A. LOCATION - Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC.

B. OBJECTIVE - The Naval Research Laboratory is searching for potential sources capable of fulfilling a requirement for an X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy Suite (XPS Suite)

It is anticipated that a Request for Proposals will be issued within the next month. Answers to this RFI will be key in shaping certain aspects of the requirement.

C. CONTRACT TYPE: The Government is contemplating a solicitation of proposals for award of a firm-fixed priced contract.

D. COMPETITION STRATEGY - Currently contemplating full and open competition unless the results from this RFI support a set-aside of any kind. Federal multiple award schedule holders and/or small businesses are encouraged to reply.

E. LENGTH OF AWARD - From date of award through delivery.

F. MINIMUM SPECIFICATIONS - The draft minimum technical requirements for the effort are in the attached specifications. The Government is currently in the planning stages for this procurement and may continue to modify the language within the requirement as necessary. These specifications do not necessarily represent the final specifications.

G. RESPONSE FORMAT - The Government asks that interested parties, at a minimum, supply the following information in a Capability Statement using the following format:

REQUIRED INFORMATION

1) CONTACT INFORMATION:
a) Name of Company and Point of Contact
b) Telephone Number, Fax Number, Address, and e-mail address
c) DUNS Number, business size, CAGE code, and number of employees
d) NAICS Code of proposed solution
e) PSC Code of the proposed solution

2) COMMERCIALITY OF PROPOSED ITEM
a) Whether item(s) offered/proposed is a commercial item and is customarily used by the general public or non-government entities for the other than Government purposes.

b) Whether the item has been sold, leased, or licensed to the general public, and if so, identify one or more such sales, leases, or licenses to document the commerciality of the item.

3) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
a) Provide a description of how the proposed product will meet or exceed the each of the specifications as it is anticipated that ultimate evaluation will be best values and a go/no go basis.

b). Provide a product brochure and highlight the areas that meet or exceed specifications.

4) DESCRIPTION OF RELEVANT EXPERIENCE:
Provide a list of any Navy, DoD, federal, state, or local contracts supported during the past 36 months with a brief description of the type of work performed or supply/product offered.
Please describe your company's ability and procedures to meet diverse and unpredictable hazardous materials service needs.

5) SUBCONTRACTING POSSIBILITIES

Provide information on potential subcontracting opportunities. If no subcontracting opportunities exist, please explain why.

OPTIONAL:

In addition to the above information, input from industry detailing best practices in the following areas is welcome, as this may assist the Government in obtaining necessary products utilizing low-risk, high-efficiency procedures:

a) Methods of quantifying and qualifying specifications required if a request for proposal (RFP) is issued.
b) Proposal evaluation factors.
c) Quality assurance monitoring of contractor performance.
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52.215-3 -- Request for Information or Solicitation for Planning Purposes.

Request for Information or Solicitation for Planning Purposes (Oct 1997)

(a) The Government does not intend to award a contract on the basis of this solicitation or to otherwise pay for the information solicited except as an allowable cost under other contracts as provided in subsection 31.205-18, Bid and proposal costs, of the Federal Acquisition Regulation.

(b) Although "proposal" and "offeror" are used in this Request for Information, your response will be treated as information only. It shall not be used as a proposal.

(c) This solicitation is issued for the purpose of: market research and procurement pl