The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is seeking a field-deployable X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) system to support analytical laboratory operations. This procurement is a total small business set-aside issued as a Request for Quotation (RFQ) under solicitation number AMDTCRQ2600858. The agency plans to award a firm-fixed-price purchase order for a system capable of measuring multiaxial stress in materials such as steel, including all necessary components, installation, and training services. The solicitation includes the Standard Form 1449, a Statement of Requirements, and a FAR provisions attachment. Quotations are due by June 29, 2026, and must be submitted electronically to the NIST Acquisition Management Division. Performance will take place at the NIST campus in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Evaluation follows a two-step process: a mandatory pass/fail assessment of the 120-day delivery schedule, followed by a tradeoff analysis where technical capability is weighted more heavily than price. Technical requirements include a core XRD system and optional items such as specialized X-ray tubes for various elements, liquid cooling systems, and powered translation stages. The solicitation package includes the SF 1449, a Statement of Requirements, and a FAR provisions attachment defining the evaluation criteria. The NIST Engineering Laboratory requires a portable XRD system to support research into infrastructure resilience. The system must perform multiaxial stress measurements on large-scale structural members in both laboratory and outdoor settings.
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Contact and place of performance
Hunter Tjugum
Not specified
STREAMLINED SOLICITATION FOR COMMERCIAL ITEMS COMPETITIVE COMBINED SYNOPSIS / SOLICITATION Title: Field deployable X-Ray Diffraction System Solicitation No. AMDTCRQ2600858 (i) This is a Solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in Revolutionary FAR Overhaul (RFO) Subpart 12.2, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. The solicitation...
View more(iv) The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this procurement is 334516 – Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing, with a small business size standard of 1,000 employees. This solicitation is issued as a Total Small Business Set-Aside. Quotations from concerns that do not qualify as small businesses under the applicable NAICS size standard will not be considered.
(v) Specifications: Please see the attached Requirements document.
(vi) The provision at FAR 52.252-1, Solicitation Provisions Incorporated by Reference (Feb 1998), applies to this acquisition. This solicitation incorporates one or more solicitation provisions by reference, with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make their full text available. The quoter is cautioned that the listed provisions may include blocks that must be completed by the quoter and submitted with its quotation or offer. In lieu of submitting the full text of those provisions, the quoter may identify the provision by paragraph identifier and provide the appropriate information with its quotation or offer. Also, the full text of solicitation provisions may be accessed electronically at these addresses:
https://www.acquisition.gov/far-overhaul/far-part-deviation-guide/far-overhaul-part-52
http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?tpl=/ecfrbrowse/Title48/48cfrv5_02.tpl
(End of provision)
The following provisions apply to this acquisition and are incorporated by reference:
FAR 52.203-18 Prohibition on Contracting with Entities that Require Certain Internal Confidentiality Agreements or Statements-Representation
FAR 52.204-7, System for Award Management
FAR 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors—Commercial Items
FAR 52.240-90 Security Prohibitions and Exclusions Representations and Certifications
The clause at FAR 52.252-2, Clauses Incorporated by Reference, applies to this acquisition. This contract incorporates one or more clauses by reference, with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make their full text available. Also, the full text of a clause may be accessed electronically at these addresses:
https://www.acquisition.gov/far-overhaul/far-part-deviation-guide
http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?tpl=/ecfrbrowse/Title48/48cfrv5_02.tpl
(End of clause)
(vii) Instructions to Quoters.
The Contractor shall provide a Firm-Fixed-Price Quotation corresponding to the requirements identified in the attached Specifications. The quotation shall clearly include each requirement, including option, warranty, installation, and training requirements. The quotation shall use the contract line item numbering (CLIN) structure below. Optional requirements must be quoted separately from minimum requirements, as identified in the CLIN structure. Non-tariff shipping costs shall be quoted in the firm fixed price for each product. Any tariff costs shall be quoted separately as “Other Transportation Related Charges” on a not-to-exceed basis.
CLIN Description QTY Total
0001 XRD system per the attached Minimum Specifications 1 ---
0002 Other Transportation Related Charges (Not to Exceed) - ---
0003 (Optional) Cobalt X-ray tube 1 ---
0004 Other Transportation Related Charges (Not to Exceed) - ---
0005 (Optional) Liquid cooling system for X-ray tube 1 ---
0006 Other Transportation Related Charges (Not to Exceed) - ---
0007 (Optional) Powered translation and rotation stages 1 ---
0008 Other Transportation Related Charges (Not to Exceed) - ---
0009 (Optional) Copper X-ray tube 1 ---
0010 Other Transportation Related Charges (Not to Exceed) - ---
0011 (Optional) Iron X-ray tube 1 ---
0012 Other Transportation Related Charges (Not to Exceed) - ---
0013 (Optional) Manganese X-ray tube 1 ---
0014 Other Transportation Related Charges (Not to Exceed) - ---
0015 (Optional) Vanadium X-ray tube 1 ---
0016 Other Transportation Related Charges (Not to Exceed) - ---
0017 (Optional) Titanium X-ray tube 1 ---
0018 Other Transportation Related Charges (Not to Exceed) - ---
(viii) The provision at FAR clause 52.212-2, Evaluation – Commercial Items, applies to this acquisition. The following is an addendum to 52.212-2.
The Government intends to evaluate quotations using the tradeoff method. Evaluation will consist of two steps: Step 1) a mandatory pass-fail criterion A and Step 2) a trade-off best value evaluation based on non-price Factor B and Price factor C. Quoters which do not successfully pass the mandatory criterion will not be further considered. In determining best value for Evaluation Step 2, non-price factor B is of greater importance than price, Factor C. Non-Price Factor A is more important than Non-Price Factors B and C.
Factor A: Mandatory Pass/Fail Criterion – Schedule
The Government will evaluate quotations to confirm that delivery within 120 days after receipt of order, on a FOB Destination or Delivered Duty Paid basis, is included. Quotations which do not clearly include these terms will be deemed unacceptable and removed from further consideration.
Factor B: Technical Capability:
The Government will evaluate quotations for conformance with the minimum technical requirements identified in the Specifications document, including warranty, installation, and training requirements. Quotations that fail to meet one or more minimum technical requirements will be evaluated as technically unacceptable and removed from further consideration.
For quotations that meet all minimum technical requirements, the Government will evaluate the extent to which the proposed system includes and/or addresses the optional features identified in the Specifications document. Optional features are not mandatory requirements, and a quotation will not be evaluated as technically unacceptable solely because it does not include one or more optional features.
The Government may assign a more favorable technical evaluation rating to systems that include the options and provide optional features that enhance system usability, functionality, efficiency, measurement capability, or overall value to the Government. Particular consideration may be given to the inclusion of powered translation and rotation stages where such features improve system performance or usability.
Additionally, the Government may assign a more favorable technical evaluation rating to systems that demonstrate a higher degree of automation for multidirectional stress measurements than the minimum requirement and/or provide greater user configurability and flexibility within the accompanying analysis software. Systems requiring less manual intervention and providing enhanced analytical capabilities may be evaluated more favorably than systems that only satisfy the minimum technical requirements.
Factor C: Price
Quoted pricing will be evaluated but not scored. Price evaluation will determine whether the quoted price is fair and reasonable in relation to the solicitation requirements and the current marketplace. The Government may also consider the relationship between the quoted price and the technical benefits offered by the quoted system, including any optional features quoted.
(viii) The clause at FAR 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions-Commercial Items, applies to this acquisition.
The following FAR clauses are applicable to this solicitation:
52.203-17 Contractor Employee Whistleblower Rights
52.203-19 Prohibition on Requiring Certain Internal Confidentiality Agreements or Statements
52.204-19 Incorporation By Reference Of Representations And Certifications
52.209-10, Prohibition on Contracting with Inverted Domestic Corporations
52.219-6, Notice of Total Small Business Set-Aside--Alternate I
52.219-28, Post-award Small Business Program Rerepresentation
52.222-3, Convict Labor
52.222-19 Child Labor-Cooperation with Authorities and Remedies
52.222-36 Equal Opportunity for Workers with Disabilities
52.222-50 Combating Trafficking in Persons
52.222-90 Addressing DEI Discrimination by Federal Contractors
52.223-23 Sustainable Products and Services
52.225-1 Buy American-Supplies
52.226-8 Encouraging Contractor Policies to Ban Text Messaging While Driving
52.232-18 Availability of Funds
52.232-33 Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer-- System for Award Management
52.232-39 Unenforceability of Unauthorized Obligations
52.233-3 Protest after Award
52.233-4 Applicable Law for Breach of Contract Claim
52.240-91 Security Prohibitions and Exclusions
52.244-6 Subcontracts for Commercial Products and Commercial Services
The following provisions apply to this acquisition and are incorporated as an attachment, and MUST be completed and submitted with any response to this RFQ:
• FAR 52.209-2 Prohibition on Contracting with Inverted Domestic Corporations-Representation
• FAR 52.209-11 Representation by Corporations Regarding Delinquent Tax Liability or a Felony Conviction under any Federal Law
• FAR 52.219-1 Small Business Program Representation
• FAR 52.225-2 Buy American Certificate
• FAR 52.225-18 Place of Manufacture (DEVIATION JAN 2026)
The following clauses apply to this acquisition and are incorporated by reference:
• FAR 52.204-13 System for Award Management Maintenance
• FAR 52.232-40 Providing Accelerated Payments to Small Business Subcontractors [DOC Deviation April 2020]
ADDITIONAL APPLICABLE PROVISIONS AND CLAUSES:
(ix) The provision at CAR 1352.233-70 AGENCY PROTESTS (APR 2010) applies to this acquisition and incorporated in full text:
An agency protest may be filed with either (1) the Contracting Officer, or (2) at a level above the Contracting Officer, with the agency Protest Decision Authority. See 64 Fed. Reg. 16,651 (April 6, 1999).
Agency protests filed with the Contracting Officer shall be sent to the following email and mailing address:
NIST/ACQUISITION MANAGEMENT DIVISION
ATTN: LAUREN ROLLER, CONTRACTING OFFICER
100 Bureau Drive, MS 1640
Gaithersburg, MD 20899
Email: [email protected]
Agency protests filed with the Protest Decision Authority shall be sent to the following address:
NIST/ACQUISITION MANAGEMENT DIVISION
ATTN: HEAD OF THE CONTRACTING OFFICE (HCO)
100 Bureau Drive, MS 1640
Gaithersburg, MD 20899
A complete copy of all agency protest, including all attachments, shall be served upon the Contract Law Division of the Office of the General Counsel within one day of filing a protest with either the Contracting Officer or the Protest Decision Authority.
Service upon the Contract law Division shall be made as follows:
U.S. Department of Commerce
Office of the General Counsel
Chief, Contract Law Division
Room 5717
Herbert C. Hoover Building
14th Street and Constitution Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20230
FAX: (202) 482-5858
(End of Provision)
(x) The provision at CAR 1352.233-71 GAO AND COURT OF FEDERAL CLAIMS PROTESTS (APR 2010) is applicable to this solicitation and incorporated in full text.
(a) A protest may be filed with either the Government Accountability Office (GAO) or the Court of Federal Claims unless an agency protest has been filed.
(b) A complete copy of all GAO or Court of Federal Claims protests, including all attachments, shall be served upon (i) the Contracting Officer, and (ii) the Contract Law Division of the Office of the General Counsel, within one day of filing a protest with either GAO or the Court of Federal Claims.
(c) Service upon the Contract Law Division shall be made as follows:
U.S. Department of Commerce
Office of the General Counsel
Chief, Contract Law Division
Room 5717
Herbert C. Hoover Building
14th Street and Constitution Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20230.
FAX: (202) 482-5858
(End of Provision)
1352.201-70 – Contracting Officers Authority
The Contracting Officer is the only person authorized to make or approve any changes in any of the requirements of this contract, and, notwithstanding any provisions contained elsewhere in this contract, the said authority remains solely in the Contracting Officer. In the event the contractor makes any changes at the direction of any person other than the Contracting Officer, the change will be considered to have been made without authority and no adjustment will be made in the contract terms and conditions, including price.
1352.209-73 Compliance with the Laws
The contractor shall comply with all applicable laws, rules and regulations which deal with or relate to performance in accord with the terms of the contract.
1352.209-74 Organizational Conflict of Interest
(a) Purpose. The purpose of this clause is to ensure that the contractor and its subcontractors:
(1) Are not biased because of their financial, contractual, organizational, or other interests which relate to the work under this contract, and
(2) Do not obtain any unfair competitive advantage over other parties by virtue of their performance of this contract.
(b) Scope. The restrictions described herein shall apply to performance or participation by the contractor, its parents, affiliates, divisions and subsidiaries, and successors in interest (hereinafter collectively referred to as “contractor”) in the activities covered by this clause as a prime contractor, subcontractor, co-sponsor, joint venturer, consultant, or in any similar capacity. For the purpose of this clause, affiliation occurs when a business concern is controlled by or has the power to control another or when a third party has the power to control both.
(c) Warrant and Disclosure. The warrant and disclosure requirements of this paragraph apply with full force to both the contractor and all subcontractors. The contractor warrants that, to the best of the contractor’s knowledge and belief, there are no relevant facts or circumstances which would give rise to an organizational conflict of interest, as defined in FAR Subpart 9.5, and that the contractor has disclosed all relevant information regarding any actual or potential conflict. The contractor agrees it shall make an immediate and full disclosure, in writing, to the Contracting Officer of any potential or actual organizational conflict of interest or the existence of any facts that may cause a reasonably prudent person to question the contractor’s impartiality because of the appearance or existence of bias or an unfair competitive advantage. Such disclosure shall include a description of the actions the contractor has taken or proposes to take in order to avoid, neutralize, or mitigate any resulting conflict of interest.
(d) Remedies. The Contracting Officer may terminate this contract for convenience, in whole or in part, if the Contracting Officer deems such termination necessary to avoid, neutralize or mitigate an actual or apparent organizational conflict of interest. If the contractor fails to disclose facts pertaining to the existence of a potential or actual organizational conflict of interest or misrepresents relevant information to the Contracting Officer, the Government may terminate the contract for default, suspend or debar the contractor from Government contracting, or pursue such other remedies as may be permitted by law or this contract.
(e) Subcontracts. The contractor shall include a clause substantially similar to this clause, including paragraphs (f) and (g), in any subcontract or consultant agreement at any tier expected to exceed the simplified acquisition threshold. The terms “contract,” “contractor,” and “Contracting Officer” shall be appropriately modified to preserve the Government’s rights.
(f) Prime Contractor Responsibilities. The contractor shall obtain from its subcontractors or consultants the disclosure required in FAR Part 9.507-1, and shall determine in writing whether the interests disclosed present an actual, or significant potential for, an organizational conflict of interest. The contractor shall identify and avoid, neutralize, or mitigate any subcontractor organizational conflict prior to award of the contract to the satisfaction of the Contracting Officer. If the subcontractor’s organizational conflict cannot be avoided, neutralized, or mitigated, the contractor must obtain the written approval of the Contracting Officer prior to entering into the subcontract. If the contractor becomes aware of a subcontractor’s potential or actual organizational conflict of interest after contract award, the contractor agrees that the Contractor may be required to eliminate the subcontractor from its team, at the contractor’s own risk.
(g) Waiver. The parties recognize that this clause has potential effects which will survive the performance of this contract and that it is impossible to foresee each circumstance to which it might be applied in the future. Accordingly, the contractor may at any time seek a waiver from the Head of the Contracting Activity by submitting such waiver request to the Contracting Officer, including a full written description of the requested waiver and the reasons in support thereof.
(xi) The following clause applies to this acquisition and is hereby incorporated by reference. All CAR clauses may be viewed at http://www.ecfr.gov
1352.246-70 – Place of Acceptance
(a) The Contracting Officer or the duly authorized representative will accept supplies and services to be provided under this contract.
(b) The place of acceptance will be:
100 Bureau Drive, Gaithersburg, MD. 20899
NIST LOCAL-53 Contract Performance During Changes in NIST Operating Status
All contractors performing work on active contracts at the U.S. Department of Commerce(DOC), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) campuses and/or working in NIST workspaces should go to the www.nist.gov website and under the “About NIST” tab click on “Visit”. This site includes information about campus access and security information; identification requirements; parking information and more.
Contractor personnel are required to check the appropriate campus operating status and personnel requirements at https://www.nist.gov/campus-status daily prior to arriving on site. All personnel must adhere to the requirements set forth in the operating status.
Unless otherwise stated in the contract terms and conditions, normal days of business operation are Monday through Friday, excluding Federal Holidays. However, throughout the contract period of performance, there may be circumstances beyond the control of NIST that will impact normal days of business operation such as inclement weather, power outages, etc. In circumstances such as these, the Contractor must call the appropriate NIST campus status line to verify the operating status:
Gaithersburg Campus Operating Status Line:
(301) 975-8000
(800) 437-4385 x8000 (toll free)
Boulder Campus Operating Status Line:
(303) 497-4000
(303) 497-3000 option 2
In the event of a lapse in appropriation, access to Government facilities and resources, including equipment and systems will be limited to excepted personnel for both Federal employees and contractor personnel. If performance of the contract is onsite and/or requires Government interaction, unless the contractor has been, or is notified that it is required to work under an excepted status, the contractor must stop work. The work stoppage shall remain in effect until the lapse is resolved and notification is provided via the NIST website at www.nist.gov (banner on front page) and/or the NIST operating status line(s). Additionally, contractors are encouraged to monitor public broadcasts or the Office of Personnel Management’s website at www.opm.gov for the Federal Government operating status.
NIST will provide notification to all contractors that are determined to have excepted status. All excepted contractors are required to continue performance and communicate with the appointed Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) for further guidance, or NIST Contracting Officer if a COR is not appointed.
Contractors with active supply or service contracts that are fully funded at the time of contract award and do not require access to Government facilities, resources, or active administration by Government personnel in a manner that would not cause the Government to incur additional obligations during the lapse in appropriation may continue performance.
Please note that in all circumstances that impact operations on the NIST campuses, contractors are expected to follow all direction and guidance provided by NIST authorities.
NIST LOCAL 54 – BILLING INSTRUCTIONS
NIST requires that Invoice/Voucher submissions are sent electronically via email to [email protected].
Each Invoice or Voucher submitted shall include the following:
(1) Contract number;
(2) Contractor name and address;
(3) Unique entity identifier (see www.sam.gov for the designated entity for establishing unique entity identifiers);
(4) Date of invoice;
(5) Invoice number;
(6) Amount of invoice and cumulative amount invoiced to-date;
(7) Contract Line Item Number (CLIN);
(8) Description, quantity, unit of measure, unit price, and extended price of supplies/services delivered;
(9) Prompt payment discount terms, if offered; and
(10) Any other information or documentation required by the contract.
(End of Clause)
NIST LOCAL 56 – INVOICING PROCESSING PLATFORM-ALTERNATE I
Upon written notice from the contracting officer the following supersedes all other instructions for the submission of payment requests. Accordingly, following written notice payment requests must be submitted electronically through the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Invoice Processing Platform System (IPP).
"Payment request" means any request for contract financing payment or invoice payment by the Contractor. To constitute a proper invoice, the payment request must comply with the requirements identified in the applicable payment request or invoicing instructions, Prompt Payment clause included in the contract, or the clause 52.212-4 Contract Terms and Conditions - Commercial Items included in commercial item contracts. The IPP website address is https://www.ipp.gov.
Under this contract, the following documents are required to be submitted as an attachment to the IPP invoice:
The Contractor must use the IPP website to register, access, and use IPP for submitting payment requests. If not already enrolled, the Contractor Government Business Point of Contact (as listed in SAM) will receive enrollment instructions via email within three to five business days of the addition of the contract award to IPP. Contractor assistance with enrollment can be obtained by contacting the IPP Production Helpdesk via email: [email protected] or phone (866) 973-3131.
If the Contractor is unable to comply with the requirement to use IPP for submitting payment requests, the Contractor must submit a waiver request in writing to the Contracting Officer with its proposal or quotation. Contact the contracting officer for more information on submitting a waiver request.
(xii) The following additional contract requirement(s) or terms and conditions as determined by the contracting officer are necessary for this acquisition and consistent with customary commercial practices: There are no additional contract requirement(s) or terms and conditions applicable to this acquisition.
(xiii) The Defense Priorities and Allocations System (DPAS) are not applicable to this requirement.
(xiv) The alphanumeric Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) in SAM.gov, the Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN), and the certification of business size must be included in the response. All quoters must have an active registration in the System for Award Management (SAM) at www.sam.gov.
(xv) Quoters must submit all questions concerning this solicitation in writing to [email protected]. Questions shall be received no later than five (5) business days after issuance of this solicitation. Any responses to questions will be made in writing, without identification of the questioner, and will be included in an amendment to the solicitation. Even if provided in other form, only the question responses included in the amendment to the solicitation will govern performance of the contract.
(xvi) All responses must be received no later than the due date and time specified in this announcement. Late responses will not be accepted. All responses must reference the subject solicitation number. Responses must be submitted electronically to [email protected]. Facsimile responses will not be accepted. For information regarding this solicitation, contact Hunter Tjugum, Contract Specialist, by email at [email protected] or by phone at 303-497-3663.
System updates may lag policy updates. The System for Award Management (SAM) may continue to require entities to complete representations based on provisions that are not included in agency solicitations. Examples include 5 including 52.223-22, Public Disclosure of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Reduction Goals—Representation, 2.222-25, Affirmative Action Compliance, and paragraph (d) of 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications—Commercial Products and Commercial Services. Contracting officers shall not consider or use these representations when making award decisions or enforce requirements. Entities are not required to, nor are they able to, update their entity registration to remove these representations in SAM.