Laboratory-Scale Gas Atomizer

The National Research Council of Canada is soliciting proposals for the supply, delivery, and installation of a laboratory-scale Gas Atomizer to be located at the Clean Energy Innovation facility in Mississauga. The system is intended to produce high-quality, spherical metal and alloy powders, specifically requiring a production capacity of at least 1 kg of steel or equivalent alloys per cycle. Key technical requirements include compatibility with a wide range of metals such as iron, copper, aluminum, nickel, and cobalt, the use of argon, helium, or nitrogen gases, and the inclusion of a cyclone separator for particles smaller than 10 microns. The equipment must be CSA certified, not exceed 40 kW in power consumption, and be capable of cooling rates of at least 10^5 K/s. The procurement process involves a two-stage evaluation where bidders must first pass a mandatory technical assessment based on 17 specific criteria before undergoing a financial evaluation based on the total aggregated fixed price. The contract follows a milestone-based payment structure, with payments triggered by design freeze, Factory Acceptance Testing, delivery, installation, Site Acceptance Testing, and training. The total delivery and installation timeline is 28 weeks from the contract date, consisting of 24 weeks for delivery and 4 weeks for installation and training. Bidders must demonstrate relevant experience by providing at least two examples of custom laboratory-scale Gas Atomizer projects completed within the last five years.