ACTION CODE: PRESOL

CLASSIFICATION CODE: 66- Laboratory Equipment and Supplies

SUBJECT: NOTICE OF INTENT TO SOLE SOURCE: Rigaku Ultima III X- ray Diffractometer diagnoses and repair

SOLICITATION NUMBER: NB610020-17-04018

RESPONSE DATE: June 29, 2017

CONTACT POINTS: Erica Miller, Contract Specialist, 301-975-0642
Cory Worley, Contracting Officer, 301-975-3635

DESCRIPTION:

The United States Department of Commerce (DOC), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Acquisition Management Division (AMD) intends to negotiate a firm fixed purchase contract, on a sole source basis, with Rigaku Americas Corporation for diagnoses and repair of NCNR's Rigaku Ultima X-ray Diffractometer (XRD). The statutory of this sole source acquisition in FAR subpart 13.106-1(b).

The objective of this procurement is to have the Rigaku Ultima III X-ray diffractometer failure conclusively diagnosed on-site by a trained XRD service engineer. The recommended repairs shall return to the instrument to stable operating condition as observed prior to the malfunction.

The Rigaku Ultima III XRD is used by researchers to characterize samples prior to neutron beam experiments to ensure efficient use of the costly beam time. The XRD is the only one of its kind for high throughput material analysis at the NCNR. Currently, the XRD was removed from service due to frequent error messages and hardware failures.

NCNR personal had inspected and tested all user serviceable components and has had remote support from Rigaku, but diagnoses of the problem have been unsuccessful. A service visit from the original equipment manufacturer is necessary for root cause analysis and to repair the equipment. The Contractor shall test various components of XRD on-site in order to accurately diagnose the cause of the equipment failure.

The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this acquisition is 811219 with a corresponding dollar amount of $20,500,000.00.

No solicitation package will be issued. This notice of intent is not a request for competitive quotations, however, all responsible sources interested may identify their interest and capability to respond to this requirement. The Government will consider responses received by June 29, 2017. Inquires will only be accepted via email to [email protected]. No telephone request will be honored.

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 in the future.