Three Velocity Selectors

The Department of Energy seeks three neutron velocity selector systems for the High Flux Isotope Reactor at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, with proposals due September 17, 2026. This is a fixed-price procurement under no set-aside.

Place of performance is Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The three deliverables consist of one velocity selector for the NB-5 General-Purpose Small-Angle Neutron Scattering (GP-SANS) instrument, one for the NB-3 Biological Small-Angle Neutron Scattering (Bio-SANS) instrument, and one standby unit. Each system must be manufactured, inspected, assembled, dynamically balanced to ISO 1940-1 G0.4, helium leak tested, packaged, and shipped per attached Statements of Work and Equipment Specifications.

Technical requirements include operation at speeds from 1,600 to maximum RPM with 0.2% speed accuracy, acceleration and deceleration within 15 minutes, continuous operation capability for three years between maintenance intervals (4,600 hours per year) with a 20-year design lifetime, operation within a vacuum environment of 3 mTorr, and radiation-hardened components to withstand extreme radiation dosages ranging from 400 to 6.9 million rad per hour. The NB-5 system must accommodate wavelengths between 3 and 20 angstroms with specific beam divergence and resolution tolerances; the NB-3 system must operate between 4 and 20 angstroms. Both require dual-mode control: local via human-machine interface and remote via RS232/RS485 or TCP/IP Ethernet with ASCII protocol.

The NAICS code is 334516, Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing, with a 1,000-employee size standard. Evaluation uses Lowest Price Technically Acceptable (LPTA) methodology, with technical acceptability requiring full compliance with specifications and lead time/delivery date requirements. Proposals exceeding $2.5 million must include Certified Cost or Pricing Data. Offer validity is 120 days. The procurement officer is Liz Turner (turnerem@ornl.gov, 865-241-8266).