Liquid Helium Delivery

The National Institute of Standards and Technology seeks liquid helium delivery in contractor-owned dewars on an as-needed basis, with proposals due August 11 and questions due August 4. The procurement is set-aside for Women-Owned Small Businesses and is a Firm-Fixed-Price contract. Amendment 0001, published July 21, incorporates one RFI with government responses and confirms this is a recurring requirement with a previous award under contract 1333ND25PNB190551.

Place of performance is Boulder, Colorado. The contractor shall supply 100-liter and 250-liter dewars with estimated annual usage of 30 units of 100-liter and 20 units of 250-liter dewars. The performance period runs October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. Helium purity must meet a minimum of 99.998%. Weekly deliveries occur on regular schedule with orders placed before 5:00 PM Mountain Time Tuesday and delivery between 7:00 AM and 3:30 PM Mountain Time, with preference for 9:00 AM to 11:30 AM. The contractor must provide capability for emergency deliveries within seven calendar days. Dewars must arrive with no icing or frost, functioning valves and pressure gauges, 2.5-inch Ladish flanges for 100-liter models, permanently attached wheels, and maximum helium loss of 2% per day. Weight measurement occurs at the NIST dock with contractor personnel present and government witnesses. Offerors must provide unit prices for both dewar sizes and a detailed cost breakdown identifying labor, materials, bonding/insurance, profit, and overhead. Evaluation factors include technical approach, past performance, and price, with non-price factors weighted more heavily than price. The NAICS code is 325120, Industrial Gas Manufacturing; PSC is 6830, Gases: Compressed and Liquefied.

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