Optical Telescope to serve as the receiver for a lidar system

The above solicitation is hereby amended to address vendor questions and answers and to extend the due date for quotes as follows:

1. The primary mirror - Do you care what material it is made of?

Answer: The mirror material does not matter explicitly, but there are implicit requirements contained within the image quality requirement. As long as the glass material properties are taken into account in the optomechanical design such that the optical performance (i.e. spot size) specification is met over normal observatory operation temperatures and gravity loading, then the specific glass material does not matter.

2. The focal ratio - Does "slower" mean that f/8 is acceptable?

Answer: Yes, slower in this sense means the light path is converging more slowly than f/6.

3. Field of view and spot size - Does the "<10 micron RMS" apply to all wavelengths and the entire field, or to one particular wavelength and one part of the field? For example, a 22" diameter, f/6 primary mirror has an airy disk diameter of 15.6 microns on axis at 1.064 nm, which seems to exceed the specification.

Answer: Entire field, all wavelengths.

4. Optical Design - How much back focal length (distance from the back of the mirror mounting plate to the focal plane) do you need?

Answer: A back focal distance of 50-150mm past the instrument mounting point, which is either the backplate of the mirror cell if focus is on the secondary mirror or the back surface of rear focuser if the focus is controlled behind the primary cell.

5. Optical Design and Tube - How much focal shift with temperature is permitted?

Answer: Our instrument is relatively insensitive to focus drifts and can tolerate up to +/- 1mm over the course of a typical nightly 20 C temperature swing. However, it is expected that with modern telescope mechanical designs, through passive structural design elements and/or active temperature-based focus feedback, far tighter focus can be maintained.

6. Tube - What is the maximum acceptable tube length?

Answer: The critical dimension is the tube clearance within the enclosure so is not strictly the tube length. The maximum distance on the telescope structure from intersection of the altitude and azimuth axes should not exceed 48".

7. Mount - What is your desired pointing resolution and accuracy? What electrical power is available?

Pointing resolution, 0.1 arcseconds rms or better. Pointing/tracking accuracy, unguided < 5 arcseconds rms including uncorrected periodic error. Guided < 0.5 arcseconds rms. Electrical power is standard 120V service.

8. The delivery date is specified to be 3 months after receipt of order. That is a very short lead time for optics. Is there some leeway on this delivery requirement?

Answer: No, delivery must be within 3 months after receipt of order to meet our current deadlines for projects that require this equipment.

The due date/time for quotes has been extended as follows:
FROM: January 20, 2011 @ 3pm EST
TO: January 27, 2011 @ 3pm EST

 

THIS IS A COMBINED SYNOPSIS/SOLICITATION FOR COMMERCIAL ITEMS PREPARED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE FORMAT IN FAR SUBPART 12.6-STREAMLINED PROCEDURES FOR EVALUATION AND SOLICITATION FOR COMMERCIAL ITEMS-AS SUPPLEMENTED WITH ADDITIONAL INFORMATION INCLUDED IN THIS NOTICE. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONSTITUTES THE ONLY SOLICITATION; QUOTATIONS ARE BEING REQUESTED, AND A WRITTEN SOLICITATION DOCUMENT WILL NOT BE ISSUED. THE SOLICITATION IS BEING ISSUED USING SIMPLIFIED ACQUISITION PROCEDURES.

This solicitation is a Request for Quotation (RFQ). The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2005-48.

The associated North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code for this procurement is 333314 with a small business size standard of 500 employees. This acquisition is 100% set-aside for small business.

In accordance with the non-manufacturer rule, the contractor shall be a small business under the applicable size standard and shall provide either its own product or that of another domestic small business manufacturing or processing concern. See FAR 19.102(f) for additional information.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has a requirement for an Optical Telescope to serve as the receiver for a lidar system. All equipment must be new; used and/or remanufactured equipment will not be considered for award.

All responsible quoters shall provide a quotation for the following line item:

LINE ITEM 0001: Quantity one (1) each, Optical Telescope & Mount that shall meet or exceed the following required specifications:

1. Primary Mirror Diameter: 20" min, 24" max

2. Focal ratio: f/6 or slower

3. Field of View: 0.4 degrees diameter with <10 micron rms images from 266nm-1064nm

4 .Optical design: All reflecting optics, no refractive elements and no non-normal incidence (i.e. 45 degree) reflections, Cassegrain-form optical layout (Ritchie-Chretien, Dall-Kirkham, etc. are all acceptable).

5. Mirror coatings: protected aluminum

6. Tube: Low thermal expansion tube or truss design, carbon fiber or similar low thermal expansion materials, optical bench backplate, mounting plates on side of tube to accommodate 24" wide, 5" tall mounting area for transmitters and receivers

7. Mount: gear-driven or direct motor driven Alt-Az fork mount, computer controllable, Software Bisque TCS (Telescope Control System) control compatible, minimum 4 degrees per second slew speed, capacity for above telescope and 20 lbs. of additional equipment.

8. Additional equipment: motorized focuser and motorized mirror covers

Warranty
The Contractor shall provide, at a minimum, a one year warranty for the equipment. The Contractor shall state the warranty coverage for the equipment.

Delivery shall be within 90 days from receipt of an order.

Delivery terms shall be FOB Destination. FOB Destination means: The contractor shall pack and mark the shipment in conformance with carrier requirements, deliver the shipment in good order and condition to the point of delivery specified in the purchase order, be responsible for any loss of and/or damage to the goods occurring before receipt and acceptance of the shipment by the consignee at the delivery point specified in the purchase order; and pay all charges to the specified point of delivery. The contractor shall deliver all line items to NIST, Building 301, Gaithersburg, MD 20899.

Award shall be made to the lowest priced, technically acceptable quoter.

The Government will evaluate quotations based on the following evaluation criteria: 1) Technical Capability factor "Meeting or Exceeding the Requirement," and 2) Price.

Price shall not be evaluated on quotes that are determined technically unacceptable in accordance with the Technical Capability Evaluation factor.

Technical Capability:
Evaluation of Technical Capability will be based on the information provided in the quotation. Documentation submitted in the quotation shall be evaluated to determine that the proposed equipment meets or exceeds the Governments minimum required specifications.

Price:
Price shall be evaluated for reasonableness.
The full text of a FAR provision or clause may be accessed electronically at http://acquisition.gov/comp/far/index.html.

The following provisions apply to this acquisition: 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors-Commercial Items; 52.212-3 Offerors Representations and Certifications- Commercial Items.

Offerors must complete annual representations and certifications on-line at http://orca.bpn.gov in accordance with FAR 52.212-3 Offerors Representations and Certifications- Commercial Items. If paragraph (j) of the provision is applicable, a written submission is required.

The following clauses apply to this acquisition:
52.212-4 Contract Terms and Conditions-Commercial Items;
52.212-5 Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders-Commercial Items including subparagraphs:
52.219-6, Notice of Total Small Business Set-Aside;
52.219-28 Post-Award Small Business Program Re-Representation;
52.222-3, Convict Labor;
52.222-19 Child Labor - Cooperation With Authorities And Remedies;
52.222-21, Prohibition of Segregated Facilities;
52-222-26, Equal Opportunity;
52.222-36, Affirmative Action for Workers with Disabilities;
52.225-1 Buy American Act - Supplies;
52.223-18, Contractor policy to ban text messaging while driving;
52.225-13 Restriction on Certain Foreign Purchases;
52.232-33 Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer-Central Contractor Registration. Department of Commerce Agency-Level Protest Procedures Level above the Contracting Officer is also incorporated. It can be downloaded at www.nist.gov/admin/od/contract/agency.htm.

All quoters shall submit the following:
1) An original and one (1) copy of a quotation which addresses all line items;

2) For the purpose of evaluating technical capability:
Technical description and/or product literature which clearly details the manufacturer, make and model of the proposed product(s), addressed all required specifications, and clearly documents that the offered product(s) meet(s) or exceeds the specifications stated herein.

3) Description of commercial warranty;

4) A current copy of the Contractor's price list or catalog pages that contain pricing for the equipment/services defined within the Contractor's quotation;

5) This is an Open-Market Combined Synopsis/Solicitation for equipment as defined herein. The Government intends to award a Purchase Order as a result of this Combined Synopsis/Solicitation that will include the terms and conditions that are set forth herein. In order to facilitate the award process, ALL quotes shall include a statement regarding the terms and conditions herein as follows:

The offeror shall state "The terms and conditions in the solicitation are acceptable to be included in the award document without modification, deletion, or addition."

OR

The offeror shall state "The terms and conditions in the solicitation are acceptable to be included in the award document with the exception, deletion, or addition of the following:

Offeror shall list exception(s) and rationale for the exception(s)

Please note that this procurement is not being conducted under the GSA Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) program or another Government-Wide Area Contract (GWAC). If an offeror submits a quotation based upon an FSS or GWAC contract, the Government will accept the quoted price. However, the terms and conditions stated herein will be included in any resultant Purchase Order, not the terms and conditions of the offeror's FSS or GWAC contract, and the statement required above shall be included in the quotation.

All quotes shall be received not later than 3:00 PM local time, on January 20, 2011 at the National Institute of Standards & Technology, Acquisition Management Division, 100 Bureau Drive, Building 301, Room B125, Mail Stop 1640, Gaithersburg, MD 20899-1640, Attn: Joni Laster.

Quoters must submit all questions concerning this solicitation in writing to joni.laster@nist.gov. Questions should be received no later than 7 calendar days after the issuance date of this solicitation. Any responses to questions will be made in writing, without identification of the questioner, and will be included in an amendment to the solicitation.

Because of heightened security, FED-EX, UPS, or similar delivery methods are the preferred method of delivery of quotes. If quotes are hand delivered, delivery shall be made on the actual due date through Gate A, and a 24-hour (excluding weekends and holidays) prior notice shall be made to the Contracts Office at 301-975-8397.

E-mail quotes ARE acceptable. Fax quotes will NOT be accepted. Quotations shall not be deemed received by the Government until the quotation is entered into the e-mail address inbox set forth above.