ELECTRICALLY HEATED SALT BATH

THIS IS A COMBINED SYNOPSIS/SOLICITATION PREPARED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE FORMAT IN FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATIONS (FAR) SUBPART 12.6 AS SUPPLEMENTED WITH ADDITIONAL INFORMATION INCLUDED IN THIS NOTICE. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONSTITUTES THE ONLY SOLICITATION; THEREFORE A WRITTEN SOLICITATION WILL NOT BE ISSUED. Solicitation number NB642000-14-03311 is issued as a request for quotation (RFQ). This solicitation and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 05-76. The associated North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code for this procurement is 334516 with a small business size standard of 500 employees. This requirement is being procured as a Small Business Set aside. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Acquisition Management Division intends to procure 3 ea. Salt Bath Furnace in accordance with the attached Statement of Work. Line Item Description and Qty/Unit Price Total 0001 / Electrically heated salt bath furnace 3 each 0002 / Installation 1 Job STATEMENT OF WORK TITLE: Heat Treatment Salt Pots (3) I. BACKGROUND INFORMATION The mission of the Thermodynamics and Kinetics Group (TKG) of the Material Measurement Laboratory's Materials Science & Engineering Division is to resolve the outstanding challenges in materials microstructure/property prediction and control. The goal is to develop measurement science and data that prove of significant value to industry. The group's research ranges over a wide scope of materials phenomenon employing a variety of experimental, theoretical and computational techniques. Particular focus in the group is given to the application of thermodynamic principles and derived kinetic models to quantify the behavior of industrially useful materials during their fabrication (processing) as well as their properties while in service. Precise control of experimental variables is of paramount importance to ensure the data collected is of the highest fidelity. To this end, salt bath furnaces offer one of the most effective methods for isothermal heat treatment of materials, e.g. solutionization, aging, etc., because of rapid heat transfer, temperature uniformity, and other factors. II. SCOPE OF WORK To meet mission requirements, TKG must obtain the proper equipment, in the form of salt bath heat treatment furnaces, to perform precisely controlled heat treatments; and measure the relationships between materials processing conditions, microstructure, and ultimately properties. The acquired data will be essential in building databases and calibration/validation information for predictive processing-microstructure-property modeling tools used in industrial materials development and manufacturing operations. III. SPECIFICATIONS The Contractor shall provide three research laboratory-scale salt bath heat treatment furnaces, which together will be capable of performing long-term (up to 100s of hours) isothermal heat treatments over the entire temperature range between 150 - C and 900 - C. The set of three salt pots will meet all of the following requirements: 1. As a whole, shall be capable of performing long-term (up to 100s of hours) isothermal annealing heat treatments over a temperature range between 150 - C and 900 - C. 2. Each pot shall have a maximum operating temperature of at least 700 - C. 3. The inner pot of each salt bath furnace may be either round or square. However the inner working dimensions of each pot shall be at least 5 inches by 5 inches square or 6 inches in diameter if round. The maximum cross-sectional dimensions of the inner pot of each furnace should not exceed 8 inches (8 inches by 8 inches square or 8 inches in diameter). 4. The total depth of the inner pot of each furnace shall be around 18 inches; with a molten salt depth of about 10 inches to 12 inches. 5. Each pot shall be externally heated; i.e. the heating elements will be located externally, surrounding the pot. 6. Each pot shall be equipped with electric resistance heating elements capable of maintaining a stable long-term heat supply to the molten salt during isothermal heat treatments. 7. The design of each pot shall be such that the heating elements will be readily accessible and replaceable when the inner pot is removed. 8. Each pot shall be a laboratory sized individual unit, with a footprint of approximately 3 feet by 3 feet square and a height of approximately 3 feet. 9. The outer casing of each pot shall be constructed of a welded steel frame and steel sheet sides. 10. Each pot shall contain high grade insulation surrounding the sides and bottom of the inner pot; and the temperature of the outer casing will be sufficiently low to minimize the risk of injury in the case of accidental contact. 11. Each pot shall be equipped with an insulated cover that can be removed and replace by hand. 12. Each pot shall be equipped with a digital control unit and indicator of salt temperature and a digital indicator of the heat chamber excess temperature, including the required thermocouples and wiring; all suitably mounted and wired within the unit. 13. Pot #1 shall be equipped to run in the approximate operating range of 150 - C to 550 - C, using nitrate-based alloy salts, or similar. 14. Pot #2 shall be equipped to run in the approximate operating range of 650 - C to 900 - C, using non-BaCl2 alloy salts, or similar. 15. Pot #3 shall be equipped to run in the approximate operating range of 500 - C to 700 - C, using CaCl2, non-BaCl2 CaCl2-based alloy salts, carbonate salts, tin metal, or similar. 16. In addition to the normal operating range of 650 - C to 900 - C, pot #2 shall be designed so that it may be repurposed for use at temperatures in excess of 1000 - C, using BaCl2 or BaCl2 containing alloy salts, or similar. Installation: The Contractor shall install the instrument in Building 223, Room B166, at NIST Gaithersburg, MD. Instrument will operate to manufacturer's specifications upon installation. Installation shall take place during normal business hours, between 8:30 am and 5:00 pm Eastern Time, Monday through Friday except Federal Holidays, and will be coordinated with the NIST Technical Point of Contact (TPOC). Installation is to occur within 135 days of award. IV. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE The period of performance shall be 135 days from the date of award. PROVISIONS AND CLAUSES: The following provisions and clauses apply to this acquisition and are hereby incorporated by reference. All FAR clauses may be viewed at http://www.acquisition.gov/far/. All CAR clauses can be viewed at http://www.osec.doc.gov/oam/archive/CAPPS_car.html. Provisions 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors-Commercial Items (Jun 2008) 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial Items (Jan 2011) Clauses 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions-Commercial Items (Jun 2010) 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders-Commercial Items-Commercial Items (Jan 2011) including subparagraphs: 52.204-10, Reporting Executive Compensation (Jul 2010) ; 52.209-6, Protecting the Government's Interest When Subcontracting with Contractors Debarred, Suspended, or Proposed for Debarment (Dec 2010); 52.219-28, Post Award Small Business Program Re-representation (Apr 2009); 52.222-19, Child Labor - Cooperation with Authorities and Remedies (Jul 2010); 52.222-21, Prohibition of Segregated Facilities (Feb 1999); 52.222-26, Equal Opportunity (Mar 2007); 52.222-36, Affirmative Action for Workers with Disabilities (Oct 2010); 52.223-18, Contractor Policy to Ban Text Messaging While Driving (Sep 2010); 52.225-3, Buy American Act - Free Trade Agreements - Israeli Trade Act (Jun 2009); 52.225-13, Restriction on Certain Foreign Purchases (Jun 2008); 52.225-25, Prohibition on Contracting with Entities Engaging in Sanctioned Activities Relating to Iran (Sep 2010); 52.232-33, Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer-Central Contractor Registration (Oct 2003). 52.232-40, PROVIDING ACCELERATED PAYMENTS TO SMALL BUSINESS SUBCONTRACTORS (DEC 2013) 52.252-2, CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE (FEB 1998) 52.247-34, F.O.B DESTINATION (Nov 1991)) Commerce Acquisition Regulations (CAR) 1352.201-70, Contracting Officer's Authority 1352.209-73, Compliance With the Laws 1352.209-74, Organizational Conflict of Interest 1352.213-70, Evaluation utilizing simplified acquisition procedures 1352.215-70, Proposal Preparation 1352.215-72, Inquiries 1352.233-70, Agency Protests 1352.233-71, GAO and Court of Federal Claims Protests 1352.246-70, PLACE OF ACCEPTANCE (APR 2010) System for Award Management (SAM) Registration In accordance with FAR 52.204-7, the awardee must be registered in the System for Award Management (www.sam.gov) prior to award. Refusal to register will forfeit award. Proposal preparation 1) one (1) copy of a quotation which addresses all line items; 2) For the purpose of evaluating technical capability: Technical description and product literature which clearly details the manufacturer, make and model of the proposed product(s), addresses all required specifications, and clearly documents that the offered product(s) meet(s) or exceeds the specifications as described in the Statement of Work. 3) A current copy of the Contractor's price list or catalog pages that contain pricing for the equipment/services defined within the Contractor's quotation; 4) This is an Open-Market Combined Synopsis/Solicitation for equipment as defined herein. The Government intends to award a Purchase Order as a result of this Combined Synopsis/Solicitation that will include the terms and conditions that are set forth herein. In order to facilitate the award process, ALL quotes shall include a statement regarding the terms and conditions herein as follows: The offeror shall state "The terms and conditions in the solicitation are acceptable to be included in the award document without modification, deletion, or addition." Please note that 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. NOTE: It is the responsibility of the offeror to acknowledge any amendments made to this solicitation. All amendments will be posted on the Fedbizopps website. CAR 1352.215-72, Inquiries Offerors must submit all questions concerning this solicitation in writing to the Contracting Officer. Questions should be received no later than 12:00 pm MST five (5) days after the date of the 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 within ten (10) days of the date of the solicitation. Requests shall include complete company name, address, telephone and e-mail address. FAX AND OR PHONE REQUESTS ARE NOT AUTHORIZED AND WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. CAR 1352.215-75, Evaluation Criteria (a) In determining which proposal provides the best value to the Government, Technical Acceptability and Cost will both be equally important Evaluation Factors. In the event that more than one product meets the outlined specifications, NIST will determine the best value based on the degree to which each product meets the requirements compared to its cost, as outlined below. Being responsible with the meaning of FAR 9.104 is considered a qualifying/disqualifying factor. Those vendors not meeting the meaning of FAR 9.104 will not be considered regardless of Technical Acceptability and/or Cost. Evaluation factors: TECHNICAL APPROACH: The system must meet or exceed all of the minimum specifications identified in the Statement of Work. All equipment must be new and a commercially available, not a prototype. Used or remanufactured equipment will not be considered for award. NIST will evaluate the extent to which the Offeror's proposal demonstrates in detail how it intends to satisfy or exceed the requirements in the SOW and to identify and resolve technical risk. In the event that more than one product meets the outlined requirements, NIST will determine the best value of each product compared to cost based on its ability to meet the requirements in the SOW. Specifically: 1. Safety, e.g. items number 9-12 in the SOW. Specifically, 1) the prevention of elevated temperatures on external surfaces and immediate surrounding area, and 2) electrical wiring contained safely within the unit to prevent the possibility of electrical shock. 2. Ability to maintain long-term temperature stability, e.g. items 1 and 6 in the SOW. The reliability of each product to maintain a constant, uniform bath temperature will be considered. 3. Ease of maintenance, e.g. items 7 and 12. The ease of operation, temperature control, heat element replacement and other routine maintenance activities will be considered. NIST will evaluate whether the offeror has demonstrated that its proposed equipment meets or exceeds all minimum requirements identified in the requirements. Quotations that do not demonstrate the proposed equipment meets all requirements will not be considered further for award. If an offeror does not indicate whether its proposed equipment meets a certain minimum requirement, NIST will determine that it does not. Evaluation of Proposals: The Government reserves the right to make an award without discussions based solely upon initial proposals. The award of this contract resulting from the solicitation will be made to the Offeror whose proposal offers the best value, through the trade-off process, to the Government from a technical, risk, and price/cost perspective. In determining what offer provides the best value, technical evaluation factors are considered significantly more important than cost. Award will be made to the Contractor: (1) whose proposal is technically acceptable meeting the requirements as outlined in the Statement of Work (SOW); and (2) whose technical and price relationship is considered to be the most advantageous to the Government; and (3) who is considered to be responsible within the meaning of FAR 9.104. Price will be a factor in the award decision, although the award may not necessarily be made to that Offeror submitting the lowest price. Likewise, award will not necessarily be made for technical capabilities that would appear to exceed those needed for the successful performance of the required services. When technical factors become equal among proposals, price will be the determining factor. Technical Acceptability and Cost will both be equally important Evaluation Factors. In the event that more than on product meets the outlined specifications, NIST will determine the best value based on the degree to which each product meets the requirements compared to its cost, as outlined below. Being responsible with the meaning of FAR 9.104 is considered a qualifying/disqualifying factor. Those vendors not meeting the meaning of FAR 9.104 will not be considered regardless of Technical Acceptability and/or Cost. Due Date and Response Information Interested vendors capable of furnishing the specified equipment in this combined synopsis/solicitation should submit their quote in writing to: Janice Moten, electronically at Janice.moten@nist.gov. FAX quotations shall not be accepted. Offerors shall submit their quotations so that NIST receives them not later than September 5, 12:00 pm EST , 2014.