Notice of Intent to Sole Source 1030 nm Laser

The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), Geospatial Research Laboratory (GRL) has a requirement for a short pulse width laser with high pulse energy at 1030 nm emission wavelength to be procured on a sole source basis from Coherent (UEI: EB6LPDELZEW1). The required laser must meet certain specifications based on design requirements, to aid and enable the researchers at GRL to successfully fulfill the project's mission. Currently the team at GRL has short pulse width laser at 1030 nm, but the laser has very low pulse energy (less than 50 uJ). The GRL team must acquire this high energy and short pulse width laser at 1030 nm to aid the team in successfully designing the lidar sensor. Table 1. System Requirements Specifications Performance Requirement Output Wavelength 1030nm Pulse energy, Max >100uJ Average power >1W Pulsewidth, typical <3ns Pulse Repetition Frequency <=100KHz Beam quality(M^2) <1.5 Polarization Linear 100:1 Total weight <2.5Kg Storage Temperature 0C to 50C Operating temperature 15C to 40C Total power consumption < 100W Warranty Basic coverage warranty for product defects; 12 months from receipt The required laser must meet certain optical, electrical, environmental, and mechanical specifications to meet the Government's requirement. In terms of optical specifications, the laser emission wavelength must be 1030 nm. The laser must have short pulse duration (3 ns or shorter). Its pulse energy must be more than 100 uJ at a pulse repetition rate of < =10 KHz. The laser must also have excellent beam quality (M^2<1.5). In terms of electrical specifications, the laser total power consumption must not exceed 100 W. Since there is a limitation in total power consumption of the final lidar sensor, it is very important to have a laser with low power consumption. In terms of mechanical specifications, it is very crucial that the laser be very compact and lightweight (< 2.5 Kg total weight). All these requirements aid and enable researchers at GRL to successfully design and develop the lidar sensor. Laser model FLARE NX 1030-1.0-2 provided by Coherent has more than 500 uJ pulse energy at a pulse repletion rate of 2 KHz. Its pulse duration is 1.5 ns and its beam quality (M^2) is 1.2. This laser has very low power consumption (< 40 W) in terms of mechanical specifications. This laser is very compact with 2 Kg total net weight. The unique characteristics for the laser are necessary to the successful completion of the project mission and cannot be overcome by alternative solutions. It has been determined that laser model FLARE NX 1030-1.0- 2 provided by Coherent is the only commercial product which is capable of meeting the Government's requirements. This laser with its own unique specification is not available from mandatory sources. Therefore, it is required that a sole source award be made to Coherent. The Government intends to procure from only one source under the authority of FAR 13.106-1(b)(1)(i). This notice of intent is for information purposes only. This notice is not a request for competitive quotes or proposals. A solicitation will not be issued. However, all responsible sources may submit a capability statement, proposal, or quotation, which shall be considered by the agency. The information submitted must be provided in sufficient detail to demonstrate the vendor's ability to fulfill this requirement. The contractor must also provide a description of their past experience in fulfilling requirements which are the same or similar to this requirement and references for each. Information received will be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. A determination by the Government not to compete this requirement on a full and open competition basis, based upon responses to this notice, is solely within the discretion of the government. Verbal communications are not acceptable in response to this notice. Responses to this requirement may be submitted to Jessica Wilson at jessica.l.wilson2@usace.army.mil. The solicitation number shall be included in the subject line of the e-mail submission. Responses must be received no later than 2:00 PM CST, Monday, August 5, 2024.