NOI: Acquisition of Precision Laser Welding System

The National Institutes of Health, Office of the Director, Office of Acquisitions, is initiating a non-competitive, firm-fixed-price procurement for a precision laser welding system under FAR Subpart 12.6 to support cardiovascular device prototyping at the NHLBI Laboratory of Cardiovascular Interventions. The acquisition, identified by solicitation number 75N98026Q00687, is issued as a Notice of Intent and will be awarded without full and open competition to Coherent NA Inc., leveraging authority under FAR 12.603 and 41 U.S.C. 1901, with the requirement falling below the simplified acquisition threshold. The system must feature Nd:YAG or equivalent laser technology with a minimum 100 W output, capable of welding stainless steel and Nitinol, and include both manual and CNC-controlled operation with 3–4 axis motion control, an integrated microscope for real-time imaging, a fully enclosed laser-safe chamber, fine fixturing, and integrated gas and cooling systems. The vendor must provide on-site installation, operational verification, a minimum 12-month warranty, and deliver the system within 12 weeks of award, with performance spanning from July 6 to October 30, 2026, at NIH Building 10, Room B1D501 in Bethesda, MD, under FOB Destination terms. The procurement follows commercial item procedures under FAR 52.212-3, 52.212-4, and 52.212-5, requiring offerors to be currently registered in SAM.gov with a valid Unique Entity Identifier and Taxpayer Identification Number, and to submit a completed offeror representations and certifications form. No small business set-aside applies despite the NAICS code 333992 having a 500-employee size standard. The evaluation is based on a non-competitive, lowest price technically acceptable approach, considering factors such as technical capability, past performance, special features, trade-in options, warranty, maintenance availability, and lifecycle or environmental efficiency, though no weights or scoring criteria are formally assigned. Invoicing must be submitted via the Interagency Procurement Portal (IPP), requiring a three-way match with the purchase order, and all administrative compliance elements including SAM, CGE, and IPP requirements are incorporated by reference under Federal Acquisition Circular 2026-01. The Contracting Officer is Nicholas