LS-DYNA Software Licenses

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 ANSYS, Inc., located at 2600 ANSYS Drive, Canonsburg, PA 15317. The purchase order will specifically procure LS-DYNA Large System Core software licenses.

Authority
This acquisition is being conducted under the authority of FAR Subpart 13.106(b)(1) allowing the Contracting Officer (CO) to solicit from one source. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this acquisition is 513210 – Software Publishers with a small business size standard of $47.0 million.

Description
The Materials and Structural Systems Division (MSSD) of the Engineering Laboratory (EL) at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) develops and promotes the use of science-based tools – measurements, data, models, protocols, and reference standards – to enhance both the global competitiveness of U.S. industry through innovations in building materials and construction technology; and the safety, security, and sustainability of the nation's buildings and physical infrastructure. Among other activities, the MSSD provides performance prediction tools to reduce the vulnerability of building and infrastructure systems to extreme events (e.g., wind, fire, earthquake, impact, blast) through cost-effective reliability-based multi-hazard approaches.

The LS-DYNA software license is required for continuing research projects in multiple Operating Units across NIST, including the Materials Measurement Laboratory (Division 642), the Engineering Laboratory (Divisions 731 and 735), and the Information Technology Laboratory (Division 771). The LS-DYNA software is required for finite element modeling and analysis of materials, components, and structural and mechanical systems under multiple loading scenarios, including robot-human collaborations. Full compatibility with existing LS-DYNA models and output files is required for continuation of these projects.

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

The LS-DYNA software license is required due to continuity of science and continuation of multiple projects at NIST and compatibility with previous results produced by NIST using the LS-DYNA software. The LS-DYNA software license is the only software package that offers full compatibility with previous research and the large number of existing finite element model input files and the large number of output files containing results of finite element analyses, which were produced by the previous research. The LS-DYNA software must be purchased directly from Ansys, Inc and no other sources of supply exist.

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 Collin Randall, Contract Specialist, at Collin.Randall@nist.gov. All responses to this notice of intent must be submitted via email to Collin.Randall@nist.gov so that they are received no later than July 30, 2025, at 10:00 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 SAM Universal Entity Identifier (UEI)
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 have an active registration in www.SAM.gov.
5. Capability Statement