The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Office of Acquisition and Agreement Management, on behalf of the Structure Determination Methods Group of the Material Measurement Laboratory, intends to enter into a sole source purchase order with PANalytical, Inc. of Westborough, MA, under the authority of 41 USC 253(c)(1) - only one responsible source - for maintenance of a PANalytical Xpert Pro Powder Diffractometer for a one year base period and four one-year option periods.

The Structure Determination Methods Group of the Material Measurement Laboratory develops and disseminates measurement science, standards, and technology pertaining to the determination of structure of advanced materials and structures; determines, compiles, evaluates, and disseminates key data needed to establish the relationships between structure and properties and performance of inorganic and hybrid materials and devices. One of the fundamental tools to fulfill this mission is the PANalytical Xpert Pro Powder Diffractometer.

Sole source is based on the following:
The Contractor is required to provide certified/trained field service engineers during the performance of the requirement. All personnel must be fluent in the operation of the PANaltyical Xpert Pro Powder Diffractometer and have access to PANalytical's internal training and proprietary maintenance procedures.

The instrument's design, component parts, and maintenance procedures are proprietary to PANalytical, Inc. PANalytical's field service engineers are factory trained and are the only engineers available to service the required equipment. PANalytical's field service engineers are fully supported with the required PANalytical parts, supplies, and up-to-date proprietary knowledge required for performing any required repairs for equipment. PANalytical is the sole authorizer to provide parts for PANaltyical instrumentation and responsible for the work performed.

The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this acquisition is 811219 - Other Electronic and Precision Equipment Repair and Maintenance; the Small Business Size Standard is $19.0M.

No solicitation package will be issued. This notice of intent is not a request for competitive quotations; however, responses received by 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time on June 26, 2014, 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 normally be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether or not to conduct a competitive procurement.

 

Bid Protests Not Available