(i) This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in FAR Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; quotes are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued.

(ii) Solicitation 12-5680-20-Q-0006 is issued as a Request for Quotation (RFQ).

(iii) The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2020-04, effective 6 May 2020.

(iv) The associated NAICS code is 33399 – All other Misc ellaneous & General Purpose Machinery.  PSC code is H266 - Laboratory Equipment, Equipment & Materials - Testing Instruments

(v) Delivery shall be FOB Destination to location identified in this announcement.

(vi) FAR 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors -- Commercial Items (Jan 2017) is hereby incorporated by reference, with the same force and effect as if it were given in full text.

(vii) FAR 52.212-2 Evaluation-- Commercial Items (Oct 2014) is hereby incorporated by full text:

a. The Government will award a contract resulting from this solicitation to the responsible offeror whose offer conforming to the solicitation will be most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered. The  full description of requirements is listed below:

I. Price and II. Technical capability of the solution in accordance with Specifications offered to meet the Government requirement.

Decanter for Thickening Aqueous Suspensions of Cellulose Nanomaterials

Description & Required Specs:

The successful contractor will provide, in accordance with the technical specifications and the contract clauses and provisions here within, continuous processing equipment for thickening aqueous suspensions of cellulosic nanomaterial.

The equipment will include motors and motor controllers, lubrication and cooling systems, as well as system monitoring and control mechanisms for equipment protection and operator safety. The system will include any specialized tools needed to perform regular maintenance of the decanter. Technical specifications are described below. Please describe plumbing, electrical and other utility requirements for operation. Offers must include any costs associated with equipment commissioning that fully enables the original equipment manufacturers (OEM) warranty, e.g., quality controls, training, specialized onsite assembly, etc. All equipment must be delivered no later than 180 calendar days after contract award. All bids will be F.O.B. destination. The exact location for the items to be delivered on the Forest Products Laboratory campus will be coordinated with the identified Point of Contact that will be given at time of award.

Cellulose nanomaterials are produced from lignocellulosic substrates that have been subjected to considerable mechanical and/or chemical treatments producing suspended products, generally in water, that retain the fundamental properties of cellulose but the structural size has been reduced such that at least one of the physical dimensions of a cellulose particle is less than 100 nanometers.  In some cases, the surface chemistry of the cellulose particle may have been altered for production or application purposes. In addition to their small size, these materials are also generally hydrophilic in nature, the thickened products can often be best described as soft pastes. Centrifugation is seen as the best method for thickening and isolating these materials during many of the production steps.

Forest Products Laboratory is a research-oriented facility which by its nature looks for versatility in equipment that may potentially serve the needs of other ongoing and future research areas. For example, a centrifuge decanter may also serve to thicken and isolate lignin, other fibrous cellulosic materials, or plastic particles from various process streams.

Technical specifications: Required capabilities of the decanter are described below.

• Capacity to process nominally 10 gal/min of liquid feed. In the case of cellulose nanocrystal production, this feed may be a 5-weight percent sodium sulfate solution (neutral pH) containing 0.5 weight percent aggregated cellulose nanocrystals.
• The decanter should be able to expose the suspension to a minimum of 3000 G for at least a minute of retention time. Under these conditions one may expect the cellulose nanocrystals to be thickened to a soft paste that is 5-8 weight percent cellulose nanocrystals.
• Experience with a Sharples vertical bowl centrifuge has shown that a fraction of the cellulose nanocrystals in salt solutions can be temporarily rendered colloidal in high shear environments, so the decanter should be designed to minimize shear at the point where the suspension is introduced into the bowl chamber. A decanter operating with a ‘deep pond’ and other feed design considerations should help to reduce shear forces at the feed introduction point.
• Given the nature of the thickened cellulose nanomaterials as a soft paste it may be expected that a small cone angle of the beach zone of the decanter will be beneficial. It is also likely beneficial to have a higher length to diameter ratio, such as 4:1.
• The decanter bowl should be corrosion resistant with wetted bowl surfaces made of duplex steel, such as alloy 2205, or stainless steel, such as alloy 304, or equivalent. Other wetted metals should also be corrosion resistant. Please provide pricing for optional materials upgrade to super duplex steel, such as alloy 2207, or stainless-steel alloy 316, or equivalent.
• Decanter should be equipped with separate variable frequency drives for the bowl and scroll such that the differential speed can be varied.
• The decanter should have means to vary pond depth. This can minimally be done with interchangeable weir plates; however, a centripetal pump would be preferred.
• Provide sensor and output for vibration monitoring, bowl and scroll speed, and scroll load. Minimally output, indicators, alarms and controls will be available for manual control by a dedicated operator for start-up, continuous operation, and standard and emergency shutdown. Please provide pricing for optional controls and sensor upgrades for automated operation and remote monitoring of the decanter. Please provide pricing for optional monitoring of bearing temperatures.
• The decanter shall be dynamically balanced prior to shipment.
• The decanter shall operate such that noise levels do not exceed 80 dBA at distance of 1 meter.
• Contractors should include with their offer pricing for optional spare parts or parts that are considered maintenance or wear items for a 12-month period of regular operation (i.e., 1000 operating hours) within the equipment specifications.
• A limited warranty should be included.
• Contractor pricing shall include the equipment purchase as well as delivery costs, equipment set-up (or applicable instruction), manuals, warranty and training offered as a standard part of this effort. 

viii.  Only emailed offers will be considered.  Emails must be sent to the CO identified in this announcment .