Inactive Total Small Business Set-Aside (FAR 19.5)

Amendment 0001: The purpose of this sources sought notice amendment is to revise the notice, as attached and copied below. This updated notice language supersedes the original notice language. However... Amendment 0001: The purpose of this sources sought notice amendment is to revise the notice, as attached and copied below. This updated notice language supersedes the original notice language. However, the question and response submission dates remain unchanged for February 7, 2023 at 11:00 AM ET and February 14 at 11:00 AM ET, respectively. INTRODUCTION This is a Small Business Sources Sought notice. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. The purpose of this notice is to obtain information regarding the availability and capability of qualified small business sources. This notice is strictly for market research and information purposes only. Your responses will assist the Government in determining the appropriate acquisition method, including whether a set-aside is possible. NIST is seeking responses from all responsible small business concerns. Small businesses are defined under the associated NAICS code for this effort, 541611 - Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services. If a small business set-aside solicitation results following market research, FAR Clause 52.219-14: Limitations on Subcontracting clause will be applicable to the anticipated procurement action. In this event, prime contractors meeting the classification of the set-aside cannot pay more than 50% of the amount paid to it, by the Government for contract performance, to subcontractors that are not similarly situated entities. Background: The semiconductor industry and wider ecosystem of software, design, tools, materials, equipment, customers, workers, and investors are a unique national asset, critical to economic and national security. Chips are an integral part of a consumer’s everyday life. They are found in household items such as light switches, garage door openers and refrigerators, as well as in more complex products such as mobile phones, pacemakers, and automobiles. They are fundamental to the operation of virtually every military system, including communications and navigations systems and complex weapons systems such as those found in the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. Semiconductors are key to the technologies of the future, including artificial intelligence and 5G. Semiconductor design and manufacturing creates high-wage jobs and involves significant amounts of research and development (R&D) spending. Economic activity in this ecosystem encompasses basic science, technology development, and capital-intensive manufacturing over an extraordinary variety of new products and niche applications. Entire industries have been revolutionized by the pace of innovation in semiconductors and the proliferating variety of chips, tools, and information processing and communications capabilities developed by the semiconductor ecosystem. 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+ appropriates $50.2 billion to the Department of Commerce (“the Department”) to catalyze long-term growth in the domestic semiconductor industry in support of our national and economic security. The Department has identified four measurable strategic goals for the CHIPS program: Assure a sufficient and secure supply of older-generation 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. Grow a diverse semiconductor workforce and build strong communities that participate in the prosperity of the semiconductor industry. Scope of Requirement: NIST requires contractor subject matter expertise on an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) basis to support the CHIPS Incentives program, inclusive of comprehensive and defensible reviews of federal financial assistance applications and issues affecting proposed projects. Overall leadership and responsibility for decisions remains with federal staff and the contractor’s role shall be to provide expert support only. This is a non-personal-services requirement. Key Requirement Tasks: The required work includes the following key task areas: Subject Matter Expertise for Review of CHIPS Financial Assistance Applications: This task area will require contractor expertise for the programmatic review of applications towards potential CHIPS financial assistance awards. Required expertise includes technical, business, engineering, construction, and policy analysis related to the semiconductor industry and wider economic ecosystem. This includes expertise in 1) semiconductor technology and 2) semiconductor industry and market analysis (e.g., wafer pricing expectations, supply and demand analysis). The contractor shall possess relevant capabilities in these specific subject matter areas in order to evaluate the viability and feasibility of business plans put forward by each application. Additionally, this task may require expertise in economic, financial, and sensitivity analysis. These capabilities will be required to be applied to the semiconductor industry, major segments in the industry (e.g. logic or memory), and to perform analysis of individual companies within the industry. Analysis and Forecasting of Downstream Ecosystem and Industry Impacts This task area will require contractor expertise to provide ongoing research, analysis and support related to how proposed investments will impact the semiconductor industry and supply chain. Required expertise and analytical capabilities include: 1) semiconductor supply and demand forecasting by major semiconductor types, end-use, country/region, or production and consumption; 2) Industry-wide and company-level supply and demand dynamics of leading-edge semiconductor design and production, including advanced packaging; 3) Industry-wide and company level supply and demand dynamics in mature-node logic, analog, discrete, compound, and other semiconductor products; and 4) Dynamics of fabless design and foundry relationships, including customer requirements. Subject Matter Expertise and Analysis Related to Semiconductor Facilities This task area will require contractor expertise in the analysis of the technical and operational requirements related to greenfield or expansions of semiconductor producing facilities, and ongoing operating considerations. This includes technology, engineering, and cost requirements of producing various types of semiconductors at all levels of sophistication, as well as construction needs and specialized infrastructure. Additionally, it is critical that the contractor be sensitive to conflict of interest and non-disclosure requirements pertaining to this requirement. This includes contractor employees, subcontractors, consultants, and any other individuals or entities retained by the Contractor, subcontractors, and consultants to perform work for this potential requirement. QUESTIONS REGARDING THIS NOTICE Questions regarding this sources sought notice may be submitted via email to Ms. Lauren Roller, Contract Specialist, at Lauren.Roller@nist.gov and Mr. Billy Wong, Contract Specialist, at Hingpan.Wong@nist.gov. Questions are due by or before 11:00 AM ET on February 7, 2023. Questions will be anonymized and answered via sources sought notice amendment following the question submission deadline. RESPONSE INSTRUCTIONS All responsible small business sources able to provide the services described above are asked to email a response to Ms. Lauren Roller, Contract Specialist, at Lauren.Roller@nist.gov, Mr. Billy Wong, Contract Specialist, at Hingpan.Wong@nist.gov and Mr. Keith Bubar, Contracting Officer, at Keith.Bubar@nist.gov by or before 11:00 AM ET on February 14, 2023. Please include the following information in the response: Name of company, the Unique Entity ID (UEI) as found in www.sam.gov, the company address and a point of contact for the company (name, phone number, and email address). Affirmation that company meets the size standard for NAICS Code 541611 and provide socio-economic status (i.e., Woman Owned Small Business, Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business, HUBZone, and 8(a) Business Development). Description of capabilities in relation to the three key task areas identified in this sources sought notice. Information on any GSA Federal Supply Schedules (FSS) or other Government-wide contracts through which the company offers these services, if applicable. At minimum, please include Schedule/Contract number, title, current end date and ultimate contract end date, and brief statement regarding the availability of these services under the Schedule/Contract. Any other relevant information that is not listed above which the Government should consider. We request that vendor responses be limited to eight (8) pages as much as possible and in MS Word or searchable PDF format. IMPORTANT NOTES This notice is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government to issue a solicitation or ultimately award a contract. Responses will not be considered as proposals or quotes. No award will be made as a result of this notice. The Government will not be responsible for any costs incurred by the respondents to this notice. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. No proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included in your response; however, NIST will recognize as restricted or proprietary data which is clearly marked such. __________________________ Original Notice: INTRODUCTION This is a Small Business Sources Sought notice. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. The purpose of this notice is to obtain information regarding the availability and capability of qualified small business sources. This notice is strictly for market research and information purposes only. Your responses will assist the Government in determining the appropriate acquisition method, including whether a set-aside is possible. NIST is seeking responses from all responsible small business concerns. Small businesses are defined under the associated NAICS code for this effort, 541611 - Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services, as those domestic sources having no more than $24.5 Million in annual receipts. Background: The semiconductor industry and wider ecosystem of software, design, tools, materials, equipment, customers, workers, and investors are a unique national asset, critical to economic and national security. Chips are an integral part of a consumer’s everyday life. They are found in household items such as light switches, garage door openers and refrigerators, as well as in more complex products such as mobile phones, pacemakers, and automobiles. They are fundamental to the operation of virtually every military system, including communications and navigations systems and complex weapons systems such as those found in the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. Semiconductors are key to the technologies of the future, including artificial intelligence and 5G. Semiconductor design and manufacturing creates high-wage jobs and involves significant amounts of research and development (R&D) spending. Economic activity in this ecosystem encompasses basic science, technology development, and capital-intensive manufacturing over an extraordinary variety of new products and niche applications. Entire industries have been revolutionized by the pace of innovation in semiconductors and the proliferating variety of chips, tools, and information processing and communications capabilities developed by the semiconductor ecosystem. 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+ appropriates $50.2 billion to the Department of Commerce (“the Department”) to catalyze long-term growth in the domestic semiconductor industry in support of our national and economic security. The Department has identified four measurable strategic goals for the CHIPS program: Assure a sufficient and secure supply of older-generation 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. Grow a diverse semiconductor workforce and build strong communities that participate in the prosperity of the semiconductor industry. Scope of Requirement: NIST requires contractor subject matter expertise on an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) basis to support the CHIPS Incentives program, inclusive of comprehensive and defensible reviews of federal financial assistance applications and issues affecting proposed projects. Overall leadership and responsibility for decisions remains with federal staff and the contractor’s role shall be to provide expert support only. This is a non-personal-services requirement. Key Requirement Tasks: The required work includes the following key task areas: 1. Subject Matter Expertise for Review of CHIPS Financial Assistance Applications: This task area will require contractor expertise for the programmatic review of applications towards potential CHIPS financial assistance awards. Required expertise includes technical, business, engineering, construction, and policy analysis related to the semiconductor industry and wider economic ecosystem. This includes expertise in 1) semiconductor technology and 2) semiconductor industry and market analysis (e.g., wafer pricing expectations, supply and demand analysis). The contractor shall possess relevant experience in these specific subject matter areas in order to evaluate the viability and feasibility of business plans put forward by each application. Additionally, this task may require expertise in economic, financial, and sensitivity analysis specific to the semiconductor industry, major segments in the industry (e.g. logic or memory), and individual companies within the industry. 2. Analysis and Forecasting of Downstream Ecosystem and Industry Impacts This task area will require contractor expertise to provide ongoing research, analysis and support related to how proposed investments will impact the semiconductor industry and supply chain. Required expertise and analytical capabilities include: 1) semiconductor supply and demand forecasting by major semiconductor types, end-use, country/region, or production and consumption; 2) Industry-wide and company-level supply and demand dynamics of leading-edge semiconductor design and production, including advanced packaging; 3) Industry-wide and company level supply and demand dynamics in mature-node logic, analog, discrete, compound, and other semiconductor products; and 4) Dynamics of fabless design and foundry relationships, including customer requirements. 3. Subject Matter Expertise and Analysis Related to Semiconductor Facilities This task area will require contractor expertise in the analysis of the technical and operational requirements related to greenfield or expansions of semiconductor producing facilities, and ongoing operating considerations. This includes technology, engineering, and cost requirements of producing various types of semiconductors at all levels of sophistication, as well as construction needs and specialized infrastructure. Additionally, it is critical that the contractor be sensitive to conflict of interest and non-disclosure requirements pertaining to this requirement. This includes contractor employees, subcontractors, consultants, and any other individuals or entities retained by the Contractor, subcontractors, and consultants to perform work for this potential requirement. QUESTIONS REGARDING THIS NOTICE Questions regarding this sources sought notice may be submitted via email to Ms. Lauren Roller, Contract Specialist, at Lauren.Roller@nist.gov and Mr. Billy Wong, Contract Specialist, at Hingpan.Wong@nist.gov. Questions are due by or before 11:00 AM ET on February 7, 2023. Questions will be anonymized and answered via sources sought notice amendment following the question submission deadline. RESPONSE INSTRUCTIONS All responsible small business sources able to provide the services described above are asked to email a response to Ms. Lauren Roller, Contract Specialist, at Lauren.Roller@nist.gov Mr. Billy Wong, Contract Specialist, at Hingpan.Wong@nist.gov and Mr. Keith Bubar, Contracting Officer, at Keith.Bubar@nist.gov by or before 11:00 AM ET on February 14, 2023. Please include the following information in the response: Name of company authorized to provide services, the Unique Entity ID (UEI) as found in www.sam.gov, the company address and a point of contact for the company (name, phone number, and email address). The company’s primary NAICS, size classification, and socio-economic status (i.e., Small Business, Woman Owned Small Business, Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business, etc.). Brief description of capabilities in relation to the key task areas identified in this sources sought notice. Anticipated percentage of work that your company would need to subcontract for each of the key task areas outlined. 5. Information on any GSA Federal Supply Schedules (FSS) or other Government-wide contracts through which the company offers these services, if applicable. At minimum, please include Schedule/Contract number, title, current end date and ultimate contract end date, and brief statement regarding the availability of these services under the Schedule/Contract. 6. Any other relevant information that is not listed above which the Government should consider. Responses are limited to a maximum total of eight (8) pages in MS Word or searchable PDF format. IMPORTANT NOTES This notice is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government to issue a solicitation or ultimately award a contract. Responses will not be considered as proposals or quotes. No award will be made as a result of this notice. The Government will not be responsible for any costs incurred by the respondents to this notice. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. No proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included in your response; however, NIST will recognize as restricted or proprietary data which is clearly marked such.