Notice of Intent

Added: Apr 26, 2018 9:10 am

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) intends to negotiate, on a sole source basis, under authority of FAR 13.106-1(b) (1), with Telops Inc. North America (Canada) for a Thermal Imaging Camera system with built-in high-speed spinning filter wheel, for the Fire Research Division of the Engineering Laboratory (EL) at NIST, Gaithersburg, Maryland.

The Fire Research Division, Engineering Laboratory, at NIST studies fire phenomena that affect fire safety in buildings and facilities. To study fire phenomena, it is necessary to record high resolution thermal images at high frame rates and store approximately 60 minutes of thermal video. The thermal imaging camera system (TIC) will be used to record thermal images and provide quantitative radiometric data and temperature measurements of building components and electrical equipment such as cables, wires, current transformers, enclosures, cabinets, and circuit breakers.

Due to the large temperature range between ambient temperature, fire phenomena, and fire heated targets, the TIC needs to have a temperature range of at least 0 °C to 2500 °C. To spatially resolve the thermal phenomenon, a detector with resolution of 640 pixels x 512 pixels or greater with a 3 um to 5 um or greater spectral response is required. The time varying nature of fire phenomenon necessitates rapid image capture, with full size and full dynamic range images provided at a rate of at least 80 Hz.

Telops Inc. is the sole manufacturer, and sells directly to customers, an infrared imaging system, including thermal imaging camera, calibrations, high speed recording PC, and data acquisition and thermal image and video analysis software capable of providing the spatial resolution, recording speed, and temperature/radiometric dynamic range to meet the technical requirements of the Fire Research Division. No other TICs in the market were identified to have the resolution, frame rates, or dynamic ranges needed for NISTs research (firefighting, industrial, utility, manufactures types) or the quantitative measurement capability, as opposed to simple
imaging, used by typical law enforcement equipment.

The Telpos system is unique, in its ability to synchronize image capture with multiple filters using a built-in, rapidly rotating (100 revolutions per second), 8-position filter wheel. The Telops system technology combines the multiple filter images into high resolution - high dynamic range (proprietary technology to Telops) thermal video (automated multispectral image merging.)

The Telops system also has a unique, automatic exposure control feature. This allows the camera to adjust the expose time automatically in response to the dynamic temperature variations in the imaged scene. This feature is utilized in conjunction with a patent-pending algorithm for real-time temperature calibration.

A determination by the Government not to compete the proposed acquisition based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Information received will be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement.

No solicitation package will be issued. This notice of intent is not a request for competitive quotations. However, responses received by May 10, 2018 will be considered by the Government.