Dual Beam Focused Ion Beam / Scanning Electron Microscope System

AMENDMENT 0002

SEE ATTACHED REVISED SYNOPSYS/SOLICITATION, STATEMENT OF REQUIREMENTS, PROVISIONS AND CLAUSES

SUBMITTAL DATE EXTENDED TO 9/15/22

ALL PREVIOUS VERSIONS ARE SUPURSEDED

AMENDMENT 0001

REVISION: SHIPPING

CHANGE TO:

National Institute of Standards and Technology

325 Broadway St, Boulder, CO 80305

SOLICITATION NUMBER: 1333ND22QNB640507

RESPONSE DATE: September 13, 2022

CONTACT POINT: Don Graham, Contracting Officer

DESCRIPTION:

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Applied Chemicals and Materials Division (ACMD) within the Materials Measurement Laboratory, located in Gaithersburg, MD has a requirement for a Dual Beam Focused Ion Beam / Scanning Electron Microscope System

THIS IS A COMBINED SYNOPSIS/SOLICITATION FOR COMMERCIAL

ITEMS PREPARED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE FORMAT IN FAR SUBPART 12.6-STREAMLINED PROCEDURES FOR EVALUATION AND SOLICITATION FOR COMMERCIAL ITEMS-AS SUPPLEMENTED WITH ADDITIONAL INFORMATION INCLUDED IN THIS NOTICE. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONSTITUTES THE ONLY SOLICITATION; QUOTATIONS ARE BEING REQUESTED, AND A SEPARATE WRITTEN SOLICITATION DOCUMENT WILL NOT BE ISSUED. THE SOLICITATION IS BEING ISSUED USING SIMPLIFIED ACQUISITION PROCEDURES UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF FAR 13.

This solicitation is a request for quotation. The solicitation document incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2022-07, 8/10/2022.

The associated North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code for this procurement is 334516. This is an unrestricted full and open competition.

BACKGROUND

The Applied Chemicals and Materials Division (ACMD) within the Materials Measurement Laboratory is involved in the characterization of metals, semiconductors, and other materials in support of multiple division projects. Materials characterization allows NIST scientists to make direct correlations between material processing, (micro)structure, and properties. This work involves imaging material structures and microstructures in a scanning electron microscope, as well as preparing specimens to be examined via transmission electron microscopy and atom probe tomography. A dual beam focused ion beam scanning electron microscope (dual-beam FIB/SEM) is an instrument which can be used to examine materials at the nanoscale via scanning electron microscopy and can prepare small-scale specimens for examination using other microscopy methods (including transmission electron microscopy, or TEM). Additionally, the dual-beam FIB/SEM system can be used to examine materials in three dimensions using a technique called serial sectioning. A modern dual-beam FIB/SEM also has an integrated micromanipulator (to pick up and manipulate specimens) and gas injection needs (which allow for deposition of protective surface layers).

SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS

CLIN 0001

Quantity: 1

Dual Beam Focused Ion Beam / Scanning Electron Microscope System

FOB DESTINATION MEANS: The contractor shall pack and mark the shipment in conformance with carrier requirements, deliver the shipment in good order and condition to the point of delivery specified in the purchase order, be responsible for loss of and/or damage to the goods occurring before receipt and acceptance of the shipment by the consignee at the delivery point specified in the purchase order; and pay all charges to the specified point of delivery.

1352.215-72 INQUIRIES (APR 2010)

Offerors must submit all questions concerning this solicitation in writing to donald.graham@nist.gov. Questions should be received no later than 5 calendar days after the issuance date of this solicitation. Any responses to questions will be made in writing, without identification of the questioner, and will be included in an amendment to the solicitation. Even if provided in other form, only the question responses included in the amendment to the solicitation will govern performance of the contract.

(End of Provision)

INSTRUCTIONS

Addendum to FAR 52.212-1, Quotation Preparation Instructions

A) Price Quotation: The offeror shall submit an electronic copy of the completed price quotation. The pricing quotation shall be separate from any other portion of the quotation. The offeror shall propose a separate firm-fixed-price, FOB Destination, for each CLIN. Price quotations shall remain valid for a period of 90 days from the date quotations are due. Multiple quotations are allowed. The offeror may propose an alternate schedule.

B) Technical Quotation: The offeror shall submit an electronic copy of the technical quotation. The technical quotation shall address the following:

1) Technical Capability: The offeror shall address each of the minimum specifications listed in the Statement of Requirments. The offeror shall submit a technical description or product literature for the equipment it is proposing, which clearly identifies the manufacturer, make and model. If applicable, evidence that the offeror is authorized by the original equipment manufacturer to provide the item(s) in the quotation should be included.

Please indicate the manufacturing country of origin of the product.

2) Experience: The offeror shall provide examples of providing similar equipment within the last 5 years.

3) Past Performance: The offeror shall provide past performance information regarding relevant contracts over the past five (5) years with Federal, state, or local governments, or commercial customers. If the offeror intends to subcontract with another firm(s) for part of this requirement, that firm's past performance information shall also be provided. If the offeror has no relevant past performance, it may include a statement to that effect in its quotation. The government reserves the right to consider data obtained from sources other than those described by the offeror in its quotation. It is recommended that approximately 2-4 contracts be referenced.

The description of each contract/order described in this section shall not exceed one half page in length. For each contract/order, the offeror shall provide the following information:

a) Contract number;

b) Description and relevance to solicitation requirements including dollar value;

c) Period of Performance indicate by month and year the start and completion (or ongoing ) dates for the contract;

d) Reference Contact If a non-Government contract, identify the name and address of the client with current telephone number and email address of a point of contact of the client responsible for the contract;

e) Contracting Office If a Government contract (Federal or state), identify the Procuring Contracting Officer (PCO), administrative Contracting Officer (ACO), and Contracting Officer's Representative (COR), and their names, current telephone numbers and email addresses;

f) Problems Encountered include information regarding information regarding any problems encountered on the contracts described above and corrective actions taken to resolve those problems.

This is an open-market solicitation for equipment as defined herein. The Government intends to award a Purchase Order as a result of this solicitation that will include the clauses set forth herein. The quotation should include one of the following statements:

The terms and conditions in the solicitation are acceptable to be included in the award document without modification, deletion, or addition.

OR

The terms and conditions in the solicitation are acceptable to be included in the award document with the exception, deletion, or addition of the following:

Offeror shall list exception(s) and rationale for the exception(s)

Note: This procurement is not being conducted under the GSA Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) program or another Government-Wide Area Contract (GWAC). If an Offeror submits a quotation based upon an FSS or GWAC contract, the Government will accept the quoted price. However, the terms and conditions stated herein will be included in any resultant purchase order, not the terms and conditions of the Offeror's FSS or GWAC contract, and the statement required above shall be included in the quotation.

EVALUATION CRITERIA AND BASIS FOR AWARD

The Government intends to award a single purchase order resulting from this solicitation to the responsible Contractor whose quotation, conforming to the solicitation will be most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered.

NIST intends to evaluate quotes and issue a contract based on the initial quotes received. Therefore, the Contractor's initial quote should contain the Contractor's best terms from a price and technical standpoint. NIST reserves the right to request revised quotes from, or negotiate final contract terms with, one or more, but not all, Contractors if later determined by the Contracting Officer to be necessary.

In addition to price, the following factors shall be used to evaluate quotations:

1. Technical Capability
2. Experience
3. Past Performance

For the Evaluation of Technical Capability:

Evaluation of technical capability shall be based on the information provided in the quotation. NIST will evaluate whether the offeror has demonstrated that its proposed equipment meets all minimum requirements. If an offeror does not indicate how its proposed equipment meets a certain minimum requirement, NIST will determine that it does not.

Stronger consideration will be given to the extent that the systems demonstrate the following attributes:

• Better Electron microscope resolution
• Better Ion beam total current and resolution
• Whether or not the micromanipulator is software integrated

For the Evaluation of Experience and Past Performance:

Evaluation of experience and past performance will be based on the references provided and/or the Contractor's recent and relevant procurement history with NIST, its affiliates, other government agencies or industry.

Experience will be evaluated to determine overall capability to deliver the product. The Government will evaluate experience based on the information provide with quotation. The Government may also consider information available from other sources. In the case of a Contractor without a record of relevant past experience or for whom information on experience is not available, the Contractor will be evaluated neither favorably nor unfavorably

Past Performance will be evaluated to determine the overall quality of the product provided by the Contractor. The Government will evaluate past performance based on Past Performance Surveys and by contacting appropriate references, including NIST references; if applicable. The Government may also consider information available from other sources. In the case of a Contractor without a record of relevant past performance or for whom information on past performance is not available, the Contractor will be evaluated neither favorably nor unfavorably.

For the Evaluation of Price: The quoted price will be evaluated to determine whether the quoted prices are reasonable in relation to the solicitation requirements. Prices must be entirely compatible with the technical portion of the quotation.

REQUIRED SUBMISSIONS

All Contractors shall submit the following:

1. For the purpose of evaluation of Technical Capability: Documentation that clearly demonstrates the quoted system's ability to meet all required specifications, all requirements of all Line Items and FOB Destination shipping including the following:
   1. 1. Technical description or product literature for the quoted system.
      2. Demonstration that the quoted system meets or exceeds each minimum requirement described in the statement of work by providing a citation to the relevant section of its technical description or additional information.
2. For the purpose of Experience and Past Performance: A list of references for whom the same or similar products have been provided within the past five years. The list of references should include, at a minimum:
   1. 1. Customer contact information for the reference cited;
      2. Contract value;
      3. A description of product provided which demonstrates its similarity to the subject requirements;
      4. The date of delivery.
3. For the purpose of Price: Contractors shall provide pricing for the following line items. All equipment must be new. Used or remanufactured equipment will not be considered for award:
4. A completed version of all required solicitation provisions (see attached provisions/clauses document required submission highlighted).

Any award resulting from this solicitation will contain the following statement: The Government's terms and conditions, identified herein, shall be the prevailing terms and conditions governing this award. In the event of a conflict between the Government's and contractor's terms and conditions, the Government's terms and conditions take precedence. If the Contractor objects to any of the terms and conditions contained in this solicitation, the contractor shall state The terms and conditions in the solicitation are acceptable to be included in the award document with the exception, deletion, or addition of the following: [Contractor shall list exception(s) and rationale for the exception(s)]. It is the sole responsibility of the Contractor to identify in their quote any exceptions to the terms and conditions of the solicitation. If the contractor does not include such a statement, the submission of a quotation in response to this solicitation will be regarded as the Contractor's acceptance of the Government's terms and conditions for inclusion into the resultant purchase order as prevailing.

1. Contractors shall provide an active Government Unique Identifier (GUI) for the System for Award Management (SAM) registration.
2. If the Contractor's representations and certifications do not reflect the NAICS code governing this solicitation, Contractors must submit documentation that they are a small business under the NAICS code governing this solicitation.

Past Performance, Experience, and Price shall not be evaluated on quotes that are determined technically unacceptable under the Technical Capability Evaluation factor.

DUE DATE FOR QUOTATIONS

All quotations must be submitted via e-mail to Don Graham, Contracting Officer at Donald.Graham@Nist.gov. Submission must be received not later than 5PM, Eastern Time on Wednesday 13 September 2022. A quotation shall be considered received when it is received in the electronic inbox not later than the date and time identified herein.

All questions regarding this notice must be submitted via e-mail to Donald.Graham@nist.gov by 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time on Monday 06 September 2022. Questions submitted after this date may not be addressed by the Government prior to the quotation submission deadline.

PROVISIONS AND CLAUSES:

The clauses and provisions applicable to this solicitation can be found under the attachment Applicable Clauses & Provisions. The full text of a FAR and CAR provision or clause may be accessed electronically at www.acquisition.gov/far.

ATTACHMENTS:

The following attachments apply to this solicitation:

1. The Statement of Requirements

2. Applicable Provisions and Clauses