Building 215 Clean Room HEPA Filter Replacement

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI)

BUILDING 215 ADVANCED MEASUREMENT LABORATORY (AML) CLEANROOM REPAIR AND HEPA FILTER REPLACEMENT

Solicitation/Reference No.: 1333ND26RNB190014
 

1. PURPOSE OF THIS REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is conducting market research pursuant to Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 10 and FAR 15.201 to obtain industry feedback concerning the scope, schedule, phasing, cleanroom outage requirements, technical and performance risks, and estimated construction cost associated with the Building 215 Advanced Measurement Laboratory (AML) Cleanroom Repair and HEPA Filter Replacement project.

NIST previously solicited this requirement under Solicitation No. 1333ND26RNB190014. NIST did not receive an acceptable offer under that solicitation. NIST is therefore reassessing the requirement and acquisition approach before determining whether and how to resolicit the project.

NIST is particularly interested in identifying aspects of the requirement that may materially affect industry participation, constructability, schedule feasibility, pricing, risk, or the ability of contractors to submit competitive proposals.

Industry is encouraged to provide candid feedback and to identify recommended changes that could improve constructability, competition, schedule feasibility, cost certainty, and overall project execution while continuing to meet NIST’s mission and cleanroom operational requirements.

2. RFI / MARKET RESEARCH NOTICE

THIS RFI IS ISSUED SOLELY FOR INFORMATION AND ACQUISITION PLANNING PURPOSES. IT DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP), INVITATION FOR BID (IFB), REQUEST FOR QUOTATION (RFQ), OR OTHER SOLICITATION.

The Government does not intend to award a contract based on responses to this RFI. Responses will be treated as information only and shall not be construed as offers or proposals that can be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract.

The Government will not reimburse respondents for costs incurred in preparing or submitting information in response to this RFI or for participating in any follow-up discussions.

This RFI does not obligate the Government to issue a solicitation or award a contract, nor does it restrict the Government’s ultimate acquisition approach.

Respondents are advised that information submitted in response to this RFI may be used by NIST in developing or revising the acquisition strategy, statement of work, specifications, schedule, phasing requirements, outage requirements, Government cost estimate, and future solicitation.

Respondents should clearly identify and mark any proprietary, confidential, or commercially sensitive information contained in their responses. Respondents should avoid including proprietary information unless necessary to provide a meaningful response.

3. PROJECT BACKGROUND

The project involves repair and modernization work within the Building 215 Advanced Measurement Laboratory cleanroom located at the NIST Gaithersburg Campus.

The AML cleanroom encompasses approximately 1,800 square meters and includes approximately 750 square meters of Class 100 cleanroom space. The facility supports sensitive NIST research activities and contains specialized and, in some instances, irreplaceable scientific equipment.

The project generally includes, but is not limited to:

• Replacement of approximately 1,200 terminal supply HEPA filters;
• Repair and/or modification of HEPA filter connections;
• Testing, balancing, certification, and recertification of affected HEPA filters and cleanroom spaces;
• Replacement of approximately 70 variable air volume (VAV) terminal units;
• Replacement of approximately 54 airflow monitoring devices;
• Installation of approximately 32 exhaust air control valves;
• Modification and repair of associated ductwork;
• Rebalancing of associated air-handling and exhaust systems;
• Verification and repair, as required, of existing capped ductwork;
• Controls-related work;
• Cleaning, testing, balancing, commissioning, and cleanroom certification associated with each affected area; and
• Protection of existing cleanroom spaces, research operations, and sensitive scientific equipment throughout construction.

Detailed project drawings, specifications, and/or relevant portions of the previously issued solicitation may be attached to this RFI or otherwise made available through SAM.gov for purposes of industry review.

4. CURRENT PHASING AND OUTAGE CONCEPT

NIST’s previous acquisition strategy was developed to minimize disruption to ongoing research operations by performing the work through phased cleanroom outages rather than shutting down the entire cleanroom for the duration of construction.

The previous requirement contemplated 19 construction phases consisting of 18 Critical Cleanroom Outage Phases and one Non-Critical Phase.

For each Critical Cleanroom Outage Phase, the contemplated outage period was approximately nine calendar days, generally structured as follows:

• Outage/construction activities begin at approximately 7:00 p.m. on Friday;
• Work proceeds continuously, including 24-hour-per-day/seven-day-per-week operations, as necessary;
• Construction, startup, testing, balancing, cleaning, commissioning, and applicable cleanroom certification are completed during the outage period; and
• The affected cleanroom area is required to achieve Ready for Re-Occupancy by approximately 7:00 a.m. on the second following Monday.

Ready for Re-Occupancy generally means that required construction, startup, testing, balancing, cleaning, commissioning, and applicable cleanroom certification have been completed; the affected area is operationally capable of supporting its intended use without material restriction; and no deficiencies remain that materially impair safe occupancy or cleanroom operations.

The previous requirement also contemplated maintaining unaffected cleanroom bays in operation to the maximum extent practicable and included the possibility of limited additional weekend outages affecting larger portions of the cleanroom.

NIST recognizes that these operational constraints may significantly affect contractor staffing, sequencing, subcontractor availability, construction risk, pricing, and schedule feasibility. NIST is specifically seeking industry feedback concerning these requirements.

5. INFORMATION REQUESTED FROM INDUSTRY

Respondents are requested to review the project information provided with this RFI and address the following topics. Respondents are not required to answer every question; however, detailed and candid responses are encouraged.

A. Outage Feasibility and Constraint Identification

1. Critical Path Bottlenecks: Identify the specific trade activities that present the highest risk to achieving a 9-day bay outage window.
2. Realistic Outage Duration: Based on your experience in occupied nanofabrication facilities, what is a realistic, achievable calendar-day duration to complete a single cleanroom bay/module from shutdown to final recertification?
3. Risk & Impact Analysis: Explain how the current 24-hour, 9-day limit impacts project risk, labor density, safety, quality assurance, and total cost (including risk contingencies for $8,000/day liquidated damages).
4. Phasing & Mock-Up Alternatives: Would executing a "mock-up bay" or initial trial phase establish a viable baseline for subsequent production bays?

B. Construction Cost Estimate

Based on the information provided, what is industry’s rough-order-of-magnitude (ROM) estimated construction cost for the complete project?

Respondents may provide either a specific estimated amount or a reasonable estimated range.

1. To the extent practicable, please identify the approximate portion of the ROM estimate attributable to:
   • Direct construction work;
   • HVAC/HEPA/VAV work;
   • Controls work;
   • Testing and balancing;
   • Commissioning and cleanroom certification;
   • Premium time, shift work, or 24/7 outage staffing;
   • General conditions;
   • Phasing and temporary protection;
   • Contingency/risk allowance; and
   • Other significant cost drivers.

1. Approximately what percentage or dollar amount of the estimated construction cost is attributable specifically to the current nine-day phased-outage approach?
2. If NIST modified the outage durations or phasing strategy, what approximate cost reduction or increase would industry anticipate?

ROM estimates submitted in response to this RFI are requested solely for market research and acquisition planning. They will not constitute offers, proposals, bids, quotations, or binding commitments.

C. Experience Working in an occupied Nano-Fab Cleanroom

1. The previous solicitation included Evaluation Factor #2 which required that the contractor have completed a minimum of two (2) HEPA Filter replacements in an occupied laboratory within the previous six years.  Based on your experience in occupied nanofabrication facilities, is this a realistic and practical requirement?

D. Competition and Industry Participation

1. Based on the project as currently structured, would your company consider submitting a proposal if NIST resolicits this requirement?

Yes / No / Possibly

Please explain the primary factors influencing your answer.

1. What aspects of the previous/current requirement would discourage your company or other qualified contractors from submitting a proposal?
2. Are the project’s size, bonding requirements, insurance requirements, cleanroom experience requirements, key personnel requirements, outage schedule, liquidated damages, fixed-price structure, or other contractual requirements likely to limit competition?
3. What changes, if any, would materially increase the likelihood that qualified contractors would compete for this project?
4. What type of contractor and subcontractor experience should NIST reasonably require without unnecessarily restricting competition?

E. Additional Industry Feedback

1. Please identify any requirement, specification, schedule constraint, contract term, risk allocation, or other issue not addressed above that NIST should consider before resoliciting this project.
2. Please provide any additional recommendations that could improve competition, constructability, schedule reliability, cost certainty, or successful project execution.

6. RESPONDENT INFORMATION

Respondents are requested to provide the following:

1. Company name;
2. Company address;
3. Name, title, telephone number, and email address of the point of contact;
4. Unique Entity ID (UEI), if available;
5. Business size and socioeconomic status under the anticipated NAICS code;
6. Relevant experience performing comparable cleanroom, laboratory, HVAC, HEPA filtration, controls, testing/balancing, or phased occupied-facility construction;
7. Whether the respondent would anticipate performing as a prime contractor or subcontractor; and
8. Whether the respondent would be interested in participating in a future industry day, one-on-one market research meeting, or site visit concerning this requirement.

7. RESPONSE INSTRUCTIONS

Responses should be submitted electronically to Richard.stevens@nist.gov and Drew.Comley@nist.gov no later than October 14, 2026.

The subject line should state:

RFI Response – 1333ND26RNB190014 – Building 215 AML Cleanroom Project

NIST recommends but does not require that responses be limited to approximately 10-pages, excluding supporting documentation.

Respondents may provide responses in Microsoft Word or searchable PDF format.

NIST may contact individual respondents for clarification or additional market research discussions. Participation in this RFI or any subsequent market research activity is voluntary and will not affect a firm’s ability to compete for any future solicitation.

Respondents should clearly mark proprietary or confidential business information. NIST requests that respondents also provide, where practicable, a version of their response from which proprietary information has been redacted if the response contains significant proprietary material.

8. GOVERNMENT USE OF RESPONSES

Information obtained through this RFI may be used by NIST to develop or revise the acquisition strategy, Government estimate, specifications, statement of work, construction phasing, outage durations, schedule, contract structure, solicitation terms, and other acquisition documents.

NIST may summarize industry responses for internal Government planning purposes. NIST does not intend to publicly identify individual respondents’ proprietary business information or attribute proprietary recommendations to a particular respondent.

The Government may incorporate concepts, recommendations, or approaches identified through market research into a future solicitation, provided such use is consistent with applicable law, regulation, and protection of proprietary information.

9. FAR 52.215-3 – REQUEST FOR INFORMATION OR SOLICITATION FOR PLANNING PURPOSES

FAR 52.215-3, Request for Information or Solicitation for Planning Purposes, is incorporated into this notice.

For purposes of paragraph (c) of FAR 52.215-3, this RFI is issued for the purpose of obtaining industry information concerning the feasibility, constructability, schedule, cleanroom outage requirements, risk allocation, acquisition approach, and estimated construction cost for the Building 215 AML Cleanroom Repair and HEPA Filter Replacement project to support NIST’s acquisition planning and potential resolicitation of the requirement.

END OF REQUEST FOR INFORMATION