Brand Name Only National Instrument CompactRIO system

(i)     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; proposals are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. (ii)     The solicitation number is AMD-TC-21-00571 and the solicitation is issued as a competitive Request for Quotation (RFQ) restricted on a Total Small Business Set-Aside basis. This acquisition is for a Brand-Name Only requirement; specifically, for a National Instrument (NI) CompactRIO System manufactured by National Instrument Corporation, located at 11500 N MoPac Expy, Austin, TX, 78759. This acquisition is for a commercial item or service and is conducted under the authority of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 13—Simplified Acquisition Procedures and FAR Part 12—Acquisition of Commercial Items. A Fixed-Price type of Purchase Order contract is

contemplated for any resulting contract entered into as a result of this solicitation. (iii)     The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) Number/Effective Date: 2021-04 / 01-19-2021.(iv)     The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this procurement is 334118 Computer Terminal and Other Computer Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing with the small business size standard of 1000 Employees. This requirement is restricted on a Total Small Business set-aside basis.BRAND NAME ONLY JUSTIFICATION This is a brand name only requirement in accordance with FAR 13.106-1(b) and FAR 5.102(a)(6). NIST laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) additive manufacturing testbed research has been developed using the National Instruments (NI) platform. The platform requires a controller and the system needs to be programmable in National Instrument Labview in order to reuse the intellectual property already developed in existing proprietary NI products currently in use at NIST. The system also needs to have built-in field-programmable gate array (FPGA) and high-speed I/O for real-time monitoring and feedback control that are compatible with the existing NI-based research. Therefore, an NI CompactRIO system (controller and I/O modules) is required and only the NI brand is acceptable for research integrity, compatibility and standardization purposes. (v)    Background. The Production Systems Group (PSG) at NIST conducts research in metals-based additive manufacturing to develop and deploy advances in measurement science that will enable rapid design-to-product transformation. Part of this research involves developing a controller for the laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) additive manufacturing testbed. In an AM process, a high-power laser beam is positioned using galvanometric scanning mirrors and build three-dimensional parts layer by layer. The PSG requires a National Instrument (NI) CompactRIO (cRIO) system to develop a customized controller for the AM process.(vi)    Purpose. The Production Systems Group (PSG) requires a compact, high speed, customizable system to develop a portable AM controller. It will control the power spreading process, laser scanning process, and high-speed data acquisition. The PSG is developing a portable AM controller so it can be used on a portable testbed such as LPDT (laser power deflection testbed). LPDT will need to be placed under synchrotron source for in-situ X-Ray measurement. It will provide measurement of melt pool dynamics and temperature, which will support research in process monitoring and sensor development and provide reference data for Multiphysics simulations. The system needs to be programmable in NI Labview, in order to reuse the intellectual property already developed. Therefore, the request is for a NI CompactRIO system (controller and I/O modules). Minimum Requirements: The LPBF AM process is a very dynamic process, the laser scanning position is updated at 100 K Hz and transmitted at 2Mb/s. In order to realize the real-time feed-back control the data acquisition and processing need to be as fast as possible. The Contractor shall provide a quantity of (1) CompactRIO systems (controller and I/O modules), meeting or exceeding the following minimum specifications, hereby considered the salient essential characteristics of this requirement:•    CRIO controller: at least 4 cores,1.6 G, with Kintx-7325T on board FPGA•    Digital output module 5 V TTL: At least 10 Mb/s speed, total 16 Channels (can be two modules).•    Analog output module: 10 V 16-bit, at least 100 K sampling rate, 4 channels.•    Analog input module: 10 V 16-bit, at least 500 K sampling rate, 4 channels.•    High-speed digitizer module: 10 V 14-bit, minimum 20Ms/s, 4 channels.•    Relays: 30/60 VDC, 250 VAC, at least 4 channels.•    Temperature input module: thermocouple input, at least 4 channels.•    Safety module: at least 4 analog and 4 digital I/O. Independent logic loop.•    System must come with power supply and connector kit accessoriesThis requirement is to obtain quantity one (1) CompactRIO system, on a Brand-Name Only basis, with the following Part Numbers, and quantities, that is manufactured by National Instruments Corporation, located at 11500 N MoPac Expy, Austin, TX, 78759. Products offered must include the functional specifications of the supply described in this solicitation, which specifically includes the manufacturer catalogue number, product description and quantity identified in the table in the attachment. Please see the attached table for reference.Offerors must: 1) include Shipping and handling cost in the quotation or specify if it is included in the price; 2) indicate if items being quoted are warrantied or if any service support plans are applicable in accordance with Offerors’ standard commercial warranty practices, and the length of time of such warranty or support (See section (ix) for Warranty requirements); 3) indicate an estimated delivery time in full after receipt of an order and that the offeror will comply with NIST’s delivery terms.The system shall meet or exceed the salient characteristics identified above. All items must be new.  Used or remanufactured equipment will not be considered for award. Experimental, prototype, or custom items will not be considered.  The Contractor shall provide a Firm Fixed Price Quotation for the following CLINS: Contract Line Item 0001: The Contractor shall provide a quantity of One (1) National Instrument CompactRIO system meeting or exceeding the salient characteristics described in this solicitation as the minimum specifications. (vii)    Delivery. Delivery shall be FOB destination and shall occur within the vendor’s standard commercial lead time, but no later than 10 weeks after contractor receipt of order. FOB Destination means: The contractor shall pack and mark the shipment in conformance with carrier requirements, deliver the shipment in good order and condition to the point of delivery specified in the purchase order, be responsible for any loss of and/or damage to the goods occurring before receipt and acceptance of the shipment by the consignee at the delivery point specified in the purchase order; and pay all charges to the specified point of delivery.Due to the current campus access restrictions at NIST, delivery shall occur at a mutually agreed upon date between the contractor and the NIST technical point of contact (TPOC). The contractor shall NOT deliver any items until the delivery date has been agreed upon in writing, and the contractor has received written approval from the NIST TPOC to proceed with delivery. Contractor failure to acquire written approval from NIST prior to shipping products shall release the Government of any liability and may result in the delivery being disallowed onto NIST’s campus. All items shall be delivered to the following address:NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY (NIST)BLDG 301 SHIPPING & RECEIVING100 BUREAU DRGAITHERSBURG, MD 20899NIST is a controlled-access facility, therefore delivery personnel must be a U.S. citizen or a U.S. permanent resident.(viii)     Inspection and Acceptance: In addition to the inspection and acceptance terms articulated in 52.212-4, The Government reserves the right to perform such performance tests and evaluations as defined below to verify specified system performance. Such tests and evaluations, if performed, shall be conducted within the environment that the system is to be operated. The Contractor has the right to be present during the tests and evaluations, if performed, at the Contractor’s expense.The scope of general inspection included:1.    Structural, mechanical, and electrical evaluation of product2.    An operational evaluation of the laser profiler unit3.    Evaluation of the system’s performance and software interfacingA visual inspection of the laser profiler unit will be performed by the NIST TPOC to identify defects or any form of indication that the laser profiler unit was damaged during transport to NIST. The Government shall have sole discretion to require repair or replacement of damaged and/or nonconforming supplies at no cost to the Government. The Government at any time prior to acceptance shall reject the laser profiler unit due to defects and/or nonconformance.The vendor is responsible for latent defects discovered any time after final inspection. However, the extent of its liability shall be prorated over the useful life of the laser profiler unit. The place of acceptance shall be:100 Bureau DriveBuilding 220Gaithersburg, MD 20899Ownership (title) of the laser profiler unit shall transfer to NIST upon acceptance.(ix)    Warranty: The contractor shall warrant the entire system in accordance with the contractor’s or original equipment manufacturers’ (OEM) standard commercial item warranty.(x)    Payment Schedule. The Contractor shall be paid, in accordance with Net 30-day payment terms, upon receipt and acceptance of a proper invoice, in accordance with the following schedule:1. 100% after receipt and acceptance by the TPOC of fully delivered system.2. The Government anticipates inspection will occur upon:a. After the testing procedures set forth in this document have been complete.NOTE: Partial shipments and partial invoices will not be accepted, unless otherwise requested and accepted by the Contracting Officer prior to award offer. Proposed payment schedules shall be submitted with vendor’s response to the RFQ for consideration.(xi)    The provision at FAR 52.252-1, Solicitation Provisions Incorporated by Reference (Feb 1998), applies to this acquisition. This solicitation incorporates one or more solicitation provisions by reference, with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make their full text available. The offeror is cautioned that the listed provisions may include blocks that must be completed by the offeror and submitted with its quotation or offer. In lieu of submitting the full text of those provisions, the offeror may identify the provision by paragraph identifier and provide the appropriate information with its quotation or offer. Also, the full text of a solicitation provision may be accessed electronically at these addresses:https://www.acquisition.gov/?q=browsefar http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?tpl=/ecfrbrowse/Title48/48cfrv5_02.tpl (End of provision) The following provisions apply to this acquisition and are incorporated by reference:• FAR 52.203-18, Prohibition on Contracting with Entities that Require Certain Internal Confidentiality Agreements or Statements-Representation (Jan 2017)• FAR 52.204-7, System for Award Management (Oct 2018)• FAR 52.204-16, Commercial and Government Entity Code Reporting (Aug 2020)• FAR 52.204-17, Ownership or Control of Offeror (Aug 2020)• FAR 52.204-20, Predecessor of Offeror (Aug 2020)• FAR 52.209-2, Prohibition on Contracting with Inverted Domestic Corporations-Representation (Nov 2015)• FAR 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors-Commercial Items (Jun 2020)• FAR 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial Items (Nov 2020)• FAR 52.225-25, Prohibition on Contracting with Entities Engaging in Sanctioned Activities Relating to Iran (Jun 2020)The clause at FAR 52.252-2, Clauses Incorporated by Reference (Feb 1998), applies to this acquisition. This contract incorporates one or more clauses by reference, with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make their full text available. Also, the full text of a clause may be accessed electronically at these addresses:https://www.acquisition.gov/browse/index/far      http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?tpl=/ecfrbrowse/Title48/48cfrv5_02.tpl (End of clause)    Instructions to Offerors. Responses to this solicitation must include clear and convincing evidence of the offeror’s capability of fulfilling the requirement as it relates to the technical evaluation criteria. Responses to this solicitation must include sufficient information to establish the interested parties’ bona-fide capabilities of providing the product or service. The technical quotation must clearly demonstrate that each of the Government’s minimum specifications detailed in this solicitation have been met by the product(s) quoted, including the Government’s required Part Number, Minimum Specifications or Essential Features and Quantities. The price quote shall include: unit price, list price, shipping and handling costs, delivery days after contract award, delivery terms, prompt payment discount terms, F.O.B. Point (Destination or Origin), product or catalog number(s), product description, any warranty or training considerations, and any other information or factors that may be considered in the award decision. Such factors may include special features required for effective program performance, trade-in considerations, probable life of the item selected as compared with that of a comparable item, warranty considerations, maintenance availability, and environmental and energy efficiency considerations.  (xii)    The provision at FAR clause 52.212-2, Evaluation – Commercial Items, applies to this acquisition. The following is an addendum to 52.212-2. Responses received to this RFQ will be evaluated on a Trade-Off Basis. The award will be made on a competitive best value basis, using “tradeoff” among price-cost and non-price-cost factors.  The Government may elect to award to other than the lowest priced offeror, or other than the offeror with the highest rated non-price-cost proposal.  In either case, a tradeoff will be conducted.  The government reserves such right of flexibility in conducting the evaluation as necessary to assure an award with the contractor providing the best value to the government. The evaluation factors are listed in decreasing order of importance: 1) Technical Capability, 2) Price, and 3) Corporate Experience. Although technical capability is of paramount consideration in the award, cost or price is also important to the overall award decision. Cost or price may become a critical factor in source selection in the event two or more offerors are determined to be essentially equal following the evaluation of all factors other than cost or price.Each quotation will be evaluated in strict conformity with the evaluation factors, utilizing written critiques. The evaluation will be based upon the demonstrated capabilities of the prospective contractor in relation to the needs of the project as set forth in the RFQ and will use an adjectival evaluation rating scheme for all evaluation factors except price (which will be evaluated but unrated) based on the following responses:Excellent (Risk level: Very low); Good (Risk level: Low); Acceptable (Risk Level: Neutral); Marginal (Risk level: High); Unacceptable (Risk level: Very high).The Government will evaluate each factor as follows:  1)    Technical CapabilityThe Government will evaluate the degree of compliance of quoted products with the brand-name-only requirements of the solicitation and the degree to which each of the solicitation specifications are met. Only brand-name-only products are acceptable. 2)    PriceThe Government will evaluate quotations by making a price reasonableness determination. For a price to be reasonable, it must represent a price to the Government that a prudent person would pay when consideration is given to prices in the market.3)    Corporate ExperienceThe Government will evaluate contractor corporate experience for demonstrated ability to accomplish requirements similar to this need. The Government will evaluate Contractor corporate experience for the degree to which prior contracts or purchase orders for products are similar in size, scope, and complexity to the requirements contained in this solicitation. To demonstrate Corporate Experience, offerors shall submit with their quotation a list of two (2) contracts or subcontracts completed or substantially completed during the past five (5) years that are similar in nature to this requirement. For each example of corporate experience provided the Contractor shall include:1. Name of Contracting Organization/Customer2. Contract Number (for subcontracts, provide the prime contract number and the subcontract number);3. Total Contract Value; 4. Description of Requirement5. Period of Performance or Delivery TimeframeThe Government anticipates making an award without discussions and it is requested that the Contractor submit its best quotation.  A quotation will only be considered technically acceptable if it clearly demonstrates compliance with this solicitation.(xiii)    The Offerors to include a completed copy of the provision at FAR clause 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial Items, with its offer. This requirement may be fulfilled by current completion of this provision in www.SAM.gov.     (xiv)    The clause at FAR 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions-Commercial Items, applies to this acquisition. (xv)    The clause at FAR 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders-Commercial Items, applies to this acquisition and is incorporated by reference.The following provisions of FAR clause at 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders—Commercial Items (NOV 2020) are applicable to this solicitation:52.219-28, Post-Award Small Business Program Rerepresentation (Nov 2020)52.222-3 Convict Labor (June 2003)52.222-19 Child Labor-Cooperation With Authorities and Remedies (Jan 2020)52.222-21 Prohibition of Segregated Facilities (Apr 2015)52.222-26 Equal Opportunity (Sep 2016)52.222-36 Equal Opportunity for Workers With Disabilities (Jun 2020)52.222-50 Combating Trafficking in Persons (Oct 2020)52.223-18 Encouraging Contractor Policies to Ban Text Messaging While Driving (Jun 2020)52.225-1 Buy American-Supplies (May 2014) 52.225-13, Restrictions on certain foreign purchases (Jun 2008)52.232-33 Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer-- System for Award Management (Oct 2018)The following provisions apply to this acquisition and are incorporated as an attachment, and MUST be completed and submitted with any response to this RFQ:• FAR 52.204-20 Predecessor of Offeror (AUG 2020)• FAR 52.204-24, Representation Regarding Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment (Oct 2020)• FAR 52.204-26, Covered Telecommunications Equipment or Services-Representation (Oct 2020)• FAR 52.209-11, Representation by Corporations Regarding Delinquent Tax Liability or a Felony Conviction under any Federal Law (Feb 2016)• FAR 52.225-2 Buy American Certificate (May 2014)(List as necessary)The following clauses apply to this acquisition and are incorporated by reference:•    FAR 52.204-13, System for Award Management Maintenance (Oct 2018)•    FAR 52.204-18, Commercial and Government Entity Code Maintenance (Aug 2020)•    FAR 52-204-19, Incorporation by Reference of Representations and Certifications (Dec 2014)•    FAR 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions--Commercial Items (Oct 2018) •    FAR 52.232-39, Unenforceability of Unauthorized Obligations (Jun 2013)•    FAR 52.232-40, Providing Accelerated Payments to Small Business Subcontractors [DOC Deviation April 2020](xvi)    The provision at CAR 1352.233-70 AGENCY PROTESTS (APR 2010) applies to this acquisition and incorporated in full text:An agency protest may be filed with either (1) the Contracting Officer, or (2) at a level above the Contracting Officer, with the agency Protest Decision Authority. See 64 Fed. Reg. 16,651 (April 6, 1999).Agency protests filed with the Contracting Officer shall be sent to the following address:NIST/ACQUISITION MANAGEMENT DIVISIONATTN: LAUREN ROLLER, CONTRACTING OFFICER100 Bureau Drive, MS 1640Gaithersburg, MD 20899Agency protests filed with the Protest Decision Authority shall be sent to the following address: NIST/ACQUISITION MANAGEMENT DIVISIONATTN: HEAD OF THE CONTRACTING OFFICE (HCO)100 Bureau Drive, MS 1640Gaithersburg, MD 20899A complete copy of all agency protest, including all attachments, shall be served upon the Contract Law Division of the Office of the General Counsel within one day of filing a protest with either the Contracting Officer or the Protest Decision Authority.Service upon the Contract law Division shall be made as follows:U.S. Department of CommerceOffice of the General CounselChief, Contract Law DivisionRoom 5893Herbert C. Hoover Building14th Street and Constitution Avenue, N.W.Washington, D.C. 20230FAX: (202) 482-5858(End of Provision)(xvii)    The provision at CAR 1352.233-71 GAO AND COURT OF FEDERAL CLAIMS PROTESTS (APR 2010) is applicable to this solicitation and incorporated in full text. (a) A protest may be filed with either the Government Accountability Office (GAO) or the Court of Federal Claims unless an agency protest has been filed.(b) A complete copy of all GAO or Court of Federal Claims protests, including all attachments, shall be served upon (i) the Contracting Officer, and (ii) the Contract Law Division of the Office of the General Counsel, within one day of filing a protest with either GAO or the Court of Federal Claims. (c) Service upon the Contract Law Division shall be made as follows:U.S. Department of CommerceOffice of the General CounselChief, Contract Law DivisionRoom 5893Herbert C. Hoover Building14th Street and Constitution Avenue, N.W.Washington, D.C. 20230.FAX: (202) 482-5858(End of Provision)(xviii)    The following provisions and clauses apply to this acquisition and are hereby incorporated by reference.  All CAR clauses may be viewed at http://www.ecfr.gov 1352.201-70 – Contracting Officers Authority 1352.209-73 – Compliance with the Laws (APR 2010)                                                                            1352.209-74 – Organizational Conflict of Interest                                                                           1352.246-70 – Place of Acceptance(a) The Contracting Officer or the duly authorized representative will accept supplies and services to be provided under this contract. (b) The place of acceptance will be:100 Bureau Drive, Gaithersburg, MD. 20899NIST LOCAL 54 – BILLING INSTRUCTIONSNIST requires that Invoice/Voucher submissions are sent electronically via email to INVOICE@NIST.GOV.Each Invoice or Voucher submitted shall include the following: (1) Contract number;(2) Contractor name and address;(3) Unique entity identifier (see www.sam.gov for the designated entity for establishing unique entity identifiers);(4) Date of invoice;(5) Invoice number;(6) Amount of invoice and cumulative amount invoiced to-date;(7) Contract Line Item Number (CLIN);(8) Description, quantity, unit of measure, unit price, and extended price of supplies/services delivered;(9) Prompt payment discount terms, if offered; and(10) Any other information or documentation required by the contract.(End of Clause)NIST LOCAL 53 – CONTRACT PERFORMANCE DURING CHANGES IN NIST OPERATING STATUSUnless otherwise stated in the contract terms and conditions, normal days of business operation are Monday through Friday, excluding Federal Holidays. However, throughout the contract period of performance, there may be circumstances beyond the control of the U.S. Department of Commerce, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), that will impact normal days of business operation, such as inclement weather, power outages, etc. In circumstances such as these, the Contractor must call the appropriate NIST campus status line to verify the operating status:Gaithersburg Campus Operating Status Line: (301) 975-8000(800) 437-4385 x8000 (toll free)Boulder Campus Operating Status Line: (303) 497-4000During a lapse in appropriation, access to Government facilities and resources, including equipment and systems, will be limited to excepted personnel for both Federal employees and Contractor personnel. If performance of the contract is onsite and/or requires Government interaction, unless you have been, or are notified that you are to work under an excepted status, you will automatically enter a temporary work stoppage. The work stoppage shall remain in effect until the lapse is resolved and notification is provided via the NIST website at https://www.nist.gov/ and/or the NIST operating status lines. Additionally, Contractors are encouraged to monitor public broadcasts or the Office of Personnel Management’s website at www.opm.gov for the Federal Government operating status. NIST will provide notification to all contractors that are determined to have excepted status. All excepted contractors are required to continue performance and communicate with the appointed Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) for further guidance, or NIST Contracting Officer if a COR is not appointed.Contractors with supply or service contracts that are fully funded at the time of contract award and do not require access to Government facilities, resources, or active administration by Government personnel in a manner that would cause the government to incur additional obligations during the lapse in appropriation may continue performance.(End of Clause)(xix)    The following additional contract requirement(s) or terms and conditions as determined by the contracting officer are necessary for this acquisition and consistent with customary commercial practices. There are no additional contract requirement(s) or terms and conditions applicable to this acquisition.(xx)    The Defense Priorities and Allocations System (DPAS) are not applicable to this requirement. (xxi)    The Dun & Bradstreet Number (DUNS), the Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN), and the certification of business size must be included in the response. All offerors must have an active registration in the System for Award Management (SAM) at www.sam.gov. (xxii)    Offerors must submit all questions concerning this solicitation in writing to hunter.tjugum@nist.gov.  Questions should be received no later than three (3) calendar days after the issuance date of this solicitation. Any responses to questions will be made in writing, without identification of the questioner, and will be included in an amendment to the solicitation. Even if provided in other form, only the question responses included in the amendment to the solicitation will govern performance of the contract.  All quotations must be received no later than the date specified in this announcement. Late responses will not be accepted. All responses must reference the subject solicitation number. Responses must be submitted electronically to hunter.tjugum@nist.gov. Facsimile responses will not be accepted. For information regarding this solicitation, contact Hunter Tjugum by email at hunter.tjugum@nist.gov.(xxiii)    All responses must be received no later than the date specified in this announcement. Late responses will not be accepted. All responses must reference the subject solicitation number. Responses must be submitted electronically to hunter.tjugum@nist.gov. Facsimile responses will not be accepted. For information regarding this solicitation, contact Hunter Tjugum, Contract Specialist, by email at hunter.tjugum@nist.gov or by phone at 301-975-2015.