Combined Sources Sought Notice and Notice of Intent to Award a Sole Source Contract for an Optical Dilatometer with Heating Microscope Capability

This is a Combined Sources Sought Notice and Notice of Intent to Award a Sole Source Contract for an Optical Dilatometer with Heating Microscope Capability. BACKGROUND The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is conducting market research to identify alternative sources that (a) are capable of meeting NIST’s minimum requirements for the following commercial products and commercial services and (b) would be interested in competing for that requirement. The contractor shall deliver an optical dilatometer with heating microscope capability. The equipment must be able to meet the following minimum specifications and include installation, training, and a minimum 1-year warranty: The system shall be a horizontal optical (non-contact) dilatometer that measures sample dimensional changes using a high-precision camera and optical imaging, without any mechanical contact with the specimen. The system shall include an exchangeable optic for operation as an optical dilatometer with a resolution of 1 µm or better. The system shall include an exchangeable optic for operation as a heating microscope with a resolution of 1 µm or better and a field of view of at least 1 x 1 cm. The system shall include a MoSi2 furnace capable of operating from room temperature up to at least 1700 °C with programmable heating rates from 0.01 to 20 °C/min. The system shall have a vacuum-tight sample chamber capable of achieving a pressure level of at least 0.1 Pa when used in combination with an appropriate vacuum pump. The system shall include automatic gas control for at least 3 gases with mass flow controllers (MFC) in an external housing, enabling software-controlled atmosphere management for inert, reducing (up to 5% H2 mixtures), and oxidizing atmospheres. The tube, heating elements, and thermocouples shall be compatible with up to 5% hydrogen atmospheres. The system shall include a compatible Type S thermocouple and a Type C thermocouple. The system shall include appropriate reference samples. The system shall include a desktop PC with current-generation processor, monitor, and Windows operating system with all necessary instrument control and data analysis software. The system shall include Windows-based software capable of programming device-specific settings and control functions, data storage, and evaluation of thermal expansion, sintering behavior, morphological analysis, and contact angle measurements. The system shall be delivered with a digital or physical operations and maintenance manual. The system shall have dimensions and weight that will allow it to be installed on a typical laboratory benchtop. The system shall be operated by 230 V or lower power. NIST has not yet determined its acquisition strategy for this requirement and encourages interested sources to respond to this Notice. If NIST’s market research indicates there are alternative sources that are capable and interested in competing to fill this requirement, separate and apart from LINSEIS INC. (UEI# UMJGJH9LHZC5) then NIST will consider conducting a competitive acquisition in accordance with law and regulation. To be clear, NIST’s identification LINSEIS INC. in this Notice does not constitute a binding commitment or obligation for it to conduct a sole source procurement with LINSEIS INC. for this requirement. Instructions for Responding to Respond to This Notice Parties that respond to this Notice are requested to voluntarily submit the requested information via email in Microsoft Word, Adobe PDF, and/or Microsoft Excel format to the designated point(s) of contact whose name and email address appears at the bottom of this notice. Please provide only the information requested by this Notice, and do not include proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information in a response to this Notice. Information Requested in Response to This Notice: To help NIST with its market research, NIST is requesting that industry sources carefully review this notice and any attachments to it and voluntarily provide the following information: Company Summary Notice Identification: Notice ID and Title of this posting (NB643080-26-01718 - Optical Dilatometer with Heating Microscope Capability) Corporate Details: Company name, physical address, website address, and Unique Entity Identifier (UEI). Point of Contact (POC): Name, phone number, and email address. Company Size Standard: Your company’s size status relative to the NAICS code provided in this Notice. (Refer to the SBA Table of Small Business Size Standards). System for Award Management (SAM) Registration: Indicate whether your company has an active registration for procurement purposes in SAM.gov. 2. Feedback for Draft Requirements Review the potential requirements/minimum specifications included with this Notice. Then, please provide suggestions to (a) improve clarity of it; (b) to make it more competitive; (c) to indicate whether there anything in it that may inadvertently exclude domestic involvement; and (d) to indicate how the requirements could potentially be revised to improve the ability for domestic (“Made in America”) end products to be considered. 3. Information Regarding Your Company’s Products and Services Provide specifications, company name of the original equipment manufacturer, and the country of manufacture for products and services that your company is legally authorized to sell and that may meet NIST’s minimum requirements. Indicate whether, in your opinion, the product(s) meet the definition of (a) commercial product or (b) commercially available off-the-shelf (COTS) item or COTS item as described at https://www.acquisition.gov/far-overhaul/far-part-deviation-guide/far-overhaul-part-2 and, if so, which definition applies ((a) or (b)). Indicate whether, in your opinion, the service(s) meet the definition of commercial service as described at https://www.acquisition.gov/far-overhaul/far-part-deviation-guide/far-overhaul-part-2. Standard Commercial Pricing: Provide your company’s standard commercial pricing information for the identified products and services and explain what is included in those standard prices. Estimated Price Range: You may provide an estimated price or price range for the requirements, including a brief explanation of how the price estimate was developed. Standard Commercial Terms and Conditions: Provide a copy of the standard commercial terms and conditions for the commercial products and commercial services identified in the response to this notice, including nature and duration of standard commercial warranty. 4. Regulatory and Supply Chain Compliance Indicate whether your company could comply with FAR Clause 52.219-14, Limitations on Subcontracting (OCT 2022) if this acquisition were to be set aside for small businesses. Provide a brief supporting explanation. 5. Existing Governmentwide Contract Vehicles Indicate whether your company has its own GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) contract or other federal contract vehicles under which NIST could award an order and, if so, provide the contract details (contract number, Contracting Officer name/contact, SOW, terms and conditions, and price lists). We truly appreciate your company’s willingness to provide the above-mentioned information which NIST will be valuable in helping NIST complete its market research. Important Notes This Notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay respondents to this notice for information provided in response to this Notice. Following a review of the responses and market research, NIST may publish a solicitation on an authorized site, depending on the chosen acquisition strategy. Responses received after the closing date for this Notice may not be considered. There is no solicitation available at this time. The Government reserves the right to use information that it receives in response to this Notice as it deems appropriate to establish final requirements or for other legally appropriate purposes. Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine the organization’s capability. Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted. After a review of the responses received, a synopsis and solicitation may be published on GSA’s eBuy or SAM.gov. However, responses to this notice will not be considered an adequate response to any such solicitation(s). QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS NOTICE For questions regardign this notice, please contact the primary contact identified at the bottom of this notice no later than 9:00AM EST, July 23, 2026. THANK YOU Thank you for taking the time to read this notice and for your interest in helping NIST with its efforts to maximize competition!