Diffraction Ring Analysis X-Ray Detector

THIS IS A COMBINED SYNOPSIS/SOLICITATION FOR COMMERCIAL ITEMS PREPARED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE FORMAT IN FAR SUBPART 12.6-STREAMLINED PROCEDURES FOR EVALUATION AND SOLICITATION FOR COMMERCIAL ITEMS-AS SUPPLEMENTED WITH ADDITIONAL INFORMATION INCLUDED IN THIS NOTICE. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONSTITUTES THE ONLY SOLICITATION; QUOTATIONS ARE BEING REQUESTED; AND A WRITTEN SOLICITATION DOCUMENT (I.E. STANDARD FORM) WILL NOT BE ISSUED.

This solicitation is a Request for Quotation (RFQ). The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2020-08.

The associated North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for the requirement is 334516 – Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing. The small business size standard is 1,000 employees.

This is an unrestricted full-and-open RFQ. Simplified acquisition procedures will be utilized.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) / Materials Measurement Science Division (MMSD) provides the measurement science, measurement standards, and measurement technology required to enable world-leading characterization of materials in support of the nation’s needs for the determination of the composition, structure, and properties of materials. MMSD collaborates as a partner with staff at Argonne National Laboratory’s Advanced Photon Source (APS), the brightest high-energy X-ray synchrotron facility in the Western hemisphere, in development of a world-class ultra-small-angle X-ray scattering (USAXS) facility located at APS sector 9-ID, and its application in materials measurement science in support of MMSD’s and the NIST Material Measurement Laboratory (MML) missions. 

While the USAXS facility incorporates X-ray detectors for many applications, for certain applications a high-resolution X-ray diffraction (XRD) ring analysis detector is now required. To fulfill this requirement, the detector must have a large field of view with respect to the sample position, but it must also fit into an extremely confined geometry due to the proximity of other facility components.  This situation mandates a requirement for a flat-panel X-ray detector.  Thus, to meet the mission requirement to analyze powder X-ray diffraction rings for residual stresses and/or texture orientation distributions, especially for additive-manufactured metals and alloys, NIST’s MMSD requires a compact, high-resolution, flat-panel X-ray detector sensitive both to texture effects (changes mainly in intensity) around an X-ray diffraction ring, and to the effects of residual stresses (characteristic departures from circular XRD ring shape and position). The new diffraction-ring analysis X-ray detector will allow complete XRD rings to be recorded with sufficiently high angular resolution and adequate linear dynamic range in detected intensity for quantitative texture and residual stress analysis.

APPLICABLE ATTACHMENTS

• Attachment I – Specifications
• Attachment II – Applicable Provisions and Clauses

1352.215-73 INQUIRES (APR 2010):

Offerors must submit all questions concerning this solicitation in writing electronically to sedigah.gizabi@nist.gov and donald.graham@nist.gov. Questions must be received no later than three (3) business days after solicitation issuance. Any responses to questions will be made in writing, without identification of the questioner, and will be included in an amendment to the solicitation. Even if provided in other form, only the question responses included in the amendment to the solicitation will govern performance of the contract. (End of Provision).

Note: Reference attachments for complete solicitation.