Inactive

THIS IS A NOTICE OF INTENT TO SOLE SOURCE. IT IS NOT A REQUEST FOR QUOTATIONS. The Office of Acquisition and Agreements Management (OAAM), Acquisition Management Division (AMD) of the National Institu... THIS IS A NOTICE OF INTENT TO SOLE SOURCE. IT IS NOT A REQUEST FOR QUOTATIONS. The Office of Acquisition and Agreements Management (OAAM), Acquisition Management Division (AMD) of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), on behalf of the Material Management Laboratory (MML), Material Measurement Science Division (MMSD), intends to negotiate on a sole source basis with Quantum Design, Inc. of San Diego, CA, for a Physical Property Measurement System (PPMS) Reliquefier Upgrade to NIST-owned PPMS. Liquid helium is a cryogen working fluid that is required to cool and maintain a Physical Property Measurement System at controllable temperatures between 1.8K and 390K. The PPMS is owned by the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Gaithersburg, MD, and was manufactured by Quantum Design, Inc. The PPMS is used for Standard Reference Material (SRM) production and fundamental transport property measurements of novel energy materials as a function of temperature, including electrical resistivity, Seebeck coefficient, thermal conductivity, heat capacity, and carrier concentration. To measure carrier concentration, liquid helium is also required to operate the electromagnet in its superconducting state. In recent years, the commercial availability of liquid helium has become critically scarce, resulting in high costs, low purity, and disruptions in delivery dates. These issues have forced frequent warming of the dewar back to room temperature, which thermally stresses the system and prematurely ages the hardware. In addition, this down time has resulted in the cancellation of high-profile research collaborations. A direct helium re-liquefier system will enable NIST to conserve liquid He by re-condensing the He boil-off gas generated during use of the PPMS and allow it drip back into the dewar without requiring the regular purchase of commercial liquid He. A 300 cubic ft bottle of ultra-high purity (UHP) He is also connected to the system. As needed, the system must operate in a “fill” mode where the UHP gas is used to generate additional liquid He. A single gas bottle may last 3-6 months, depending on use. This periodic replenishment is necessary since the sample space is purged using He gas from the dewar. The Contractor shall provide a commercial pulse tube reliquefier for the existing PPMS. The reliquefier must be designed for the PPMS. For the purpose of this procurement, designed for the PPMS means that the coldhead condenser can interface with the existing PPMS hardware, the software and control electronics can interface with the PPMS, and that the condensing capabilities perform such that the He boil off for the PPMS dewar size and boil off rate is captured. SOLE SOURCE DETERMINATION IS BASED UPON ALL OF THE FOLLOWING: -Quantum Design, Inc. is the sole manufacturer and distributor of the NIST-owned PPMS. Quantum Design has no known distributors of the required reliquefier. -Quantum Design manufactures a reliquefier upgrade to convert the NIST-owned PPMS for helium recovery. The upgrade includes an oil-free scroll pump, gas handling manifold, gas lines to and from the PPMS to the gas handling system, control electronics, a software module, and an upgraded impedance tube. The upgrade is a complex system of hardware and software modules. -Software that controls the PPMS is not open source; Software can only be upgraded by Quantum Design, Inc. -The electronics that monitor other manufacturer’s reqliuefier systems cannot be modified to interface with the NIST-owned PPMS. -The impedance tube cannot be upgraded, modified or serviced by any vendor other than Quantum Design, Inc. This design is proprietary to Quantum Design. This notice of intent is not a request for competitive quotations; however, responses received by February 10, 2021, will be considered by the Government. Any party responding to this notice must provide clear and comprehensive written documentation that Quantum Design, Inc. has agreed to work with the Contractor to provide the required equipment and that the Contractor has access to all information, including proprietary information, necessary to complete the required work. A determination by the Government to compete this requirement 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 to compete this requirement.