the Contractor, and all repairs performed at no cost to the Government. Any repairs made by the Contractor to resolve any equipment problems discovered during the warranty period shall be warranted for an additional 365 days.

Performance/Operational Tests

NIST staff will verify all functions are operational within 30 days of delivery. The Government reserves the right to perform such performance tests and evaluations as deemed appropriate by the Government to verify specified machine performance in accordance with the standards listed in this document within 30 days after final installation. Such tests and evaluations, if performed, will be conducted within the environment that the machine is to be operated. The Contractor has the right to be present during the tests and evaluations, if performed, at the Contractor’s expense.

Failure of Testing/Evaluation

The Contractor may make reasonable repairs and adjustments to the equipment should it fail any testing and evaluations. The 30-day evaluation period will restart after these repairs, adjustments, or modifications. The Government reserves the right to duplicate the tests specified above to determine acceptance.

Deliverables

1. One Hidex 300 SL Liquid Scintillation Counting System or equivalent

2. Unquenched LSC Standards and Quenched LSC Standards for Quality Control and Calibration

3. Installation and Calibration/Set-up of the instrument at the NIST Gaithersburg campus.

4. Familiarization and proper use of the system including training to NIST RSD personnel.

Place of Performance

Not applicable for the manufacturing of the liquid scintillation counting system. The installation and setup shall take place at the NIST Gaithersburg campus, building 245.

Government Responsibilities

The government shall work with the vendor to coordinate a mutually agreeable time for the delivery and setup of the equipment within the required delivery dates.