Continuous-wave, single mode, infrared laser Combined Sources Sought/Notice of Intent to Sole Source

BACKGROUND ***THIS IS A COMBINED SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE AND NOTICE OF INTENT TO SOLE SOURCE*** The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is seeking information from sources that may be capable of providing a Continuous-wave, single mode, infrared laser. If no alternate sources are identified, the Government intends to issue a Sole Source Award to DRS Daylight Solutions, Inc. (16465 Via Esprillo, Ste 100, San Diego, CA 92127-1701) under the authority of FAR 13.106-1(b). The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this acquisition is 334516. NIST has a need for a continuous-wave, single mode, infrared laser that meets or exceeds the following draft minimum specifications: Instrument package: One-box system (not multiple, separate laser boxes to cover the full wavelength range) Laser optical requirements a) Continuous-wave laser operating in single mode b) Continuously tunable from wavelengths 6 mm (or shorter) and 10 mm (or longer) with a target range of 5 to 11 mm. c) Fast wavelength tuning/scanning speeds of at least 10,000 cm-1/s. d) Peak power of > 50 mW over the full tuning range, with stability within 5% Stable optical pointing over the full tuning range (beam centroid within 1 mm over a distance of 1 meter). Beam profile of TEM00 mode, with ellipticity between 1:1 to 1.5:1. Linear polarization, with polarization selectivity of at least 100:1 Comes with co-aligned visible (HeNe) aiming beam for infrared beam alignment Continuous-wave laser with Relative Intensity Noise (RIN) below -120 dBc/Hz measured in the frequency range from 100 kHz to 1 MHz Laser wavelength repeatability as low as < 0.1 cm-1 Laser electrical requirements Must use 120 V or 240 V AC input power Must have electronic TTL for triggering of wavelength tuning Computer control options (USB or ethernet) Must have manuals for operation Software development kit (SDK) for Labview, at minimum, is required to control by PC NIST conducted market research from 2023-2024 by attending conferences, speaking with colleagues, performing internet searches, and speaking with Contractors to determine what sources could meet NIST's minimum requirements. The results of that market research revealed that only Daylight Solutions, Inc. (UEI: ELDGXGH6UF76) appears to be capable of meeting NIST's requirements. HOW TO RESPOND TO THIS NOTICE In responding to this notice, please DO NOT PROVIDE PROPRIETARY INFORMATION. Please include only the following information, readable in either Microsoft Word 365, Microsoft Excel 365, or .pdf format, in the response. Submit the response by email to the Primary Point of Contact and, if specified, to the Secondary Point of Contact listed at the bottom of this notice as soon as possible, and preferably before the closing date and time of this notice. Provide the complete name of your company, address, name of contact for follow-up questions, their email, their phone number and, if your company has an active registration in https://sam.gov, your company's Unique Entity ID (UEI). Details about what your company is capable of providing that meets or exceeds NIST's minimum requirements. Whether your company is an authorized reseller of the product or service being cited and evidence of such authorization. Identify any aspects of the description of the requirements in the BACKGROUND section above that could be viewed as unduly restrictive or create unnecessary barriers that adversely affect your firm's ability to fully participate in a procurement for such services and explain why. Please offer suggestions for how the requirements could be organized or structured to encourage the participation of small businesses. For the NAICS code Indicate whether your company is (a) a small business or (b) other than small business. See the Table of Small Business Size Standards and the associated .pdf download file for small business size standards and additional information. If you believe the NAICS code listed in this notice is not the best NAICS code for the type of product addressed in this notice, identify an alternative NAICS code that you believe would be more appropriate for the planned procurement. If your firm has existing Federal Supply Schedule contract(s) or other contracts for services against which the Department may be able to place orders, identify the contract number(s) and other relevant information. Describe your firm's experience (as a prime, subcontractor, or consultant) providing the services described in Background section. Provide any other information that you believe would be valuable for the Government to know as part of its market research for this requirement. Please let us know if you would like to engage to get a better understanding of the requirement or need additional information about the Government's requirement for the services described in the Background section. QUESTIONS REGARDING THIS NOTICE Questions regarding this notice may be submitted via email to the Primary Point of Contact and the Secondary Point of Contact listed in this notice. Questions should be submitted so that they are received by 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time on January 20, 2024. Questions will be anonymized and answered via sources sought notice amendment following the question submission deadline. IMPORTANT NOTES The information received in response to this notice will be reviewed and considered so that the NIST may appropriately solicit for its requirements in the near future. This notice should not be construed as a commitment by the NIST to issue a solicitation or ultimately award a contract. This notice is not a request for a quotation. Responses will not be considered as proposals or quotations. No award will be made as a result of this notice. NIST is not responsible for any costs incurred by the respondents to this notice. NIST reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and appropriate. Thank you for taking the time to submit a response to this request!