SOLICITATION NOTICE
R -- Services for thermal and chemical characteristics of homemade explosives.
- Notice Date
- 4/30/2012
- Notice Type
- Combined Synopsis/Solicitation
- NAICS
- 541690
— Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services
- Contracting Office
- Department of Commerce, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Acquisition Management Division, 100 Bureau Drive, Building 301, Room B129, Mail Stop 1640, Gaithersburg, Maryland, 20899-1640
- ZIP Code
- 20899-1640
- Solicitation Number
- SB1341-12-RQ-0303
- Archive Date
- 5/30/2012
- Point of Contact
- James A. Cariaga, , Andrea A Parekh, Phone: (301)975-6984
- E-Mail Address
-
james.cariaga@nist.gov, andrea.parekh@nist.gov
(james.cariaga@nist.gov, andrea.parekh@nist.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- Total Small Business
- Description
- THIS IS A COMBINED SYNOPSIS/SOLICITATION FOR COMMERCIAL ITEMS PREPARED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE FORMAT IN FAR SUBPART 12.6-STREAMLINED PROCEDURES FOR EVALUATION AND SOLICITATION FOR COMMERCIAL SERVICES-AS SUPPLEMENTED WITH ADDITIONAL INFORMATION INCLUDED IN THIS NOTICE. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONSTITUTES THE ONLY SOLICITATION; QUOTATIONS ARE BEING REQUESTED, AND A WRITTEN SOLICITATION DOCUMENT WILL NOT BE ISSUED. ***This solicitation is being issued using Simplified Acquisition Procedures. *** ***This solicitation is a Request for Quotation (RFQ). The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2005-57. *** *** The associated North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code for this procurement is 541690 with a small business size standard of $7.0M. This requirement is a 100% Small Business Set-Aside. *** This is an Open-Market Combined Synopsis/Solicitation for services as defined herein. The Government intends to award a Purchase Order as a result of this Combined Synopsis/Solicitation that will include the terms and conditions that are set forth herein. In order to facilitate the award process, ALL quotes shall include a statement regarding the terms and conditions herein as follows: The offeror shall state "The terms and conditions in the solicitation are acceptable to be included in the award document without modification, deletion, or addition." OR The offeror shall state "The terms and conditions in the solicitation are acceptable to be included in the award document with the exception, deletion, or addition of the following: Offeror shall list exception(s) and rationale for the exception(s) Please note that this procurement is not being conducted under the GSA Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) program or another Government-Wide Area Contract (GWAC). If an offeror submits a quotation based upon an FSS or GWAC contract, the Government will accept the quoted price. However, the terms and conditions stated herein will be included in any resultant Purchase Order, not the terms and conditions of the offeror's FSS or GWAC contract, and the statement required above shall be included in the quotation. *** The National Institute of Standards and Technology is seeking services for thermal and chemical characteristics of homemade explosives. ***All interested Contractors may provide a quote for the following: Line item 0001 -- The Contractor shall design, fabricate, and assemble components, as required, for general upgrade of the laser-driven thermal reactor (LDTR) equipment and reducing measurement uncertainty; must document the innovations including reasons for making changes. Line item 0002 -- The Contractor shall carry out and document (a) facility modifications for safe operation with energetic materials, (b) preliminary experiments with nitromethane, and (c) evaluation of the results. Line item 0003 -- The Contractor shall prepare a draft of a manuscript on characterization of energetic materials using the laser-driven thermal reactor (LDTR) for publication in a homemade explosives (HME) forensic archival journal. TITLE: "Thermal and chemical characteristics of homemade explosives" I. BACKGROUND INFORMATION This procurement is being conducted for the U. S. Department of Commerce (DOC), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Material Measurement Laboratory (MML), Chemical and Biochemical Reference Data Division (CBRDD) in Gaithersburg, Maryland. A research program has been initiated at NIST to develop a thermal- and chemical-signature database for forensic analysis of homemade explosives (HME), using a currently operational rapid laser heating approach, referred to as the laser-driven thermal reactor (LDTR). The NIST LDTR is a state-of-the-art technique, which uses a novel approach to determine the thermal behavior and decomposition of multiphase/multicomponent solid and liquid substances, such as energetics, fuels, and propellants through rapid and controlled heating with laser radiation. It provides in-situ, near temporally resolved determination of substance thermophysical properties and chemical reaction characteristics over a wide range of temperatures, heating rates, gas pressures, and ambient environments. The technique also has the capability to collect chemical reaction products for spectroscopic chemical analysis. The technique can provide in-situ, temporally resolved quantitative information for rates of heat release and chemical kinetics, total heat value, specific heat/energy release, threshold temperature for thermal explosion, and chemical reaction product identification. II. SCOPE OF WORK a. OBJECTIVES/PURPOSE Development of thermal-/chemical-signature database for HME. b. GENERAL: The Contractor shall conduct measurements of thermal and chemical characteristics of HME and perform analysis of LDTR thermograms and chemical-reaction product spectrograms. c. SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS: Task one: Improve current design, fabrication protocol, and assembly procedures of the following LDTR components: 1) sphericity of the reactor sphere without wrinkles, 2) contaminants removal from the vacuum chamber, and 3) thermocouple responsivity and sample supports. Document (Microsoft Word 2010) the details of all modifications. Task two: Complete preliminary LDTR experiments with nitromethane at different steady-state temperatures and determine the total heat release. Document (Microsoft Word 2010) the effect of nitromethane sample preparation and pre-vaporization on the measurement uncertainty of the total heat release. Task three: Prepare draft manuscript (Microsoft Word 2010) on characterization of energetic materials using the LDTR (for publication in a HME/forensic archival journal). The manuscript must be prepared according to the guidelines provided by the NIST Contracting Officer Representative (COR) which will be provided 7 days after receipt of award. III. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE The anticipated Period of Performance is four months after receipt of award. IV. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE Services must be performed at the NIST Gaithersburg, Maryland campus during normal duty hours (8:30 AM - 5:00 PM EST, Monday through Friday with the exception of Federal holidays or other official closures). (http://www.opm.gov/operating_status_schedules/fedhol/2012.asp ). V. GOVERNMENT FURNISHED PROPERTY Upon award of this requirement, NIST will provide the Contractor with an office, equipment, email and internet access, and NIST library access. The Contractor will have access to the NIST LDTR equipment and laboratory. VI. DELIVERABLES PROGRESS REPORT The Contractor shall provide a monthly progress report to the NIST COR via electronic mail every second Tuesday of the month. The report shall include details of the prior period's activities, status of development and scheduled performance, and/or any problems, issues or risks identified during this period. It should also detail any resolution on previously identified problems, issues and/or risks. (1) The content of the monthly progress reports shall contain the following: Contractor's name, Contract #, date of report, the period covered by the report, title of report; (2) Description of the progress made against milestones during the reporting period; (3) Results, positive and negative, obtained related to previously identified problem areas, with conclusions and recommendations; (4) Any significant changes to the Contractor's organization or method of operation, to the project management network, or to the milestone chart; (5) Problem areas affecting technical or scheduling elements, with background and any recommendations for solutions beyond the scope of contract; (6) Problem areas possibly affecting various aspects of the debt collection program, with background and any recommendations for solutions beyond the scope of contract; (7) Any cost incurred and person-expended for the reporting period and total contractual expenditures for each as reporting dates; (8) Any significant trips and results; (9) Record of all significant telephone calls and any commitments made by telephone; Problem areas possibly affecting various aspects of the debt collection program, with background and any recommendations for solutions beyond the scope of contract; (10) Summary of important meetings, briefings, trips, and conferences during the reported period; (11) Action items requiring the Federal Government's resolution; (12) Plans and activities during the following reporting period; (13) Name and telephone numbers of the prepare of the report, and (14) Appendices for any unnecessary tables, references, illustrations and charts. Task 1: Improve current design, fabrication protocol, and assembly procedures of the following LDTR components: 1) sphericity of the reactor sphere without wrinkles, 2) contaminants removal from the vacuum chamber, and 3) thermocouple responsivity and sample supports. Document (Microsoft Word 2010) the details of all modifications. The format for Task 1 is a technical report using Microsoft Word 2010. The quantity shall be one report for Task 1. The report is due at end of the first contract month. Task 2: Complete preliminary LDTR experiments with nitromethane at different steady-state temperatures and determine the total heat release. Document (Microsoft Word 2010) the effect of nitromethane sample preparation and pre-vaporization on the measurement uncertainty of the total heat release. The format for Task 1 is a technical report using Microsoft Word 2010. The quantity shall be one report for Task 2. The report is due at end of the third contract month. Task 3: Prepare draft manuscript (Microsoft Word 2010) on characterization of energetic materials using the LDTR (for publication in a HME/forensic archival journal). The manuscript must be prepared according to the guidelines of the NIST Point of Contact. The format for Task 1 is a technical report using Microsoft Word 2010. The quantity shall be one report for Task 3. The report is due at end of the fourth (final) contract month. VII. INSPECTION/ACCEPTANCE or PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS SUMMARY The reports containing the evaluation results and the recommendations shall undergo the procedure of acceptance testing by the NIST COR. The NIST COR will provide comments on each deliverable with 3 calendar days from the receipt of the given deliverable. The criteria for acceptance shall be that over 99 % of the data submitted to NIST are found acceptable. VIII. CONTRACTOR QUALIFICATIONS: The minimum requirements for the key personnel include, but are not limited to, (a) a PhD or an equivalent in chemical physics and mathematics, (b) peer-reviewed journal/conference publications in the area of explosive material chemistry, (c), extensive experience in the area of thermal analysis of highly energetic material properties and behavior, and (d) extensive experience involved with providing counter-IED (improvised explosive device) solutions including homemade explosives. The Contractor shall have (a) expertise in heat transfer, electromagnetic theory, thermodynamics, and chemistry, (b) experience in using high-powered lasers (note: offeror will have to pass NIST training to become an authorized laser user, as well as other required NIST safety on-line courses), (c) prior experience using the LDTR with in-depth familiarity with its component subsystems, (d) experience interpreting, analyzing, and evaluating the resulting LDTR thermal data, and (e) adequate writing skills to enable publication of results in an archival journal. IX. GENERAL INFORMATION Safety: The Contractor shall be responsible for knowing and complying with NIST installation safety prevention regulations (http://www-i.nist.gov/mml/safety/policies/index.htm). Such regulations include, but are not limited to, general safety, fire prevention, and waste disposal. Patent Rights: The Government retains a Government use license to all inventions arising from this work. Security: NIST is a restricted campus. An identification badge is required for access for entry into buildings and also is shown to the armed Security Police when entering the campus. Identification Badges: Contractor employees shall comply with NIST identification and access requirements. The Contractor employee is responsible for absences due to expired identification and access documents. Each Contractor employee shall wear a visible identification badge provided by the NIST Security Office. The badge must show the full name, title, and if required by NIST, the words "Contractor" in front. The Contractor employee shall turn in the NIST identification badge and vehicle pass to the NIST point of contact or Contracting Officer (CO) upon termination of their services under this contract. Vehicle Registration: All Contractor employees must register their vehicles with the NIST Security Office to gain access to the campus. A valid driver's license, Government-furnished civilian ID, proof of insurance and current registration must be presented to the NIST Security Office, at which time a NIST vehicle pass will be issued. The pass shall be displayed on the vehicle's rear view mirror in accordance with instructions. The Contractor employee shall follow NIST procedures for removal and turn-in of the vehicle pass upon termination of services under this contract. Award shall be made to the quoter whose quote offers the best value to the Government, technical capability, past performance, and price will be considered. The Government will evaluate information based on the following evaluation criteria: 1) Technical Approach meeting or exceeding the minimum specifications 2) Past performance 3) Price. Technical approach and past performance, when combined, are more important than Price. Evaluation of Technical Capability will be based on the information provided in the quotation which demonstrates the Contractors ability to perform the services required in this solicitation. The offorer shall provide the following: TECHNICAL EVALUATION OF APPROACH: The offeror's technical approach will be evaluated to determine its ability to successfully complete the requirements. The offeror shall discuss: (a) understanding of the requirements; (b) risk mitigation strategy to ensure timely performance of the requirements; (c) offeror's personnel curriculum vitae; and (d) publication list of relevant peer-reviewed articles published by the offeror in archival journals and conference proceedings. SUBMISSION OF TECHNICAL DOCUMENTS: a. Written summary of the 1) procedure to be used to complete the requested tasks within the specified time constraints, 2) offeror's response to meeting the general criteria and qualifications detailed within the solicitation, and 3) statement that the offeror will be the responsible party carrying out the requested tasks (maximum of 10 pages). b. Principal investigator curriculum vitae, publication list, and any other supporting information demonstrating that the offeror meets the following general criteria: 1. expertise in heat transfer, electromagnetic theory, thermodynamics, and chemistry, 2. experience in using high-powered lasers (note: offeror will have to pass NIST training to become an authorized laser user, as well as other required NIST safety on-line courses), 3. prior experience using the LDTR with in-depth familiarity with its component subsystems, 4. experience interpreting, analyzing, and evaluating the resulting LDTR thermal data, and 5. adequate writing skills to enable publication of results in an archival journal c. Principal investigator curriculum vitae, publication list, and other supporting information indicating that the offeror meets the following qualifications: 1. a PhD or an equivalent in chemical physics and mathematics, 2. peer-reviewed journal/conference publications in the area of explosive material chemistry, 3. extensive experience in the area of thermal analysis of highly energetic material properties and behavior, and 4. extensive experience involved with providing counter-IED (improvised explosive device) solutions including homemade explosives. Part II: Past Performance The Government will evaluate the offeror's and, if appropriate, its subcontractor's and/or joint ventures and/or mentor protégé's past performance information to determine its relevance to the current requirement and the quality, timeliness, and ability of the offeror to control cost and schedule on similar past projects. The Government will assign a neutral rating to the offeror's with no relevant past performance information within the past three (3) years. The Government may also obtain past performance information from sources other than those provided by the offeror in its proposal to complete its evaluation of this factor. Part III: Price The proposed price will be evaluated but not scored and will be based on reasonable and realistic pricing. The prices will be evaluated to determine whether the proposed prices are fair and reasonable in relation to the requirements. *** The full text of a FAR provision or clause may be accessed electronically at http://acquisition.gov/comp/far/index.html. *** *** The following provisions apply to this acquisition: 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors-Commercial Items; 52.212-3 Offerors Representations and Certifications- Commercial Items. *** *** Offerors must complete annual representations and certifications on-line at http://orca.bpn.gov in accordance with FAR 52.212-3 Offerors Representations and Certifications- Commercial Items. If paragraph (j) of the provision is applicable, a written submission is required. *** ******The following clauses apply to this acquisition: The following clauses apply to this acquisition: 1. 52.202-1 Definitions (JAN 2012) 2. 52.212-4 Contract Terms and Conditions-Commercial Items (FEB 2012); 3. 52.212-5 Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders-Commercial Items including subparagraphs (APR 2012): a. 52.209-10, Prohibition on Contracting with Inverted Domestic Corporations ((MAY 2011) b. 52.219-6, Notice of Total Small Business Aside (Nov 2011) c. 52.222-3, Convict Labor (JUNE 2003) d. 52.222-19, Child Labor--Cooperation with Authorities and Remedies (MAR 2012) e. 52.222-21, Prohibition of Segregated Facilities (FEB 1999) f. 52.222-26, Equal Opportunity (MAR 2007) g. 52.222-36, Affirmative Action for Workers with Disabilities (OCT 2010) h. 52.223-18, Encouraging Contractor Policies to Ban Text Messaging While Driving (AUG 2011) i. 52.232-33, Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer-Central Contractor Registration (OCT 2003) 4. 52.225-13 Restrictions on Certain Foreign Purchases (JUNE 2008) 5. 52.225-25 Prohibition on Contracting With Entities Engaging In Sanctioned Activities (NOV 2011) 6. 52.227-14, Rights in Data--General (DEC 2007) 7. 52.217-8 OPTION TO EXTEND SERVICES (NOV 1999) The Government may require continued performance of any services within the limits and at the rates specified in the contract. These rates may be adjusted only as a result of revisions to prevailing labor rates provided by the Secretary of Labor. The option provision may be exercised more than once, but the total extension of performance hereunder shall not exceed 6 months. The Contracting Officer may exercise the option by written notice to the Contractor within 15 days. (End of clause) The following Department of Commerce (CAR) clauses Department of Commerce Clauses apply to this acquisition. 1. 1352.201-70 Contracting Officer's Authority (March 2010) 2. 1352.201-72 Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) (APR 2010) 3. 1352.209-73 Compliance With The Laws (APR 2010) 4. 1352.209-74 Organizational Conflict Of Interest (APR 2010) 5. 1352.246-70 Place Of Acceptance (APR 2010) 6. 1352.227-70 Rights in Data, Assignment of Copyright (APR 2010) 7. 1352.237-75 Key Personnel (APR 2010) ***Department of Commerce Agency-Level Protest Procedures Level above the Contracting Officer is also incorporated. It can be downloaded at www.nist.gov/admin/od/contract/agency.htm. *** *** Offerors shall submit their complete quotations no later than 3:00 PM Eastern Time on May 15, 2012. FAX quotations shall not be accepted. E-mail quotations shall only be accepted at james.cariaga@nist.gov, Electronic versions of all proposals must be received in MSWord or Adobe acrobat pdf format only. E-mail quotations shall not be deemed received until the quotation is entered in the e-mail inbox of James Cariaga. ***
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/DOC/NIST/AcAsD/SB1341-12-RQ-0303/listing.html)
- Place of Performance
- Address: 100 Bureau Drive, gaithersburg, Maryland, 20899, United States
- Zip Code: 20899
- Zip Code: 20899
- Record
- SN02734786-W 20120502/120430235529-403f4099d2fca5417122845fee4b4cc2 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
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