National Institute of Standards & Technology, Acquisition & Assistance Div., Bldg. 301, Rm B117, Gaithersburg, MD 20899

66 -- RAMAN SPECTROSCOPY SYSTEM SOL 52SBNB7C1194 DUE 071197 POC Contract Specialist, Keith Kennedy, (301) 975-6325/ Contracting Officer, Lisa Jandovitz, (301) 975-6344 WEB: NIST Contracts Homepage, http://www.nist.gov/admin/od/contract/contract.htm. E-MAIL: NIST Contracts Office, Contract@nist.gov. This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in FAR 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. Also, the government intends to use the test program for certain commercial items authorized by FAR 13.6. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; proposals are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. Offerors should submit three original copies to the above address no later than 3:00 p.m. on the date above specified. ITEM 01 -- The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) intends to acquire one Raman spectroscopy system for use primarily in performing forefront analytical research on all classes of materials in the solid, liquid, and gas phase. NIST will particularly use the systems to investigate the development of Raman wavelength and emission standards and acquire Raman spectra of ampuled NIST standard reference materials (SRM). The system must be compatible with the acquisition of spectra from samples of various dimensions and configurations. At a minimum, the system shall have the ability to acquire Raman spectra of micro and macro samples through the use of a macro chamber, fiber optic probe, and potentially a Raman microscope. The system shall allow for multi-wavelength excitation. The system shall be equipped with a pentium-based computer system operating in a Windows 95 and/or NT environment. The successful offeror shall provide the entire hardware, that is the Raman spectrometer, any fiber probes, and the excitation laser system, in consideration of optimum performance and practicality, conformance with existing NIST hardware and software, support and serviceability. Due to the nature of samples encountered in our laboratory, the Raman system shall operate at variable laser excitation wavelengths. The successful offeor shall supply an Argon ion pumped Titanium:Sapphire laser to achieve these requirements. The system shall operate at minimum, with excitation sources between 488nm and 785nm. The successful offeror may accomplish this with two or more sets of gratings and a change of a holographic notch filter. The spectrometer system shall be of state-of-the-art design to guarantee maximum throughput and efficiency. The system shall use a single stage, imaging spectrograph in conjunction with holographic notch filters for maximum throughput of Raman scattered light and for rejection of Raleigh-scattered light. The detector supplied shall use a peltier cooled CCD detector, enhanced for use with red, 785nm, excitation laser sources. Interested sources may obtain the complete specification for the Raman system from Keith Kennedy, 301.975.6325; e-mail, keith.kennedy@nist.gov. One each. ITEM 02 -- System Installation. The contractor shall install and set up the spectroscopy system prior to a government performance test to document all critical performance functions specified. Delivery FOB destination Gaithersburg, MD, 10 weeks after contract award. NIST will consider a proposal from all responsible sources. This solicitation is issued as a request for proposals (RFP). The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 46. The following Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) provisions and clauses apply to this acquisition: 52.212-1, Instruction to Offerors-Commercial, 52.212-2, Evaluation-Commercial Items. NIST will use the following factors to evaluate offers, in descending order of importance: A. TECHNICAL EXCELLENCE -- whether the offered system is able to accomplish high sensitivity, medium resolution Raman spectroscopy, including whether the system: 1. is applicable to repetitive quantitative analytical measurements for NIST SRM analysis, 2. is flexible with both macro and micro Raman samples, 3. easily switches laser excitation wavelengths and is robust, 4. uses innovative technology in both the spectrometer and sampling systems to provide easy, robust, and reliable analytical measurements. B. PAST PERFORMANCE: The government will evaluate past performance with respect to the last five contracts and subcontracts completed during the past two years and all contracts and subcontracts currently in progress for identical or similar systems. Contracts listed may include those entered into by the federal government, agencies of state and local governments, and commercial customers. Offerors that are newly formed entities without prior contracts should list contracts and subcontracts as required for all key personnel. Include the following information for each contract and subcontract: A. Name of contracting activity, B. Contract number, C. Contract type, D. Total contract value, E. Contract work, F. Contracting Officer and telephone, G. Program manager and telephone, H. List of major subcontractors, I. Support and maintenance: 1. whether offeror has supplied both applications and service support for the complete Raman system. 2. whether offeror has supplied quality and timely on-site support within the United States, for the spectrometer, lasers, fiber probes, detectors, and sampling systems; J. Software implementation: 1. whether offeror's software is easy to use, 2. whether the system is able to interface with currently installed NIST network systems, 3. whether the software is compatible for use with the Microsoft Windows 95/NT operating systems, and 4. whether third-party technical support is of high quality and timely. If there is no information on past contract performance, or if information regarding past performance is unavailable, the government will evaluate the offer neither favorably nor unfavorably on the factor of past performance. C. SYSTEM FLEXIBILITY: 1. whether the offered system is able to accommodate reconfiguration such as system upgrades in detectors, gratings, and sampling technology, 2. whether users may easily reconfigure the system to apply alternate excitation wavelengths with minimal loss in performance Evaluation factor one counts for one-half of all available technical points. Evaluation factor two counts for slightly less than one-third of all available technical points. Evaluation factor three counts for slightly less than one-quarter of all available technical points. All evaluation factors other than price, when combined, are significantly more important than price. However, as proposals become more equal in their technical merit, the evaluated price becomes more important. The government intends to make an award to one offeror whose proposal offers the greatest value to the government in terms of the evaluation factors above specified and price. Offerors shall include a completed copy of the provision at 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial Items, with their offer. This provision is available on the Internet at www.nist.gov/admin/od/contract/contract.htm. The clause at 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions-Commercial Items and the following addendum apply to this acquisition: 52.203-3, Gratuities; 52.214-34, Submission of Offers in the English Language; 52.214-35, Submission of Offers in U.S. Currency; 52.225-10, Duty-Free Entry; 52.225-11, Restrictions on Certain Foreign Purchases; 52.233-2, Service of Protests; 52.247-34, F.o.b. Destination. The clause at 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders-Commercial Items and these additional FAR clauses apply to this acquisition: 52.203-6, Restrictions on Subcontractor Sales to the Government, Alternate I; 52.203-10, Price or Fee Adjustment for Illegal or Improper Activity; 52.219-08, Utilization of Small Business Concerns and Small Disadvantaged Business Concerns: 52.222-26, Equal Opportunity; 52.222-35, Affirmative Action for Special Disabled and Vietnam Era Veterans; 52.222-36, Affirmative Action for Handicapped Workers; 52.222-37, Employment Reports on Special Disabled Veterans and Veterans of the Vietnam Era; 52.225-3, Buy American Act-Supplies, 52.225-21, Buy American Act-North American Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act-Balance of Payments Program. NIST inserts the provision, " DOC Agency Level Protest Procedures," found on the Internet at www.nist.gov/admin/od/contract/contract.htm. NIST contemplates award of a firm fixed- price contract as a result of this solicitation. Interested parties may access full text for any above listed clause on the Internet at http://www.gsa.gov/far/. (0176)

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