Rental of a High-Resolution Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometer using iodide reagent ionization (I-CIMS)

Introduction
This is a notice of intent, not a request for a quotation.  A solicitation document will not be issued, and quotations will not be requested.  

Purpose
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) intends to negotiate a firm-fixed priced purchase order on a sole source basis with Aerodyne Research Inc. (UEI: HTMHV7AL9A86), located at 45 Manning Road, Billerica, MA 01821. The purchase order will specifically procure a rental Aerodyne I-CIMS from November 2, 2026 through December 21, 2026.

Authority
This acquisition is being conducted under the authority of FAR RFO Part 12.102(a) and 41 USC 1901 allowing the Contracting Officer (CO) to solicit from one source. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this acquisition is 334516 – Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing with a small business size standard of 1,000 Employees.

Description

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Indoor Air Quality and Ventilation Group (IAQVG) within the Building, Energy, and Environment Division, seeks to rent an Aerodyne I-CIMS to replicate the methodology used in the 2022 CASA campaign in a new study of a second test house.

Sole Source Determination
The sole source determination is based on the following:

The NIST Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) group requires rental of an Aerodyne I-CIMS to replicate the methodology used in the 2022 CASA campaign in a new study of a second test house to measure gaseous contaminants from Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) fire smoke. The Aerodyne I-CIMS used for the prior study is proprietary to its manufacturer, Aerodyne, and no other system offers the same exact capabilities and user processes. Aerodyne does not authorize resellers. Application of the prior I-CIMS methodology to the current experimental design for Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) fire smoke will help NIST to understand and model the formation and persistence of potentially harmful gases that can phase partition between the gas-phase, aerosol, and indoor surfaces. These measurements are critical to producing data used to meet project milestones and advance NIST's role in leading wildland urban interface fire smoke remediation standards development. Key stakeholder groups are looking to the NIST IAQ group to provide rigorously collected chemical data for providing guidance and development of industry standards for smoke contamination by WUI fires. Only Aerodyne can provide the required system. A rental is required rather than purchase because NIST will only require the instrument for a short period and outright purchase would pose unnecessary costs.

Information for Interested Parties
Interested parties that believe they could satisfy the requirements listed above for NIST may clearly and unambiguously identify their capability to do so in writing by or before the response date for this notice. This notice of intent is not a solicitation.

Any questions regarding this notice must be submitted in writing via email to Collin Randall, Contract Specialist, at Collin.Randall@nist.gov. All responses to this notice of intent must be submitted via email to Collin.Randall@nist.gov so that they are received no later than July 7, 2026, at 10:00 AM, Eastern Time.

Each response should include the following Business Information:

1. Contractor Name, Address,
2. Point of Contact Name, Phone Number, and Email address
3. Contractor SAM Universal Entity Identifier (UEI)
4. Contractor Business Classification (i.e., small business, 8(a), woman owned, hubZone, veteran owned, etc.) as validated in System for Award Management (SAM). All offerors must have an active registration in www.SAM.gov.
5. Capability Statement