NOTICE OF INTENT TO SOLE SOURCE - 2. 92 mm male-male air-line calibration kit

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Acquisition Management Division on behalf of the Communications Technology Laboratory, RF Technology Division intends to negotiate with Maury Microwave, Inc. on a sole source basis under the authority of FAR Subpart 13.106-1(b), soliciting from a single source, for the acquisition of 2.92 male-male air-line calibration kit referenced herein.

Specific Requirements:
Item Specifications and Quantities:

Item 1: 2.92 mm air-line calibration kit

Quantity: 1 EA

Specifications:

1.1  The calibration kit shall include the following standards.
               1.  2.92 mm male to male beadless airline (1.6 cm)
               2.  2.92 mm male to male beadless airline (3.0 cm)
               3.  2.92 mm male to male beadless airline (3.6 cm)
               4.  2.92 mm male to male beadless airline (5.9 cm)
               5.  2.92 mm male to male beadless airline (6.8 cm)
               6.  2.92 mm male to male beadless airline (8.5 cm)
               7.  2.92 mm male to male beadless airline (15 cm)

1.2. Each calibration standard shall have at least one retractable nut that enables visibility of the reference plane when viewed from a perspective perpendicular to the axis of the calibration standard.

1.3. Surfaces involved in electromagnetic transmission and reflection shall be gold coated.

1.4. The pin depth of all calibration standards shall be in the range from flush to 0.012 mm recessed behind the reference plane.

1.5. The calibration standards shall comply with the normative specifications for 2.92 mm metrology grade pin connectors, as specified in IEEE Standard for Precision Coaxial Connectors at RF, Microwave, and Millimeter-Wave Frequencies—Part 1: General Requirements, Definitions, and Detailed Specifications (IEEE Std 287.1-2021).

Item 2: Dimensional Measurements

Quantity: 1 EA

2.1  Dimensional measurements of conductor diameters and lengths shall be provided for the center conductor, outer conductor, and pin depth of each calibration standard.

NAICS Code is 334419 - Other Electronic Component Manufacturing, with a Size Standard of 750 Employees. NIST anticipates negotiating and awarding a firm-fixed-price purchase order to Maury Microwave, Inc. for this requirement.

JUSTIFICATION FOR OTHER THAN FULL AN OPEN COMPETITION:
Market research resulted in Maury Microwave, Inc. being the only vendor to provide the proprietary connector geometry in beadless 2.92 mm male-male air-line calibration kit products consistent with the technical specification requirements provided herein with a current non-disclosure agreement (NDA) in place. To calibrate the scattering parameters of microwave electronics to 40 GHz, a metrology-grade 2.92 mm air-line calibration kit is required to produce broadband electrical calibration artifacts as part of its calibration service for scattering parameters and compatible with existing NIST hardware. No other manufacturers are known to produce the air-lines in male-male configurations in the required lengths, with a current NDA for receipt of proprietary design information.

Interested parties that can demonstrate they could satisfy the requirement listed above for NIST must clearly and unambiguously identify their capability to do so in writing on or before the response date for this notice. This notice of intent is not a solicitation. Information submitted in response to this notice will be used solely to determine whether competitive procedures could be used for this acquisition. If competitive procedures are not used, it is estimated that an award will be issued 4th Quarter FY24. Any questions regarding this notice must be submitted in writing via email to clifford.nicholson@nist.gov.

All responses to this notice of intent must be submitted to clifford.nicholson@nist.gov no later than 6/27/2024 at 5:00 p.m. MDT.