SOLICITATION NOTICE
A -- AUTOMATED SYSTEM FOR DRYING AEROGELS USING SUPERCRITICAL CARBON DIOXIDE
- Notice Date
- 3/7/2008
- Notice Type
- Solicitation Notice
- NAICS
- 334516
— Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing
- Contracting Office
- NASA/Glenn Research Center, 21000 Brookpark Road, Cleveland, OH 44135
- ZIP Code
- 44135
- Solicitation Number
- NNC08230834Q
- Response Due
- 3/21/2008
- Archive Date
- 3/7/2009
- Point of Contact
- Dawn R Pottinger, Contract Specialist, Phone 216-433-5063, Fax 216-433-2480, Email dawn.r.pottinger@nasa.gov - J.Chris Johnston, Technical Point Of Contact, Phone 216-433-5029, Fax 216-433-5033, Email james.c.johnston@grc.nasa.gov
- E-Mail Address
-
Email your questions to Dawn R Pottinger
(dawn.r.pottinger@nasa.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- Total Small Business
- Description
- This notice is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in FAR Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; offers are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. This notice is being issued as a Request for Quotations (RFQ) for Automated System for Drying Aerogels Using Supercritical Carbon Dioxide consisting of the follow: SPECIFICATIONS for an Automated System for Drying Aerogels Using Supercritical Carbon Dioxide A drying system is required for the processing of aerogel. The purpose of this system is to dry saturated aerogel (hydrogel) samples of various compositions from solvents using supercritical CO2. The specifications for this system are as follows: 1. The system shall be capable of performing the following general profile: a. The extraction chamber(s) are manually loaded with a number of hydrogel samples immersed in solvent. b. The surrounding bulk solvent is displaced by liquid (subcritical) carbon dioxide at a user selectable rate. c. The samples are allowed to soak surrounded by liquid carbon dioxide for a user selectable amount of time. d. The now solvent-contaminated liquid carbon dioxide is displaced with clean liquid carbon dioxide at a user selectable rate. e. Steps c and d are repeated a user selectable number of times. f. The system is heated to bring the liquid carbon dioxide (both the bulk liquid and the liquid in the pores of the hydrogel) to a user selectable temperature above the critical point of carbon dioxide. g. Once the carbon dioxide in the chamber reaches the selected temperature and pressure conditions, the CO2 inlet to the extraction chamber is closed, and the chamber temperature is maintained while the supercritical carbon dioxide is vented at a user selectable rate to reach ambient pressure, leaving dry aerogel samples. 2. The system shall be composed of materials which are compatible with supercritical CO2 and common solvents such as acetone, acetonitrile, ethanol, methanol, THF, and NMP. 3. The system shall rise to a pressure of at least 100 Bar (1450 psig) in step b, above, and maintain that minimum pressure through step f. 4. The system shall be capable of maintaining a temperature of at least 60 ?C in the above step f., and all heated parts will be rated for continuous operation at the highest temperature the system is capable of maintaining. 5. The system shall include four cylindrical extraction chambers, two with a nominal volume of 1 Liter each and two with nominal volumes of 4 Liters each. 6. The minimum acceptable usable internal diameter for a 1 Liter extraction chamber is 7.62 cm (3?) 7. The minimum acceptable usable internal diameter for a 4 Liter chamber is 15.24 cm (6?) 8. The system shall be capable of operating with a single extraction chamber, all four extraction chambers, or any combination, all following the selected time / temperature / pressure profile. If it is not practical to operate all of the chambers in parallel (filling or draining all selected chambers simultaneously) they can be operated sequentially within a step. For a multi-chamber run it is NOT permissible to carry each chamber through steps a ? f (SEE PARAGRAPH 1 ABOVE) individually and then restart the process for the next chamber in sequence. 9. Heated valves shall be installed wherever there is sufficient expansion of CO2 through the valve to cause freezing. (For example, if, in step d, above, the CO2 is vented to atmosphere at a controlled rate the valve that the CO2 is vented through must be heated to prevent blockage by dry ice, residual solvent, or the condensation and freeing of water from the atmosphere.) 10. The chamber shall be equipped with heaters sufficient to allow it to attain and maintain its maximum operating temperature. 11. The system shall collect waste solvent as a liquid in a manner that allows it to be safely removed for proper disposal. 12. The volume of the waste solvent collection vessel(s) shall be sufficient to contain all of the solvent collected during a drying run, with a minimum volume of 10 Liters. 13. Carbon dioxide shall be provided to the system using a pump capable of delivering at least 450g of CO2/min at the highest rated operating pressure of the system. 14. The pump shall be cooled using an external chiller to be provided as a part of this procurement. 15. The system shall be equipped with temperature, pressure, and flow controls capable of controlling the system over its entire range of operation. 16. The system shall include a capability for logging process data that includes the temperature and pressure of the extraction vessel or, at a minimum all electronic controls shall have digital outputs to allow data logging. These outputs may use RS-232 serial, USB, or an equivalent widely available standard interface. 17. The design of the system, in particularly the direction of flow in the extraction vessel(s) and their associated plumbing shall account for the relative densities of liquid (subcritical) carbon dioxide and the commonly used acetone, acetonitrile, ethanol, methanol, THF, and NMP solvents to ensuring the efficient and complete displacement of solvent step in Paragraph 1, section b (above). 18. The system shall be equipped with safety systems to insure the safety of operations at all times, and to prevent any component from exceeding its maximum allowable pressure. 19. All pressure vessels that are capable of being isolated (e.g. both inlet and outlet valves closed at the same time) shall be equipped with a properly sized and certified relief device 20. The system shall be delivered with all appropriate documentation on the pressurized parts of the system, including but not limited to: a. U1A form with supporting documents on each pressure vessel in the system designed to operate in a range that requires it b. If a U1A form is not necessary or appropriate for a particular vessel, that vessel shall be provided with documentation to justify its claimed pressure rating c. Sizing calculations on all relief devices used in the system and appropriate certifications for these devices. d. Manufacturer?s name, part number, and pressure rating on all components 21. At least three months prior to shipment of the system, the system?s physical dimensions, power, and utility requirements shall be transmitted to the Government end-user to facilitate site preparation. Typical laboratories have water, compressed air, 120 VAC single phase and 208 VAC three-phase electrical power available." 22. The system shall be factory assembled or assembled on-site by installation personnel. 23. The system shall be housed in a manner that allows it to be easily moved without disassembly or disconnection of the major components from each other. (The intention of this specification is to require a substantially self-contained system where only disconnection of the building systems (Electrical, compressed air, water, ventilation, CO2 supply (if it is not housed on the system), etc. is required to move it, and does not require heavy equipment (i.e. a forklift) to move it within the laboratory. A system housed in a rack, cabinet, or frame equipped with casters would be acceptable while individually floor-mounted components would not be.) 24. The system shall include two copies of the operator?s manual. If a separate maintenance manual is available, two copies of that manual shall be included. 25. The system shall include 2 days of training at the installation site. Training shall be performed between 8-5PM, Monday through Friday, with the exception of government holidays, at a mutually agreed upon day and time. 26. Vendor shall provide a warranty of at least one year from the date of acceptance of the system by the government covering all parts and labor. 27. Vendor system shall comply with ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code and/or NASA Standard NASA-STD-8719. Carbon Dioxide recycling system (OPTION) A system for the recycling of the Carbon Dioxide used in the drying process shall be included as an option, which could be procured with the main system or at a later date. 1. The recycling system shall be capable of capturing, condensing, and reusing the CO2 used in steps b ? e of the above described drying cycle. 2. Recycling of the CO2 vented in step g, above, is acceptable but not required. 3. The recycling system shall be equipped to separate out or absorb residual solvent to prevent the contamination of recovered carbon dioxide, making it unsuitable for reuse. The provisions and clauses in the RFQ are those in effect through FAC 05-24. This procurement is a total small business set-aside. See Note 1. The NAICS Code and the small business size standard for this procurement are 334516 AND 500 employees respectively. The offeror shall state in their offer their size status for this procurement. All responsible sources may submit an offer which shall be considered by the agency. Delivery is to the NASA Glenn Research Center, 21000 Brookpark Road, Cleveland, OH 44135 (Receiving, Bldg. 21) and is required within 180 days ARO. Delivery shall be FOB Destination. The DPAS rating for this procurement is DO-C9. Offers for the items described above are due by 4:30 p.m. EST on MARCH 21, 2008. OFFERS SHALL BE EMAILED ONLY. Please send offers to BOTH Dawn R. Pottinger at (Dawn.R.Pottinger@nasa.gov) and James Chris Johnston at (James.C.Johnston@grc.nasa.gov). OFFERS SHALL INCLUDE: solicitation number, FOB destination to this Center, proposed delivery schedule, discount/payment terms, warranty duration (if applicable), taxpayer identification number (TIN), identification of any special commercial terms, and be signed by an authorized company representative. Offerors are encouraged to use the Standard Form 1449, Solicitation/Contract/Order for Commercial Items form found at URL: http://server-mpo.arc.nasa.gov/Services/NEFS/NEFSHome.tml Offerors shall provide the information required by FAR 52.212-1 (SEPT 2006), Instructions to Offerors-Commercial Items, which is incorporated by reference. If the end product(s) offered is other than domestic end product(s) as defined in the clause entitled "Buy American Act -- Supplies," the offeror shall so state and shall list the country of origin. FAR 52.212-4 (FEB 2007), Contract Terms and Conditions-Commercial Items is applicable. FAR 52.212-5 (FEB 2008), Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders-Commercial Items is applicable and the following identified clauses are incorporated by reference: (a) The Contractor shall comply with the following Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) clauses, which are incorporated in this contract by reference, to implement provisions of law or Executive orders applicable to acquisitions of commercial items: (1) 52.233-3, Protest After Award (AUG 1996) (31 U.S.C. 3553). (2) 52.233-4, Applicable Law for Breach of Contract Claim (OCT 2004) (Pub. L. 108-77, 108-78) (b) The Contractor shall comply with the FAR clauses in this paragraph (b) that the Contracting Officer has indicated as being incorporated in this contract by reference to implement provisions of law or Executive orders applicable to acquisitions of commercial items: (1) 52.203-6, Restrictions on Subcontractor Sales to the Government (Sept 2006), with Alternate I (Oct 1995) (41 U.S.C. 253g and 10 U.S.C. 2402). (2) 52.219-4, Notice of Price Evaluation Preference for HUBZone Small Business Concerns (JULY 2005) (if the offeror elects to waive the preference, it shall so indicate in its offer) (15 U.S.C. 657a). (3)(i) 52.219-6, Notice of Total Small Business Set-Aside (June 2003) (15 U.S.C. 644). (ii) Alternate I (Oct 1995) of 52.219-6. (iii) Alternate II (Mar 2004) of 52.219-6. (4) 52.219-8, Utilization of Small Business Concerns (May 2004) (15 U.S.C. 637(d)(2) and (3)). (5) 52.219-14, Limitations on Subcontracting (Dec 1996) (15 U.S.C. 637(a)(14)). (6)(i) 52.219-23, Notice of Price Evaluation Adjustment for Small Disadvantaged Business Concerns (SEPT 2005) (10 U.S.C. 2323) (if the offeror elects to waive the adjustment, it shall so indicate in its offer). (ii) Alternate I (June 2003) of 52.219-23. (7) 52.219-25, Small Disadvantaged Business Participation Program?Disadvantaged Status and Reporting (Oct 1999) (Pub. L. 103-355, section 7102, and 10 U.S.C. 2323). (8) 52.222-3, Convict Labor (June 2003) (E.O. 11755). (9) 52.222-19, Child Labor?Cooperation with Authorities and Remedies (Feb 2008) (E.O. 13126). (10) 52.222-21, Prohibition of Segregated Facilities (Feb 1999). (11) 52.222-26, Equal Opportunity (Mar 2007) (E.O. 11246). (12) 52.222-35, Equal Opportunity for Special Disabled Veterans, Veterans of the Vietnam Era, and Other Eligible Veterans (Sept 2006) (38 U.S.C. 4212). (13) 52.222-36, Affirmative Action for Workers with Disabilities (Jun 1998) (29 U.S.C. 793). (14) 52.222-37, Employment Reports on Special Disabled Veterans, Veterans of the Vietnam Era, and Other Eligible Veterans (Sept 2006) (38 U.S.C. 4212). (15) 52.222-39, Notification of Employee Rights Concerning Payment of Union Dues or Fees (Dec 2004) (E.O. 13201). (16)(i) 52.222-50, Combating Trafficking in Persons (Aug 2007) (Applies to all contracts). (ii) Alternate I (Aug 2007) of 52.222-50. (17) 52.225-1, Buy American Act?Supplies (June 2003) (41 U.S.C. 10a-10d). (18) 52.225-13, Restrictions on Certain Foreign Purchases (Feb 2006) (E.o.s, proclamations, and statutes administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the Department of the Treasury). (19) 52.232-33, Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer?Central Contractor Registration (Oct 2003) (31 U.S.C. 3332). FAR 52.217-7 Option for Increased Quantity?Separately Priced Line Item. Option for Increased Quantity?Separately Priced Line Item (Mar 1989) The Government may require the delivery of the numbered line item, identified in the Schedule as an option item, in the quantity and at the price stated in the Schedule. The Contracting Officer may exercise the option by written notice to the Contractor within 24 Months of Award. Delivery of added items shall continue at the same rate that like items are called for under the contract, unless the parties otherwise agree. OFFEREORS SHALL INCLUDE with offers the information required by provision 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications - Commercial Items, which is incorporated by reference. The representations and certifications will be incorporated by reference in any resultant contract. Representations and Certifications may be obtained via the internet at URLs: http://orca.bpn.gov The FAR may be obtained via the Internet at URL: http://www.acquisition.gov/far/index.html The NFS may be obtained via the Internet at URL: http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/procurement/regs/nfstoc.htm All contractual and technical questions must be in writing via E-MAIL to BOTH Dawn R. Pottinger and James Chris Johnston not later than 03/18/08. Telephone questions will not be accepted. Selection and award will be made to that offeror whose offer will be most advantageous to the Government, with consideration given to the factors of meeting specifications, price, and past performance. It is critical that offerors provide adequate detail to allow evaluation of their offer. (SEE FAR 52.212-1(b)). An ombudsman has been appointed -- See NASA Specific Note "B". It is the offeror's responsibility to monitor the following Internet site for the release of solicitation amendments (if any): http://procurement.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/eps/bizops.cgi?gr=D&pin=22 . Potential offerors will be responsible for downloading their own copy of this combination synopsis/solicitation and amendments (if any). Any referenced notes may be viewed at the following URLs linked below.
- Web Link
-
http://procurement.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/eps/bizops.cgi?gr=D&pin=22#128627
- Record
- SN01527438-W 20080309/080307225141 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
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