Strain-controlled Rheometer from TA Instruments – Waters, LLC

NOTICE OF INTENT TO SOLE SOURCEContracting Opportunities Announcement Type: Special NoticeAnnouncement Number: NIST-NOI-21-01844Subject: Strain-controlled Rheometer from TA Instruments – Waters, LLCIntroductionThis is a notice of intent, not a request for a quotation. A solicitation document will not be issued and quotations will not be requested.PurposeThe National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) intends to negotiate a firm-fixed priced purchase order on a sole source basis with TA Instruments – Waters, LLC, located at 159 Lukens Dr, New Castle, DE, 19720-2765. The purchase order will specifically procure one (1) ARES-G2 strain-controlled rheometer, manufactured by TA Instruments – Waters LLC. The strain-controlled rheometer shall be delivered in 120 days after receipt of an order. AuthorityThis acquisition is being conducted under the authority of FAR Subpart 13.106(b)(1) allowing the Contracting Officer (CO) to solicit from one source. The North American Industry

Classification System (NAICS) code for this acquisition is 334513 – Instruments and Related Products Manufacturing for Measuring, Displaying, and Controlling Industrial Process Variables, with a small business size standard of 750 employees. DescriptionPlease see the attached Statement of Need/Required Specifications document for details. Sole Source DeterminationThe sole source determination is based on the following: The strain-controlled rheometer is required to operate in conjunction with an existing Dynamic Mechanical Analyzer (DMA) that is manufactured by TA Instruments – Waters, LLC. Only the ARES-G2 strain-controlled rheometer is compatible with the existing DMA due to compatibility with current hardware and tooling. For purposes of compatibility with existing equipment and consistency with research results produced by the DMA, only the ARES-G2 strain-controlled rheometer produced by TA Instruments – Waters, LLC will meet this government requirement.Information for Interested PartiesInterested parties that believe they could satisfy the requirements listed above for NIST may clearly and unambiguously identify their capability to do so in writing by or before the response date for this notice. This notice of intent is not a solicitation. Any questions regarding this notice must be submitted in writing via email to Hunter Tjugum, Contract Specialist, at Hunter.Tjugum@nist.gov. All responses to this notice of intent must be submitted via email to hunter.tjugum@nist.gov so that they are received no later than July 3, 2021 at 12:00 PM, Eastern Time.Each response should include the following Business Information:a.    Contractor Name, Address, b.    Point of Contact Name, Phone Number, and Email addressc.    Contractor DUNS d.    Contractor Business Classification (i.e., small business, 8(a), woman owned, hubZone, veteran owned, etc.) as validated in System for Award Management (SAM). All offerors must have an active registration in www.SAM.gov. e.    Capability Statement