Procurement Technical Assistance Centers (PTACs) are an official government contracting resource for small businesses. Find your local PTAC (opens in new window) for free government expertise related to contract opportunities.

5/23/23: This opportunity is being re-synopsized a second time due to delays in release of the solicitation, which is now anticipate to be released on or shortly after June 1, 2023.

This is a pre-solicitation notice for a commercial acquisition using FAR parts 12 and 15. THIS PRESOLICITATION NOTICE IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP). VENDORS SHALL NOT SUBMIT FORMAL PROPOSALS UNTIL THE RFP IS POSTED TO THIS WEBSITE. This synopsis is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government nor shall the Government pay for the information resulting from this posting.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has a requirement for a suite of two Transmission Electron Microscopes (TEMs) for its cooperative research Precision Imaging Facility (PIF) located in Boulder, Colorado. The procurement is be conducted under full and open competition for the acquisition of commercial items and services as defined in FAR Subpart 2.101. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code is 334516, Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing, and the small business size standard is 1,000 employees. Any resultant contract will be effective for a base period of performance of approximately 13 months from date of award for delivery and installation of the TEMs and with warranty/services to begin after tool acceptance for a period of 5 years. Additionally, Options items to exercise at the Government’s discretion, if exercised, will be delivered with the TEMs.

The Government intends to award a single firm-fixed price contract in accordance with all terms, conditions and provisions in the forthcoming solicitation. This notice is for informational purposes only and is not a request for offers. The Government is not obligated to issue a solicitation as a result of this notice. All respondents must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) database at http://www.SAM.gov and complete online Representations and Certifications at http://www.SAM.gov. The solicitation and any amendments to the solicitation will be posted at http://www.SAM.gov. Offerors must obtain all notices and amendments to the solicitation through this website. No other information is available until issuance of the solicitation. Please refrain from submitting written questions until after solicitation is posted.