PIP-II Niobium Sheets, Rings, and Disks

Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, on behalf of the Department of Energy, seeks manufacturing, testing, certification, and delivery of niobium and niobium-alloy sheets, rings, and disks in support of the Proton Improvement Plan II (PIP-II) project, with proposals due November 10, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. CST and questions due October 30, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. CDT. This is an unrestricted procurement with no set-aside.

Place of performance is Batavia, Illinois. The procurement comprises nine line items totaling 95 individual components: RRR300 niobium sheets in three dimensions (73 units), Nb55Ti and RRR300 rings (28 units combined), Nb55Ti disks (21 units), and material certifications upon delivery. NAICS code is 331491 (Nonferrous Metal Rolling, Drawing, and Extruding) with a small business size standard of 750 employees. PSC is 9535, Plate, Sheet, Strip, and Foil; Nonferrous Base Metal.

Material must conform to specifications ED0371037 Rev E for niobium (ASTM B393 Type 5 RRR-grade with residual resistivity ratio greater than 300) and ED0008232-B for Nb55Ti alloy (titanium at 55 percent, niobium as remainder, with strict limits on hydrogen, oxygen, and other interstitial elements). Finished sheets require minimum 30 percent elongation, minimum 50 megapascal yield strength, and minimum 95 percent recrystallization with average grain size ASTM #5. Manufacturers must supply chemical composition certifications, microstructural analysis with photomicrographs, RRR measurements per ED0371109, and mechanical property testing per ASTM standards. Bright surface finish free of defects is required; material must be individually wrapped in non-abrasive anti-tarnish paper and packaged in wooden containers with forklift capability not exceeding 1,000 kg per pallet.

Proposals must be submitted in two parts: Part I (Technical Proposal) and Part II (Business Management & Price Proposal). Firm-fixed-price proposals must be submitted in USD using the RFP Pricing Form (Exhibit I), valid for 90 days from proposal due date. For international shipments, delivery is DAP (Incoterms 2020) to Batavia, Illinois with FNAL responsible for import customs clearance and duties; for domestic shipments, delivery is FOB Destination, Batavia, Illinois. Payment is upon delivery, inspection, and acceptance of each item. Evaluation is best-value trade-off with non-cost factors (technical merit and quality, past experience, management control plan, delivery schedule) significantly more important than price. A small business subcontracting plan is required if the awardee is not small business and subcontracting exceeds $750,000. Proposal certifications required include FAR 52.222-90 (anti-discrimination compliance) for all proposals; FAR 52.225-9 (Buy American construction materials) and export/import control certifications for proposals exceeding $15,000; Certificate of Independent Price Determination and lobbying certifications for proposals exceeding $200,000; and trafficking in persons prevention certifications (FAR 52.222-50 and 52.222-56) for proposals exceeding $700,000 involving non-COTS items and potential offshore performance.