SOLICITATION NOTICE
66 -- RAMAN SPECTROMETER SYSTEM - CE#28
- Notice Date
- 5/9/2003
- Notice Type
- Solicitation Notice
- Contracting Office
- Contracts Management Division 26 W. Martin Luther King Drive Cincinnati, OH 45268
- ZIP Code
- 45268
- Solicitation Number
- PR-CI-03-10687
- Response Due
- 5/23/2003
- Archive Date
- 6/22/2003
- Point of Contact
- JOSHUA M. BOWERS, Contract Specialist, Phone: 513-487-2104, E-Mail: bowers.joshua@epa.gov
- E-Mail Address
-
Email your questions to JOSHUA M. BOWERS
(bowers.joshua@epa.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in FAR Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; quotations are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. Solicitation number PR-CI-03-10687 is issued as a Request for Quotation. The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 01-07. This acquisition is processed using full and open competition. The NAICS code is 334516. The contractor(s) shall provide, install and warrant a research-grade Raman spectrometer and laser that includes the following features, and which meets the following minimum performance specifications and requirements. One contractor shall supply all of the following components, with the possible exception of the laser. Because the requested laser is higher power than is standard with most commercial Raman systems, we will allow the laser system (only) to be provided by a second contractor. I LASER The Raman system shall function with a 532 nm continuous-wave laser that will also be acquired under this acquisition. The laser shall be an all-solid-state, diode-pumped, frequency-doubled Nd:YVO4 laser. The laser power shall be continuously variable from 100 mW (or less) to at least 5W. The laser shall be supplied either by the contractor that provides the Raman system or by a separate contractor. If supplied by a separate contractor, the Raman-system supplier shall first supply the Raman excitation fiber only. The laser supplier shall then install the laser and demonstrate successful injection into the fiber. Then, the Raman-system supplier shall install the remainder of the Raman system. a. Our Raman application requires the collection of spectra of a single chemical over a long period of time (i.e., days). We must be able to quantify very small changes (wavelength and intensity) in spectra as a function of our independent variables (e.g., pH, temperature, and ionic strength). Changes in laser frequency will be observed in our spectra and misinterpreted as real chemical changes. Even very small changes of this type introduce large error in our experiments. Therefore, the laser shall exhibit true single-frequency output (as opposed to being multimode). The linewidth shall be < 5 MHz measured at 50 msec duration. The output beam shall be TEM00 spatial mode. The output beam polarization ratio shall be > 100:1. b. All anticipated uses of the laser (Raman and other measurements) require very low noise and very high stability. The published and verified specifications of the laser shall be: 1) optical noise: <0.02% root mean square (rms) over the range of (no greater than)10 Hz to (no less than) 1GHz 2) power stability: no greater than ? 1 % measured over a 2-hour period, after a warm-up time of less than 30 mins 3) pointing stability: < 5 rad/ C measured as far-field x and y positions over at least 10 C temperature change (near room temperature) after a warmup time of less than 1 hour c. The beam diameter shall be no greater than 2.3 mm ? 10% at 1/e2 points measured at the exit port. The full-angle beam divergence shall be <0.5 mrad. d. Because of limited laboratory space and the potential need to move equipment, the laser head shall be less than 20" L x 10" W x 6" H and weigh less than 25 lbs. e. To minimize cost of ownership and downtime, the laser shall use only one diode bar. It must be practical for the end-user (a properly trained research scientist) to replace the diode on-site without disturbing the experimental setup. d. The laser shall be warranted, at a minimum, for 1 year or 5000 hours. f. The laser shall be a product-line instrument which has a user base and performance track-record of not less than 5 units sold, installed by the supplier, and in operation within the last year. The laser shall not be a prototype nor test model. II SPECTROMETER It is critical that the sensitivity of the Raman spectrometer allow us to record spectra at the stated concentration, in the stated time. Also, because spectra will be used to identify unknown species, spectra shall be accurately frequency-calibrated and collected with correct intensity ratios. Therefore the following features are required. a. For the required sensitivity it is critical that the spectrometer have very high throughput. Because, the f number of common fiber optics is 2.0, the spectrometer shall have an f number less than 2.0. b. Because spectra are to be collected as a function of pH and temperature, it is critical that spectra be acquired rapidly. Also, because spectra will be used to differentiate between similar species, it is critical that high resolution, highly-reproducible, full scan spectra be acquired. Therefore, we require that spectra from 100 to 4400 cm-1 be collected at 5 cm-1 resolution (for a CCD with 26 micron pixels) in a single camera exposure, without rotating the grating or otherwise moving any physical parts (other than an optical shutter). Also, we require that the point spread function of the spectrometer be such that the pixel size of the CCD, and not the spectrometer, limit the resolution. If a camera with smaller pixels (if available later) is used, a concomitant increase in resolution, which may be required at a later date, shall be obtainable. c. The instrument shall make use of a high efficiency filter to remove the laser line from the scattered light prior to entering the spectrometer. The filter shall attenuate the laser line by greater than 6.0 optical density. The spectral bandwidth of the rejected notch shall be less than 350 cm-1. The spectral edgewidth shall be less than 150 cm-1. d. The spectrometer shall be a product-line instrument which has a user base and performance track-record of not less than 5 units sold, installed by the supplier, and in operation within the last year. The spectrometer shall not be a prototype nor test model. e. Because of limited laboratory space, and in order to provide the option of mobile or field operation, the spectrometer (not including the requested laser) shall be no larger than 24" L x 24" W x 12" H and shall weigh less than 75 lbs. III CCD DETECTOR Because of our sensitivity requirements, a state-of-the-art, high efficiency, back-thinned CCD is required. It shall consist of at least 1024 by 256 pixels of no greater than 26 X 26 m pixel size. It shall be possible to cool the CCD to at least -90 C. The quantum efficiency at -90 C shall be greater than 85% from 500 to 700 nm. The system readout noise shall be no greater than 10 electrons at about 30 kHz readout rate and no greater than 25 electronics at about 1MHz readout rate at -90 C. The CCD shall have dark current of less than .001 electrons per pixel per second at -90 C IV FIBER OPTIC PROBE Because we will continuously collect spectra as a function of pH and temperature, the spectrometer shall view the sample (in a beaker or cuvette) via a fiber optic probe. The probe shall be filtered to allow collection of spectra virtually free of Raman and fluorescence from the fiber down to Raman shift of 100 cm-1 through at least 1.5 meter of fiber. Both Raman scatter of silica in the fiber and fluorescence from the fiber shall be filtered prior to the laser beam reaching the sample. Because depolarization ratios will be critical in making peak assignments, the probehead shall accept polarization optics. Also, it shall be possible for the user to align optical elements in the probehead on site. The probehead shall accommodate interchangeable optics such that different working distances can be achieved. At a minimum, the options on working distance shall span from 0.5 inches to 15 inches. V COMPUTER SYSTEM AND SOFTWARE Because data from this Raman instrument will be used in concert with data from other instruments that run Windows-based software (i.e. ThermoGalactic GRAMS software), the software system of the Raman spectrometer shall be Windows-based, and run on a Pentium computer. Also, the software shall either be based on GRAMS or allow convenient data import into GRAMS. At a minimum, the software shall provide wavelength calibration, automatic intensity correction (i.e., flat fielding), and noise spike (i.e., cosmic ray) removal, in addition to basic instrument setup and operation. VI SENSITIVITY Prior to purchase, the spectrometer shall be demonstrated to produce, in less than 5 minutes total data acquisition time, an unsmoothed, background-subtracted spectrum of methane sulfonamide at 50 millimolar in water (near pH of 7.0) with a S/N > 10 at the most intense peak, using no more than 150mW (at the sample) of 532 nm excitation. This spectrum shall span Raman shift of 100 - 4400 cm-1 with resolution of 5 cm-1 and shall be collected with a fiber optic cable of at least 1.5 meters in length. The peaks at nominal Raman shift of 326, 529, 754, 895, 991, 1152, 1315, 1417, 2938, 3021 cm-1 shall be clearly visible. No post-run digital filtering or other manipulation to improve signal-to-noise shall be preformed. The spectrum shall exhibit no peaks that are not attributable to the Raman spectrum of methane sulfonamide. The Raman supplier may use any 532 nm laser of their choosing for this demonstration. It is not necessary that the laser mee instrument setup and alignment, frequency calibration, data acquisition, and data import into GRAMS. Also, the contractor will provide on-site training for at least one person for at least one day and shall include, but not be limited to : theory of operation, instrument startup, software control, and routine maintenance. d. The Raman supplier (and the laser supplier if different) shall provide, for at least one year, limited consultation by phone regarding instrument theory of operation, instrument setup and control, maintenance and repair, and application strategies. The Raman supplier shall have on staff at least one full-time Ph.D. level scientist, with expertise in Raman spectroscopy as demonstrated by peer review publications, available for such consultation. The laser supplier, if different, shall have on staff at least one full-time Ph.D. level scientist, with expertise in laser design, available for consultation. VIII ACCEPTANCE OF CCD-BASED FIBER OPTIC COUPLED RAMAN SPECTROMETER - AND - 5WATT 532NM SOLID STATE CONTINUOUS-WAVE LASER: STANDARDS OF PERFORMANCE FOR ACCEPTANCE This clause establishes the standards of performance that shall be met before any equipment purchased hereunder is accepted by the Government, and is applicable to any equipment that is added to or modified to the proposed system, substituted, or replaced after the initial acceptance test. a. With 5 days after installation, the contractor(s) shall be required to demonstrate that the instrument(s) meets all specification listed in the contractor's published descriptive literature as well as, at the request of the Government, any relevant instrument performance standards published by the contractor's employees in meeting proceedings, non-confidential reports or journal publication. In addition, the following test criteria are established by the Government for acceptance of the equipment. Acceptance testing by the contractor shall be part of the overall 15-day acceptance test period and shall be performed and completed by the contractor within 5 working days after installation. 1) Laser With the laser emitting 250mW of power, the laser supplier shall demonstrate injection of the beam into the Raman supplier's fiber-optic based probehead using a 50 m mulitmode fiber. This will be achieved using an EPA-supplied injector (Oz Optics HPUC laser to fiber coupler). The power measured emitting from the probehead shall be at least 100mW ( 40% conversion). (Note: EPA personnel are currently able to achieve this level of conversion or better for less stable lasers emitting at 524.5 nm with this injector.) 2) Raman Spectrometer i) The Raman supplier shall analyze an EPA-prepared series of 8 samples of methane sulfonamide in water at a concentration ranging from 10 - 200 millimolar. The system will be able to produce a spectrum of the 50 millimolar sample in less than 5 mins with a S/N > 10 at the most intense peak using no more than 150mW (at the sample) of 532nm laser excitation. A univariate straight line calibration curve with an R value of at least 0.980 will be demonstrated for the 8 samples. The peak ratios of several peaks throughout the spectrum will be shown to vary by less than 2% throughout this series. The 95% confidence level based on replicate measurements (at least 15 samples) will be less than 0.5% for the 200 millimolar solution. ii) Within 5 working days, the contractor will demonstrate that the back-thinned CCD does not produce spectral fringes or noise spikes that cannot be corrected by the software system. At least 5 pure solvents will be analyzed and spectra will be shown to match, with no detectable differences, text-book reference spectra in regard to frequency and relative peak intensities, with no spurious or missing peaks, and with a virtually flat baseline. Also, the water-subtracted methane sulfonamide spectrum at 200 millimolar will be shown to match spectra previously acquired at ERD. b) Acceptance Test Period 1) After the contractor(s) has successfully completed the above test and demonstrated satisfactorily the capabilities of the system, the Government will continue the acceptance test period. Samples of single chemicals in water at the 10 - 200 millimolar concentration level will be used to test the performance, precision, stability, and reliability of the equipment until a 15 consecutive day period in which the system performs effectively is completed. During this period, the equipment will be operated in accordance with the functional and/or equipment specifications in the contract. 2) In the event the system does not meet the standard of performance during the initial 15 consecutive days, the acceptance test period shall continue on a day-by-day basis until satisfactory performance is met for a total of 15 consecutive days. If the system fail to perform effectively within 90 calender days after the installation date or start of the acceptance test period, whichever is later, the Government reserves the right to request a replacement, or terminate the contract and request the immediate removal of the system at the contractor's expense. 3) The system will not be accepted, and no charges shall be paid until the system has performed satisfactory for 15 consecutive days. 4) The Government shall maintain appropriate daily records to document the acceptance testing and shall notify the contractor, in writing, immediately upon successful completion of the acceptance test. Documentation: sufficient documentation to allow the user to understand how to properly operate and maintain the equipment All Items shall be delivered to the U.S. EPA Shipping and Receiving, Page Road and I-40, Research Triangle Park, NC, 27711 no later than six weeks after contract award. F.O.B. point shall be destination. The provision at FAR 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors-Commercial, applies to this to this acquisition. The provision at FAR 52.212-2, Evaluation-Commercial Items is applicable and the specific evaluation criteria are as follows: (1)Technical acceptablility of the item offered to meet the Government's requirement and (2) price. Technical acceptability shall be evaluated on a pass or fail basis. Offers shall provide descriptive techncial literature in sufficient detail to demonstrate that the items offered meet the minimum requirements specified above. Of ferors shall include a completed copy of the provision at FAR 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial Items, with its offer. This clause may be found on the Internet at the following site: http://www.arnet.gov/far/. Clause FAR 52.212-4, Contract terms and Conditions-Commercial Items, applies to this acquisition. The Clause at FAR 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders-Commercial Items, applies to this acquisition. Under FAR 52.215-5 paragraph (b), the following additional clauses apply to this acquisition: FAR 52.222-21, Prohibition of Segregated Facilities; FAR 52.222-22, Previous Contracts and Compliance Reports; FAR 52.222-25, Affirmative Action Compliance; FAR 52.222-26 Equal Opportunity; FAR 52.222-35, Affirmative Action for Disabled Veterans and Verterans of the Vietnam Era; FAR 52.222-36 Affirmative Action for Workers with Disabilities; FAR 52.222-37 Employment Reports on Disabled Veterans and Veterans of the Vietnam Era; FAR 52.225-1, Buy American Act--Balance of Payments Program - Supplies; FAR 52.225-13, Restrictions on Certain Foreign Purchases; FAR 52.225-15, Sanctioned European Untion Country End Products; and FAR 52.232-34, Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer - Other than Central Contractor Registration. Offerors shall submit 2 copies of their quotations no later than Friday, May 23, 2003 at 5:00 PM EST to Mr. Joshua M. Bowers as follows: via regular mail: U.S. EPA, Cincinnati Procurement Operations Division, 26 West Martin Luther King Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45268, or via Express Mail/Hand Carry: U.S. EPA, 4411 Montgomery Road, Suite 300, Norwood, OH 45212. Faxed quotations are acceptable and may be sent to (513)487-2109. Quotations may sent electronically via e-mail to bowers.joshua@epa.gov. Questions or comments may be directed to Joshua Bowers at (513-487-2144) or via e-mail at bowers.joshua@epa.gov.
- Web Link
-
The Environmental Protection Agency
(http://www.epa.gov/oam/solicit)
- Record
- SN00321514-W 20030511/030509213833 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps.gov Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)
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