Sample Rotation System
Contract Overview
Solicitation details, issuing organization, response deadlines, documents, and interested companies for this government contract opportunity.
AI Contract Overview
The U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is conducting market research to identify commercial sources capable of supplying a custom air bearing rotation system for use in neutron imaging experiments at its Gaithersburg, Maryland campus. The system must support high-precision tomographic measurements requiring a rotation stage capable of handling loads exceeding 30 kg, achieving rotational speeds above 1000 RPM, and maintaining ultra-low positional errors—specifically, a position resolution better than 2 arcsec, axial and radial deviations under 30 nm, and total tilt error under 0.5 arcsec. The stage must be an air bearing design with air consumption under 40 SLPM at pressures below 600 kPa, weigh less than 10 kg, feature a central aperture of at least 20 mm, and support continuous 360-degree rotation. The procurement includes not only the rotation stage but also all associated cabling, control hardware, and proprietary software necessary for system integration and operation, with cables required to be 10 meters long to allow control electronics to be located outside of radiation zones. Responses must be submitted by July 15, 2026, and are limited to five pages including attachments, with no proprietary data permitted. Vendors are required to provide their company details, SAM.gov Unique Entity ID (UEI), and a detailed description of any product that meets or exceeds the specified performance criteria, including manufacturer, model number, technical specifications, and whether they are an authorized reseller. Responses must also address the product’s origin—confirming if it is U.S.-manufactured, and if not, identifying the country of origin and any planned manufacturing relocation—and state whether the company qualifies as a small business under the NAICS code 334516. Additionally, vendors are expected to outline standard commercial terms such as delivery timelines, warranty details, installation support, and any existing federal contract vehicles under which the equipment may be purchased. NIST emphasizes that this notice is purely for market research and does not constitute a solicitation or a commitment to award future contracts. Respondents are advised that submissions may be used without obligation, and no feedback or acknowledgment will be provided.
General Info
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Gaithersburg, MD, 20899, USASet-Aside
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Full Description
SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE
Notice ID Number: NB682030-26-01620
Title: Sample Rotation System
Department of Commerce Advanced Acquisition Planning Entry Number: NA
PURPOSE
The purpose of this sources sought notice is to conduct market research and identify potential sources of commercial products/services that satisfy the Government’s anticipated needs.
BACKGROUND
The NIST neutron imaging team, in the Radiation Physics Division of the Physical Measurement Laboratory, is developing a far-field grating neutron interferometer to measure the projection of the pair correlation function, G(Z), of a sample of interest. Samples to be interrogated by the phase imaging measurement system range in size, mass, and required environmental enclosures, so that the sample rotation stage to enable tomographic measurements must be capable of carrying loads in excess of 30 kg, have high rotation speed, and short move-settle time. As such, only air bearing rotation stages will be considered.
This procurement is to obtain quantity one, air bearing rotation stage to perform tomography measurements, minimizing the deadtime between acquiring projections while ensuring minimum artifacts due to rotation stage wobble, and procure the required cabling, control hardware, and control software.
NIST is seeking information from sources that may be capable of providing a Sample Rotation System that will achieve the objectives identified in this notice. The NAICS code is 334516-Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing, with a size standard of 1,000 employees.
ANTICIPATED REQUIREMENTS
The Contractor shall (1) Sample Rotational System to the NIST Gaithersburg campus. All are inclusive of FOB Destination delivery. The Contractor shall provide a system that meets all technical specifications identified below:
Line Item 0001: Sample Rotation Stage (quantity 1)
- The sample rotation stage shall be an air bearing rotation stage with air consumption less than 40 SLPM and operate at a pressure of less than 600 kPa (lower flow and lower pressure is better).
- The rotation stage shall have a central clear aperture at least 20 mm in diameter (larger is better).
- The sample rotation stage shall have a mass less than 10 kg (less is better).
- The sample rotation stage shall be able to rotate a full 360 degrees (continuous rotation is better).
- The sample rotation stage shall have a maximum rotation speed of greater than 1000 rotations per minute.
- The sample rotation stage shall have an axial working load greater than 30 kg (more is better).
- The sample rotation stage shall have a position resolution of better than 2 arcsec (smaller is better).
- The sample rotation stage shall have a total tilt error of less than 0.5 arcsec and deviations along the axial and radial directions of less than 30 nm.
Line Item 0002 Cabling, Control Hardware, and Control Software
- Vendor to provide all required cables, sensors, control hardware and software to achieve requirements of task 1.
- Vendor to provide cables with lengths of 10 meters to allow the control box to be located outside a radiation area.
- The sample rotation stage and control hardware shall be integrated and tested as a system.
HOW TO RESPOND TO THIS NOTICE
In responding to this notice, please DO NOT PROVIDE PROPRIETARY INFORMATION. Please include only the information described below, readable in either Microsoft Word 365, Microsoft Excel 365, or Adobe .pdf format.
Submit the response by email to the Primary Point of Contact and, if specified, to the Secondary Point of Contact listed in this notice as soon as possible, and preferably before the closing date and time of this notice, July 15, 2026, at 10:00 AM ET. Please note that to be considered for award under any official solicitation, the entity must be registered and “active” in SAM at the time of solicitation response. “ID Assigned” is not acceptable.
- Provide the complete name of your company, address, name of contact for follow-up questions, their email, their phone number and, if your company has an active registration in https://sam.gov, your company’s Unique Entity ID (UEI).
- Identify the equipment that your company sells that can meet the objectives addressed in the BACKGROUND section of this notice. For each product recommended to meet the Government’s requirement, provide the following:
- Manufacturer name
- Model number
- Technical specifications
- If your company is not the manufacturer, provide information on your company’s status as an authorized reseller of the product(s)
- Describe performance capabilities of the product(s) your company recommends to meet the Government’s requirements. Additionally, if there are other features or functions that you believe would assist NIST in meeting its objectives described above, please discuss in your response.
- Discuss whether the equipment that your company sells and which you describe in your response to this notice may be customized to specifications and indicate any limits to customization.
- Identify any aspects of the NIST market research notice, including instructions, and draft minimum specifications in the BACKGROUND section you cannot meet and state why. Please offer suggestions for how the market research notice and draft minimum specifications could be made more competitive.
- State whether the proposed equipment is manufactured in the United States and, if not, state the name of the country where the equipment is manufactured.
- Identify any plans/possibilities for changes in manufacturing location of the aforementioned equipment and provide relevant details, including timeline.
- For the NAICS code listed in this notice:
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- Indicate whether your company is (a) a small business or (b) other than small business. See the Table of Small Business Size Standards and the associated .pdf download file for small business size standards and additional information.
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- If you believe the NAICS code listed in this notice is not the best NAICS code for the type of product addressed in this notice, identify an alternative NAICS code that you believe would be more appropriate for the planned procurement.
- Describe standard terms and conditions of sale offered by your company for the recommended equipment such as: delivery time after your company accepts the order; FOB shipping terms; manufacturer warranty (including details regarding nature and duration); if available, description(s) of available extended warranty; equipment setup and test; operator and service instruction manual(s); cleanup after installation; and if applicable, other offered services. Provide a copy of manufacturer standard terms and conditions that typically relate to the sale of the specified equipment, if available.
- If the recommended equipment and related services are available for purchase on any existing Federal Supply Schedule contract(s) or other contracts against which NIST may be able to place orders, identify the contract number(s) and other relevant information.
- Provide any other information that you believe would be valuable for NIST to know as part of its market research for this requirement.
- State if you require NIST to provide additional information to improve your understanding of the government’s requirement and/or would like to meet with NIST representatives to discuss the requirement and the capabilities of the identified equipment.
IMPORTANT NOTES
This notice is for market research purposes and should not be construed as a commitment by NIST to issue a solicitation or ultimately award a contract. There is no solicitation available at this time.
This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in response.
NIST reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate.
Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine the organization’s capability.
Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted.
After a review of the responses received, a synopsis and solicitation may be published on GSA’s eBuy or SAM.gov. However, responses to this notice will not be considered an adequate response to any such solicitation(s).
The responses shall not exceed five (5) pages including all attachments, charts, etc.