STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for its

Department of Physics & Astronomy

Request for Proposal #: UNC-CH_LEGEND_RFP_2026

NRE (non-recurring engineering) Design &

Estimated Cost for Glovebox Fabrication

Date of Issue: 7/17/2026

Proposal Opening Date: 8/4/2026

At 3:00PM EST

Direct all inquiries concerning this RFP to:

Lynn Barello

Commodity Manager

Email: lynnbare@email.unc.com

Ver: 11/2023

Request for Proposal #

UNC-CH_LEGEND_RFP_2026

For internal State agency processing, including tabulation of proposals, provide your company’s eVP (Electronic Vendor Portal) Number. Pursuant to G.S. 132-1.10(b) this identification number shall not be released to the public.

This page will be removed and shredded, or otherwise kept confidential, before the procurement file is made available for public inspection.

This page shall be filled out and returned with your proposal.

Failure to do so may subject your proposal to rejection.

Vendor Name

Vendor eVP#

Note: For a contract to be awarded to you, your company (you) must be a North Carolina registered vendor in good standing. You must enter the vendor number assigned through eVP (Electronic Vendor

Portal). If you do not have a vendor number, register at https://vendor.ncgov.com/vendor/login

Electronic responses ONLY will be accepted for this solicitation.

https://vendor.ncgov.com/vendor/login

Proposal Number: UNC-CH_LEGEND_RFP_2026 Vendor: __________________________________________

Ver: 11/2023

Refer ALL Inquiries regarding this RFP to:

Lynn Barello

Request for Proposal #: UNC-CH_LEGEND_RFP_2026 Proposals will be publicly opened: 8/4/2026 at 03:00PM (EST)

Using Agency: UNC at Chapel Hill Commodity No. and Description: NRE Design & Estimated Pricing on Five

(5) Gloveboxes

EXECUTION

In compliance with this Request for Proposals (RFP), and subject to all the conditions herein, the undersigned Vendor offers and agrees to furnish and deliver any or all items upon which prices are bid, at the prices set opposite each item within the time specified herein.

By executing this proposal, the undersigned Vendor understands that false certification is a Class I felony and certifies that:

this proposal is submitted competitively and without collusion (G.S. 143-54), none of its officers, directors, or owners of an unincorporated business entity has been convicted of any violations of Chapter 78A of the General Statutes, the Securities Act of 1933, or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (G.S. 143-59.2), and it is not an ineligible Vendor as set forth in G.S. 143-59.1.

Furthermore, by executing this proposal, the undersigned certifies to the best of Vendor’s knowledge and belief, that:

it and its principals are not presently debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment, declared ineligible or voluntarily excluded from covered transactions by any Federal or State department or agency.

As required by G.S. 143-48.5, the undersigned Vendor certifies that it, and each of its sub-Contractors for any Contract awarded as a result of this RFP, complies with the requirements of Article 2 of Chapter 64 of the NC General Statutes, including the requirement for each employer with more than 25 employees in North Carolina to verify the work authorization of its employees through the federal E-Verify system.

As required by Executive Order 24 (2017), the undersigned vendor certifies will comply with all Federal and State requirements concerning fair employment and that it does not and will not discriminate, harass, or retaliate against any employee in connection with performance of any Contract arising from this solicitation.

G.S. 133-32 and Executive Order 24 (2009) prohibit the offer to, or acceptance by, any University Employee associated with the preparing plans, specifications, estimates for public contracts; or awarding or administering public contracts; or inspecting or supervising delivery of the public contract of any gift from anyone with a contract with the University, or from any person seeking to do business with the University. By execution of this response to the RFP, the undersigned certifies, for Vendor’s entire organization and its employees or agents, that Vendor is not aware that any such gift has been offered, accepted, or promised by any employees of your organization.

By executing this proposal, Vendor certifies that it has read and agreed to the INSTRUCTION TO VENDORS and the UNIVERSITY NORTH CAROLINA OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHAPEL HILL GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR SERVICES incorporated herein. These documents can be accessed from the ATTACHMENTS page within this document.

Failure to execute/sign proposal prior to submittal may render proposal invalid and it MAY BE REJECTED. Late proposals shall not be accepted.

COMPLETE/FORMAL NAME OF VENDOR:

STREET ADDRESS: P.O. BOX: ZIP:

CITY & STATE & ZIP: TELEPHONE NUMBER: TOLL FREE TEL. NO:

PRINCIPAL PLACE OF BUSINESS ADDRESS IF DIFFERENT FROM ABOVE (SEE INSTRUCTIONS TO VENDORS ITEM #21):

PRINT NAME & TITLE OF PERSON SIGNING ON BEHALF OF VENDOR: FAX NUMBER:

VENDOR’S AUTHORIZED SIGNATURE*: DATE: EMAIL:

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Ver: 11/2023 2

VALIDITY PERIOD

Offer shall be valid for at least sixty 60 days from date of bid opening, unless otherwise stated here: ______ days, or if extended by mutual agreement of the parties in writing. Any withdrawal of this offer shall be made in writing, effective upon receipt by the agency issuing this RFP.

ACCEPTANCE OF PROPOSAL

If your proposal is accepted, all provisions of this RFP, along with the written results of any negotiations, shall constitute the written agreement between the parties (“Contract”). The NORTH CAROLINA GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS are incorporated herein and shall apply. Depending upon the Goods or Services being offered, other terms and conditions may apply, as mutually agreed.

FOR STATE USE ONLY: Offer accepted and Contract awarded this________ day of __________, 20____, as indicated on

The attached certification, by ____________________________________________________________________.

(Authorized Representative of The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)

Ver: 11/2023 3

Contents

1.0 PURPOSE AND BACKGROUND

1.1 CONTRACT TERM

2.0 GENERAL INFORMATION

2.1 REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL DOCUMENT

2.2 E-PROCUREMENT FEE .............................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.

2.3 NOTICE TO VENDORS REGARDING RFP TERMS AND CONDITIONS

2.4 RFP SCHEDULE

2.5 SITE VISIT or PRE-PROPOSAL CONFERENCE

2.6 PROPOSAL QUESTIONS

2.7 PROPOSAL SUBMITTAL

2.8 PROPOSAL CONTENTS

2.9 ALTERNATE PROPOSALS

2.10 DEFINITIONS, ACRONYMS, AND ABBREVIATIONS

3.0 METHOD OF AWARD AND PROPOSAL EVALUATION PROCESS

3.1 METHOD OF AWARD

3.2 CONFIDENTIALITY AND PROHIBITED COMMUNICATIONS DURING EVALUATION

3.3 PROPOSAL EVALUATION PROCESS

3.4 EVALUATION CRITERIA

3.5 PERFORMANCE OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES

3.6 INTERPRETATION OF TERMS AND PHRASES

4.0 REQUIREMENTS

4.1 PRICING

4.2 INVOICES

4.3 FINANCIAL STABILITY

4.4 HUB PARTICIPATION

4.5 VENDOR EXPERIENCE

4.6 REFERENCES

4.7 BACKGROUND CHECKS

4.8 PERSONNEL

4.9 VENDOR’S REPRESENTATIONS

4.10 QUESTIONS TO VENDORS

4.11 AGENCY INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS MODIFICATION

4.12 NC COVID-19 VACCINATION AND TESTING REQUIREMENT

4.13 FEDERAL COVID-19 VACCINATION REQUIREMENT

Ver: 11/2023 4

4.14 LOBBYING ACTIVITY CERTIFICATION FOR FEDERAL GRANTSError! Bookmark not defined.

5.0 SPECIFICATIONS AND SCOPE OF WORK

5.1 GENERAL

5.2 SPECIFICATIONS [if applicable]

5.3 TASKS/DELIVERABLES

5.4 PROJECT ORGANIZATION

5.5 TECHNICAL APPROACH

5.6 CERTIFICATION AND SAFETY LABELS

6.0 CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION

6.1 13

CONTRACT MANAGER AND CUSTOMER SERVICE

6.2 POST AWARD PROJECT REVIEW MEETINGS

6.3 CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT

6.4 PERIODIC [WEEKLY, MONTHLY] STATUS REPORTS ................... ......................................... 14.

6.5 ACCEPTANCE OF WORK

6.6 FAITHFUL PERFORMANCE

6.7 TRANSITION ASSISTANCE

6.8 DISPUTE RESOLUTION

6.9 CONTRACT CHANGES

7.0 ATTACHMENTS

ATTACHMENT A: PRICING (OR COST PROPOSAL)

ATTACHMENT B: INSTRUCTIONS TO VENDORS

ATTACHMENT C: NORTH CAROLINA GENERAL TERMS & CONDITIONS

ATTACHMENT D: HUB SUPPLEMENTAL VENDOR INFORMATION

ATTACHMENT E: CUSTOMER REFERENCE FORM

ATTACHMENT F: LOCATION OF WORKERS UTILIZED BY VENDOR

ATTACHMENT G: CERTIFICATION OF FINANCIAL CONDITION

ATTACHMENT H: ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF COVID-19 VACCINATION AND TESTING POLICY

LOBBYING ACTIVITY CERTIFICATION FOR FEDERAL GRANTS

Ver: 11/2023 5

1.0 PURPOSE AND BACKGROUND

The Department of Physics and Astronomy at UNC-Chapel Hill is requesting a quotation for final design of, as well as budgetary /proof of concept for the eventual fabrication of five custom nitrogen-purged gloveboxes to support the LEGEND (Large Enriched Germanium Experiment for Neutrinoless Decay) project.

The Gloveboxes are nitrogen purged with no gas-recirculation, equipped with custom large antechambers, and stainless steel construction. They are intended for ultra-clean operations and are based on existing preliminary designs and project specifications.

This request is intended to establish a proof-of-concept budget for project planning and grant funding purposes. The project is contingent upon the award of grant funding. Existing designs, drawings, and technical specifications will be provided to the selected supplier as the basis for completion of the final engineering design and subsequent fabrication. The requested quotation will be used to support project budgeting and funding applications and does not constitute a commitment to purchase.

1.1 CONTRACT TERM

The Contract Term shall be deemed complete upon the successful completion and acceptance of all requirements set forth in the project scope of work. The Vendor shall begin work under the Contract within one business days of the NC eVP (electronic Vendor Portal) Award Date

Proposals shall be submitted in accordance with the terms and conditions of this RFP and any addenda issued hereto.

2.0 GENERAL INFORMATION

2.1 This Request for Proposal (RFP) has been posted on the State of North Carolina electronic Vendor Portal (NC eVP) web site. Addenda and attachments are posted to the NC eVP web site if issued. The RFP can be downloaded at this web site https://evp.nc.gov. It is the Supplier’s responsibility to ensure that the latest version of the entire RFP and related links are reviewed prior to submission of a proposal. We encourage you to check the web site frequently for any changes prior to the due date. For questions about the content of the RFP, contact the buyer listed herein via email.

By entering into an agreement with The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as a result of this Request-For- Proposal (RFP), Supplier agrees to honor the prices, terms, and conditions of this agreement with any other University of North Carolina institution, including any of the 17 University of North Carolina constituent institutions and University of North Carolina System Office, at that University of North Carolina institution’s option, in a separate, written agreement between Supplier and the other University of North Carolina institution. Should another University of North Carolina institution choose to enter into a separate agreement with Supplier with terms similar or identical to an agreement resulting from this RFP, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill shall not be responsible for payments or other obligations contained in that separate agreement. If Supplier will charge different rates to different institutions for goods and services provided pursuant to this agreement, Supplier shall list the prices Supplier will charge to each respective University of North Carolina institution here.

2.2 REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL DOCUMENT

This RFP is comprised of the base RFP document, any attachments, and any addenda released before Contract award, which are incorporated herein by reference.

2.3 NOTICE TO VENDORS REGARDING RFP TERMS AND CONDITIONS

It shall be the Vendor’s responsibility to read the Instructions to Vendors, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill General Terms and Conditions, all relevant exhibits and attachments, and any other components made a part of this RFP and comply with all requirements and specifications herein. Vendors are also responsible for obtaining and complying with all Addenda and other changes that may be issued in connection with this RFP.

Ver: 11/2023 6

If Vendors have questions or issues regarding any component of this RFP, those must be submitted as questions in accordance with the instructions in the PROPOSAL QUESTIONS Section. If the University determines that any changes will be made as a result of the questions asked, then such decisions will be communicated in the form of an RFP addendum. The University may also elect to leave open the possibility for later negotiation of specific provisions of the Contract that have been addressed during the question-and-answer period, prior to contract award.

Other than through the process of negotiation under 01 NCAC 05B.0503, the University rejects and will not be required to evaluate or consider any additional or modified terms and conditions submitted with Vendor’s proposal or otherwise. This applies to any language appearing in or attached to the document as part of the Vendor’s proposal that purports to vary any terms and conditions or Vendors’ instructions herein or to render the proposal non-binding or subject to further negotiation. Vendor’s proposal shall constitute a firm offer that shall be held open for the period required herein (“Validity Period” above).

The University may exercise its discretion to consider Vendor proposed modifications. By execution and delivery of this RFP Response, the Vendor agrees that any additional or modified terms and conditions, whether submitted purposely or inadvertently, shall have no force or effect, and will be disregarded unless expressly agreed upon through negotiation and incorporated by way of a Best and Final Offer (BAFO). Noncompliance with, or any attempt to alter or delete, this paragraph shall constitute sufficient grounds to reject Vendor’s proposal as nonresponsive.

2.4 RFP SCHEDULE

The table below shows the intended schedule for this RFP. The University will make every effort to adhere to this schedule.

Event Responsibility Date and Time Issue RFP University 7/17/2026 Hold Pre-Proposal Meeting/Site Visit University NA Submit Written Questions Vendor 7/23/2026 by 03:00PM (EST) Provide Response to Questions University 7/29/2026 Submit Proposals Vendor 8/4/2026 by 03:00PM (EST) Public Bid Opening (attendance is optional) University 8/4/2026 at 03:15PM (EST) Contract Award University TBD

PUBLIC OPENING

The name of each Vendor will be announced at a public, virtual Zoom meeting to be held at 3:15 PM EST on August 4, 2026.

Attendance is optional – please use the following information to join the meeting:

Meeting Zoom Link: https://unc.zoom.us/j/91921256072?pwd=DmJT3KQr18ni2D2Pe9IbQCHjSd6R9Y.1

Meeting ID: 919 2125 6072

2.5 SITE VISIT or PRE-PROPOSAL CONFERENCE

N/A to this RFP.

2.6 PROPOSAL QUESTIONS

Upon review of the RFP documents, Vendors may have questions to clarify or interpret the RFP in order to submit the best proposal possible. To accommodate the Proposal Questions process, Vendors shall submit any such questions by the “Submit Written Questions” date and time provided in the RFP SCHEDULE Section above, unless modified by Addendum.

Written questions shall be emailed to lynnbare@email.unc.edu by the date and time specified above. Vendors should enter “RFP # UNC-CH_LEGEND_RFP_2026: Questions” as the subject for the email. Question submittals should include a reference to the applicable RFP section and be submitted in the format shown below:

Reference Vendor Question

Ver: 11/2023 7

RFP Section, Page Number Vendor question …?

Questions received prior to the submission deadline date, the University’s response, and any additional terms deemed necessary by the University will be posted in the form of an addendum to the electronic Vendor Portal (eVP), https://evp.nc.gov, and shall become an Addendum to this RFP. No information, instruction or advice provided orally or informally by any University personnel, whether made in response to a question or otherwise in connection with this RFP, shall be considered authoritative or binding.

Vendors shall rely only on written material contained in the RFP and an addendum to this RFP.

2.7 PROPOSAL SUBMITTAL

IMPORTANT NOTE: This is an absolute requirement. Late bids, regardless of cause, will not be opened or considered, and will be automatically disqualified from further consideration. Vendor shall bear the sole risk of late submission due to unintended or unanticipated delay. It is the Vendor’s sole responsibility to ensure its proposal has been received as described in this RFP by the specified time and date of opening. The time and date of receipt will be marked on each proposal when received. Any proposal or portion thereof received after the proposal deadline will be rejected.

[eVP]

All proposal responses shall be submitted electronically via the electronic Vendor Portal (eVP). Additional information can be found at the eVP updates for Vendors link: https://eprocurement.nc.gov/news-events/evp-updates-vendors.

If confidential and proprietary information is included in the proposal, also submit one (1) signed, REDACTED copy of the proposal.

Such information may include trade secrets defined by N.C. Gen. Stat. § 66-152 and other information exempted from the Public Records Act pursuant to N.C. Gen. Stat. §132- 1.2. Vendor may designate information, Products, Services or appropriate portions of its response as confidential, consistent with and to the extent permitted under the statutes and rules set forth above. By so redacting any page, or portion of a page, the Vendor warrants that it has formed a good faith opinion, having received such necessary or proper review by counsel and other knowledgeable advisors, that the portions determined to be confidential and proprietary and redacted as such, meet the requirements of the Rules and Statutes set forth above. However, under no circumstances shall price information be designated as confidential.

If the Vendor does not provide a redacted version of the proposal with its proposal submission, the Department may release an unredacted version if a record request is received.

Failure to submit a proposal in strict accordance with these instructions shall constitute sufficient cause to reject a Vendor’s proposal(s). Vendors are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to upload proposals.

Critical updated information may be included in Addenda to this RFP. It is important that all Vendors responding to this RFP periodically check the State’s eVP website for any Addenda that may be issued prior to the bid opening date. All Vendors shall be deemed to have read and understood all information in this RFP and all Addenda thereto.

2.8 PROPOSAL CONTENTS

Vendors shall populate all attachments of this RFP that require the Vendor to provide information and include an authorized signature where requested. Failure to provide all required items, or Vendor’s submission of incomplete items, may result in the University rejecting Vendor’s proposal, in the University’s sole discretion.

Vendor RFP responses shall include the following items and attachments, which shall be arranged in the following order:

a) Cover Letter, which must contain the following: (i) a statement that confirms that the proposer has read the RFP in its entirety, including all links, and all Addenda released in conjunction with the RFP, (ii) a statement that the Vendor agrees to perform in accordance with the scope of work, requirements, and specifications contained herein; and (iii) Vendor’s agreement to comply with all instructions, terms and conditions, and attachments.

b) Title Page: Include the company name, address, phone number and authorized representative along with the Proposal Number.

c) Completed and signed version of all EXECUTION PAGES, along with the body of the RFP.

https://evp.nc.gov/

Ver: 11/2023 8

d) Signed receipt pages of any addenda released in conjunction with this RFP, if required to be returned.

e) Vendor’s Proposal addressing all Specifications of this RFP. [Indicate relative section references as a guide to responding to sections requiring additional responses outside of the solicitation document. If not required, delete.]

f) Completed version of ATTACHMENT A: PRICING

g) Completed version of ATTACHMENT D: HUB SUPPLEMENTAL VENDOR INFORMATION

h) Completed version of ATTACHMENT E: CUSTOMER REFERENCE FORM

i) Completed version of ATTACHMENT F: LOCATION OF WORKERS UTILIZED BY VENDOR

j) Completed and signed version of ATTACHMENT G: CERTIFICATION OF FINANCIAL CONDITION

k) Completed and signed version of CERTIFICATION FOR CONTRACTS, GRANTS, LOANS, AND COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS and

OMB STANDARD FORM LLL

3.0 METHOD OF AWARD AND PROPOSAL EVALUATION PROCESS

3.1 METHOD OF AWARD

North Carolina G.S. 143-52 provides a general list of criteria the University shall use to award contracts, as supplemented by the additional criteria herein. The Goods or Services being procured shall dictate the application and order of criteria; however, all award decisions shall be in the University’s best interest. All qualified proposals will be evaluated, and awards will be made to the Vendor(s) meeting the specific RFP Specifications and achieving the highest and best final evaluation, based on the criteria described below.

While the intent of this RFP is to award a Contract to a single Vendor, the University reserves the right to make separate awards to different Vendors for one or more line items, to not award one or more line items or to cancel this RFP in its entirety without awarding a Contract, if it is considered to be most advantageous to the University to do so.

The University reserves the right to waive any minor informality or technicality in proposals received.

Phase I: Developed and completed the final proof-of-concept design in accordance with professionally prepared in-house CAD drawings and engineering design specifications.

Phase II: Estimated Cost to procure and fabricate five specialized gloveboxes in support of the LEGEND experiment. Phase II is contingent upon the availability of funding and receipt of all required congressional approvals.

3.2 CONFIDENTIALITY AND PROHIBITED COMMUNICATIONS DURING EVALUATION

While this RFP is under evaluation, the responding Vendor, including any subcontractors and suppliers, is prohibited from engaging in conversations intended to influence the outcome of the evaluation. See the Paragraph 29 of the Instructions to Vendors entitled

COMMUNICTIONS BY VENDORS.

Each Vendor submitting a proposal to this RFP, including its employees, agents, subcontractors, suppliers, subsidiaries and affiliates, is prohibited from having any communications with any person inside or outside the using agency; issuing agency; other government agency office or body (including the purchaser named above, any department secretary, agency head, members of the General Assembly and Governor’s office); or private entity, if the communication refers to the content of Vendor’s proposal or qualifications, the content of another Vendor’s proposal, another Vendor’s qualifications or ability to perform a resulting contract, and/or the transmittal of any other communication of information that could be reasonably considered to have the effect of directly or indirectly influencing the evaluation of proposals, the award of a contract, or both.

Any Vendor not in compliance with this provision shall be disqualified from evaluation and award. A Vendor’s proposal may be disqualified if its subcontractor and/or supplier engage in any of the foregoing communications during the time that the procurement is active (i.e., the issuance date of the procurement until the date of contract award or cancellation of the procurement). Only those discussions, communications or transmittals of information authorized or initiated by the issuing agency

Ver: 11/2023 9 for this RFP or inquiries directed to the purchaser named in this RFP regarding requirements of the RFP (prior to proposal submission) or the status of the award (after submission) are excepted from this provision.

3.3 PROPOSAL EVALUATION PROCESS

Only responsive submissions will be evaluated.

The University will conduct a One-Step evaluation of Proposals:

Proposals will be received according to the method stated in the Proposal Submittal Section above.

All proposals must be received by the issuing agency not later than the date and time specified in the RFP SCHEDULE Section above, unless modified by Addendum. Vendors are cautioned that this is a request for offers, not an offer or request to contract, and the University reserves the unqualified right to reject any and all offers at any time if such rejection is deemed to be in the best interest of the University.

At the date and time provided in the RFP SCHEDULE Section above, unless modified by Addendum, the proposal from each responding Vendor will be opened publicly and all offers (except those that have been previously withdrawn, or voided bids) will be tabulated. The tabulation shall be made public at the time it is created. When negotiations after receipt of bids is authorized pursuant to G.S. 143-49 and 01 NCAC 05B.0503, only the names of offerors and the Goods and Services offered shall be tabulated at the time of opening. If negotiation is anticipated, cost and price shall become available for public inspection at the time of the award.. Interested parties are cautioned that these costs and their components are subject to further evaluation for completeness and correctness and therefore may not be an exact indicator of a Vendor’s pricing position.

At their option, the evaluators may request oral presentations or discussions with any or all Vendors for clarification or to amplify the materials presented in any part of the proposal. Vendors are cautioned, however, that the evaluators are not required to request presentations or other clarification—and often do not. Therefore, all proposals should be complete and reflect the most favorable terms available from the Vendor.

3.4 EVALUATION CRITERIA

BEST VALUE: "Best Value" procurement methods are authorized by N.C.G.S. §§143-135.9 and 143B-1350(h). The award decision is made based on multiple factors, including: total cost of ownership, meaning the cost of acquiring, operating, maintaining, and supporting a product or service over its projected lifetime; the evaluated technical merit of the Vendor's offer; the Vendor's past performance; and the evaluated probability of performing the specifications stated in the solicitation on time, with high quality, and in a manner that accomplishes the stated business objectives and maintains industry standards compliance. The intent of "Best Value" procurement is to enable Vendors to offer and the Agency to select the most appropriate solution to meet the business objectives defined in the solicitation and to keep all parties focused on the desired outcome of a procurement.

A ranking method of source selection will be utilized in this procurement using evaluation criteria listed in order of importance in the Evaluation Criteria section below to allow the University to award this RFP to the Vendor(s) providing the Best Value and recognizing that Best Value may result in award other than the lowest price or highest technically qualified offer. By using this method, the overall ranking may be adjusted up or down when considered with, or traded off against, other non-price factors.

EVALUTION METHOD: Narrative and consensus of the evaluating committee, explaining the strengths and weaknesses of each proposal and why the recommended awardee(s) provide the best value to the University.

All qualified proposals will be evaluated, and award made based on considering the following criteria listed in descending order of importance, to result in an award most advantageous to the University:

Ver: 11/2023 10

3.5 PERFORMANCE OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES

Vendor shall complete ATTACHMENT F: LOCATION OF WORKERS UTILIZED BY VENDOR. In addition to any other evaluation criteria identified in this RFP, the University may also consider, for purposes of evaluating proposed or actual contract performance outside of the United States, how that performance may affect the following factors to ensure that any award will be in the bes interest of the University:

a) Total cost to the University

b) Level of quality provided by the Vendor

c) Process and performance capability across multiple jurisdictions

d) Protection of the University’s information and intellectual property

e) Availability of pertinent skills

f) Ability to understand the University’s business requirements and internal operational culture

g) Particular risk factors such as the security of the University’s information technology

h) Relations with citizens and employees

i) Contract enforcement jurisdictional issues

3.6 INTERPRETATION OF TERMS AND PHRASES

This RFP serves two functions: (1) to advise potential Vendors of the parameters of the solution being sought by the University;

and (2) to provide (together with other specified documents) the terms of the Contract resulting from this procurement. The use of phrases such as “shall,” “must,” and “requirements” are intended to create enforceable contract conditions. In determining whether proposals should be evaluated or rejected, the University will take into consideration the degree to which Vendors have proposed or failed to propose solutions that will satisfy the University’s needs as described in the RFP. Except as specifically stated in the RFP, no one requirement shall automatically disqualify a Vendor from consideration. However, failure to comply with any single requirement may result in the University exercising its discretion to reject a proposal in its entirety.

4.0 REQUIREMENTS

This Section lists the requirements related to this RFP. By submitting a proposal, the Vendor agrees to meet all stated requirements in this Section as well as any other specifications, requirements, and terms and conditions stated in this RFP. If a Vendor is unclear about a requirement or specification, or believes a change to a requirement would allow for the University to receive a better proposal, the Vendor is urged to submit these items in the form of a question during the question and answer period in accordance with the Proposal Questions Section above.

Criteria

W ei gh t

Su pe rio r (

4)

Ve ry

G oo d (3

Av er ag e

(2

Po or

(1

Un ac ce pt ab le

(0

To ta l P oi nt s

Comments

Vendor's technical ability to provide detailed, fabrication-ready designs within required project timelines.

Vendor ability to meet custom fabrication requirements dictated by the project conceptual designs or otherwise provide industry-standard solutions which meet the projects functional hardware needs.

Demonstrated experience of vendor working on specially-designed systems of comparable scope, especially beneficial if in the university/public landscape.

Vendor readiness may be demonstrated by highlighting similar experience from past projects that could be adapted to the proposed concepts.

Suitability of the vendor based on recommendation and review feedback from customer references, along with review of portfolio of work assessing credibility.

Total cost of design plus fabrication of the gloveboxes. 10

Total Points 100 Total Possible Points = 400

Note: Multiply score by weight of each criterion to obtain points. Sum all points to obtain total.

Evaluator's Scoring Guide

Ver: 11/2023 11

The successful vendor shall maintain a current ISO 9001:2015-certified Quality Management System. A copy of the vendor's valid ISO 9001:2015 certification, issued by an accredited certification body, shall be provided to Lynn Barello for review and acceptance prior to the release or delivery of any project design deliverables, including the eight (8) CAD files.

As part of the proposal submission, the vendor shall provide a copy of its current ISO 9001:2015 certification issued by an accredited certification body.

The certification shall be emailed to lynnbare@email.com using the following subject line:

RFP: UNC-CH_LEGEND_RFP_2026 | ISO 9001:2015 | [Company Name]

Failure to provide a valid ISO 9001:2015 certification with the proposal may result in the proposal being deemed non-responsive and excluded from further consideration.

4.1 PRICING

Proposal price shall constitute the total cost to the University for complete performance in accordance with the requirements and specifications herein, including all applicable charges for handling, transportation, administrative and other similar fees. Complete ATTACHMENT A: PRICING FORM and include in Vendor’s proposal. The pricing provided in ATTACHMENT A, or resulting from any negotiations, is incorporated herein and shall become part of any resulting Contract.

4.2 INVOICES

Vendor shall invoice the Purchasing Agency. The standard format for invoicing shall be Single Invoices meaning that the Vendor shall provide the Purchasing Agency with an invoice for each order. Invoices shall include detailed information to allow Purchasing Agency to verify pricing at point of receipt matches the correct price from the original date of order. The following fields shall be included on all invoices, as relevant:

Vendor’s Billing Address, Customer Account Number, NC Contract Number, Order Date, Buyer’s Order Number, Manufacturer Part Numbers, Vendor Part Numbers, Item Descriptions, Price, Quantity, and Unit of Measure.

INVOICES MAY NOT BE PAID UNTIL AN INSPECTION HAS OCCURRED AND THE GOODS OR SERVICES ACCEPTED.

4.3 FINANCIAL STABILITY

As a condition of contract award, the Vendor must certify that it has the financial capacity to perform and to continue to perform its obligations under the Contract; that Vendor has no constructive or actual knowledge of an actual or potential legal proceeding being brought against Vendor that could materially adversely affect performance of this Contract; and that entering into this Contract is not prohibited by any contract, or order by any court of competent jurisdiction.

Each Vendor shall certify it is financially stable by completing ATTACHMENT G: CERTIFICATION OF FINANCIAL CONDITION. The University is requiring this certification to minimize potential issues from contracting with a Vendor that is financially unstable.

From the date of the Certification to the expiration of the Contract, the Vendor shall notify the University within thirty (30) days of any occurrence or condition that materially alters the truth of any statement made in this Certification. The Contract Manager may require annual recertification of the Vendor’s financial stability.

4.4 HUB PARTICIPATION

Pursuant to North Carolina General Statute G.S. 143-48, it is State policy to encourage and promote the use of small, minority, physically handicapped, and women contractors in purchasing Goods and Services. As such, this RFP will serve to identify those Vendors that are minority owned or have a strategic plan to support the State’s Historically Underutilized Business program by meeting or exceeding the goal of 10% utilization of diverse firms as 1st or 2nd tier subcontractors. Vendor shall complete

ATTACHMENT D: HUB SUPPLEMENTAL VENDOR INFORMATION.

mailto:lynnbare@email.com

Ver: 11/2023 12

4.5 VENDOR EXPERIENCE

In its Proposal, Vendor shall demonstrate experience with public and/or private sector clients with similar or greater size and complexity to the University. Vendor shall provide information as to the qualifications and experience of all executive, managerial, legal, and professional personnel to be assigned to this project, including resumes citing experience with similar projects and the responsibilities to be assigned to each person.

4.6 REFERENCES

Vendor shall provide at least three (3) references, using ATTACHMENT E: CUSTOMER REFERENCE FORM, for which it has provided Services of similar size and scope to those proposed herein. The University may contact these users to determine whether the Services provided are substantially similar in scope to those proposed herein and whether Vendor’s performance has been satisfactory. The information obtained may be considered in the evaluation of the Proposal.

Additionally helpful for assessing vendor credibility includes examples of similar past work (showing or not showing customer-specific information). Any examples of similar work which may be reused or adapted to this project’s functional requirements should be shared with the project team as a portfolio of work. Specific formatting is not required – a simple collection of examples in a PowerPoint as a frame of reference may be used to highlight capabilities.

4.7 VENDOR’S REPRESENTATIONS

If Vendor’s Proposal results in an award, Vendor agrees that it will not enter any agreement with a third party that may abridge any rights of the University under the Contract. If any Services, deliverables, functions, or responsibilities not specifically described in this solicitation are required for Vendor’s proper performance, provision and delivery of the Service and deliverables under a resulting Contract, or are an inherent part of or necessary sub-task included within such Service, they will be deemed to be implied by and included within the scope of the Contract to the same extent and in the same manner as if specifically described in the Contract. Unless otherwise expressly provided herein, Vendor will furnish all of its own necessary management, supervision, labor, facilities, furniture, computer and telecommunications equipment, software, supplies and materials necessary for the Vendor to provide and deliver the Services and/or other Deliverables.

5.0 SPECIFICATIONS AND SCOPE OF WORK

Refer to pages 18 to 37.

5.1 SPECIFICATIONS TIME LINE

Phase I. NRE Design

• Target Final Design Completion: October 2, 2026

• Hard Deadline: October 9, 2026

Phase II. Glovebox Fabrication (Contingent on Funding)

• Anticipated Grant Funding: February–March 2027

• UNC-CH purchases final fabrication package o Estimated in Q2 2027 (between April 1 – June 30, 2027)

• Ship complete GB #5 (4x modules) to Indiana for testing (first article 2028) o Currently scheduled for March 2028

• Ship complete GB #1-4 (4x boxes) direct to Italy o Currently scheduled for June 2031

• UNC at Chapel Hill Self Installation ~2029-2030

5.2 CERTIFICATION AND SAFETY LABELS

Any manufactured items and/or fabricated assemblies provided hereunder that are subject to operation under pressure, operation by connection to an electric source, or operation involving a connection to a manufactured, natural, or LP gas source shall be

Ver: 11/2023 13 constructed and approved in a manner acceptable to the appropriate inspector which customarily requires the label or re-examination listing or identification marking of the appropriate safety standard organization acceptable to govern inspection where the item is to be located, such as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers for pressure vessels; the Underwriters Laboratories and /or National Electrical Manufacturers’ Association for electrically operated assemblies; or the American Gas Association for gas operated assemblies, where such approvals of listings have been established for the type of device offered and furnished.

Further, all items furnished shall meet all requirements of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA), and state and federal requirements relating to clean air and water pollution.

6.0 CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION

All Contract Administration requirements are conditioned on an award resulting from this solicitation. This information is provided for the Vendor’s planning purposes.

6.1 CONTRACT MANAGER AND CUSTOMER SERVICE

The Vendor shall be required to designate and make available to the University a contract manager. The contract manager shall be the University’s point of contact for Contract related issues and issues concerning performance, progress review, scheduling, and service.

Contract Manager Point of Contact

Name:

Office Phone #:

Mobile Phone #:

Email:

The Vendor shall be required to designate and make available to the University for customer service. The customer service point of contact shall be the University’s point of contact for customer service-related issues (define roles and responsibilities).

Customer Service Point of Contact

Name:

Office Phone #:

Mobile Phone #:

Email:

6.2 POST AWARD PROJECT REVIEW MEETINGS

The Vendor, at the request of the University, shall be required to meet on a needed basis with the University for Project Review meetings. The purpose of these meetings will be to review project progress reports, discuss Vendor and University performance, address outstanding issues, review problem resolution, provide direction, evaluate continuous improvement and cost saving ideas, and discuss any other pertinent topics.

Ver: 11/2023 14

6.3 CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT

The University encourages the Vendor to identify opportunities to reduce the total cost the University. A continuous improvement effort consists of various ways to enhance business efficiencies as performance progresses.

6.5 ACCEPTANCE OF WORK

Performance of the work and/or delivery of Goods shall be conducted and completed at least in accordance with the Contract requirements and recognized and customarily accepted industry practices. Performance shall be considered complete when the Services or Goods are approved as acceptable by the Contract Administrator.

Acceptance of Vendor’s work product shall be based on the following criteria:

Acceptance of the final designs is contingent upon a design review by the project team, ensuring that all performance metrics are met with the designs presented, and after a fabrication plan has been discussed with the vendor.

Acceptance of fabricated gloveboxes is contingent upon an inspection of the realized product compared to final design drawings (as built must match). Beyond meeting the accepted designs, finished boxes must be sealed and subjected to leak testing according to ISO 10648-2.

The University shall have the obligation to notify Vendor, in writing ten (10) calendar days following completion of such work or delivery of a deliverable described in the Contract that it is not acceptable. The notice shall specify in reasonable detail the reason(s) it is unacceptable. Acceptance by the University shall not be unreasonably withheld; but may be conditioned or delayed as required for reasonable review, evaluation, installation, or testing, as applicable to the work or deliverable. Final acceptance is expressly conditioned upon completion of all applicable assessment procedures. Should the work or deliverables fail to meet any specifications, acceptance criteria or otherwise fail to conform to the Contract, the University may exercise any and all rights hereunder, including, for Goods deliverables, such rights provided by the Uniform Commercial Code, as adopted in North Carolina.

6.6 FAITHFUL PERFORMANCE

The parties agree that the Vendor shall be subject to the following faithful performance requirements

• No performance bond required.

• Final payment of 10% will be withheld until final acceptance of all deliverables.

• Vendor shall correct any deficient deliverables identified during acceptance testing at no additional cost within 30 calendar days.

• The University may withhold payments for nonconforming or incomplete deliverables until deficiencies are corrected.

6.7 DISPUTE RESOLUTION

During the performance of the Contract, the parties agree that it is in their mutual interest to resolve disputes informally. Any claims by the Vendor shall be submitted in writing to the University’s Contract Manager for resolution. Any claims by the University shall be submitted in writing to the Vendor’s Project Manager for resolution. The Parties shall agree to negotiate in good faith and use all reasonable efforts to resolve such dispute(s).

During the time the Parties are attempting to resolve any dispute, each shall proceed diligently to perform their respective duties and responsibilities under this Contract. The Parties will agree on a reasonable amount of time to resolve a dispute. If a dispute cannot be resolved between the Parties within the agreed upon period, either Party may elect to exercise any other remedies available under the Contract, or at law. This provision, when agreed in the Contract, shall not constitute an agreement by either party to mediate or arbitrate any dispute.

Ver: 11/2023 15

7.0 ATTACHMENTS

**IMPORTANT NOTICE**

RETURN THE REQUIRED ATTACHMENTS WITH YOUR RESPONSE

FOLLOW THE LINKS TO ACCESS EACH ATTACHMENT

ATTACHMENT A: PRICING

Complete and return the Pricing associated with this RFP, which can be found in the table below:

ATTACHMENT B: INSTRUCTIONS TO VENDORS

The Instructions to Vendors, which are incorporated herein by this reference, may be found here:

https://finance.unc.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/298/2024/09/bidders-instructions.pdf

ATTACHMENT C: THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHAPEL HILL GENERAL TERMS & CONDITIONS

FOR SERVICES

The University of North Carolina General Terms and Conditions for Services, which are incorporated herein by this reference, may be found here:

https://finance.unc.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/298/2024/09/terms-services.pdf

ATTACHMENT D: HUB SUPPLEMENTAL VENDOR INFORMATION

Complete and return the Historically Underutilized Businesses (HUB) Vendor Information form, which can be found at the following link: https://www.doa.nc.gov/pandc/onlineforms/pc-hub-supplemental-vendor-information-92021-pdf/open

ATTACHMENT E: CUSTOMER REFERENCE FORM

Complete and return the Customer Reference Form, which can be found at the following link:

https://ncadmin.nc.gov/media/15503/open

ATTACHMENT F: LOCATION OF WORKERS UTILIZED BY VENDOR

Complete and return the Location of Workers Utilized by Vendor, which can be found at the following link:

https://www.doa.nc.gov/pandc/onlineforms/pc-worker-location-92021-pdf/open

ATTACHMENT G: CERTIFICATION OF FINANCIAL CONDITION

Complete, sign, and return the Certification of Financial Condition, which can be found at the following link:

https://www.doa.nc.gov/pandc/onlineforms/pc-certification-financial-condition-92021-pdf/open

LOBBYING ACTIVITY CERTIFICATION FOR FEDERAL GRANTS

The Certification for Contracts, Grants, Loans, and Cooperative Agreements and the OMB Standard Form LLL are separate documents that can be found at the following link:

https://www.doa.nc.gov/pc-contracts-grants-loans-cooperative-agreements-certification-72020-pdf/open

*** Failure to Return the Required Attachments May Eliminate Your Response from Further Consideration *** https://finance.unc.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/298/2024/09/bidders-instructions.pdf https://finance.unc.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/298/2024/09/terms-services.pdf https://www.doa.nc.gov/pandc/onlineforms/pc-hub-supplemental-vendor-information-92021-pdf/open https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fncadmin.nc.gov%2Fmedia%2F15503%2Fopen&data=05%7C02%7Cjonathan.davis%40doa.nc.gov%7Cf298a5b0a18e4016d32908dc692f5e36%7C7a7681dcb9d0449a85c3ecc26cd7ed19%7C0%7C0%7C638500899363455583%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=Se0VOx%2Fjf4cx8k4yLIIQae7kkNtrpbCiXU4%2F7fCSBNo%3D&reserved=0

FDR Request for Quotation L.DE.N03.07.02 Gloveboxes

Project Scope – Bird’s Eye

• 4x “standard” size gloveboxes with custom specifications

– Delivered to host laboratory in Italy

• 1x large, modular glovebox comprised of 4x connected modules

– Delivered to Indiana University for testing

• Gloveboxes are nitrogen purged with no gas-recirculation, equipped custom large antechambers, stainless steel construction.

Requesting vendor bids for BOTH:

1. Quotation for non-recurring engineering cost for final design of all components. Single line item for NRE final design cost picking up from our current designs and specifications.

2. Separate quotation for fabrication of all components following final design. Pricing and lead-time line items for each glovebox fabrication: GB1, 2, 3, 4, & 5

Project Context – LEGEND 1000

The LEGEND-1000 experiment is a rare-event physics experiment searching for neutrino-less double-beta decay.

As part of this search, “strings” of enriched germanium detectors are assembled in a clean space, eliminating FOD and maintaining an inert, radiopure environment.

In previous iterations of the project, we have employed the use of custom gloveboxes for clean assembly. With the large scale of

LEGEND-1000, an assembly-line-style cleanroom has been developed to batch the assemblies and dedicate clean workstations to well-understood and set processes.

LEGEND-1000 EXPERIMENT

SINGLE STRING DETAIL VIEW

Project Context – Clean Room Detail

GROUND LEVEL

6-METER LEVEL

GB1

GB4

GB2

GB3

GB5

GB5

Detector handling path shown above in blue

Gloveboxes, “GB” detailed in following slides

General Glovebox Requirements

• The detector assembly gloveboxes shall maintain inert environment of 0.005 bar nitrogen pressurization.

• The detector assembly gloveboxes shall allow for quick tool-handling via an antechamber that may be purged in less than 15 minutes so as to not disrupt workflow.

– See following slides for sizing details. GB5 is equipped with antechamber connections as well as a large purge cabinet. The purge cabinet is NOT subject to the above time requirement.

• The gloveboxes shall continuously monitor humidity and water vapor ingress.

– Monitoring should be reported via vendor-provided onboard PLC & displays.

• The boxes shall be leak tested according to ISO 10648-2.

• Glove ports shall allow for quick exchange of a replacement glove in the event of a leak or orientation change.

Glove port blind plugs shall also be provided inside the box to close of glove ports when not being used.

Functional Design: Glovebox 1

Purpose:

Removing detectors from specialized shipping cryostats

Functions:

Pump-down antechambers for insertion of specialized cryostats (left), as well as larger transport and storage vessels (right)

Elongated Antechamber

Ø6” shown from std.,…