Time Tagger X System and Software, and Upgrades

This is a Notice of Proposed Contract Action under FAR Part 12 Acquisition of Commercial Products and Commercial Services and FAR Part 13 Simplified Acquisition Procedures.  This notice is for information only; a solicitation will not be issued. THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR QUOTATION. No contract will be awarded on the basis of offers received in response to this notice. The associated North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code is 334515 (Instrument Manufacturing for Measuring and Testing Electricity and Electrical Signals) with a small business size standard of 750 employees.

The Government requires the procurement of two (2) new streaming time-to-digital converters as well as upgrades to an existing streaming time-to-digital converter, and intends to negotiate a sole-source award for these requirements with Swabian Instruments USA, Inc., 4 Michigan Ave Apt 1, Boston, MA 02121-3892.  Relevant Swabian product descriptions and technical specifications for the new time-to-digital converters and upgrades, respectively, are as follows:

- Time Tagger X System & Software, qty. 2

• Device Technical Specifications:

          - Timing Resolution (RMS Jitter): 2 ps

          - Input channels: 4 (up to 18)

          - Dead Time: 1.5 ns

          - Recommended Input Signal Range: +/- 1.5 V

          - Maximum Input Signal Range: +/- 3 V

          - Trigger Level range: +/- 0.75 V

          - Data Transfer Rate: 70M (PC) or 300M (FPGAlink) tags/s

          - Data Interface: USB 3.0 or SFP+

- Time Tagger X – Additional Input Channel, qty. 8

• Channel Specifications:

          - Timing Resolution (RMS Jitter): 2 ps

          - Dead Time: 1.5 ns

          - Recommended Input Signal Range: +/- 1.5 V

          - Maximum Input Signal Range: +/- 3 V

          - Trigger Level range: +/- 0.75 V

The Government has determined that other companies’ products and services do not meet or cannot be modified to meet the Government’s needs.  Previously, the Government purchased a Time Tagger X System and Software from Swabian Instruments on a sole-source basis, which is actively in use.  As networking experiments have increased in scale and complexity, it has become clear that additional measurement channels on the existing Time Tagger X System are necessary.  To the extent that the existing Time Tagger X System and Software were purchased directly from Swabian Instruments on a sole-source basis, the required channel upgrades to that system so too are only available directly from Swabian Instruments on a sole-source basis.  With regard to the requirement for two (2) new streaming time-to-digital converters, these new systems must be also Swabian branded so as to maintain compatibility with the existing Swabian branded Time Tagger X System.  Specifically, maintaining the same branded hardware and software across the network will maximize uniformity within the measurement infrastructure, thereby minimizing personnel hours in becoming familiar with a new system and developing new control code.  Accepting products from a source other than Swabian would disrupt system uniformity and create compatibility concerns.

Swabian Instruments USA, Inc., is the only known source that provides the aforementioned products which satisfy the needs of the Government. The required items are developed, manufactured, and sold exclusively by Swabian Instruments USA, Inc.

This is a notice of proposed contract action and not a request for competitive proposals; however, all responsible sources may submit a capability statement or proposal, which shall be considered by the agency. All inquiries should be sent by email to richard.childres@us.af.mil. Responses must be submitted by the date/time listed on the notice. Any response to this notice must show clear and convincing evidence that competition would be advantageous to the Government in future procurements.

Responses received will be evaluated; however, a determination by the Government not to compete the proposed procurement based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. The Government anticipates an award date on or before 29 February 2024.

A Sole Source Justification will be attached to the subsequent Notice of Award in accordance with applicable regulation.