Chart MVE Liquid Nitrogen Insulated Piping Replacement
Closed Pre-Solicitation Posted
- Solicitation number
- NISTNB646060-25-01653
- Agency
-
National Institute of Standards and Technology
Department of Commerce
- Responses due
- Set-aside
- Total Small Business
Opportunity facts
- NAICS code
- 423490 Other Professional Equipment and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
- Place of performance
- Charleston, South Carolina 29412, United States
- Points of contact
Notice details come from SAM.gov. Updated .
About this opportunity
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is conducting market research through a sources sought notice for the replacement of a Chart MVE Liquid Nitrogen Vacuum Insulated Piping (LN2/VIP) system at their Charleston, South Carolina facility. The existing 25-year-old piping system has deteriorated due to salt air and saltwater exposure, causing significant liquid nitrogen loss of 25-30% annually at a cost of $20,000-$25,000, and threatens critical biorepository equipment including 26 LN2 vapor-phase freezers and 9 ultra-low temperature freezers. Contractors must provide US citizen engineers and technicians experienced with vacuum jacketed piping systems and perform comprehensive safety and vacuum pressure testing. The acquisition is planned as a firm fixed-price contract under FAR Part 13 Simplified Acquisition Procedures with NAICS code 423490. Interested contractors must submit capability statements of no more than ten pages by July 14, 2025, including company information, UEI number, business size certification, and relevant experience from the last five years.
This opportunity is designated as a total small business set-aside with a size standard of 150 employees under the specified NAICS code, and all small business set-aside categories will be considered. No incumbent contractor or current service provider is identified in the notice. While no specific contract value is disclosed, the annual liquid nitrogen losses currently cost the government $20,000-$25,000, indicating the system's critical importance to operations. The project must be completed within 120 days after safety plan approval and requires replacement of all compromised exterior piping sections to ensure a reliable system with a 20-30 year lifespan. Key deliverables include LN2 VIP test reports, system replacement documentation, performance test completion, and follow-up vacuum testing, with contractors providing manufacturer's standard warranty for piping and connections plus a 90-day labor warranty.
Notice text
THIS IS A SOURCES SOUGHT FOR MARKET RESEARCH. THIS SOURCES SOUGHT IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS, QUOTATIONS OR BIDS. This announcement constitutes a Sources Sought (market survey). This notice is a request for information to provide data for planning purposes only and does not constitute an Invitation for Bids, a Request for Proposals, Solicitation, Request for Quotes, or an indication the Government will contract for the services contained in this Sources Sought. This Sources Sought is a market research tool used by the acquisition team to determine potential and eligible businesses that have the capability and interest in this requirement.
The U.S. Department of Commerce, National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST), Acquisition Management Division (AMD) seeks information from contractors capable of and interested in providing services for Replacement of Chart MVE Liquid Nitrogen Vacuum Insulated Piping (LN2/VIP) System for the NIST Charleston, SC site prior to determining the method of acquisition.
This request is not to be construed as a commitment on the part of the Government to award a contract, nor will the Government pay or reimburse respondents for any information submitted as a result of this notice. Any responses received will not be used as a proposal. Respondents will not be notified of the Sources Sought evaluation results, nor will questions be addressed by the Government.
The results of this Sources Sought will be utilized to assess the amount of interest and capability in the current market, and to determine if any Small Business Set-aside opportunities exist for this potential requirement. All Small Business Set-aside categories will be considered. This market research tool will be used to identify potential and eligible firms, of all sizes, prior to determining the method of acquisition and level of announcement for issuance of a solicitation.
Project Description:
NIST is soliciting capability statements from all interested parties to perform Replacement of Chart MVE Liquid Nitrogen Vacuum Insulated Piping (LN2/VIP) System in accordance with the attached statement of work.
The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for the proposed acquisition is 423490, Other Professional Equipment and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers, and the Small Business size standard is 150 employees.
Planned acquisition type: Firm Fixed-Price Contract. The acquisition is planned to be performed in accordance with FAR Part 13 Simplified Acquisition Procedures.
Sources Sought: Interested and capable contractors are requested to electronically submit a Capabilities Statement of no more than ten(10) pages in length inclusive of the following information:
1. Company name and address. The name, position title, telephone number and email address of a company point of contact (POC).
2. Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) in the system for Award Management (SAM) at www.sam.gov.
3. Indicate whether your company is a large business or a small business under the NAICS code specified in this announcement. Small Businesses shall also include status as small business, veteran-owned small business, service-disabled veteran-owned small business, HUBZone small business, small disadvantaged business, and/or women-owned small business.
4. Company Profile Description:
5. Statement of Capability stating your company’s experience to perform the type of work identified in this sources sought.
6. Recent experience is experience performed within the last five (5) years.
Submittal Instructions:
All responses to this Sources Sought shall be submitted via email by the required Response Date to Primary Point of Contact.
All correspondence sent via e-mail shall contain a subject line that reads Replacement of Chart MVE Liquid Nitrogen Vacuum Insulated Piping (LN2/VIP) System 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.
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.
Files
| File | Type | Posted |
|---|---|---|
| SOW Exterior Chart MVE LN2 VIP Replacement.pdf |
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