X-Ray Diffractometer & Maintenance Services

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) intends to negotiate on a sole-source basis with Bruker AXS Inc., under the authority of 41 U.S.C. 3304(a)(1); Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 13.106(b)(1)(a) for a Bruker D8 Advance X-Ray Diffractometer and two one-year option periods for maintenance services. Background Information and Basis for Sole Source The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Engineering Laboratory (EL) Materials and Structural Systems Division (MSSD) studies the durability and service life of infrastructure materials (polymer, concrete, engineered composites) for resilience infrastructure applications. One of the key research focuses is to track production and degradation modes of these materials using fundamental microstructure, including crystalline phases and other structural properties, such as strain state, grain size, epitaxy, phase composition, preferred orientation and defect structures of these phases using X-ray diffraction (XRD). The MSSD will benefit from the use of this XRD system for various infrastructure materials (polymer, cement, concrete and composites) in the - Engineered Materials for Resilient Infrastructure program and for FRP composite assemblies in - Earthquake Risk Reduction in Buildings and Infrastructure program, and for photovoltaic (PV) materials in the - Net Zero Energy Research program. The MSSD currently owns and operates a Bruker D8 Advance X-ray Diffractometer. The Bruker D8 Advance has been heavily used in many cementitious projects, including fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) composites and cement additive manufacturing applications. The Bruker D8 Advance has exceeded its effective service life. Subsequently, MMSD requires a replacement Bruker X-Ray Diffractometer to accomplish milestones related to several ongoing project areas that also include polymer composites. A replacement X-Ray Diffractometer is necessary to provide new, state-of-the-art microstructure measurement capabilities to NIST that are compatible and interchangeable with NIST's pre-existing research and data that have been obtained throughout NIST's Bruker D8 Advance X-Ray Diffractometer's operation. The Bruker D8 Advance X-Ray Diffractometer is the only system that could satisfy NIST's priority needs to continue with the exact experimental pre-established protocols that are critical to current NIST project milestones. Specific requirements further include: Fully automatic component recognition of all beam path components in real time requiring no adjustments after component exchange; Automatic validation of instrument configuration with real time conflict detection for easy and fail-safe operation by any user, including novice users; Detector that can be operated at full speed while also discriminating unwanted wavelengths from the x-ray tube and sample fluorescence. In the event a Bruker D8 Advance X-Ray Diffractometer is not acquired, NIST would be in jeopardy of losing the ability to access and continue experimentation with pre-existing data and pre-established protocols. This would present a negative schedule and cost impact to MSSD - putting the MSSD mission in jeopardy. Bruker AXS Inc. does not have any authorized resellers or distributors capable of providing the required equipment and services. General Information The North American Classification System (NAICS) code for this requirement is 334516 - Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing. The small business size standard is $34M. No solicitation package will be issued. This notice of intent is not a request for competitive quotations; however, responses received by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on August 30, 2023, will be considered by the Government. A determination by the Government not to compete the proposed acquisition based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Information received will be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. Interested parties that believe they could satisfy the requirement described herein may clearly and unambiguously identify their capability in writing on or before the response date for this notice. This notice of intent is not a solicitation. Any questions regarding this notice must be submitted in writing via e-mail to Adam Powell at adam.powell@nist.gov. All responses to this notice of intent must be submitted so that they are received at adam.powell@nist.gov no later than the aforementioned due date.