SS23-15.pdf

This is a SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE for market research purposes. THIS IS NOT A

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS OR A REQUEST FOR QUOTATIONS.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) anticipates a requirement to establish a single blanket purchase agreement (BPA) for specialty cylinder gas and liquid Nitrogen products and services on an as-needed basis for a one-year base period, and a minimum of two, but not more than three one-year option periods.

This acquisition is not seeking a Contractor to facilitate the operation of the Materials Management Warehouse, but to have an established facility on the island of Hawaii and deliver the required products and services identified herein.

Service must be provided at the following NIST location:

National Institute of Standards & Technology NIST c/o Oceanic Institute of Hawaii Pacific University Environmental Marine Science Building 41-202 Kalaniana’ole Hwy Ste 9 Waimanalo, HI 96795

Work under this BPA shall provide all the following:

a. Specialty gases in Contractor owned Cylinders/Dewars (Specialty gases are those gases that NIST may require occasionally for research (specifications of those gases will be given at the time of need example UHP Nitrogen or any specialty mixture);

b. Liquid Nitrogen minimum purity 99.98% in 180L. in contractor-owned Dewars;

c. The system will have the capability for NIST personnel to place orders, give order receipts, and accept credit card payments;

d. Because of the exclusivity of the NIST site, the contractor must be able to provide the Liquid Nitrogen and Specialty gases, and the facility must be within a 75-mile(s) radius of the site.

e. Cylinder usage fees for usage of vendor-owned cylinders and cryogen Dewars up to one year.

A DRAFT Statement of Work is attached for reference.

Market research is being conducted to determine the interest, capability, and socio-economic category of potential sources for the requirement. The government requests interested parties submit a brief description of their company's business size (i.e., annual revenues and employee size), business status, (i.e., 8(a), and a description of similar services offered to the Government and commercial customers, particularly those of similar size and scope to NIST.

All interested firms should submit a capability package that outlines the firm's capabilities in providing the required supplies. The capability package should be brief and concise yet demonstrate an ability to meet the stated requirements. Firms working with the Federal Government are required to be registered in SAM.gov to receive an award.

Interested parties capable of providing Liquid Nitrogen 180L Dewars and Specialty Gas services shall submit a capability statement in response to this Source Sought Notice, including, at a minimum, the following:

a) Offeror's name, address, points of contact with telephone numbers, and email addresses.

b) Business information to include Unique Entity ID, type/size of the company, NAICS code, and Social Economic status (SB, SDB, HUBZone, VOSB, or SDVOSB) as validated via the System for Award Management (SAM) at https://www.sam.gov.

c) Experience for similar services to those described herein.

Responses are requested to not exceed a total of 5 pages.

No phone calls will be accepted for this notice.

This source sought notice is for information and planning purposes and is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government. This is not a solicitation announcement for proposals, and no contract will be awarded from this announcement.

No reimbursement will be made for any costs associated with providing information in response to this announcement and any follow-up information requests.

Respondents must be submitted no later than Monday, June 26, 2023, at 3:30 pm (EDT) Documentation should be sent via email to:

Primary Point of Contact: Sharrion Young-Mosley at sharrion.young-mosley@nist.gov mailto:sharrion.young-mosley@nist.gov

Statement of Work

1. BACKGROUND

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) The Material Management Warehouse is an 11,500 square foot facility, with a 2,700 square foot sales floor, located in Building 301 on the NIST Gaithersburg Campus but also supports Boulder, Colorado campus, Hollings Marine Laboratory Charleston, South Carolina, and NIST Hawaii. The Material Management Warehouse is managed by the Material Management Group in the NIST Facilities Services Division.

2. PURPOSE

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) anticipates a requirement to establish a single blanket purchase agreement (BPA) for Liquid Nitrogen 180L Dewars and Specialty Gas services on an as-needed basis for a one-year base period and three one-year option periods.

This acquisition is not seeking a Contractor to facilitate the operation of the NIST Hawaii campus but to deliver the required products and services identified herein.

Service must be provided at the following NIST location:

NIST c/o Oceanic Institute of Hawaii Pacific University Environmental Marine Science Building 41-202 Kalaniana’ole Hwy Ste 9Waimanalo, HI 96795

National Institute of Standards & Technology

Work under this BPA shall provide all the following:

a. Liquid Nitrogen in 180L contractor-owned Dewars.

Specialty gases or Cryogens in Contractor owned Cryogens or

3. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

3.1 Placement of Calls

The Contractor shall not perform any service or deliver any product without the issuance of a BPA call.

NIST may award BPA calls online through the tracking system or via written calls.

Authorized NIST employees will place calls.

The Government will consider a call placed upon issuance of the call or issuance of a call number through the tracking system.

3.1 Placement of Calls

The Contractor shall not perform any service or deliver any product without the issuance of a BPA call.

NIST may award BPA calls online through the tracking system or via written calls.

Authorized NIST employees will place calls.

The Government will consider a call placed upon issuance of the call or issuance of a call number through the tracking system.

3.2 Electronic Call Confirmation

Contractors must have the ability to provide an electronic call confirmation through email and an itemized delivery ticket. A delivery ticket must accompany all deliveries.

The call confirmation shall list the products/services ordered, and the delivery date for each product and service ordered under the BPA requirements and/or, for specialty gases, the delivery time agreed upon between the Contractor and the Government.

3.3 Delivery Ticket

All shipments shall be delivered with an itemized delivery ticket that includes all the following:

(1) Name of the supplier.

(2) BPA number.

(3) Date (of order/call placement).

(4) Call Number.

(5) Name of person placing the call.

(6) Unique reference number that NIST can cross reference in the tracking system to view serial numbers of all Cryogens delivered.

(7) An itemized list of products and/or services purchased including the name of gas purchased.

(8) For, the confirmation must identify the NIST internal stock number and name of the gas purchased.

(9) Quantity, unit of issue, unit price, and total amount of each product and/or service.

(10) Delivery date.

(11) Comments and/or special shipping instructions.

If multiple calls are delivered, each call shall be delivered with a delivery ticket specific to the call.

Partial deliveries must be approved, in advance, by the NIST Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR). The products/completed services being delivered, and backorders must be updated by the Contractor in the tracking system.

When the balance of a partial shipment is delivered, the Contractor shall identify the partial shipment by putting a suffix on the call number (i.e., call number-1 or -2) on the delivery ticket.

3.4 Shipment and Delivery of Calls

Delivery terms shall be FOB Destination. Unit prices shall be inclusive of all shipping charges.

Cryogens shall be prepared for shipment and delivered under the Department of Transportation (DOT) 49 CFR

180.209. All Cryogens must be able to be safely used in the condition that they are delivered.

Containers and packaging shall comply with Uniform Freight Classification rules, or regulations of other carriers, as applicable to the mode of transportation.

And/or

NIST c/o Oceanic Institute of Hawaii Pacific University 41-202 Kalaniana’ole Hwy Ste 9 Environmental Marine Science Building Waimanalo, HI 96795

Compatible gases refer to transportation requirements of DOT 49 CFR 180.209.

3.5 Designated Customer Service Representative

The Contractor shall identify two designated customer service representatives at each location for the NIST account to handle questions, issues, and problems that may arise on any products and services required under this Blanket Purchase Agreement. They may handle questions, issues, and problems in person, via telephone, or e-mail at the Contractor's discretion. These individual(s) shall be designated as “Key Personnel” in the Blanket Purchase Agreement.

To the maximum extent practicable, Customer Service Representative(s) shall be responsible to respond not later than one business day after a question is initiated.

3.6 Personnel/Physical Security Requirements

During regular business hours, delivery drivers must produce current, valid photo identification when asked.

The Contractor shall provide evidence that relevant personnel involved in the work have gone through proper background investigations or clearances.

3.7 Regular Delivery Schedule

3.7.1 Cryogens

The Contractor shall schedule the pick-up of empty cryogens and delivery of cryogens under the following requirements:

The Contractor shall provide written notice to the Contracting Officer’s Representative if these timelines cannot be met. Modified delivery timelines must be approved, in advance, by the COR. Excessive requests for delivery extensions shall be directed to the Contracting Officer by the COR. For specialty gases, notice must be provided within 24 hours of the Contractor’s identification of a delay.

NIST reserves the right to require expedited delivery as needed. Fees associated with expedited delivery will be negotiated by the Contractor before the call is placed.

If NIST is scheduled for closure at any facility 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 before 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 a 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 Government will not be responsible for costs incurred by the Contractor for unsuccessful delivery attempts associated with a national emergency, inclement weather, or for any other unscheduled closure.

3.8 Return Authorization

The Contractor shall be 100% responsible for return authorizations, the return of over shipments, damaged items, duplicate orders, incorrect shipments, any product that is received in error from the Contractor, and/or any delivery made without a prior authorized BPA call.

To the maximum extent practicable, the Contractor must correct any non-compliance issue and/or provide consideration not later than seven days from the date the issue is identified to the Contractor at no cost to the Government.

Based on the issue identified, the Government may authorize a longer resolution time.

When applicable, the Contractor must facilitate the return process and issue a credit to the Purchase Card or the Government’s account within 5 days after notification of an issue by the Government.

3.9 Inspection and Acceptance

It shall be the responsibility of the Contractor to ensure that (1) all specifications are met for all deliverables; (2) All Cryogens equipped with a valve that includes an integrated pressure gauge are delivered with functional pressure gauges. The pressure gauge must indicate that the tank is full, and (3) Cryogens are delivered with a plastic dust cap (contractor-provided) on the valve.

Upon receipt of delivery, Cryogens will be inspected by the Government to verify items 2 and 3 above are met as applicable.

Latent defects (i.e., non-compliance with gas specifications), will be documented in the tracking system (Reference Section 4.5) and communicated in writing to key personnel, via e-mail, through the COR and/or the Contracting Officer.

The Contractor shall be responsible to correct all defects and/or deficiencies for any Cryogens that do not meet all requirements above. A replacement Dewar must be delivered not later than 3 business days after the rejected Cryogens is/are returned to the Contractor. The tracking system will be updated by the COR to document the return and the reason for the rejection.

The Government reserves the right to negotiate consideration for delays encountered due to rejected Cryogens.

3.10 Payment

A purchase card, issued by the United States Government, may be utilized as a means of payment under this Blanket Purchase Agreement. Contractors must have an established merchant account capable of accepting Visa and Mastercard over the phone or through their online ordering capability.

Payments for written calls shall be made under the clause entitled 'Billing Instructions.'

The Government does not intend to authorize partial payments. The Government intends to order products and services with comparable delivery timelines on a single call.

3.11 Data Rights

The Government will maintain unlimited data rights to all data produced under this blanket purchase agreement under FAR 52.227-27 Rights in Data-General.

4. Specialty Gases

4.1 Specialty gases are those gases that NIST does not have a high demand to stock for research. Specialty gases can be delivered in a Contractor-owned cylinder and or Dewars that meets the safety requirements of Section 4.4 below or can be requested that the cylinder be purchased for ownership by the government.

Any cylinder and or Dewar purchased by the government shall not have any Cylinder/Dewar Usage Fees associated with that purchase per the requirements of Section 4.2.2.

The required gases will vary by the lab-specific needs and will provide the specific mixture that meets the need of the researcher. Specifics of each mixture will be provided with each request for pricing for specialty gases.

NIST will purchase specialty gases in Cylinders ranging in size from a lecture bottle to a 300 cubic foot cylinder. It is anticipated that steel and aluminum Cylinders, as well as other cylinder types, will be utilized based on the mixture composition being ordered, and as required by the Compressed Gas Association (CGA).

The Government reserves the right to require a certificate of analysis (cylinder specific), or a certificate of conformance (lot specific). This requirement will be identified at the time the request for pricing is issued.

It is noted that compressed gas Standard Reference Materials (SRMs) will not be ordered under this blanket purchase agreement.

Individuals authorized to place calls or the NIST Acquisition Management Division will issue requests for pricing for specialty gases to the Contractor via fax or e-mail. The Contractor shall confirm receipt of the request for pricing, via e-mail to the sender, not later than one calendar day after receipt of the request.

The Contractor shall provide pricing for the required specialty gas, via e-mail, not later than five calendar days after receipt of the request for pricing. All pricing shall include the following information:

-NIST request for pricing identifier (i.e., number;)

-Description provided by NIST.

-Specifications of specialty gas being quoted by the Contractor.

-Quantity.

-Unit of Issue.

-Unit Price.

-Extended total amount.

-Delivery timeline.

It is anticipated that specialty gases and or cryogen will be delivered not later than one month from the date the call is placed, however, the Contractor shall provide the delivery timeline in their response to each request for pricing. Most delivery timelines will be quoted by the Contractor, however, specific delivery requirements for any given specialty gas and or cryogen will be specified in the request for pricing. Specific delivery requirements will not be negotiable.

The Contractor's pricing will be evaluated for compliance with required specifications, including cylinder size, and delivery timeline. The price shall be evaluated for reasonableness.

The Government reserves the right not to place a call if the Contractor’s submission does not meet all required specifications, cylinder/Dewar size, and/or if the price quoted cannot be determined to be fair and reasonable.

4.1.2 Contractor-owned Cylinders/Cryogens must have a Cylinder/Cryogen Usage Fee be billed per the following:

1. Cylinder/Cryogen Dewars, referred to in this clause, is a pressure vessel designed for pressures higher than 40 psi and having a circular cross-section excluding a portable tank, multi-tank car tank, cargo tank, or tank car.

2. Returnable Cylinders/Cryogens shall remain the Contractor’s property but shall be loaned without charge to the Government for up to one year (hereafter referred to as the loan period) following the day of delivery to the FOB point specified in the contract. The Government shall pay the Contractor a one-time Cylinder/Cryogen Dewar Usage Fee as agreed upon in the attached price list.

3. For each cylinder/cryogen Dewar lost or damaged beyond repair while in the Government’s possession, the Government shall pay to the Contractor the replacement value provided by the Contractor in the original price quotation, less the Cylinder/Cryogen Dewar Usage Fee paid for that cylinder/cryogen Dewar.

a. These Cylinders/Cryogens shall not become Government property and will be returned to the Contractor as they are located.

4. If any cylinder or liquid cryogen Dewar is located within thirty (30) calendar days after payment by the Government, it may be returned to the Contractor by the Government, and the Contractor shall pay to the Government an amount equal to the replacement value, less the Cylinder/Cryogens Dewar Usage Fee detailed in Section 2 of this clause.

5. The contractor shall notify the Government 60 days before the one-year date of the cylinder/Dewar usage fee charge for each cylinder/Dewar. On the first working day of each month, the contractor shall email the COR all cylinders/Dewars that need to be returned within the next 60 days.

6. The Government reserves the right to extend the usage of rented Cryogens/Dewars for up to one additional year at the cost of the current option year pricing in the price list. The Government must return this cylinder/Dewar after the additional year of usage.

7. Cylinder/Dewar Usage Fees shall be invoiced with the gas or cryogen to be purchased.

8. All requests for pricing information for each cylinder or liquid cryogen Dewar to be loaned on this contract shall contain:

a. Description of gas or cryogen.

b. Type and size of cylinder to be loaned.

c. Cost of gas.

d. Cylinder Usage Fee.

e. Additional fees as appropriate.

f. Cylinder replacement value; and

g. Lead time for delivery.

i.

If specialty gases are required to be delivered in lecture bottles, the Government will assume ownership of the lecture bottle upon acceptance of the gas mixture. Lecture bottles must be tracked in the tracking system. Tracking shall be based on the Contractor’s commercial method if the lecture bottles do not have serial numbers. If lecture bottles have serial numbers, the serial numbers must be utilized for tracking.

The Contractor must accept any lecture bottles ordered under this agreement for return and disposal during the performance period of this agreement. The Contractor’s obligation to dispose of lecture bottles purchased under this agreement expires when the period of performance expires.

The Contractor shall provide to NIST a certificate of destruction for each lecture bottle that the Contractor destroys and subsequently disposes of. The certification shall include, at a minimum, the appropriate nomenclature for the lecture bottle being destroyed, and the date of destruction.

Before shipment of the specialty gas, the Contractor shall affix a bar code label, per the requirements of Section 5.2, that is the actual serial number of the cylinder and/or lecture bottle (as appropriate) being delivered. This serial number shall be entered into the tracking system by the Contractor before the cylinder/lecture bottle is shipped. The cylinder/lecture bottle can then be tracked by NIST and the Contractor.

5 Web-Based Ordering Capabilities

The tracking system must have web-ordering capabilities. The Contractor shall establish an online ordering capability for NIST that includes all products and services authorized under this Blanket Purchase Agreement, and their associated prices. NIST must be able to place calls online. Products, services, and prices must be updated by the Contractor should the agreement be modified.

The web-based ordering capability must print a call confirmation which includes all the following for each call placed:

(1) Name of the supplier.

(2) BPA number.

(3) Date (of order/call placement).

(4) Call Number or Purchase Order Number.

(5) Name of person placing the call.

(6) An itemized list of products and/or services purchased including the name of gas purchased.

(7) Quantity, unit of issue, unit price, and total amount of each product and/or service.

(8) Required delivery date.

(9) Comments and/or special shipping instructions.

For repairs and maintenance performed, an attachment shall be provided with the delivery ticket with an itemized list of services that have been ordered. For NIST-owned Cryogens, the Contractor must identify the NIST cylinder number and serial number for each cylinder, and each maintenance and/or repair item authorized by the blanket purchase agreement.

5.1 E-mail Alerts

Email delivery invoice within 24 hours once delivery has been made. An invoice should include all information that was on the web including delivery date.

5.2 Reporting Requirements

Weekly reports electronically by User ID at NIST for all Cryogens over the one-year cylinder usage fee.

Reports shall be sent via e-mail to a pre-determined list of NIST customers for a specified period.

Weekly reports electronically to NIST users for all Cryogens that have arrived at the NIST loading dock.