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Cesium Beam Atomic Clock

ID: NB688000-26-01590 • Type: Sources Sought • Match:  95%
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Description

Project Title: Cesium Beam Atomic Clock

Notice ID: NB688000-26-01590

NAICS Code: 334519 - Other Measuring and Controlling Device Manufacturing

THIS SOURCES SOUGHT IS NOT A REQUEST FOR QUOTATION.

It is a market research tool being used to determine potential and eligible business firms that can provide the product described herein prior to determining the method of acquisition.

The National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST) seeks information on vendors that can provide a Cesium beam atomic clock.

This announcement is not a Request for Proposals or Quotes (RFP/RFQ) and does not commit the Government to award a contract now or in the future. The information contained in this notice is DRAFT only and, as such, is subject to change prior to the issuance of a solicitation. No solicitation is available currently. Additionally, the Government is not obligated to and will not pay for any information received from potential sources because of this Sources Sought announcement. The results of this Sources Sought will be utilized to determine if any Small Business Set-aside opportunities exist. All Small Business Set-aside categories will be considered. In addition, this market research tool is being used to identify potential and eligible firms, of all sizes, who manufacture the cesium beam atomic clock in the U.S. prior to determining the method of acquisition and issuance of a solicitation.

After the results of this market research are obtained and analyzed, NIST may conduct a competitive or non-competitive procurement on the System for Award Management (sam.gov) and subsequently award a contract. If at least two qualified small businesses are identified during this market research stage that can fulfill the requirement, in accordance with the Specifications, then this acquisition shall be solicited as a small business set aside, however, NIST is seeking responses from ALL responsible sources, including large and small businesses. Responses should include the country where the product is manufactured.

This requirement is assigned a NAICS code of 334519 - Other Measuring and Controlling Device, with a small business size standard of 600 employees.

Interested business organizations that believe they can meet the requirements should submit electronic copies of their capability statement. Please limit responses to four (4) pages or less. Responses should include the following information:

  1. Name of the company that will provide the product(s).
  2. Name of the company that will manufacture the product.
  3. County of origin or manufacture of the product.
  4. Spec/data sheets and examples of products that meet the specifications that demonstrate experience in meeting the requirements of this procurement.
  5. Typical lead time to deliver the product after receipt of order
  6. Any other relevant information that is not listed above that the Government should consider in developing its minimum specifications and finalizing its market research.

(Company sales brochures or marketing packages will not be considered.)

Any proprietary information should be so marked. The written capability statement should be received by the Contract Specialist, de Ionne Jones, via email at deionne.jones@nist.gov no later than the date and time posted in this notice. No quotes will be accepted at this time and will not be considered.

REQUIREMENTS OVERVIEW:

See the attached Requirements and Specifications document.

Background
The National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST) is conducting market research to identify potential vendors capable of providing a Cesium beam atomic clock.
NIST operates several atomic clocks as part of the ensemble time scale that generates UTC(NIST), which serves as an official source of time and frequency signals for the United States.
The goal is to find manufacturers that can deliver a product based on mature technology, ensuring continuous operation for several years without interruptions or significant deviations.

Work Details
The contract requires the delivery of one Cesium beam atomic clock with the following specifications:
- Short term stability: <= 1e-11 Allan Deviation (ADEV) at 1 s averaging interval.
- Long term stability: <= 1e-14 Allan Deviation (ADEV) for averaging intervals longer than 10 days.
- At least one output signal at 5 MHz nominal frequency, amplitude >= 1 Vrms (or +13 dBm) into a 50 ohm terminated load.
- At least one output at 10 MHz nominal frequency, amplitude >= 1V rms (or +13 dBm) into a 50 ohm terminated load.
- At least one pulse-per-second (PPS) signal output, amplitude > 1.5 V into a 50 ohm load.
- Accepts input PPS signal for coarse synchronization (<= 100 ns).
- Accepts AC power input of either 120V or 208V (60 Hz).
- Accepts 24V dc as an auxiliary power source.
- Contains battery backup providing at least 30 minutes of operation or accepts external battery pack via connector.
- Power consumption < 100 W.
- Digital system control and monitor interface via serial (RS232), ethernet, or similar standard interface.
- Digital interface allows precision adjustment (quantization < 1e-14) of clock frequency and reports warning/alarm/error status.
- Device compatible with EIA-compliant equipment racks, width < 482.6 mm.
- Operational temperature range: 15°C – 45°C.
- Specified temperature coefficient < 3e-15/°C averaged over operational temperature range.
- Sensitivity to magnetic field change < 4e-14 / G.
- Demonstrated mean time between failures (MTBF) > 10 years (or 87,600 hours).

Period of Performance
Delivery is expected within 18 weeks after receipt of order.

Place of Performance
The product will be delivered to NIST facilities in the United States.
Show All

Overview

Agency
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) [DOC]
Response Deadline
May 14, 2026, 3:00 p.m. EDT Due in 6 Days
Posted
May 4, 2026, 12:24 p.m. EDT
Set Aside
None
NAICS
334519 - Other Measuring and Controlling Device Manufacturing
PSC
6640 - Laboratory Equipment And Supplies
Place of Performance
Boulder, CO 80305 United States
Source
Open
Current SBA Size Standard
600 Employees
Pricing
Likely Fixed Price
Est. Level of Competition
Low
Odds of Award
27%
On 5/4/26 National Institute of Standards and Technology issued Sources Sought NB688000-26-01590 for Cesium Beam Atomic Clock due 5/14/26. The opportunity was issued full & open with NAICS 334519 and PSC 6640.
Primary Contact
Name
de Ionne Jones   Profile
Email
deionne.jones@nist.gov
Phone
None

Documents

Posted documents for Sources Sought NB688000-26-01590

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Additional Details

Source Agency Hierarchy
COMMERCE, DEPARTMENT OF > NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY > DEPT OF COMMERCE NIST
FPDS Organization Code
1341-000SB
Source Organization Code
100182905
Last Updated
May 4, 2026
Last Updated By
deionne.jones@nist.gov
Archive Date
May 29, 2026