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THIS IS A COMBINED SYNOPSIS/SOLICITATION FOR COMMERCIAL ITEMS PREPARED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE FORMAT IN SUBPART 12.6, AS SUPPLEMENTED WITH ADDITIONAL INFORMATION INCLUDED IN THIS NOTICE. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONSTITUTES THE ONLY SOLICITATION; QUOTATIONS ARE BEING REQUESTED AND A WRITTEN SOLICITATION WILL NOT BE ISSUED.

Solicitation number NB686090-23-01716 is a Request for Quotation (RFQ) conducted under the authority of FAR 13, Simplified Acquisition Procedures. This RFQ, incorporated provisions, and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2023-04. The associated North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code for this procurement is 334516, with a small business size standard of 1,000 employees.

This requirement is being competed as a Total Small Business Set Aside.

Background:

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is engaged in ongoing research of high-speed superconducting devices for a variety of applications, including advanced computing, advanced communications, and artificial intelligence. This work includes the development of a low-temperature measurement platform to characterize superconducting devices that are illuminated by mm-waves (50 GHz to 1 THz). NIST requires a cryostat to develop such a measurement platform. A cryostat system for this application: (1) cools a cold stage to less than or equal to 4.2 K by use of a mechanical cryocooler, (2) encloses the cold stage in a vacuum-compatible chamber, (3) includes feedthroughs to make electrical connections to points inside the enclosure, and (4) accommodates mm-wave optics.

A description of the requirements for the items to be acquired is in the attached SOW. Addenda to this provision are attached. See attached Instructions and Evaluation Criteria, and Basis for Award (Attachment A).

Questions regarding this solicitation may be submitted to the Contracting Officer, Aaron Ritter, at aaron.ritter@nist.gov no later than 10:00 am (MT) on June 14, 2023.

All quotations shall be delivered electronically to the Contracting Officer, Aaron Ritter, at aaron.ritter@nist.gov no later than 10:00 am (MT) on June 22, 2023.