Sources Sought - Ampoule Sealer and Opener

SOURCES SOUGHT (Not a Notice of Solicitation) The United States Air Force, Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Base Support Contracting Branch, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio is seeking capabilities packages of all potential sources, including small business (SB), 8(a) participants, HUBZone Small Business, Economically Disadvantaged Women-Owned Small Business (EDWOSB), Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB), and Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) that are capable of providing an Automatic Ampoule Sealer and Opener for The Aerospace Fuels Laboratory (AFPET?PTPLE) of the United States Air Force. Firms that respond shall 1) specify that their product meets the specifications provided below and 2) provide detailed information to show clear technical compliance. THIS SOURCES SOUGHT IS FOR MARKET RESEARCH PURPOSES ONLY. THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS. Draft Minimum Requirements are listed below. All interested firms shall submit a response to the Primary Point of Contact, Ms. Angela Byrdsong demonstrating their capability to provide these items. As stipulated in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 15.201, responses to this notice are not considered offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. No solicitation (Request for Proposal) exists; therefore, do not request a copy of the solicitation. The decision to solicit for a contract shall be solely within the Government's discretion. The NAICS Code assigned to this acquisition is 334516 - Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing with a size standard of (1,000) employees. Firms responding should indicate their size in relation to this small business size standard, and indicate socio-economic status (8(a) with Graduation Date, SDVOSB, EDWOSB, WOSB, or HUBZone). Respondents are further requested to indicate their status as a foreign-owned/foreign-controlled firm and any contemplated use of foreign national employees on this effort. The Government reserves the right to consider a small business set-aside based upon responses hereto for any subsequent action. All prospective contractors must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) database to be awarded a DoD contract. No set-aside decision has been made. Please note that the rules governing affiliation and ostensible subcontracting apply when determining size under FAR 52.219-14, Limitations on Subcontracting, as does the Non-Manufacturer Rule if a supply NAICS code is chosen. Respondents should consider how the primary tasks identified in this source sought will be broken out between prime & subcontractors to avoid ostensible subcontracting and address this in their response, if necessary. Any information submitted by respondents to this source sought is voluntary. This source sought notice is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government, nor will the Government reimburse any costs associated with the submission of information in response to this notice. Respondents will not be individually notified of the results of any Government assessments. The Government's assessment of the capability statements received will factor into whether any forthcoming solicitation will be conducted as a sole-source, full and open competition or as a set-aside for small business or any particular small business program. Please be aware that the Government Acquisition Team is still determining its acquisition strategy, and if it is determined that this buy will be set aside for Small Business or 8(a) participants, FAR 52.219-14 - Limitations on Subcontracting will apply. CAPABILITIES PACKAGE: All interested firms shall submit a capabilities package that explicitly demonstrates their capability to provide the required commodities. The capabilities package should be brief and concise, yet clearly demonstrate an ability to meet the stated requirements. The response must not exceed five (5) pages and should clearly identify where the item(s) is manufactured. All correspondence sent via email shall contain a subject line that reads: Sources Sought - Automatic Ampoule Sealer and Opener If this subject line is not included, the email may not get through email filters at Wright-Patterson AFB. Filters are designed to delete emails without a subject or with a suspicious subject or attachments. Attachments with files ending in .zip or .exe are not allowable and will be deleted. Ensure only .pdf, .doc, .docx, .xls or .xls documents are attached to your email. All other attachments may be deleted. Responses may be submitted electronically to the following e-mail address: Angela.Byrdsong@us.af.mil RESPONSES ARE DUE NO LATER THAN 15 JUNE 2023 3:00 PM Eastern Time. Direct all questions concerning this acquisition to Angela Byrdsong at Angela.Byrdsong@us.af.mil including the necessary subject line indicated above. DRAFT Minimum Requirements: The AFPET/PP TPLE requires an automatic ampoule sealer and opener capable of processing oxidizer samples for space launch missions in accordance with (IAW) specifications listed below. All products delivered to satisfy this requirement shall be manufactured either domestically or in a qualifying country source in accordance with Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) 225.872. Products other than domestic or from qualifying countries will not be accepted, and any costs associated with products from non-qualifying countries, including shipping, etc., shall be at the contractor's expense. Item shall: Be an instrument capable of sealing 2 mL ampoules. a benchtop sized instrument with a maximum depth of 14 inches, a maximum width of 16 inches and a maximum height of 26 inches for all parts/accessories configured for standard 120V single phase, 60Hz electricity. Be able to open and close 2mL glass ampoules. Capable of closing a 2 mL ampoule in less than 6 seconds from loading to fully closed. Capable of preserving the mass of an intact removed tip for weighing Must spin the ampoule when the flame is in contact with the glass. Must have flash back arresters fitted to the gas inlets. When closing an ampoule, the gripper jaws are placed onto its neck and the flame applied. As the glass becomes plastic, the counterweight pulling on the jaws draws off the ampoule neck and a perfect rounded finish is achieved. Be easy to use for new analysts with no prior ampoule sealing experience. Be delivered to location at Vandenberg SFB, CA within 12 weeks after receipt of award with all manuals and instructions for instrument operation as electronic copy. Delivery FOB Destination: Product should be delivered to location at Vandenberg SFB, CA within (12 weeks) after receipt of award with all manuals and instructions for instrument operation as electronic copy. (End Document)