Compressors

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is procuring two specialized helium compressors through solicitation NB672060-25-02174 to support Josephson Voltage Standard systems critical for maintaining the SI volt reference. The requirement includes one water-cooled compressor and one air-cooled compressor, both designed to pair with Sumitomo RDK-205D2 coldheads for 4K operations, with power consumption between 3.6-5.6 kW and approximately 30,000-hour operation time before maintenance. All items must be new commercial products with proven field performance and full manufacturer warranties, explicitly excluding used, reconditioned, or refurbished equipment. The government will use a lowest price technically acceptable evaluation methodology focusing on technical capability and price under Simplified Acquisition Procedures. Quotations must be submitted electronically to the contracting officer by August 29, 2025, with the solicitation falling under NAICS code 334516 (Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing) with a 1,000-employee size standard.

This procurement is conducted on an unrestricted basis with no set-aside designation, making it open to all qualified contractors regardless of size or socioeconomic status. The contract will be awarded as a firm fixed price purchase order with Net 30 payment terms, requiring delivery within 8 weeks after receipt of order to NIST's facility at 325 Broadway in Boulder, Colorado. The water-cooled compressor must accommodate 4-9 L/min cooling water at 5-25°C with helium gas pressures of 200 psig equalization and 275-315 psig operating, while the air-cooled compressor requires 17.6 m3/min of cooling air at 60Hz. No incumbent contractors or specific budget ranges are identified in the solicitation documents. The equipment will support the Superconductive Electronics Group's development and demonstration of voltage standard systems, emphasizing the critical nature of reliability and performance specifications for these precision laboratory instruments.