PreSolicitation Notice for 1333ND20QNB610449

The National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) Center for Neutron Research (NCNR) owns and operates a nuclear test reactor. The purpose of this reactor is to provide neutron radiation that is used to study the behavior of materials under a variety of thermodynamic and other mechanical conditions.

During a certain class of experiments, liquid helium is used to cool experimental environments for the study of Condensed Matter Physics. Some of the helium cooling is performed by direct cooling in a cryostat in which a sample is exposed to the temperature of liquid helium (4.2 K). Even further cooling can be achieved by (vacuum) pumping on the helium vapor, which reduces the liquid helium temperature even further. These cooling techniques are based on liquid helium being consumed such that it undergoes a phase transition from liquid to gas and is then blown off, while in the process cooling down the equipment and eventually the sample under study.

Helium is used for conditioning sample environments in several locations/rooms that surround the NCNR reactor.  In all these locations/rooms the NCNR seeks to install end user stations where boiled-off helium gas is captured and from where it can stream back to a central re-processing plant for (re-)liquefaction.

The Scope of Work for the Helium Recovery System Project and hence this procurement involves designing and building an entire helium recovery system. This turn-key system collects helium gas that is produced and collected at end-user stations in three rooms: G100, C100 and B128. These rooms are part of the NCNR building (NIST Building 235/Gaithersburg, MD campus). The helium recovery process involves transportation, compression, storage, purification and liquefaction of this helium in various subsystems. The compression, storage, purification and liquefaction subsystems will be located in Room F100, which is also part of the NIST Building 235. The Helium Recovery System must operate as an automated system that operates 24/7 using industrial Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC’s).

Demolition of unused (legacy) plumbing will also be part of this project.

Elements of the labor involved include, but are not limited to:

1. 1. Project Management
   2. Design
   3. Fabrication
   4. Subcontracting and Procurement
   5. Installation
   6. Testing
   7. Operations and Maintenance Training to End Users (future operators of the system)

The North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code applicable to this project is NAICS code 334516. The Small Business Size Standard is 1,000 employees. This requirement is 100% set-aside for small business. Contracting by Negotiation procedures shall be utilized under the authority of FAR Part 15.

The competitive Request for Proposals (RFP), amendments, and all questions and answers related to this procurement shall be made available through the Internet at HTTP://WWW.BETA.SAM.GOV under RFP number 1333ND20QNB610449.

A virtual site visit will be included in this solicitation.  Details on the virtual site visit will be posted with the solicitation.

Potential offerors shall be responsible for obtaining this solicitation and related amendments, if any, from www.beta.sam.gov after the solicitation has been posted.  It is, and will continue to be, the responsibility of each potential offeror to monitor www. beta.sam.gov for any amendments or other information related to the solicitation. 

Any communications regarding this acquisition must be made in writing and forwarded via email to forest.crumpler@nist.gov, and shall identify the solicitation number, company name, company address, as well as point of contact email address and phone number.

NIST anticipates posting the solicitation approximately fifteen (15) days after the date of publication of this notice.