High Performance Tunable Ti:Sapphire Ring Laser

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 13.5 TEST PROGRAM FOR CERTAIN COMMERCIAL ITEMS. This solicitation is a Request for Quotation (RFQ). The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC-42) 1352.215-72 INQUIRIES (APR 2010) Offerors must submit all questions concerning this solicitation in writing to the Contracting Officer. Questions should be received no later than ten calendar days after the issuance date of this solicitation. All responses to the 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, on the question responses included in the amendment to the solicitation will govern performance of the contract. (end of provision) The associated North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code for this procurement is 333314 with a small business size standard of 500 employees. This requirement is unrestricted and all interested Contractors may submit a quotation. All offerors shall provide a quotation for the following line item: Line Item 0001: One (1) High Performance, Tunable Ti:Sapphire Ring Laser. *** Introduction The contractor shall furnish the necessary personnel, material, equipment, and services to fabricate, install, and test one high performance, tunable Ti:Sapphire ring laser. Background The Atomic Physics Division of NIST's Physics Laboratory has a requirement for a high performance, tunable Ti:Sapphire ring laser to be used for planned experiments to advance the art of making precise measurements of atomic transitions in engineered atoms, with the goal of studying hydrogen-like atoms synthesized in circular states using ion traps. The required ring laser will also be used for exploring techniques to generate Ryberg states with large angular momentum, to approach an ideal system for precision measurements of fundamental constants of particular interest in metrology. Finally, it is anticipated that the required ring laser will be used in conjunction with an optical frequency comb to enable high-precision, absolute frequency measurements over a broad range in the IR and visible domain. Minimum Requirements The system shall meet or exceed the technical specifications identified below. All items must be new. Used or remanufactured equipment will not be considered for award. I. Specifications and requirements of Ti:Sapphire laser: 1. The system is a ring laser that uses a Ti:Sapphire crystal as the laser gain medium. 2. The single-frequency laser output shall have line width that is less than 30 kHz, root-mean-square measurement over ? > 100 msec. 3. The system shall have features to ensure long-term stability and low-noise output, including the following: a. an electro-optic modulator (EOM) in the cavity of the ring laser for fast cavity length stabilization responding to perturbations in the MHz range; b. an high-finesse external reference cavity to stabilize the laser cavity using the Pound-Drever-Hall EOM technique; the reference cavity shall be thermally and mechanically isolated outside the laser housing. c. INVAR or equivalent 64FeNi baseplates for the laser head, and the reference cavity. 4. The piezo control of the laser cavity shall provide single-frequency scanning without mode hopping over 50 GHz, with constant amplitude. 5. The amplitude noise of the laser output shall be less than 0.75% rms. 6. Beam characteristics: a. horizontal polarization b. beam diameter at output port shall be between 1.2 to 1.4 mm (typical) c. beam divergence shall be less than 2 mrad 7. Housing shall prevent dust from entering the cavity. II. Tunability and Control Requirements: 1. An electrical port shall be included to enable external control of the laser wavelength using an analog electrical signal. 2. The system shall include a complete optics set to cover wavelength in the range from 700nm to 990 nm, or broader. 3. Laser system shall be fully operable and controllable using software developed for a PC running the Windows operating system (version XP or later); user shall be able to modify software source code for optimization. (Computer hardware is NOT to be quoted by Offeror.) III. Other specifications/requirements: 1. Power input: 100-250 VAC, less than 3 A The PRIMARY specifications listed above are minimum specifications. A quoted system must meet or exceed all of these to be considered for award. Stronger consideration will be given to a Ring Laser which meets the following SECONDARY specification: IV. Secondary Specification: 1. Laser system shall provide the flexibility to reconfigure the ring laser to work with a dye solution, instead of a Ti:Sapphire crystal, in order to broaden its operating wavelength. Installation The system shall be installed and tested by the Contractor and meet contract specifications no later than two weeks after delivery. Contractor shall provide an inspection/testing report after installation. Installation, at a minimum, shall include uncrating/unpackaging of all equipment, rigging, set-up and hook-up of the system, demonstration of all specifications, and removal of trash. Onsite installation and demonstration shall be done at NIST, Gaithersburg, MD- Building 221. Training The contractor shall conduct one (1) training session for up to six (6) users at NIST. The training shall provide a thorough demonstration of all system/solution functions, maintenance, data administration, and basic troubleshooting. The training may be completed at NIST immediately after the installation/set-up and on-site inspection and testing, but shall be completed no later than 30 days after installation. Express Warranty The contractor shall warrant the instrument for a period of at least one year. Delivery FOB Destination delivery terms are requested, and shall take place no later than 12 weeks after receipt of order. 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 any 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. The contractor shall deliver line item 0001 to NIST, Building 301, Shipping and Receiving, Gaithersburg, MD 20899-1640. 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://acquisition.gov/comp/far/index.html. Provisions 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors-Commercial Items 52.212-3 Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial Items Offerors shall complete annual representations and certifications on-line at http://orca.bpn.gov in accordance with FAR 52.212-3 Offerors Representations and Certifications- Commercial Items. If paragraph (j) of the provision is applicable, a written submission is required. Clauses 52.212-4 Contract Terms and Conditions'Commercial Items 52.212-5 Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders'Commercial Items'Commercial Items including subparagraphs: 52.203-6, Restrictions on Subcontractor Sales to the Government Small Business Concerns 52.219-8, Utilization of Small Business Concerns 52.222-3, Convict Labor; 52.222-19 Child Labor - Cooperation With Authorities And Remedies; 52.222-21, Prohibition of Segregated Facilities; 52-222-26, Equal Opportunity; 52.222-35, Equal Opportunity for Special Disabled Veterans, Veterans of the Vietnam Era, and Other Eligible Veterans 52.222-36, Affirmative Action for Workers with Disabilities; 52.222-37, Employment Reports on Special Disabled Veterans, Veterans of the Vietnam Era, and Other Eligible Veterans 52.225-5, Trade Agreements 52.225-13 Restriction on Certain Foreign Purchases; 52.232-30, Installment Payments for Commercial Items 52.232-33 Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer-Central Contractor Registration. INSTRUCTIONS: Central Contractor Registration In accordance with FAR 52.204-7, the awardee must be registered in the Central Contractor Registration (www.ccr.gov) prior to award. Refusal to register shall forfeit award. Due Date for Quotations Offerors shall submit their quotations so that NIST receives them not later than 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time on July 19, 2010. FAX quotations shall not be accepted. E-mail quotations shall be accepted at contact@example.gov. Please reference the RFQ number in the subject line of email communications. Offerors quotations shall not be deemed received by the Government until the quotation is entered in the e-mail inbox set forth above. Quotations shall be sent to the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Acquisition Management Division, Attn: Paula Wilkison, 100 Bureau Drive, Mail Stop 1640, Gaithersburg, MD 20899-1640. All offerors should ensure the RFQ number is visible on the outermost packaging. Because of heightened security, FED-EX, UPS, or similar delivery methods are the preferred method of delivery of quotes. If quotes are hand delivered, delivery shall be made on the actual due date through Gate A, and a 48 hour (excluding weekends and holidays) prior notice shall be provided to Paula Wilkison, Contract Specialist on +1 (555) 000-0000. Addendum to FAR 52.212-1, Quotation Preparation Instructions 1) Price Quotation: The offeror shall submit an original and one copy of the completed price schedule. If the quotation is submitted electronically, additional copies are not required. The pricing quotation shall be separate from any other portion of the quotation. The offeror should propose a firm-fixed-price, FOB Destination, for each CLIN. Contractor shall state express warranty coverage. Price quotations shall remain valid for a period of 90 days from the date quotations are due. 2) Technical Quotation: The offeror shall submit an original and one copy of the technical quotation. If the quotation is submitted electronically, additional copies are not required. The technical quotation shall address the following: Technical Capability: The offeror shall submit a technical description or product literature for the equipment it is proposing, which clearly identifies the manufacturer, make and model. The offeror must demonstrate that its proposed equipment 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 product literature. If applicable, evidence that the Offeror is authorized by the original equipment manufacturer to provide the item(s) in the quotation should be included. The Offerors shall acknowledge that NIST will not store the equipment onsite before it is installed. Experience: The offeror shall demonstrate the extent to which it has recently manufactured, distributed, and installed similar equipment. 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 3-5 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: 1. Contract number; 2. Description and relevance to solicitation requirements including dollar value; 3. Period of Performance - indicate by month and year the state and completion (or - ongoing) dates for the contract; 4. 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; 5. 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. 6. Problems Encountered - include information regarding information regarding any problems encountered on the contracts described above and corrective actions taken to resolve those problems. Acceptance of Terms and Conditions: 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. QUOTATION EVALUATION: Evaluation Factors Award shall be made to the offeror whose quotation offers the best value to the Government price and other factors considered. The Government will evaluate quotations based on the following evaluation criteria: 1) Technical Capability 2) Experience, 3) Past Performance, and 4) Price. All non-price factors, when combined, are approximately equally important to price. Technical Capability: No prototypes, demonstration models, used or refurbished instruments will be considered. 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 or exceeds all minimum 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. NIST will give preference to offerors who demonstrate that their proposed equipment exceeds NIST's requirements. As noted in the specifications, stronger consideration will be given to a system that meets the following secondary specification: 1. Laser system shall provide the flexibility to reconfigure the ring laser to work with a dye solution, instead of a Ti:Sapphire crystal, in order to broaden its operating wavelength. A quoted system that fails to meet the secondary specification will not be deemed technically unacceptable. Experience: NIST will evaluate the extent of the offeror's experience providing similar equipment. NIST will give preference to offerors who demonstrate they have experience delivering the same equipment they are proposing for the current requirement. Past Performance: The Government will evaluate the Offeror's past performance information and, if appropriate, its proposed subcontractors' past performance to determine its relevance to the current requirement and the extent to which it demonstrates that the offeror has successfully completed relevant contracts in the past five years. In assessing the offeror's past performance information, NIST will evaluate the quality, timeliness, and ability to control cost and schedule of the past work. Evaluation of this factor will be based on information contained in the technical portion of the quotation and information provided by references. The Government will evaluate past performance information by contacting appropriate references, including NIST references, if applicable. The Government may also consider other available information in evaluating the Offeror's past performance. The Government will assign a neutral rating if the offeror has no relevant past performance information. Price: The Government will evaluate price for reasonableness. Past Performance, Experience, and Price shall not be evaluated on quotes that are determined technically unacceptable under the Technical Capability Evaluation factor. 1352.233-70 AGENCY PROTESTS (APR 2010) (a) An agency protest may be filed with either (1) the Contracting Officer, or (2) at a level above the Contracting Officer, with the agency Protest Decision Authority. See 64 Fed. Reg. 16,651 (April 6, 1999). (b) Agency protests filed with the Contracting Officer shall be sent to the following address: NIST/ACQUISITION MANAGEMENT DIVISION ATTN: PATRICK STAINES, CONTRACTING OFFICER 100 Bureau Drive, MS 1640 Gaithersburg, MD 20899 (c) Agency protests filed with the Protest Decision Authority shall be sent to the following address: NIST/ACQUISITION MANAGEMENT DIVISION ATTN: HEAD OF THE CONTRACTING OFFICE (HCO) 100 Bureau Drive, MS 1640 Gaithersburg, MD 20899 (d) A complete copy of all agency protest, including all attachments, shall be served upon the Contract Law Division of the Office of the General Counsel within one day of filing a protest with either the Contracting Officer or the Protest Decision Authority. (e) Service upon the Contract law Division shall be made as follows: U.S. Department of Commerce Office of the General Counsel Chief, Contract Law Division Room 5893 Herbert C. Hoover Building 14th Street and Constitution Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20230 FAX: +1 (555) 000-0000 1352.233-71 GAO AND COURT OF FEDERAL CLAIMS PROTESTS (APR 2010) (a) A protest may be filed with either the Government Accountability Office (GAO) or the Court of Federal Claims unless an agency protest has been filed. (b) A complete copy of all GAO or Court of Federal Claims protests, including all attachments, shall be served upon (i) the Contracting Officer, and (ii) the Contract Law Division of the Office of the General Counsel, within one day of filing a protest with either GAO or the Court of Federal Claims. (c) Service upon the Contract Law Division shall be made as follows: U.S. Department of Commerce Office of the General Counsel Chief, Contract Law Division Room 5893 Herbert C. Hoover Building 14th Street and Constitution Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20230 FAX: +1 (555) 000-0000 (End of clause)