Inactive

AMENDMENT 001 The due date for responses is hereby changed as follows: DELETE: December 16, 2022 @ 3:30 PM Eastern Time ADD: December 22, 2022 at 3:30 PM Eastern Time END OF AMENDMENT 001 This is a SO... AMENDMENT 001 The due date for responses is hereby changed as follows: DELETE: December 16, 2022 @ 3:30 PM Eastern Time ADD: December 22, 2022 at 3:30 PM Eastern Time END OF AMENDMENT 001 This is a SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE for market research purposes. THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS OR A REQUEST FOR QUOTATIONS. Historically, the semiconductor industry of the United States of America (USA) dominated many parts of the international semiconductor supply chain. Semiconductors have historically been top US exports and the US used to lead in R&D, design, and manufacturing of chips. Yet the position of the USA within the semiconductor industry has been declining. In 1990, the USA accounted for approximately 40% of global semiconductor fabrication capacity. By 2019, that number had dropped to about 11%. To help strengthen the position of the USA in semiconductor research and development and manufacturing, Congress authorized a set of programs known as the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors for America (CHIPS) as part of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2021 (Pub. L. No. 116-283) in January 2021. Sections 9902 and 9906 of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (referenced herein as “the CHIPS Act”), was amended and funds were appropriated by Congress to become the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 (“CHIPS+”). CHIPS+ appropriated $50.2 billion to the Department of Commerce (Department) to catalyze long-term growth in the domestic semiconductor industry in support of national and economic security, including approximately $40 billion to incentivize domestic semiconductor manufacturing and approximately $10 billion for research and development. The Department has identified four measurable strategic goals for the CHIPS program: Assure a sufficient and secure supply of older-generation semiconductor chips for defense and critical sectors; Increase U.S. production of leading-edge logic and memory chips; Strengthen U.S. R&D leadership to catalyze and capture the next set of critical technologies, applications, and industries; and Grow a diverse semiconductor workforce and build strong communities that participate in the prosperity of the semiconductor industry. CHIPS+ gives the Department considerable flexibility in determining how to structure financial incentives to drive additional investment in domestic semiconductor manufacturing, which could include federal grants, loans, and/or loan guarantees. Financing structures could include corporate finance, project finance, and joint ventures, among others, to draw in private investment and capital markets support, in addition to the CHIPS incentives. The CHIPS Program Office will be managing the investment and financial structuring process for a wide range of applicants, including, but not limited to, large, complex multinational companies. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is performing market research to identify qualified Contractors to provide financial and transaction advice to the CHIPS Program Office, which would include supporting the evaluation and analysis of individual applications for grants, loans, and loan guarantees, assisting the CHIPS Program Office with negotiation of transaction terms, producing transaction documentation, and providing capital markets advice and expertise. Capital markets advice and expertise would include experience evaluating debt capacity and recommending appropriate capital structures for companies, structuring public and private debt and equity instruments, as well as knowledge and understanding of trends in the debt and equity markets, particularly related to the semiconductor industry and associated supply chain. Task areas are expected to include all of the following: Financial Advisory Aspects -Develop and/or support the development of financial models that illustrate cash flows and underlying assumptions, key metrics and leverage ratios, scenario analysis, return and risk distributions, and other features that highlight financial properties and sensitivities of individual applications. - Provide analysis of the business, finances and operations of individual applicants, and any associated parties thereto, or categories of applications, which may include a variety of corporate, ownership and capital structures. -Advise and provide input and recommendations to the Government with respect to the evaluation of individual applications and negotiation of individual transactions. -Review applicant proposals for completeness of data and evidence provided in the application to support the level of funding and accuracy of information in the proposal. Capital Markets Aspects -Provide advice and input to the Government on the state of the financial markets especially related to the semiconductor industry, and debt capacity, market terms, rating agency considerations, and structuring options for individual applicants. -Provide independent analysis and input on the size, structure, pricing, tenor, and other terms of the financial instruments (loans, loan guarantees, other) for individual applicants. Contracts handling Government information must meet the requisite IT security and privacy controls to be compliant with security and privacy requirements defined by applicable federal laws, regulations, policies, and standards (e.g., the Federal Information Security Modernization Act (FISMA), Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-130, and Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) Publication 200). The Contractor is likely to be provided with NIST-owned computers and must utilize existing NIST systems that are compliant with federal laws, regulations, policies and standards referenced above. Contractor personnel must be U.S. citizens and/or green card holders and must undergo all processes necessary to be vetted as a NIST Associate. Only personnel approved by NIST as “NIST Associates” will be permitted to perform work under this project. REFERENCES -National Defense Authorization Act of 2021, Section 9902 https://www.congress.gov/116/bills/hr6395/BILLS-116hr6395enr.pdf Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) for America Act of 2022 https://www.commerce.senate.gov/services/files/592E23A5-B56F-48AE-B4C1-493822686BCB Required Information for Submission NIST is seeking responses from responsible sources. Responses are being sought from all business sizes. Small businesses are strongly encouraged to respond. Small businesses are defined under the associated NAICS code for this effort, 541611 Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services, as domestic sources having annual revenues of $21.5M or less. After the results of this market research are obtained and analyzed, NIST may conduct a competitive procurement and subsequently award a contract. If at least two qualified small business are identified during market research, then a competitive procurement would be conducted via a small business set-aside. If a small business set-aside results, a Limitation Subcontracting clause will be applicable to the anticipated procurement action. Businesses meeting the classification of the set-aside cannot pay more than 50% of the amount paid to it, by the Government, to firms that are not similarly situated. Responses to this sources sought notice shall not exceed 15 pages in length and must demonstrate the respondent’s capabilities as indicated below. The response must provide detail well beyond a standard capability statement. Documentation submitted shall include all of the following: -Organization name, Unique Entity Identifier for the Company’s active System for Award Management (SAM.Gov) website registration; Website; Contact Name, Telephone Number, and E-mail address. Interested parties that do not have an active SAM.gov registration are strongly encouraged to visit the SAM.Gov website immediately to begin the registration process. This process can take several weeks to complete. Parties responding to Government solicitations are required to have an active SAM.gov registration at the time proposals/quotations are submitted. - Information from vendors to understand whether separating financial advisory from capital markets would better suit industry’s response to a potential solicitation. -A discussion of the Contractor’s knowledge of and experience with all of the following: (1) Providing financial advisory/investment banking services to large, complex multinational companies in the semiconductor, broader technology, manufacturing, or similar industry; (2) Providing capital markets advisory services to large, complex multinational companies and/or executing significant capital markets transactions (equity, debt, other) for companies in the semiconductor, broader technology, manufacturing, or similar industry; (3) Analysis, negotiation, and execution of financial transactions of the size, complexity, and subject matter required by the CHIPS Incentive Program. The Contractor must document experience advising on financial transactions and structuring/executing capital markets transactions, including both debt and equity instruments, of total value greater than $500 million for companies in the semiconductor, broader technology, manufacturing, or other similar sectors; (4) Evaluating investment proposals, including business and financial performance analysis and financial modeling (including sensitivity, return, and leverage analysis), for large enterprises. The Contractor must document experience evaluating large, complex companies, both public and private, with international operations and multiple divisions or subsidiaries. (5) Project descriptions that document the Contractor’s experience, as applicable, working with Federal and other public sector institutions on relevant assignments. -Price Information It is requested that potential labor categories, labor rates, and other direct costs that might be used to accomplish the work be provided. All price information will be utilized for budgeting purposes. Therefore, it is preferred that labor rates be within 10-15% of the actual price. This estimate is non-committal and will be held by NIST as confidential. Any other price information respondents are willing provide will also assist the Government’s budgeting process. For example, prices charged for similar projects including labor estimates (level of effort), and other direct costs applicable to the projects. The above information and any other information considered pertinent to this notification must be submitted to Carol A. Wood, Contracting Officer, not later December 22, 2022, at 3:30 PM Eastern Time. Email submission is required.