HV Vacuum Chamber

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), a civilian agency within the Department of Commerce, is soliciting quotations for the design and manufacturing of a custom high-vacuum chamber to support the Nanoscale Device Characterization Division's extreme-ultraviolet diffractometry and spectroscopic ellipsometry capabilities for semiconductor process control. The chamber must be constructed with aluminum endpieces and stainless steel (304L or 316L) body, configured with one DN200CF 10" Conflat port, 13 DN100CF 6" Conflat ports, 17 DN40-CF 2.75" Conflat ports, 7 ISO160-F ports, and 3 ISO63-F ports, and must achieve leak-tight performance to 1×10⁻⁹ TorrL/s with room temperature base pressures below 7.5×10⁻⁷ Torr. Contract award will be determined based on technical capability and past performance combined being more important than price, with quotations required to be submitted electronically by 12:00 PM EST on April 15, 2026 (amended deadline), and pre-quote inquiries must be submitted within two calendar days of the March 25, 2026 posting date. Key deliverables include initial design drawings (10 calendar days), final design drawings (7 calendar days post-approval), and the completed chamber (90 calendar days), with an optional hinged door modification available as a separate line item; delivery must be FOB Destination to NIST Gaithersburg within 120 days of order receipt, and payment is 100% upon successful installation and acceptance testing.

This solicitation is designated as a total small business set-aside under NAICS code 334516 (Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing) with a 1,000-employee size standard, and no current incumbent contractors are identified. The specific award value is not disclosed in the solicitation documents, though quotations must remain valid for 90 days from the due date and include all shipping and delivery costs, with offerors required to separately identify tariffs and customs charges for products manufactured outside the United States. All equipment must be new commercial products shipped in original manufacturer packaging; prototypes, demonstration models, used, or refurbished instruments are not acceptable. The place of performance is NIST's Gaithersburg, Maryland facility (100 Bureau Drive, Gaithersburg, MD 20895), where final acceptance and testing will occur. Offerors must maintain active System for Award Management (SAM.gov) registration through contract award and final payment, and all quotations must be divided into four distinct volumes: Technical Quotation, Past Performance (up to three examples within three years), Price Quotation, and Terms and Conditions.