IARPA RAVEN Services

THIS SOURCES SOUGHT IS NOT A REQUEST FOR QUOTATION.It is a market research tool being used to determine potential and eligible business firms that are capable of providing the services described herein prior to determining the method of acquisition.The National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST) seeks information on vendors that can provide integration and training to the NSENSE project including the following tasks:Knowledge transfer on the set-up and operation of the SEM, including setting the source current, voltage, and aperture settings to provide for maximal current with minimal beam spot sizes across the entire voltage and current operating ranges of the instrument.Determine and report the minimal beam spot size achieved with the hardware installed in the NIST labs for SEM current settings of 100 pA, 1 nA, and 10 nA at SEM voltage settings of 15keV, 20 keV, and 25 keV.Demonstration and knowledge transfer on how to bake the nanospace chamberReplace and repair the ion

pump controllerDemonstrate successful operation of the ion pumpDemonstrate ultra-high vacuum levels below 1 x 10-9 torrProvide access to the SEM source control softwareAssess and report the level of beam vibration and survey the laboratory space for possible sources of vibrational and beam instability such as magnetic fields, acoustic noise, and pick-up through the isolation table.Demonstrate vibrational levels below 2 nmReplace the damaged blanking boxReplace the SEM aperture module (MVA)Install interlocked safety lightIdentify the source and assess magnitude of sample charging and its effects on beam driftRepair the SEM if it is identified as the source of the chargingPost-visit support via email and teleconferencesThis announcement is not a Request for Quotation (RFQ) and does not commit the Government to award a contract now or in the future. No solicitation is available at this time. Additionally, The Government is not obligated to and will not pay for any information received from potential sources as a result of this sources sought announcement.  The results of this Sources Sought will be utilized to determine if any Small Business Set-aside opportunities exist. All Small Business Set-aside categories will be considered. In addition, this market research tool is being used to identify potential and eligible firms, of all sizes, prior to determining the method of acquisition and issuance of a solicitation.NIST anticipates awarding a firm fixed price purchase order for commercial professional services. If at least two qualified small businesses are identified during this market research stage that can fulfil the requirement, in accordance with the requirement descriptions and technical specifications indicated in the tasks above extracted from the DRAFT Statement of Work (SOW), then this acquisition shall be solicited as a small business set aside. However, NIST is seeking responses from all responsible sources, including large and small businesses (SB, SDB, WOSB, HUBZone, SDVOSB and VOSB). This requirement is assigned a NAICS code of 541690 for Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services with a small business size standard of $16.5M. The specific purpose of this Sources Sought Announcement is to determine if there are small businesses, within the parameters identified above, that can provide the Services identified in the DRAFT SOW (see extracted tasks listed above).Interested business organizations that believe they are capable of meeting the requirement should submit electronic copies of their capability statement. Please limit responses to five (5) pages or less. Responses should include the following information:Name of company that will provide the service and GSA contract number.2. Identification and verification of the company’s small business status.3. Company Profile to include number of employees, office location(s), DUNS number and Cage Code.4. Relevant experience within the last five years, including any contract number, and Government/Agency or firm point of contact (POC) and current telephone number for the POC.5. Identify if you were a subcontractor and the work actually performed as the sub-contractor.6. Any other relevant information that is not listed above which the Government should consider in developing our service requirement and finalizing our market research.(Company sales brochures or marketing packages will not be considered).