The United States Department of Commerce (DOC), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Acquisition Management Division (AMD) intends to negotiate a firm fixed price purchase order, on a sole source basis, with Thermo Fisher / FEI Company of 53350 N.E. Dawson Creek Drive, Hillsboro, OR 97124-5793 for the purchase of maintenance/urgent repair/service contract support for Nova NanoSEM 600  currently in use by NIST. The statutory authority for this sole source acquisition is FAR 13.106-1(b) by the authority of FAR Part 13 Simplified Acquisition Procedures.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the 3D Nanometer Metrology Project of the Nanoscale and Nanostructure Metrology Group (681.04; Microsystem and Nanotechnology Division/PML) owns a Thermo Fisher Scientific (formerly FEI) Nova NanoSEM 600 environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM), Serial Number D7974. NIST intends to procure a maintenance and urgent repair contract for the NonoSEM 600 located at both the Gaithersburg, MD.  The Contractor shall provide a maintenance and service agreement to ensure uninterrupted performance within manufacturers’ specifications on a scheduled and as-needed basis.

 Procurement is for a base of one (1) year of maintenance/repair/support for all items listed in the attached Statement of Work (SOW), and one (1) option, consisting of one (1) year.  The Service and maintenance shall include unlimited emergency visits during regular business hours in addition to scheduled preventive maintenance visits for one year, unless stipulated otherwise.  Covered expenses shall include all parts, software upgrades, labor, travel, and per diem.  The Contractor shall repair/replace all parts (i.e., hardware, software, accessory components/systems) required for the operation of the systems listed above.

Research has found that only one (1) company can offer the proprietary service and parts required to provide support for the covered equipment.    

The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this acquisition is 334516 – Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing, and the size standard is 1,000 employees.

No solicitation package will be issued.  This notice of intent is not a request for competitive quotations; however, all responsible sources interested may identify their interest and capability to respond to this requirement. The Government will consider responses received by 3:00 p.m. Eastern on July 29, 2020. Inquiries will only be accepted via email to [email protected] . No telephone requests will be honored.  

A determination by the Government not to compete the proposed acquisition based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Information received will normally be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement in the future.