High-Capacity Hydraulic Actuator and Associated Components

NOTICE OF INTENT TO SOLE SOURCE
High-Capacity Hydraulic Actuator and Associated Components

Announcement Type: Special Notice
Announcement Number: NIST-NOI-22-7301967
PSC Code: 6640
Subject: High-Capacity Hydraulic Actuator and Associated Components
 

Introduction
This is a notice of intent, not a request for a quotation. A solicitation document will not be issued and quotations will not be requested.

Purpose
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) intends to negotiate a firm-fixed priced purchase order on a sole source basis with MTS Systems Corporation located at 14000 Technology Drive, Eden Prairie, MN 55344 USA. The purchase order will be for one high-capacity hydraulic actuator and associated components, plus installation and demonstration services.

Authority
This acquisition is being conducted under the authority of FAR Subpart 13.501 allowing the Contracting Officer (CO) to solicit from one source. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this acquisition is 334516 – Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing with a size standard of 1,000 Employees.

Background and Description
The Engineering Laboratory at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Gaithersburg campus has a Structural Testing Laboratory in Building 226. The Structural Testing Laboratory is equipped with servohydraulic actuators and a state-of-the-art hydraulic power distribution and control system (HPDCS) used to apply controlled forces and displacements in structural testing. 

The equipment currently in use includes (1) an MTS Systems Corporation (MTS) SilentFlo 515.90S-2 hydraulic power supply, (2) an MTS FlexTest 100 controller, (3)  MTS Model 293.11 HSMs, and (4) MTS TestSuite Multipurpose Elite software. This equipment and software is proprietary to MTS.  The current stock of equipment also includes two 220 kip MTS actuators and two 110 kips MTS actuators.

A new experimental setup is being constructed which has created the need to procure an additional high-capacity actuator, HSM, and controller module.  This higher capacity actuator, HSM, and control module will be integrated with the existing HPDCS, which will provide hydraulic power and control of force and displacement in the new experimental setup.  These specifications require that the new actuator and associated equipment be fully compatible with the existing HPDCS.  When integrated with the existing HPDCS, the new actuator will provide the capability to perform controlled experiments on full-scale structural sub-systems and components, utilizing the full design capacity of the setup. Research performed in the Structural Testing Laboratory will help to provide the technical basis for the development and improvement of codes, standards, and practice governing the design of buildings and other structures.

The purpose of this acquisition is to procure a MTS hydraulic actuator, a three-station HSM, and a controller module to be installed in the existing HPDCS in Building 226 at NIST in Gaithersburg, MD.  The contractor shall furnish the necessary personnel, materials, equipment, and services to fabricate these components and then install and test them using the laboratory’s existing HPDCS.
 

Sole Source Determination
The sole source determination is based on the following:
 

The MTS equipment currently in use for NIST research, which must be augmented, is proprietary to this contractor and MTS does not authorize resellers of its equipment. To ensure full equipment compatibility and continuity of science, the new instruments to be purchased must use the same exact technology as the existing instruments. It is imperative that equipment be compatible and interoperable to ensure NIST research is not compromised. Accordingly, only MTS is capable of meeting the requirement.
 

Information for Interested Parties
Interested parties that believe they could satisfy the requirements listed above for NIST may clearly and unambiguously identify their capability to do so in writing by or before the response date for this notice. This notice of intent is not a solicitation.

Any questions regarding this notice must be submitted in writing via email to Ms. Lauren Roller, Contract Specialist, at Lauren.Roller@nist.gov. All responses to this notice of intent must be submitted via email to Lauren.Roller@nist.gov so that they are received no later than June 29, 2022 at 11:00 AM Eastern Time.

Each response should include the following Business Information:

1. Contractor Name, Address,
2. Point of Contact Name, Phone Number, and Email address
3. Contractor DUNS
4. Contractor Business Classification (i.e., small business, 8(a), woman owned, hubZone, veteran owned, etc.) as validated in System for Award Management (SAM). All offerors must register in the SAM located at http://www.sam.gov/portal/SAM/#1
5. Capability Statement