High temperature and heat flux exposure test apparatus

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 WRITTEN SOLICITATION DOCUMENT WILL NOT BE ISSUED. THIS ACQUISITION IS BEING PROCURED UTILIZING SIMPLIFIED ACQUISITION PROCEDURES. This solicitation is a Request for Quotation (RFQ). The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2005-51. The associated North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code for this procurement is 334519. This acquisition is being procured as a total small business set-aside. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Fire Research Division requires a set of high temperature and heat flux exposure test apparatus. This set of apparatus will be used for exposing firefighter equipment to high temperatures and heat flux. These apparatus will replace older models of similar apparatus, resulting in an improvement in NIST laboratory safety. The new apparatus will provide lower experimental uncertainty and allows for round-robin studies for standards development. This equipment supports the "Improved Safety of Fire Fighters - High Temperature Performance of Fire Fighter Equipment" project and firefighting standards development efforts. Three apparatus are required: 1) Apparatus for conducting the ASTM E648, Standard Test Method for Critical Radiant Flux of Floor-Covering Systems Using a Radiant Heat Energy Source. This apparatus is used for measuring the critical radiant flux of a horizontally mounted floor-covering systems exposed to a flaming ignition source in a graded heat energy environment, generated by a gas fueled radiant heat source, in a test chamber. The apparatus shall be built in accordance with the design provided in ASTM E-648-10e and shall include a support structure made from steel, a radiant panel with flow control, at least 2 specimen holders made from stainless steel, a pilot burner assembly with gas regulator, an optical pyrometer and heat flux sensor, and an flame sensing system to monitor the radiant panel and provide a safe system shutdown if the flame on the panel goes out. 2) Apparatus for conducting the ASTM E-162, Standard Test Method for Surface Flammability of Materials Using a Radiant Heat Energy Source. This apparatus is used for measuring surface flammability of materials when exposed to a gas fueled radiant heat source. The apparatus shall be built in accordance with the design provided in ASTM E-162-09 and shall include a support structure made from steel, a radiant panel with flow control, a specimen holder made from stainless steel, a pilot burner assembly with gas regulator, a stainless steel stack with 8 thermocouples, an optical pyrometer, and an flame sensing system to monitor the radiant panel and provide a safe system shutdown if the flame on the panel goes out. 3) Apparatus for conducting the ASTM E1321-09, Standard Test Method for Determining Material Ignition and Flame Spread Properties. This apparatus is used for determining material properties related to piloted ignition of a vertically oriented sample under a constant and uniform heat flux and to lateral flame spread on a vertical surface due to an externally applied radiant heat flux. The apparatus shall be built in accordance with the design provided in ASTM E-1321-09 and shall include a support frame made from steel, a radiant panel with flow control and control panel, at least 2 specimen holders made from stainless steel, a pilot burner assembly with gas regulator, an optical pyrometer and 3 heat flux sensors, and a flame sensing system to monitor the radiant panel and provide a safe system shutdown if the flame on the panel goes out. All items must be new. Used or remanufactured equipment will not be considered for award All interested Contractors shall provide a firm fixed price quote for the following: Line Item 0001: Quantity One (1) each, Flooring Radiant Panel Apparatus for conducting the ASTM E648, Standard Test Method for Critical Radiant Flux of Floor-Covering Systems Using a Radiant Heat Energy Source A) Hardware 1. The apparatus shall be built in accordance with the design provided in ASTM E-648-10e (referred to as E 648 here after) and shall include a support structure made from steel, a radiant panel with flow control, a specimen holder made from stainless steel, a pilot burner assembly with gas regulator, an optical pyrometer and heat flux sensor, and an flame sensing system to monitor the radiant panel and provide a safe system shutdown if the flame on the panel goes out. The radiant panel shall operate on natural gas. 2. The radiant heat energy source shall be a panel of porous material mounted in a cast iron or steel frame with a radiating surface of 305 by 457 mm (12 by 18 in.). It shall be capable of operating at temperatures up to 816'C (1500'F). The panel fuel system shall consist of a venturi-type aspirator for mixing gas and air at approximately atmospheric pressure, a clean, dry air supply capable of providing 28.3 NTP m3/h (1000 standard ft3/h) at 76 mm (3.0 in.) of water, and suitable instrumentation for monitoring and controlling the flow of fuel to the panel. The radiant heat energy panel is mounted in the chamber at a nominal angle of 30 - 5 to the horizontal specimen plane. The radiant panel shall be adjusted to obtain the flux profile within the limits specified in ASTM E 648. The horizontal distance from the 0 mark on the specimen fixture to the bottom edge (projected) of the radiating surface of the panel is 89 - 3 mm (3.5 - 0.13 in.). The panel-to-specimen vertical distance is 140 - 3 mm (5.5 - 0.13 in.). 3. The flooring radiant panel test chamber shall consist of an enclosure 1400 - 10 mm (55 - 0.39 in.) long by 500 - 10 mm (19.5 - 0.39 in.) deep by 710 - 10 mm (28 - 0.39 in.) above the test specimen. The sides, ends, and top shall be of 13-mm (1?2-in.) calcium silicate, 0.74 g/cm3 (46 lb/ft3) nominal density, insulating material with a thermal conductivity at 177'C (350'F) of 0.128 W/(m'K) [0.89 Btu'in./(h'ft2F)]. One side shall be provided with an approximately 100 by 1100-mm (4 by 44-in.) draft-tight fire-resistant glass window so the entire length of the test specimen will be observable from outside the fire test chamber. On the same side and below the observation window is a door that, when open, allows the specimen platform to be moved out for mounting or removal of test specimens. When required for observation, a draft-tight fire-resistant window shall be installed at the low flux end of the chamber. The bottom of the test chamber shall consist of a sliding steel platform that has provisions for rigidly securing the test specimen holder in a fixed and level position. The sliding platform shall extend outside of the test chamber to allow easy installation and removal of the test sample and be able to be slide back into the test position. 4. A metal scale marked with 10-mm intervals shall be installed on the back of the platform or on the back wall of the chamber. 5. The top of the chamber shall have an exhaust stack with interior dimensions of 102 - 3 mm (4.00 - 0.13 in.) wide by 380 - 3 mm (15.00 - 0.13 in.) deep by 318 - 3 mm (12.50 - 0.13 in.) high at the opposite end of the chamber from the radiant energy source. 6. The specimen holder shall conform in shape and dimension to ASTM E648 specifications and be constructed from heat-resistant chromium steel. Observation marks shall be filed on the surface of the specimen holder to correspond with 3-in. (76-mm) interval lines on the specimen. Specimen holder with calibration specimen. 7. The pilot burner, used to ignite the specimen, is a nominal 6 mm (1?4 in.) inside diameter, 10 mm (3?8 in.) outside diameter stainless steel tube line burner having 19 evenly spaced 0.7 mm (0.028 in.) diameter (#70 drill) holes drilled radially along the centerline, and 16 evenly spaced 0.7 mm (0.028 in.) diameter (#70 drill) holes drilled radially 60 below the centerline. The burner shall be capable of a gas flowrate of 0.085 to 0.100 m3/h (3.0 to 3.5 SCFH) (air scale) flow rate. The pilot burner is positioned no more than 5 from the horizontal so the flame generated will impinge on the specimen at the 0 distance burned point. When the burner is not being applied to the specimen, it shall be able to be positioned so it is at least 50 mm (2 in.) away from the specimen. B) Instrumentation 1. A 3.2-mm (1?8-in.) stainless steel sheathed grounded junction Chromel-Alumel thermocouple shall be located in the flooring radiant panel test chamber along the longitudinal central vertical plane of the chamber 25 mm (1 in.) down from the top and 102 mm (4 in.) back from inside the exhaust stack. 2. The radiation pyrometer for standardizing the thermal output of the panel shall be suitable for viewing a circular area 254 mm (10 in.) in diameter at a range of about 1.37 m (54 in.). It shall be calibrated over the 490 to 510'C (914 to 950'F) operating blackbody temperature range. C) Electrical Any electrical equipment will be designed for use with 110V 60HZ supply power. D) Safety An automatic flame sensing system is required. If the flame on the radiant panel is extinguished, the system should automatically shut off the gas supply to the radiant panel. E) Other 1. Owner's operational manual(s) for the apparatus or subsystems of the apparatus. 2. Telephone and Online technical support, including initial installation support. Line Item 0002: Quantity One (1) each, Lateral Ignition and Flame Spread Test (LIFT) Apparatus for conducting the ASTM E1321-09, Standard Test Method for Determining Material Ignition and Flame Spread Properties. A) Hardware 1. The apparatus shall be built in accordance with the design provided in ASTM E-1321-09 (referred to as E 1321 here after) and shall include a support frame made from steel, a radiant panel with flow control and control panel, at least 2 specimen holders made from stainless steel, a pilot burner assembly with gas regulator, an optical pyrometer and 3 heat flux sensors, and a flame sensing system to monitor the radiant panel and provide a safe system shutdown if the flame on the panel goes out. The radiant panel shall operate on natural gas. 2. The frame shall consist of two separate sections, the radiant-panel support frame and the specimen support frame. The two frame sections shall be joined in a manner that allows adjustments in the relative position of the radiant panel to the specimen to be made easily. The Specimen Holder Support Frame Guides, Pilot Burner assembly, Fume Stack, Flame Front Viewing Rakes, Radiation Pyrometer, and Mirror are all mounted and assembled on the specimen support frame as shown in ASTM E-1321. 3. The radiant panel shall consist of a radiating surface of porous refractory tiles mounted at the front of a stainless steel plenum chamber to provide a flat radiating surface of approximately 280 by 483 mm. The plenum chamber shall include baffle plates and diffusers to distribute the gas/air mixture evenly over the radiation surface. The gas/air mixture enters the plenum chamber at one of the short sides to facilitate easy connection when the panel is mounted from the frame. A reverberatory screen is provided immediately in front of the radiating surface to enhance the combustion efficiency and increase the radiant output. The appropriate air and fuel flow-metering devices, gas control valves, pressure reducer, and safety controls are all mounted on the panel support frame. Requirements are as follows: a) A flowmeter suitable for indicating air flow over the range of 2 to 15 by 10-3 m3/s shall be provided. A flowmeter suitable for indicating natural gas flow rates over the range of 0.1 to 1.1 by 10-3 m3/s shall be provided. b) A natural gas pressure regulator shall be provided to maintain a constant supply pressure. Gas is controlled by either a manually adjusted needle valve or a Venturi mixer. 4. The specimen holder shall conform in shape and dimension to ASTM E-1321 specifications and be constructed from stainless steel. B) Instrumentation Total Radiation Pyrometer, compensated for its temperature variation and having a nominal sensitivity between the thermal wavelengths of 1 and 9 ?m that shall view a centrally located area on the radiant panel of about 150 by 300 mm. The instrument shall be securely mounted on the specimen support frame in such a manner that it can view the radiant panel surface oriented for specimens in the vertical position. C) Electrical Any electrical equipment will be designed for use with 110V 60HZ supply power. D) Safety An automatic flame sensing system is required. If the flame on the radiant panel is extinguished, the system should automatically shut off the gas supply to the radiant panel. E) Other 1. Owner's operational manual(s) for the apparatus or subsystems of the apparatus. 2. Telephone and Online technical support, including initial installation support. Line Item 0003: Quantity One (1) each, ASTM E-162 Apparatus for conducting the Standard Test Method for Surface Flammability of Materials Using a Radiant Heat Energy Source A) Hardware 1. The apparatus shall be built in accordance with the design provided in ASTM E-162-09 (hereafter referred to as E-162) and shall include a support structure made from steel, a radiant panel with flow control, a specimen holder made from stainless steel, a pilot burner assembly with gas regulator, a stainless steel stack with 8 thermocouples, an optical pyrometer, and an flame sensing system to monitor the radiant panel and provide a safe system shutdown if the flame on the panel goes out. The radiant panel shall operate on natural gas. 2. The radiant panel shall consist of a porous refractory material vertically mounted in a cast iron frame, exposing a radiating surface of 12 by 18 in. (305 by 457 mm) and shall be capable of operating at temperatures up to 1500'F (815'C). The radiant panel shall be equipped with a control system for measuring (flow meters) and mixing gas and air at approximately atmospheric pressure; a pressure regulator and a control and shut-off valve for the gas supply. 3. The specimen holder shall conform in shape and dimension to ASTM E-162 specifications and be constructed from heat-resistant chromium steel. Observation marks shall be filed on the surface of the specimen holder to correspond with 3-in. (76-mm) interval lines on the specimen. 4. The framework for the specimen holder shall have two transverse rods of stainless steel, each 0.50 - 0.13 in. (12.7 - 3.3 mm) in diameter, with a stop to center the specimen holder directly in front of the radiant panel. The support and bracing members shall be constructed from metal stock. Since the angle of the specimen and its position with respect to the panel are critical, the framework dimensions specifying these conditions shall be within 0.125 in. (3.2 mm) of the values given in ASTM E-162. 5. The pilot burner shall be a length of stainless steel tubing approximately 8 to 9 in. (203 to 229 mm) long with nominally 0.125 in. (3.2 mm) inside diameter by nominally 0.19 in. (4.8 mm) outside diameter. The burner shall be mounted horizontally and at a slight angle to the intersection of the horizontal plane of the burner with the plane of the specimen. The burner shall also be capable of being moved out of position when not in use. The pilot shall provide a 2 to 3 in. (51 to 76-mm) flame of acetylene gas premixed with air in an aspirating type fitting. The position of the burner tip shall be such that the pilot flame shall contact or shall be within 0.5 in. (12.7 mm) of contacting the upper central surface of the specimen. 6. The stack shall be made from nominally 0.040 in. (1.0 mm) sheet steel with shape and dimensions as shown in Fig. 1 of ASTM E -162. The position of the stack with respect to the specimen and radiant heat panel shall also comply with the requirements of ASTM E 162. B) Instrumentation 1. Eight thermocouples of equal resistance and connected in parallel shall be mounted in the stack and supported with porcelain insulators as indicated in Figures 1 and 3 of ASTM E-162. The thermocouples shall be Chromel-Alumel Type K, shielded against high heat with insulation resisting up to 2190 F (1200 C), and with wire gauges in the range of 0.014- 0.020 in. (0.36 - 0.51 mm; 30 AWG-24 AWG) diameter. 2. The radiation pyrometer for standardizing the thermal output of the panel shall be suitable for viewing a circular area 10 in. (254 mm) in diameter at a range of about 4 ft. (1.2 m). C) Electrical Any electrical equipment will be designed for use with 110V 60HZ supply power. D) Safety An automatic flame sensing system is required. If the flame on the radiant panel is extinguished, the system should automatically shut off the gas supply to the radiant panel. E) Other 1. Owner's operational manual(s) for the apparatus or subsystems of the apparatus. 2. Telephone and Online technical support, including initial installation support. Evaluation Factors Award shall be made to the Contractor whose quote 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 factor "Meeting or Exceeding the Requirement", 2) Past Performance, and 3) Price. Technical capability and past performance, when combined, shall be approximately equal to price. If Technical Capability and Past Performance are equivalent, price shall be the determining factor. A) 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 or exceeds all requirements. Quotations that do not demonstrate that the proposed equipment meets all requirements will not be considered further for award. Quoters shall also include product literature which addresses all specifications & clearly documents that the product offered meets or exceeds the specifications identified herein. Note: If an offeror does not indicate whether its proposed equipment meets a certain technical requirement, NIST will determine that it does not. B) Past Performance: Past Performance will be evaluated to determine the overall quality of the product & service provided and the Contractor's history of meeting delivery schedules for prior deliverables. Evaluation of Past Performance shall be based on the references provided and/or the quoters recent and relevant procurement history. Offerors should provide a list of 3-5 references to whom the same or similar equipment has been provided. Past performance references must include the company/organizations name, contact person, phone number, and e-mail address. Past Performance and Price shall not be evaluated on quotes that are determined technically unacceptable in accordance with the Technical Capability Evaluation factor. Delivery Terms Delivery terms shall be FOB Destination, and take place in accordance with Contractor's commercial schedule. 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. Quotation Submission Instructions All vendors shall submit the following to Willie Lu, Contract Specialist at contact@example.gov: 1) An electronic version of a quotation which addresses all of the above items; 2) Technical description, specifications, and/or product literature; 3) Description of commercial warranty; 4) A copy of the most recent published price list(s); and 5) Past performance references, to include the company/organizations' name, contact person, phone number, and e-mail address. This is an Open-Market Combined Synopsis/Solicitation for item(s) 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." OR The offeror 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: Offeror shall list exception(s) and rationale for the exception(s) 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. All quotations must be submitted electronically via Email, and be received not later than 2:00 PM Eastern time, on April 23, 2012. E-mail quotations shall not be deemed received until the quotation is entered in the e-mail inbox of Willie Lu at contact@example.gov Any questions or concerns regarding this solicitation must be forwarded in writing via e-mail to Willie Lu, Contract Specialist, at contact@example.gov The full text of a FAR provision or clause may be accessed electronically at http://acquisition.gov/comp/far/index.html. The following provisions apply to this acquisition: 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors-Commercial Items; 52.212-3 Offerors Representations and Certifications- Commercial Items. Offerors must 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. The following clauses apply to this acquisition: 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 including subparagraphs: 52.219-28 Post-Award Small Business Program Representation; 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; 52.222-36, Affirmative Action for Workers with Disabilities; 52.223-18, Contractor Policy to Ban Text Messaging While Driving. 52.225-3, Buy American Act-Free Trade Agreements-Israeli Trade Act. 52.225-13, Restriction on Certain Foreign Purchases; 52.232-33, Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer-Central Contractor Registration. 52.237-2, Protection of Government Buildings, Equipment, and Vegetation; 52.247-34, FOB Destination; and Department of Commerce Agency-Level Protest Procedures Level above the Contracting Officer is also incorporated. It can be downloaded at www.nist.gov/admin/od/contract/agency.htm. NIST Local Clause_04 Billing Instructions