INTENT TO SOLE SOURCE: Oxford Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD) Preventative Maintenance (PM) Plan

Closed Special Notice Posted

Solicitation number
FA860125Q0124
Agency
Responses due
Set-aside
No set-aside

Opportunity facts

Place of performance
Wright Patterson AFB, Ohio 45433, United States

Notice details come from SAM.gov. Updated .

About this opportunity

The United States Air Force, AFLCMC/PZIBA at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio has published a Special Notice announcing its intent to award a sole source contract for Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD) preventative maintenance services. The procurement is designated as solicitation number FA8601-25-Q-0124 and falls under NAICS code 811310 for Commercial and Industrial Machinery and Equipment Repair and Maintenance. The intended sole source contractor is Oxford Instruments, located in Concord, Massachusetts, which will provide maintenance services for EBSD laboratory equipment used by the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT). The Air Force has determined that Oxford Instruments is the only known business capable of meeting the government's requirements due to their proprietary ownership of the preventative maintenance procedures for their specialized equipment. This notice serves as an informational announcement rather than a competitive solicitation.

The primary objective of this sole source procurement is to ensure continued operational capability of critical EBSD laboratory equipment used for research and educational activities in integrated circuit technology, microelectromechanical systems, and nanotechnology courses at AFIT. Interested parties have until September 15, 2025 to submit capability statements, proposals, quotations, or exceptions to the sole source approach, though the government intends to proceed with Oxford Instruments under FAR 13.501(a)(1) authority. The procurement will result in a firm-fixed-price contract covering comprehensive preventative maintenance services including inspections, consumables replacement, equipment testing, repairs, and calibration. All responsible sources may participate by demonstrating their capability to perform the required services, though the government's position is that Oxford's proprietary ownership of the maintenance procedures makes them uniquely qualified. The contract performance period extends from April 21, 2025 through April 20, 2026 with potential option years, and all maintenance work will be conducted at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base facilities.

Notice text

Intent To Award Sole Source

Solicitation Number: FA8601-25-Q-0124 Notice Type: Special Notice

Synopsis:

The United States Air Force, AFLCMC/PZIBA, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio 45433-5344 publishes this notice of intent to award a Sole Source contract for informational purposes only. This proposed action is for the acquisition of Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD) Preventative Maintenance for the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT). It was determined that Oxford Instruments is a large business that is capable of meeting the Government’s specifications as they are stated in the attached Performance Work Statement (PWS). The Government intends to solicit and negotiate with only one source under the authority of FAR 13.501(a)(1), resulting in a Firm- Fixed -Price contract.

The proposed procurement will be a Sole Source under North American Industry Classification System Code (NAICS) 811310-Commercial and Industrial Machinery and Equipment (except Automotive and Electronic) Repair and Maintenance, (PSC) J066-Maintenance, Repair, and Rebuilding of Equipment- Instruments and Laboratory Equipment. The proposed source is Oxford Instruments, 300 Baker Avenue, Suite 150, Concord, MA 01742, USA. This notice of intent is not a request for competitive quotations. However, all responsible sources may submit a capability statement, proposal, quotation, or exception to the intent to purchase on a Sole Source basis, which shall be considered by the Government. Information received will normally be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement.

In order to comply with FAR 5.207(c)(15), the reason for the lack of competition is as follows: Oxford Instruments is the only known business capable of meeting the Government’s requirement, which is the need for PM for their laboratory equipment. Additionally, Oxford has proprietary ownership of its PM, as indicated in their sole source letter. Therefore, it is in the best interest of the Government to award Oxford Instruments this contract. Please see Attachment 2, Sole Source Justification, for complete details.

Important Notice to Contractors: All prospective awardees are required to register at the System for Award Management (SAM) and to maintain active registration during the life of the contract. SAM can be accessed at https://www.sam.gov.

Any information should be e-mailed to curtis.thomas.4@us.af.mil. no later than 11:00 am Eastern Daylight Time, 15 September 2025. Only inquiries/information received by this date will be considered. Be advised all correspondence sent via email shall contain a subject line that reads “FA860125Q0124 – “Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD) Preventative Maintenance”. Note that email filters at Wright-Patterson AFB are designed to filter emails without subject lines or with suspicious subject lines or contents (i.e., .exe or .zip files). Also, be advised that .zip or .exe files are not allowable attachments and may be deleted by the email filters at Wright- Patterson AFB. If sending attachments with the email, ensure only .pdf, .doc, .xls documents are sent.

Attachments:

  1. Statement of Work
  2. Sole Source Justification (SSJ) Redacted

Files

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