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BACKGROUND NIST is seeking information from sources that may be capable of providing a commercial product/service solution that meets or exceeds the following draft minimum specifications: The contrac... BACKGROUND NIST is seeking information from sources that may be capable of providing a commercial product/service solution that meets or exceeds the following draft minimum specifications: The contractor shall (insert draft minimum specifications) Develop and install an NCNR reactor simulator in accordance with ANS 3.5 standard (2009) that is certifiable and qualifiable by the NRC for operator training and License exams. Build a full scope 1-1 physical console of the existing reactor console. Modify or build a new space/room to house the simulator and its console. Design the simulator to be a replica of the NCNR reactor, which is a high-performance test reactor that is a tank type reactor designed to operate at 20MW of power. The reactor is a custom design variation of the Argonne CP-5 class reactor; it differs from the CP-5 in its power rating, core configuration and cold neutron source, but retains the proven technology. The three most notable modifications to this basic design are: a 7-inch (18-cm) gap between the upper and lower fuel regions in each fuel element to reduce the fast neutron background in the neutron beams; a double plenum at the bottom of the vessel to provide optimized cooling to the core; and the method for remote handling of fuel elements during refueling. The reactor control system consists of four shim safety arms and one regulating rod, the shim safety arms are of the semaphore type and use cadmium as the poison. They are located just below the upper grid plate and provide intermittent, coarse control of reactor power. The regulating rod consists of a solid aluminum cylinder and provides continuous fine control of reactor power. The reactor has a primary and secondary loop as well as a cooling tower. Accident Initiating Events and Scenarios in accordance with the SAR (Safety Analysis Report) that must be captured by the simulator: Maximum Hypothetical Accident (MHA): complete blockage of flow to one element, leading to complete melting of the fuel plates. Insertion of Excess Reactivity (Step and Ramp Reactivity Insertion). Loss of Primary Coolant. Loss of Primary Coolant Flow. Loss of Off-site power. Seizure of one Primary Coolant Pump. Throttling of Primary Coolant Flow to the Inner Plenum. Throttling of Primary Coolant Flow to the Outer Plenum. Loss of Both Shutdown Pumps. Inadvertent Closure of Valve DWV-19. Mishandling or Malfunction of Fuel. Experiment Malfunction. Loss of Normal Power. External Events (seismological and climatological). Have experience working with plate type fuel for high performance test reactor highly preferred. Have current maintenance/update support contract(s) for ANS 3.5 qualified simulators with other NRC licensed power reactors. Be able to provide a support/update package for a minimum of 10 years from the date of installation of the simulator. Deliver the project in a “Ready to Train” condition no later than 24 months from date of award. HOW TO RESPOND TO THIS NOTICE In responding to this notice, please DO NOT PROVIDE PROPRIETARY INFORRMATION. Please include only the following information, readable in either Microsoft Word 365, Microsoft Excel 365, or .pdf format, in the response. Submit the response by email to the Primary Point of Contact and, if specified, to the Secondary Point of Contact specialist listed at the bottom of this notice as soon as possible, and preferably before the closing date and time of this notice. Provide the complete name of your company, address, name of contact for follow-up questions, their email, their phone number and, if your company has an active registration in https://sam.gov, your company’s Unique Entity ID (UEI). Identify commercial products that your company sells that is of the nature addressed in the BACKGROUND section of this notice. Include brand name, make, model, and/or other distinguishing information. State if your company is the manufacturer of the identified commercial product or is a retailer or wholesaler that normally sells the identified commercial product. If the latter, indicate whether the manufacturer authorized in writing for your company to sell the identified commercial product on behalf of the manufacturer. Describe performane capabilities and relevant or beneficial physical and functional features for any commercial product that you identified to satisfy the NIST-identified minimum specifications described in the attached draft document. Identify any aspects of the NIST market research notice, including instructions, and draft minimum specifications in the BACKGROUND section above that could be viewed as unduly restrictive or contain unnecessary barriers that adversely affect your company’s ability to fully participate and indicate why. In such a scenario, please offer suggestions for how the market research notice and draft minimum specifications could be made more inclusive or competitive. Discuss your company’s commercial products that you describe in your response to this notice may be customized and indicate any limits to customization. For the NAICS code listed in this notice: Indicate whether your company is (a) a small business or (b) other than small business. See the Table of Small Business Size Standards and the associated .pdf download file for small business size standards and additional information. If you believe the NAICS code listed in this notice is not the best NAICS code for the type of product addressed in this notice, Identify an alternative NAICS code that you believe would be more appropriate for the planned procurement. Describe commercial services that are available with the purchase of the aforementioned commercial product from your company such as installation, training, or equipment maintenance. Describe standard terms and conditions of sale offered by your company for the aforementioned commercial products and commercial services such as: delivery time after your company accepts the order; FOB shipping terms: manufacturer warranty (including details regarding nature and duration); if available, description(s) of available extended warranty; equipment setup and test; operator and service instruction manual(s); and commercial services. Provide a copy of manufacturer standard terms and conditions that typically relate to the sale of the specified commercial product, if available. State whether your company offers facility renovation services related to installation of the aforementioned equipment at its delivery destination, if required per the NIST-identified minimum specifications, and provide description of services. Indicate if your company performs the facility renovation services or typically subcontracts the work to another company. Indicate if your company would be interested inspecting the intended installation site during the market research phase. State published price, discount or rebate arrangements for aforementioned commercial products and/or provide link to access company’s published prices for equipment and services. State whether the aforementioned commercial product is manufactured in the United States and, if not, state the name of the country where the equipment is manufactured. Identify any plans/possibilities for changes in manufacturing location of the aforementioned equipment and provide relevant details. If the aforementioned commercial products and commercial services are available for purchase on any existing Federal Supply Schedule contract(s) or other contracts against which NIST may be able place orders, identify the contract number(s) and other relevant information. Identify any customers in the public or private sectors in which you provided the aforementioned or similar equipment. Include customer(s) information: company name, phone number, point of contact, email address. Provide any other information that you believe would be valuable for NIST to know as part of its market research for this requirement. State whether you require NIST to provide additional information to improve your understanding of the government’s requirement and/or would like to meet with NIST representatives to discuss the requirement and the capabilities of the identified equipment. QUESTIONS REGARDING THIS NOTICE Questions regarding this notice may be submitted via email to the Primary Point of Contact and the Secondary Point of Contact listed in this notice. Questions should be submitted so that they are received by 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time on March 19, 2024. Questions will be anonymized and answered via sources sought notice amendment following the question submission deadline. IMPORTANT NOTES The information received in response to this notice will be reviewed and considered so that NIST may appropriately solicit for its requirements in the near future. This notice should not be construed as a commitment by NIST to issue a solicitation or ultimately award a contract. Responses will not be considered as proposals or quotations. No award will be made as a result of this notice. NIST is not responsible for any costs incurred by the respondents to this notice. NIST reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and appropriate. Thank you for taking the time to submit a response to this request!