Notice of Intent

PLEASE READ THIS NOTICE CAREFULLY AS IT CONSTITUTES THE ONLY NOTICE THAT WILL BE PUBLISHED. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) intends to negotiate a one-time sole source contract with Safety Management Services, Inc., 1847 W 9000 Street, STE 205, West Jordan, UT 84088. The Government intends to negotiate with only one source under the authority of FAR 6.302-1. This notice will be distributed solely through the General Services Administration's Federal Business Opportunities (FBO) Website (www.fedbizopps.gov). Interested parties are responsible for monitoring the FBO site to ensure they have the most up-to-date information about this acquisition. The North American Classification System Code is 334519, Other Measuring and Controlling Device Manufacturing; the size standard is 500 employees. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) intends to award a non-competitive, sole source contract to Safety Management Services, Inc., 1847 W 9000 Street, STE 205, West Jordan, UT 84088 for an ABL Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) Machine. Under the FBI's Explosives characterization research and testing efforts, Element 2 (Homemade Explosives Synthesis and Characterization) specifically identifies "safety and characterization testing" as a task to be performed and documented as part of the explosives characterization research effort. The measurement of susceptibility to electrostatic discharge for an energetic material is a crucial parameter to determine safe handling. The Safety Management Services, Inc., ABL Electrostatic Discharge Machine is required for determining the safety characteristics of energetic materials subjected to electrostatic discharge. Safety Management Services, Inc. is the only vendor that can provide the required ABL Electrostatic Discharge Machine that meets the critical specifications listed below: - The ABL Electrostatic Discharge Machine must satisfy the requirements of MIL-STD-1571, Method 1031, 1032, and 1033; - The ABL Electrostatic Discharge Machine must closely simulate actual, in-process manufacturing conditions where personnel or equipment may subject an explosive to electrostatic discharge; - The ABL Electrostatic Discharge Machine must facilitate the acquisition of data in engineering units; - The ABL Electrostatic Discharge Machine must utilize an "approaching needle" design that simulates the event of two objects approaching each other, one with a positive and one with a negative charge, such that a discharge occurs at a finite separation distance; - Electrical energy discharge should occur as a spark at a single point; - The rate of the approaching needle should be able to be adjusted by varying the supplied air pressure to the tester; - The user must be able to adjust the gap between the needle and the grounded base plate from 0 - 0.75 inches by raising or lowering the plate; - The user must be able to lock the approaching needle at a specified height above the base plate to operate the tester in a fixed-height needle mode; - The ABL Electrostatic Discharge Machine must run on 120VAC, 60 Hz; - The ABL Electrostatic Discharge Machine must include a remote firing switch allowing the operator to remain at a safe distance during a test; - All access doors and panels must be equipped with a safety interlock switch that must be closed to operate the tester; - The voltage that can be applied to the test sample should be 0 - 10,000 VDC; - The user must be able to adjust capacitance values between 0.10E-04 - 0.75 F; - The energy output of the ABL Electrostatic Discharge Machine should be 0.010 - 37.5 J; - The ABL Electrostatic Discharge Machine must include appropriate photoelectric trigger sensors and associated mounts for use with a Phantom high-speed camera to record the explosive/chemical reaction (Note - the FBI plans on utilizing a Phantom v641 high-speed camera for this purpose); - The ABL Electrostatic Discharge Machine must have PC-based, user-friendly software that will: o Record the technical parameters associated with each test; o Assist the user in the automatic determination of explosive reaction; o Reduce or eliminate operator subjectivity of explosive reaction determination; o Allow high-speed camera test videos to be recorded and stored (Note - the FBI plans on utilizing a Phantom v641 high-speed camera; o Allow easy playback of the relevant camera frames that depict the explosive reaction; o Quantify the reaction results documented; o Allow a summary of the reaction probability; o Allow the user the option of not utilizing the Phantom high-speed camera, but still be able to record the technical parameters associated with each test; o Export a final report ( in Adobe Acrobat PDF form) containing all of the recorded data; - The FBI has purchased similar software referred to above with Safety Management Services for the Modified Bureau of Mines Impact Tester and the ABL Friction Tester. The FBI requests a single purchase of the software with multiple individual licenses for its use; - The ABL Electrostatic Discharge Machine must come with an instruction manual on the operation and maintenance of the system and parts; - The ABL Electrostatic Discharge Machine must come with on-site technical set-up and assistance. The Safety Management Services ABL Electrostatic Discharge Machine is the only device on the market that closely simulates in-process conditions, provides data in the appropriate engineering units, and facilitates quantitative risk assessment of normal and abnormal failure scenarios. Other industry-available testers are designed primarily to provide data for relative comparison of material sensitivity as compared to a common, reference material. Such equipment is not designed to simulate in-process conditions or to minimize numerous testing variables. The Safety Management Services ABL Electrostatic Discharge Machine will soon be approved by the Transportation and Dangerous Goods Committee and referenced in the standard United Nations Manual of Tests and Criteria. This manual is routinely utilized by the explosives industry as a standard reference for the tests required for the particular hazard classification of an explosive. This notice of intent is not a request for competitive quotations; however, interested parties may identify their interests and capability to respond to this requirement to this office by 08:00 am, ET, August 31, 2015, by email to the attention of Jerry Varnell, Contract Specialist, at contact@example.gov. Information received will be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether or not to conduct a competitive procurement. Telephone requests will not be considered. A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed contract based upon response to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Vendors must be registered in SAM, effective July 29, 2012 to receive government contracts. The FBI uses a financial system that has a direct interface with SAM. Please ensure that your company's SAM information is updated and accurate. This includes TIN, EFT, DUNS, addresses and contact information. The EFT banking information on file in SAM will be what the FBI uses to process payment to your organization.