Replacement High-Performance Cesium Beam Tube for 5071A Frequency Standard

The contract solicitation NB688000-26-01570, issued by the National Institute of Standards and Technology under the Department of Commerce, seeks a replacement high-performance cesium beam tube for integration into the NIST 5071A atomic frequency standard. The tube must be new, electrically and mechanically compatible with the existing system, and meet stringent frequency stability requirements of no worse than 5×10⁻¹² at one-second averaging and less than 1×10⁻¹⁴ at 30-day averaging, critical to maintaining UTC(NIST) timekeeping accuracy. Delivery and full installation must occur no later than 24 weeks after receipt of order at the NIST facility in Boulder, Colorado, where government personnel will perform acceptance testing. The procurement is structured as a total small business set-aside, requiring offerors to certify as small businesses, though no specific socioeconomic classifications beyond that are mandated. An optional recycling service for the returned spent tube is included, necessitating safe handling and disposal of radioactive components through a separately priced, vendor-provided process. Access to the NIST facility is strictly controlled, with U.S. citizenship required for on-site personnel and foreign nationals mandated to complete a 30-day preregistration process. Government-furnished equipment movement is tightly managed through coordination with the Technical Point of Contact and property custodian to prevent conflicts of interest. The solicitation does not specify contract value, pricing structure, evaluation factors, or award basis, and no formal packaging, marking, invoicing, or payment details are provided, suggesting these elements may be addressed in supporting documentation or left to vendor proposal. Electronic submissions via email are accepted, and the response deadline is May 29, 2026.