Strontium cold atomic beam source (UW-MAD)[18-0057]

The University of Wisconsin-Madison's Purchasing Services Department is seeking bids for a Strontium Cold Atomic Beam Source for the Department of Physics, located in Dane County, Wisconsin. The procurement requires a comprehensive system capable of producing a cold, collimated flux of strontium atoms in an ultra-high vacuum environment for precision atomic spectroscopy applications. The required system must include a complete assembly comprising an oven loaded with strontium, oven controller, integrated Zeeman slower with heated window, vacuum chamber with integrated vacuum pumps, valves, and transverse cooling windows. Bidders must demonstrate five years of experience providing atomic beam source items and services, hold original manufacturer status or authorized distributor credentials, provide three client references from comparable institutions, and maintain manufacturer-trained personnel. The bid was issued on March 21, 2018, with written questions due by March 28, 2018, and bids due by April 4, 2018, at 2:00 p.m. Central Daylight Time. The University reserves the right to conduct oral presentations, product demonstrations, and vendor site visits, with award based on the lowest extended net total judged to be in the best interest of the University, considering factors such as delivery timeliness and life cycle costs.

The contract opportunity includes provisions for Minority Business Enterprise (MBE), Woman-Owned Business Enterprise (WBE), and Disabled Veteran-Owned Business (DVB) bidders, who may receive preference consideration if their qualified bids are not more than 5 percent higher than the apparent low bid. The successful contractor must provide a minimum one-year warranty honoring manufacturer standards, perform all maintenance and repair on-site, ensure access to replacement parts within five business days, and acknowledge service calls within 72 hours with repairs completed within two weeks. Installation will occur at Chamberlin Hall, 1180 University Ave, Madison, WI 53706, with items to be set in place, connected to utilities, and demonstrated to be in operating condition. Payment terms are Net 30 days following acceptance and testing by designated University personnel. While no specific budget range was explicitly stated, the technical specifications indicate the system must produce a cold atom flux greater than 10^11 strontium atoms per second at a transverse temperature of less than 3 milliKelvin, with an average axial speed of less than 50 meters per second. The University intends to operate the source for 8 hours per day, 5 days per week, at an oven temperature of approximately 480 degrees Celsius.