Room Temperature Bore, 3-axis, Cryogen Free, Superconducting Magnet System

COMBINED SYNOPSIS/SOLICITATION Room Temperature Bore, 3-axis, Cryogen Free, Superconducting Magnet System (I) This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in FAR Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; quotations are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. (II) This solicitation is issued as a Request for Quotation (RFQ). Submit written quotes on RFQ Number RA1341-08-RQ-0641PB (III) The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2005-26. (IV) This solicitation is a Total Small Business Set-Aside. The associated NAICS code is 334516. The small business size standard is 500 employees. Contractor(s) must quote all or nothing. (V) This combined solicitation/synopsis is for purchase of the following commercial item(s)/services: Room Temperature Bore, 3-axis, Cryogen Free, Superconducting Magnet System to be used at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in the Electronics and Electrical Engineering Laboratory Division - Magnetodynamics Division located in Boulder, Colorado, USA. (VI) Description of system requirements is as follows: Line Item 0001 - The Contractor shall furnish one (1) Room Temperature Bore, 3-Axis Superconducting Magnet System. The System shall meet or exceed all of the minimum specifications identified herein. All equipment must be new. Used or remanufactured equipment will not be considered for award. A. BASIC SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS (TECHNICAL CAPABILITIES) 1. 4-inch diameter clear room temperature bore, oriented along a horizontal axis 2. 3-axis field generation via one solenoid and two split pair magnets, with 1 T vector field capability in any direction 3. Horizontal x-axis solenoid, 3 Tesla field, +/- 0.1% homogeneity over 1 cm dsv 4. Horizontal y-axis split coil, 1 T field, +/- 1% homogeneity over 1 cm dsv 5. Vertical z-axis split coil, 1 T field, +/- 1% homogeneity over 1 cm dsv 6. Remnant magnetic field after ramping up to maximum current, then ramping back down to zero current, is to be less than or equal to 1 mT for all three axes 7. Deviation from linearity when ramping from zero current to maximum current is to be equal to or less than 4 mT for all three axes. 8. Magnet is to be fully protected against damage by accidental quench, whether by exceeding operating temperature or by exceeding critical current. Comprehensive preventative interlock system to prevent accidental quench is acceptable. 9. Cryogen free refrigeration system. < 36 hour initial cool down. >1 watt of cooling power at 4.2 K, >35 watt of cooling power at 50K. Conventional water-cooled Gifford-McMahon cryocooler is acceptable. 10. Three four-quadrant, bi-polar power supplies for each of the three magnets. Current stability < 20 mA @ 25oC after 40 minute warm up. Output noise < 120 mV p-p. 11. > 4 channel temperature monitor. Cryogenic temperature sensors installed on the refrigerator 1st and 2nd stages, HTS leads, and magnet, at the very least, to ensure proper monitoring of key system temperatures. Additional temperature sensors to ensure proper magnet operation as per manufacturer guidelines are preferable. 12. At least 12-month warranty that completed system conforms to specifications described in quotation. If any repairs are covered under this warranty, standard shipping for return to the customer is paid for by vendor. 13. All external magnet leads are to be protected against high voltage during accidental quench to prevent human injury due to voltage discharge. 14. User-modifiable LabVIEW control software and GPIB card. 15. On-site installation and training service, during which magnet is demonstrated to meet all required specifications listed herein. 16. Full turnkey system with all necessary components for full operation included (water chillers, power cables, gas lines, etc...) NIST will supply control computer that meets or exceeds minimum requirements (processor speed, memory, etc...) stipulated by Contractor. 17. Contractor is to provide detailed stray field plots of field magnitude verses distance along the x-axis and y-axis for the case where each coil set is energized at maximum field for a distance of up to 10 feet from the center of the solenoidal magnet. 18. Contractor is to provide detailed schematics of the system at least four (4) months before the system is shipped to NIST in order to give NIST the opportunity to design and build a suitable mechanical mount for the magnet before the magnet arrives at NIST. ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS: 19. It is preferred that the deviation from linearity when ramping from zero current to maximum current is less than 4 mT for all three axes. 20. It is preferred that the remnant magnetic field after ramping up to maximum current, then ramping back down to zero current, less than 1 mT for all three axes 21. It is strongly preferred that the output noise of the bipolar power supplies is much less than 120 mV p-p B. INSTALLATION/TRAINING/WARRANTY: The Contractor shall schedule and facilitate installation/set-up. Installation, at a minimum, shall include uncrating, and unpacking of all equipment, set-up and hook-up of the instrument, demonstration of all required specifications, and removal of trash. Onsite installation and demonstration shall be done at NIST, Boulder, CO, within 30 calendar days of delivery to NIST. The Contractor shall schedule and facilitate 1 training session for up to 4 users at NIST. The training shall provide a thorough demonstration of all equipment functions, maintenance, data administration, and basic troubleshooting. The training may be completed at NIST immediately after installation and demonstration of performance specifications, but no later than 10 days after installation. The Contractor shall provide a list of installation requirements, including house services and furniture, with explanations, as soon as the contract is awarded. NIST will provide any required connections to house services. The Contractor shall provide a minimum of a 1 Year Warranty. Quotation must include unlimited telephone/e-mail support, during the warranty period, for questions regarding operation. This warranty must cover non-consumable parts and travel/labor on-site should this become necessary within the warranty period C. INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE CRITERIA: NIST requests the option to inspect system prior to shipment. Contractor shall provide at a minimum 30-days advance notice in order to accommodate travel arrangements. Contractor and NIST shall complete the performance check at NIST laboratory for adherence to performance specifications. Delivery shall be FOB DESTINATION and be completed in accordance with the Contractor's commercial schedule. FOB Destination means: The Contractor shall pack and mark the shipment in conformance with carrier requirements, deliver the shipment in good order and condition to the point of delivery specified in the contract, be responsible for any loss of and/or damage to the goods occurring before receipt and acceptance of the shipment by the consignee at the delivery point specified in the purchase order; and pay all charges to the specified point of delivery. The Contractor shall deliver to Department of Commerce, Building 22, Shipping and Receiving, 325 Broadway, Boulder, CO 80305-3328. D. EVALUATION AND FACTORS: Award shall be made to the Contractor whose system provides the best value to the Government. The Government will evaluate quotes based on the following factors - Technical Capability, Past Performance, and Price. Technical Capability shall have a greater value than Past Performance. Technical Capability when combined with Past performance shall be approximately equal in importance to price. If all things considered are equal, price shall be the determining factor. FACTOR 1 - TECHNICAL CAPABILITY will be to determine if the system offered meets all the specifications. Quote shall include the manufacturer and model of the products being offered. Contractor should provide manufacturer/product sales literature that addresses the specifications. Literature or quotation should clearly document if the product offered meets or exceeds the specifications identified above. Contractor must have strength in this type of manufacturing, specifically including having sold similar units to that proposed in their bid as addressed in Past Performance. EVALUATION OF FACTOR 1 (Technical Capability): The Government will evaluate the Technical Capability and qualifications of the proposed system by reviewing each quote. Evaluation will be made to determine if the system meets or exceeds the requirements specified above. Systems meeting all the evaluated areas will be more favorably rated. Systems that do not meet the technical qualifications will be evaluated neither favorably nor unfavorably. Under Technical Capability, higher importance may be given for a system with one or more of the additional considerations. Multiple system quotes shall be accepted and are encouraged. Contractor shall clearly identify alternate systems as appropriate. FACTOR 2 - PAST PERFORMANCE will be to determine Contractors history of products, services and experience in successfully providing comparable systems. Contractor shall include no fewer than 3 references, including address, phone number, and point-of-contact, from users who are currently operating the make and model of the proposed system in the field. Referenced models need not be of the current production year, but shall be production equipment manufactured within the past 24 months and designed for the same or similar purpose, and should be as functionally similar to the equipment being proposed. Proprietary information shall be marked as such or may be redacted prior to submission. EVALUATION OF FACTOR 2 (Past Performance): The Government will evaluate the historical delivery, Performance and Satisfaction of systems in the field to determine the degree of Experience in successfully providing comparable systems for the same or similar types of applications (in scope or complexity). References may be queried to determine if past performance, 1) exceeded expectation, 2) meet expectations, or 3) failed to meet expectation in the areas of quality of equipment, timeliness of delivery, and perceived customer satisfaction. Contractors demonstrating a higher level of successful past performance in the evaluated areas will be more favorably rated. In the case of a Contractor without a record of relevant past performance or for whom information on past performance is not available, the Contractor will be evaluated neither favorably nor unfavorably. Past Performance on contracts with the Federal Government, other public agencies, or private organizations may be considered. The past performance information submitted may be that of the Offeror's firm or its proposed subcontractors. Subcontractor past performance will only be considered if the past performance correlates to the work the contractor will be performing on the contemplated contract. The Contractor should disclose any instances in which its Past Performance on a particular contract may be considered by others to be less than fully satisfactory by attaching a narrative. The Contractor should relate pertinent facts and circumstances and describe any remedial action taken or to be taken to correct the deficiency. Failure to disclose such instances may result in a determination that the Contractor has been less than candid with the Government, which could result in an unfavorable assessment of the Offeror's past performance record. The Government reserves the right to limit the number of references it ultimately contacts and to contact references or use sources other than those provided by the Contractor to obtain information related to past performance. Other sources include, but are not limited to, the Past Performance Information Retrieval System; Federal, State or local governmental agencies; and private sector businesses. Limited exchanges between the Government and a Contractor may occur to clarify the relevance of a Contractor's past performance information and adverse past performance information to which the Contractor has not previously had an opportunity to respond. Past Performance and Price will not be evaluated on proposals that are deemed technically unacceptable. FACTOR 3 PRICE: Price shall reflect the total price, inclusive. Contractor should ensure that their quote constitutes their best offer in terms of both price and the technical solution being proposed. EVALUATION OF FACTOR 3 - (Price) The Government will evaluate PRICE to determine if the proposal is fair and reasonable. Reasonableness will be determined considering other competitive prices received and comparison to the independent Government estimate. If multiple contract line items are included in the price schedule, prices will also be evaluated to determine whether any line items are unbalanced. Contractors are cautioned to distribute costs appropriately. Contractors holding any Government Wide Acquisition Contracts (GWAC) shall provided contract number and contracting agency. (VII) Place of delivery is Department of Commerce, NIST 818 - Bldg 22, 325 Broadway, Boulder, Colorado 80305-3328. Delivery shall be FOB Destination. (VIII) Required delivery is based on Contractor lead-time, and Contractor shall state a delivery schedule based on their actual best to worst scenarios of similar equipment. (IX) FAR 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors -- Commercial Items (JUNE 2008), applies to this acquisition. In addition to written price quotes, Offers are instructed to provide literature and references as identified in the Evaluation Factors. (X) FAR 52.212-2, Evaluation - Commercial Items (JAN 1999), applies to this acquisition. Paragraph (a) is hereby completed as follows: The following factors in order of importance shall be used to evaluate offers: Technical Capability, Past Performance, and Price. See Evaluation and Factors Section D for requirements. E. EVALUATION PROCESS: The Government will use a best value trade-off process for this source selection. Award will be made to the responsible Contractor whose offer conforms to the requirements and provides the best value to the Government considering all factors. A Technical Evaluation Panel (TEP) and a Source Selection Authority (SSA) comprised of Government personnel, with assistance from non-Government advisors when required, will evaluate the proposal. Quotations will be evaluated against the factors set forth in Section A. The SSA will evaluate price proposals independent of the TEP evaluation. The TEP will not have access to price information until completion of the technical evaluation. The technical evaluation will be conducted in strict confidence. Proposals will be evaluated based on the factors described herein. Quotations will receive a preliminary review to determine whether the bid contains sufficient information, as required by specified herein. If the results of this preliminary review indicate that the bid lacks sufficient information to allow a meaningful evaluation to be conducted, the Government may eliminate the proposal from further evaluation and consideration for an award. After completion of the technical and price evaluations, the TEP will report the results to the SSA. The SSA will then consider all technical and price factors, including assessing the degree of risk associated with the bid, to determine the offer that provides the overall best value to the Government. The SSA's decision will be based on a comparative assessment of bid against all source selection factors specified herein. The Government may elect to accept other than the lowest priced proposal when the perceived benefits of a higher priced bid merit the additional cost. (XI) The Contractor must submit a completed copy of the provision at FAR 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications - Commercial Items (JUNE 2008), with its quote. Contractors must be registered in the Central Contractor Registration database (CCR): http://www.ccr.gov/ and to have completed the Online Representation and Certifications (ORCA) located at https://orca.bpn.gov/ (XII) The clause at FAR 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions - Commercial Items (FEB 2007), applies to this acquisition. (XIII) The clause at FAR 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders - Commercial Items (JUNE 2008) applies to this acquisition. The following clauses under subparagraph (b) apply: FAR 52.203-6 Restriction on Subcontractor Sales to the Government, with Alternate I; FAR 52,219-4 Notice of Price Evaluation Preference for HUBZone Small business Concerns; FAR 52.219-8 Utilization of Small Business Concerns; FAR 52.222-3 Convict Labor; FAR 52.222-19 Child Labor - Cooperation with Authorities and Remedies; FAR 52.222-21 Prohibition of Segregated Facilities; FAR 52-222-26 Equal Opportunity; FAR 52.222-35 Equal Opportunity for Special Disabled Veterans, Veterans of the Vietnam Era, and Other Eligible Veterans; FAR 52.222-36 Affirmative Action for Workers with Disabilities; FAR 52.222-37 Employment Reports on Special Disabled Veterans, Veterans of the Vietnam Era, and Other Eligible Veterans; FAR 52.225-5 Trade Agreements; FAR 52.225-13 Restriction on Certain Foreign Purchases; FAR 52.232-33 Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer-Central Contractor Registration. (XIV) The following clause is also applicable to this acquisition: FAR 52.252-2 Clauses Incorporated by Reference (FEB 1998) This contract incorporates one or more clauses by reference, with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracts Specialist will make full text available. Also, the full text of a clause may be accessed electronically at these addresses: http://www.acquisition.gov/far/index.html or http://www.arnet.gov/far/ (XV) The Government intends to award a fixed-price contract resulting from this solicitation. (XVI) Quotes are required to be received in the contracting office no later than 01:00 P.M. MST on August 28, 2008. All quotes (less than 25 pages) may be faxed or emailed to the attention of Pamela Ballard. The fax number is (303) 497-3163 and email address is Pamela.Ballard@noaa.gov. If quote and documentation exceeds 25 pages please mail or send by private carrier to: Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Mountain Region Acquisition Division, Attn: Pamela Ballard MC3, 325 Broadway, Boulder, Colorado 80305-3328. (XVII) Any questions regarding this solicitation should be directed to Pamela Ballard, (303) 497-3478, Pamela.Ballard@noaa.gov.