THIS IS A COMBINED SYNOPSIS/SOLICITATION FOR COMMERCIAL ITEMS OR SERVICES PREPARED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE FORMAT IN SUBPART 12.6, AS SUPPLEMENTED WITH ADDITIONAL INFORMATION INCLUDED IN THIS NOTICE. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONSTITUTES THE ONLY SOLICITATION; QUOTATIONS ARE BEING REQUESTED AND A WRITTEN SOLICITATION WILL NOT BE ISSUED.
I. This solicitation is a Request for Quote (RFQ). This is a combined synopsis/solicitation conducted under FAR 12.6 and 13.5. This synopsis/solicitation incorporates provisions and clauses in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2025-05 dated 08/07/2025. The associated North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) is 334516 – Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing with a small business size standard of 1,000 employees.
This requirement is solicited on an unrestricted basis.
Defense Priorities and Allocations Systems (DPAS) and assigned rating is not applicable to this request for quote (RFQ).
II. Background/Scope:
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) requires a Raman Microscope to validate performance of reaction cells being developed for use in the ultrahigh vacuum cleaner. The Raman Microscope will also provide complementary data on catalysts at industrially relevant to reaction conditions. Attached is the Statement of Work (SOW)-Attachment 2 describing the requirements for solicitation NB646050-25-01860.
All offerors should provide a firm fixed price (FFP) quotation for the following line item:
Item Number Supplies/Services Description QTY Unit of Issue Unit Price Amount
0001 - Raman Microscope
0002 - Installation
0003 - Training
*Shipping is to be included in firm-fixed pricing
This shall be provided in accordance with the Statement of Work (SOW) attached herein
Payment will not be made until after completion of the contract to include delivery, installation, training, inspection and acceptance.
Total Value: $
The attached SOW document (Attachment 2) requires the date (s) and place(s) of delivery and acceptance and the FOB point.
III. PRE-QUOTE INQUIRIES (CAR 1352.215-72):
Offerors must submit all questions concerning this solicitation in writing to the Contracting Officer Lia Arthofer at lia.arthofer@nist.gov. Questions should be received no later than 5 calendar days after the issuance date of this solicitation; Attachment 3-Q&A’s spreadsheet is attached to this solicitation for question submissions. This solicitation will not be extended. All responses to the 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 another form, only the responses included in the amendment to the solicitation will govern the performance of the contract.
IV. Quotation Preparation Instructions:
The provision at FAR 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors—Commercial Products and Commercial Services (MAR 2023), applies to this acquisition. Additional addendum to this provision is listed in Section V.
Please reference the RFQ number in the subject line of email communications. Offerors quotations shall not be deemed received by the Government until the quotation is entered in the e-mail inbox set forth above.
All quotations shall conform to solicitation provisions/clauses and be prepared in accordance with this section. The quotation shall be clearly and concisely written as well as being neat, indexed (cross-indexed as appropriate), and logically assembled. Note: The term “indexed” refers to a table of contents that lists sections and page numbers. In the event that the Offeror is unable to create an indexed quotation, an alternative approach, such as a Table of Contents, shall suffice. All pages of the quotation shall be appropriately numbered. A cover letter may be included in addition to Volumes I-IV discussed below.
In preparing the quotation, each volume shall stand on its own. For each given evaluation factor the Government will only evaluate the information provided in the corresponding section of the quotation. The Offeror’s quotation shall be clearly divided into the following distinct volumes:
Volume I – Technical Capability
Volume II – Experience
Volume III – Price Quotation
Volume IV – Terms and Conditions
Volume I - Technical Capability:
The offeror shall submit one (1) copy of their technical capability electronically via E-mail to the Contract Officer identified above. The technical capability shall address the following:
Technical Capability:
The offeror shall submit technical capability documentation which may include a narrative, charts, graphs, tables, drawings, product/service literature, and as applicable, demonstrated authority to provide the necessary items and perform the required installation and training identified in the statement of work (Attachment 1. The documentation shall clearly describe, in sufficient detail, the vendor's authority, proposed items, resources, and methods to successfully fulfill the statement of work requirements, including performance requirements, integration requirements, ultrahigh vacuum integration requirements, portability requirements, software requirements, installation, training and warranty requirements. The submission shall clearly identify contract line -item numbers (CLIN) above. The submission must demonstrate that the proposed equipment meets or exceeds each minimum requirement described within the attached statement of work document by providing a citation between the statement of work paragraph and the relevant section of the technical description or product literature. The offeror must not simply state they will meet or exceed the requirement; evidence must be provided. If applicable, evidence that the offeror is authorized by the manufacturer to provide the item(s) in the quotation shall be included. Offerors shall provide sufficient information for the Government to determine its level of confidence in the offeror’s capability to provide the equipment as specified in the statement of work. Please limit this submission to five (5) single-sided pages in total.
At a minimum the offeror shall submit a schematic drawing of: (1) spectral resolution exceeding minimum requirements; or (2) ultrahigh vacuum and sample integration showing greater mounting flexibility for beamline integration; or (3) portability exceeding minimum requirements.
Volume II: Experience:
Provide a minimum of one but no more than three experience submittals including the supply, installation and training of new users with similar specifications to those in the statement of work. This criterion shall be met by supplying the Government with contact information of references (Please use Attachment 2 – Experience Project Data Sheet) that the Government may contact and ask if the system performs according to required system specifications.
The vendor shall include the name and contact information of a reference that can substantiate the example and results. The information shall be sufficiently detailed so that the evaluators can determine whether the example(s) demonstrate the contractor’s experience. Experience submittals are limited to three (3) similar experience examples. Potential offerors should provide evidence of experience integrating the Raman Microscope with high vacuum chambers and/or beamline experiments. Attachment 2 – Experience Project Data Sheet has been provided in this request for quote for these submissions.
Volume III - Price Quotation:
The offeror shall submit one (1) copy of their entire quotation electronically via E-mail to the Contract Specialist/Contracting Officer identified in this request for quote (lia.arthofer@nist.gov). The pricing quotation shall be separate from any other portion of the quotation. The offeror shall propose a firm-fixed-price quotation for each CLIN to include all shipping costs (FOB Destination). Price quotations shall remain valid for a period of 90 days from the date quotations are due
Volume IV - Terms and Conditions:
Offerors shall provide a completed copy of all provisions listed below:
- FAR 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial Products and Commercial Services (OCT 2022)
- FAR 52.225-2 Buy American Certificate
- FAR 52.225-18, Place of Manufacture
V. Acceptance of Terms and Conditions (Addendum to FAR 52.212-1(b) (11)):
If the contractor objects to any of the terms and conditions contained in this solicitation, the contractor shall state "The terms and conditions in the solicitation are acceptable to be included in the award document with the exception, deletion, or addition of the following:" [Contractor shall list exception(s) and rationale for the exception(s)]. It is the sole responsibility of the contractor to identify in their quotation any exceptions to the terms and conditions of the solicitation. If the contractor does not include such a statement, the submission of a quotation in response to this solicitation will be regarded as the Contractor's acceptance of the Government's terms and conditions for inclusion into the resultant purchase order (PO).
Note: This procurement is not being conducted under the GSA Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) program or another Government-Wide Area Contract (GWAC). If an Offeror submits a quotation based upon an FSS or GWAC contract, the Government will accept the proposed price. However, the terms and conditions stated herein will be included in any resultant purchase order, not the terms and conditions of the Offeror's FSS or GWAC contract, and the statement required above shall be included in the quotation.
NAICS Code - If the Offeror’s representations and certifications do not reflect the NAICS code governing this solicitation, Offerors must submit documentation that they are a small business under the NAICS code governing this solicitation.
(End of provision FAR 52.212-1)
VI. EVALUATION CRITERIA:
Provision 52.212-2, Evaluation-Commercial Products and Commercial Services applies to this procurement. The evaluation criteria included in paragraph (a) of the provision are as follows:
The Government intends to award a single firm fixed-price purchase order (PO) from this solicitation utilizing simplified acquisition procedures in accordance with FAR part 13. The Government reserves the right not to award a PO and to make an award without exchanges based solely upon initial quotes. Contractors are strongly encouraged to submit their best technical solutions and prices in response to this RFQ. The Government will not conduct price realism as a part of price evaluation.
Basis for Award:
The Government will award a firm fixed price purchase order resulting from this solicitation once the Contractor is verified as responsible and the quotation conforming to the solicitation is found most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered. The Government will evaluate quotations based on the following evaluation criteria factors: 1) Technical Capability, 2) Experience, and 3) Price quotation. Technical Capability and Experience are more important than price. As non-price factors become more equal among offerors, price may become the determining factor.
An Offeror's failure to address any factor may be considered indicative of the Offeror's lack of understanding of the Government's requirements and may result in the offer being determined unacceptable.
Once the government determines the apparent successful offeror, the government reserves the right to communicate with only that contractor to address any remaining issues, if necessary, and finalize a purchase order with that apparent successful offeror. These issues may include technical and price. If the parties cannot successfully address any remaining issues, as determined pertinent at the sole discretion of the Contracting Officer, the government reserves the right to communicate with the next best-suited offeror based on the original analysis and address any remaining issues.
VII. Evaluation Factors:
Factor 1- Technical Capability:
This procurement is for commercial items. Therefore, prototypes or demonstration models will not be accepted. Additionally, used or refurbished instruments will not be considered. Evaluation of technical capability shall be limited to the information provided in the quotation and will reflect the Government’s assessed level of confidence that the offeror will successfully perform the requirement.
Evaluation of this factor is a subjective evaluation of the vendor's demonstrated resources, capability, and methods to meet all requirements. This may include the authority to provide the required items (i.e., authorized dealer/seller/reseller), the capability, and method to successfully meet all the requirements in the statement of work. Quotations that do not demonstrate that the proposed equipment meets or exceeds all requirements will not be considered further for award. If an offeror’s technical description and/or product literature does not indicate whether its proposed equipment meets a certain minimum requirement, NIST will determine that it does not meet the requirement.
Factor 2 – Experience
This factor involves assessing the offeror’s experience in similar scope, size, and complexity to evaluate the vendor's capability to successfully meet the requirements of the request for quotation.
Basis of Evaluation:
Evaluation of this factor is a subjective evaluation of the vendor’s provided experience working with similar requirements to assess the capability of the vendor to successfully meet the requirements of this request for quotation. The Government is more interested in the quality and similarity of the experience examples than the quantity of examples.
Evaluation Rating
The evaluation of the non-price factors (Factor 1 and Factor 2) may be done holistically with a rating scale of "high confidence," "some confidence," and "low confidence," representing the Government’s confidence that the Offeror is technically capable.
Confidence Ratings:
High Confidence
The Government has high confidence that the Offeror understands the requirement, proposes a sound approach, and will be successful in performing with little or no Government intervention.
Some Confidence
The Government has some confidence that the Offeror understands the requirement, proposes a sound approach, and will be successful in performing with some Government intervention.
Low Confidence
The Government has low confidence that the Offeror understands the requirement, proposes a sound approach or will be successful in performing even with Government intervention.
All quotes shall be evaluated in accordance with the factors and criteria established above.
Factor 3—Price:
The proposed price will be evaluated to determine whether it is reasonable in relation to the solicitation requirements. A price realism analysis will not be conducted. Prices must be proportionate to the technical portion of the quotation. Payment will not be made until after completion of the contract to include delivery, installation, training, inspection and acceptance.
(End of provision 52.212-2)
Offerors shall include a completed copy of the provision at 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications -- Commercial Products and Commercial Services (May 2024), with its offer. The offeror shall complete only paragraphs (b) of this provision if the Offeror has completed the annual representations and certification electronically via the System for Award Management (SAM) Website accessed through http://www.sam.gov/portal. If the Offeror has not completed the annual representations and certifications electronically, the Offeror shall complete only paragraphs (c) through (v) of this provision.
The clause 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions -- Commercial Items Commercial Products and Commercial Services (Nov 2023), applies to this acquisition.
The clause at 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders -- Commercial Products and Commercial Services (May 2024), applies to this acquisition and the following additional FAR clauses cited are applicable to the acquisition:
52.203-6, Restrictions on Subcontractor Sales to the Government, with Alternate I
52.203-17, Contractor Employee Whistleblower Rights
52.204-10, Reporting Executive Compensation and First-Tier Subcontract Awards
52.204-27, Prohibition on a ByteDance Covered Application
52.204-30, Federal Acquisition Supply Chain Security Act Orders—Prohibition
52.209-6, Protecting the Government’s Interest When Subcontracting with Contractors Debarred, Suspended, or Proposed for Debarment
52.219-8, Utilization of Small Business Concerns
52.219-28, Post Award Small Business Program Representation
52.222-3, Convict Labor
52.222-19, Child Labor – Cooperation with Authorities and Remedies
52.222-21, Prohibition of Segregated Facilities
52.222-26, Equal Opportunity
52.222-35, Equal Opportunity for Veterans
52.222-36, Equal Opportunity for Workers with Disabilities
52.222-37, Employment Reports on Veterans
52.222-50, Combating Trafficking in Persons
52.223-18, Contractor Policy to Ban Text Messaging While Driving
52.223-23, Sustainable Products and Services
52.225-5, Trade Agreements
52.225-13, Restrictions on Certain Foreign Purchases
52.232-33, Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer
The following additional contract requirement(s) and additional terms and conditions are necessary for this acquisition and consistent with customary commercial practices are as follows:
Additional Contract Requirements:
- All communications and documents must include solicitation #NB646050-25-01860.
- All quotations shall include the following information:
- Information enough to demonstrate you can meet or exceed the requirements in the SOW.
- Firm fixed price quote.
- Payment Terms: Net 30.
- Please indicate the delivery schedule/period of performance with the quote.
- Place of Performance indicated in the SOW.
- FOB Destination including delivery cost for delivery to:
DOC - NIST
Building 301 Shipping and Receiving
100 Bureau Drive
Gaithersburg, MD 20599-0001
-
- Delivery point of contact will be provided upon award. (NIST reserves the right to ship using the NIST Account).
- Company SAM Unique Entity ID. In order to be eligible for this award, the offeror must have and maintain an active registration at the System for Award Management at www.sam.gov and have completed Representations and Certifications therein for the specified NAICS code or submit separate Representations and Certifications if the specified NAICS code is not listed in their SAM registration.
- Acceptance will not occur until the system has been installed and functionality has been confirmed.
- Payment will not be made until CLIN 0001 has been accepted and completed.
Additional Terms and Conditions:
Provisions –
FAR 52.204-7, System for Award Management
FAR 52.204-16, Commercial and Government Entity Code Reporting
FAR 52.204-24, Representation Regarding Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment
FAR 52.204-29 Federal Acquisition Supply Chain Security Act Orders—Representation and Disclosures
(a) Definitions. As used in this provision, covered article, FASCSA order, Intelligence community, National security system, Reasonable inquiry, Sensitive compartmented information, Sensitive compartmented information system, and Source have the meaning provided in the clause 52.204-30, Federal Acquisition Supply Chain Security Act Orders—Prohibition.
(b) Prohibition. Contractors are prohibited from providing or using as part of the performance of the contract any covered article, or any products or services produced or provided by a source, if the prohibition is set out in an applicable Federal Acquisition Supply Chain Security Act (FASCSA) order, as described in paragraph (b)(1) of FAR 52.204-30, Federal Acquisition Supply Chain Security Act Orders—Prohibition.
(c) Procedures. (1) The Offeror shall search for the phrase “FASCSA order” in the System for Award Management (SAM)(https://www.sam.gov) for any covered article, or any products or services produced or provided by a source, if there is an applicable FASCSA order described in paragraph (b)(1) of FAR 52.204-30, Federal Acquisition Supply Chain Security Act Orders—Prohibition.
(2) The Offeror shall review the solicitation for any FASCSA orders that are not in SAM but are effective and do apply to the solicitation and resultant contract (see FAR 4.2303(c)(2)).
(3) FASCSA orders issued after the date of solicitation do not apply unless added by an amendment to the solicitation.
(d) Representation. By submission of this offer, the offeror represents that it has conducted a reasonable inquiry, and that the offeror does not propose to provide or use in response to this solicitation any covered article, or any products or services produced or provided by a source, if the covered article or the source is prohibited by an applicable FASCSA order in effect on the date the solicitation was issued, except as waived by the solicitation, or as disclosed in paragraph (e).
(e) Disclosures. The purpose for this disclosure is so the Government may decide whether to issue a waiver. For any covered article, or any products or services produced or provided by a source, if the covered article or the source is subject to an applicable FASCSA order, and the Offeror is unable to represent compliance, then the Offeror shall provide the following information as part of the offer:
(1) Name of the product or service provided to the Government;
(2) Name of the covered article or source subject to a FASCSA order;
(3) If applicable, name of the vendor, including the Commercial and Government Entity code and unique entity identifier (if known), that supplied the covered article or the product or service to the Offeror;
(4) Brand;
(5) Model number (original equipment manufacturer number, manufacturer part number, or wholesaler number);
(6) Item description;
(7) Reason why the applicable covered article or the product or service is being provided or used;
(f) Executive agency review of disclosures. The contracting officer will review disclosures provided in paragraph (e) to determine if any waiver may be sought. A contracting officer may choose not to pursue a waiver for covered articles or sources otherwise subject to a FASCSA order and may instead make an award to an offeror that does not require a waiver.
(End of provision)
52.225-6 Trade Agreements Certificate
(a) The offeror certifies that each end product, except those listed in paragraph (b) of this provision, is a U.S.-made or designated country end product, as defined in the clause of this solicitation entitled "Trade Agreements."
(b) The offeror shall list as other end products those supplies that are not U.S.-made or designated country end products.
Other End Products:
Line Item No.
Country of Origin
0001
[List as necessary]
(c) The Government will evaluate offers in accordance with the policies and procedures of part 25 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation. For line items covered by the WTO GPA, the Government will evaluate offers of U.S.-made or designated country end products without regard to the restrictions of the Buy American statute. The Government will consider for award only offers of U.S.-made or designated country end products unless the Contracting Officer determines that there are no offers for such products or that the offers for those products are insufficient to fulfill the requirements of this solicitation.
(End of provision)
FAR 52.229-11 Tax on Certain Foreign Procurements—Notice and Representation
a) Definitions. As used in this provision—
Foreign person means any person other than a United States person.
Specified Federal procurement payment means any payment made pursuant to a contract with a foreign contracting party that is for goods, manufactured or produced, or services provided in a foreign country that is not a party to an international procurement agreement with the United States. For purposes of the prior sentence, a foreign country does not include an outlying area.
United States person as defined in 26 U.S.C. 7701(a)(30) means
(1) A citizen or resident of the United States;
(2) A domestic partnership;
(3) A domestic corporation;
(4) Any estate (other than a foreign estate, within the meaning of 26 U.S.C. 701(a)(31)); and
(5) Any trust if–
(i) A court within the United States is able to exercise primary supervision over the administration of the trust; and
(ii) One or more United States persons have the authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust.
(b) Unless exempted, there is a 2 percent tax of the amount of a specified Federal procurement payment on any foreign person receiving such payment. See 26 U.S.C. 5000C and its implementing regulations at 26 CFR 1.5000C-1 through 1.5000C-7.
(c) Exemptions from withholding under this provision are described at 26 CFR 1.5000C-1(d)(5) through (7). The Offeror would claim an exemption from the withholding by using the Department of the Treasury Internal Revenue Service Form W-14, Certificate of Foreign Contracting Party Receiving Federal Procurement Payments, available via the internet at www.irs.gov/w14. Any exemption claimed and self-certified on the IRS Form W-14 is subject to audit by the IRS. Any disputes regarding the imposition and collection of the 26 U.S.C. 5000C tax are adjudicated by the IRS as the 26 U.S.C. 5000C tax is a tax matter, not a contract issue. The IRS Form W-14 is provided to the acquiring agency rather than to the IRS.
(d) For purposes of withholding under 26 U.S.C. 5000C, the Offeror represents that
(1) It [_] is [_] is not a foreign person; and
(2) If the Offeror indicates "is" in paragraph (d)(1) of this provision, then the Offeror represents that—I am claiming on the IRS Form W-14 [__] a full exemption, or [__] partial or no exemption [Offeror shall select one] from the excise tax.
(e) If the Offeror represents it is a foreign person in paragraph (d)(1) of this provision, then—
(1) The clause at FAR 52.229-12, Tax on Certain Foreign Procurements, will be included in any resulting contract; and
(2) The Offeror shall submit with its offer the IRS Form W-14. If the IRS Form W-14 is not submitted with the offer, exemptions will not be applied to any resulting contract and the Government will withhold a full 2 percent of each payment.
(f) If the Offeror selects "is" in paragraph (d)(1) and "partial or no exemption" in paragraph (d)(2) of this provision, the Offeror will be subject to withholding in accordance with the clause at FAR 52.229-12, Tax on Certain Foreign Procurements, in any resulting contract.
(g) A taxpayer may, for a fee, seek advice from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as to the proper tax treatment of a transaction. This is called a private letter ruling. Also, the IRS may publish a revenue ruling, which is an official interpretation by the IRS of the Internal Revenue Code, related statutes, tax treaties, and regulations. A revenue ruling is the conclusion of the IRS on how the law is applied to a specific set of facts. For questions relating to the interpretation of the IRS regulations go to https://www.irs.gov/help/tax-law-questions.
(End of provision)
FAR 52.252-1 Solicitation Provisions Incorporated by Reference
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 offeror is cautioned that the listed provisions may include blocks that must be completed by the offeror and submitted with its quotation or offer. In lieu of submitting the full text of those provisions, the offeror may identify the provision by paragraph identifier and provide the appropriate information with its quotation or offer. Also, the full text of a solicitation provision may be accessed electronically at this/these address(es): at http://acquisition.gov/comp/far/index.html (End of provision)
CAR 1352.233-70, Agency Protests
CAR 1352.233-71, GAO and Court of Federal Claims Protests
Clauses –
FAR 52.204-13, System for Award Management Maintenance
FAR 52.204-18, Commercial and Government Entity Code Maintenance
FAR 52.204-21, Basic Safeguarding of Covered Contractor Information Systems
FAR 52.247-34 FOB Destination
The term "f.o.b. destination," as used in this clause, means-- (1) Free of expense to the Government, on board the carrier`s conveyance, at a specified delivery point where the consignee`s facility (plant, warehouse, store, lot, or other location to which shipment can be made) is located; and (2) Supplies shall be delivered to the destination consignee`s wharf (if destination is a port city and supplies are for export), warehouse unloading platform, or receiving dock, at the expense of the Contractor. The Government shall not be liable for any delivery, storage, demurrage, accessorial, or other charges involved before the actual delivery (or "constructive placement" as defined in carrier tariffs) of the supplies to the destination, unless such charges are caused by an act or order of the Government acting in its contractual capacity. If rail carrier is used, supplies shall be delivered to the specified unloading platform of the consignee. If motor carrier (including "piggyback") is used, supplies shall be delivered to truck tailgate at the unloading platform of the consignee, except when the supplies delivered meet the requirements of Item 568 of the National Motor Freight Classification for "heavy or bulky freight." When supplies meeting the requirements of the referenced Item 568 are delivered, unloading (including movement to the tailgate) shall be performed by the consignee, with assistance from the truck driver, if requested. If the contractor uses rail carrier or freight forwarded for less than carload shipments, the contractor shall ensure that the carrier will furnish tailgate delivery, when required, if transfer to truck is required to complete delivery to consignee. (b) The Contractor shall-- (1) (i) Pack and mark the shipment to comply with contract specifications; or (ii) In the absence of specifications, prepare the shipment in conformance with carrier requirements; (2) Prepare and distribute commercial bills of lading; (3) Deliver the shipment in good order and condition to the point of delivery specified in the contract; (4) Be responsible for any loss of and/or damage to the goods occurring before receipt of the shipment by the consignee at the delivery point specified in the contract; (5) Furnish a delivery schedule and designate the mode of delivering carrier; and (6) Pay and bear all charges to the specified point of delivery. (End of Clause)
52.247-48 FOB Destination-Evidence of Shipment
(a) If this contract is awarded on a free on board (f.o.b.) destination basis, the Contractor-
(1) SHALL NOT SUBMIT AN INVOICE FOR PAYMENT UNTIL THE SUPPLIES COVERED BY THE INVOICE HAVE BEEN SHIPPED TO THE DESTINATION; and
(2) Shall retain, and make available to the Government for review as necessary, the following evidence of shipment documentation for a period of 3 years after final payment under the contract:
(i) If transportation is accomplished by common carrier, a signed copy of the commercial bill of lading for the supplies covered by the Contractor’s invoice, indicating the carrier’s intent to ship the supplies to the destination specified in the contract.
(ii) If transportation is accomplished by parcel post, a copy of the certificate of mailing.
(iii) If transportation is accomplished by other than common carrier or parcel post, a copy of the delivery document showing receipt at the destination specified in the contract.
(b) The Contractor is not required to submit evidence of shipment documentation with its invoice. (End of clause)
FAR 52.252-2 Clauses Incorporated by Reference
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 this/these address(es): at http://acquisition.gov/comp/far/index.html
(End of Clause)
CAR 1352.201-70, Contracting Officer’s Authority
CAR 1352.209-73, Compliance with the Laws
CAR 1352.209-74, Organizational Conflict of Interest
CAR 1352.237-71, Security processing requirements - low risk contracts
CAR 1352.201-72 Contracting Officer's Representative (COR)
(a) _ (Will be identified at time of award) _ is hereby designated as the Contracting Officer's Representative (COR). The COR may be changed at any time by the Government without prior notice to the contractor by a unilateral modification to the contract. The COR is located at:
Phone Number:
E-mail:
(b) The responsibilities and limitations of the COR are as follows:
(1) The COR is responsible for the technical aspects of the contract and serves as technical liaison with the contractor. The COR is also responsible for the final inspection and acceptance of all deliverables and such other responsibilities as may be specified in the contract.
(2) The COR is not authorized to make any commitments or otherwise obligate the Government or authorize any changes which affect the contract price, terms or conditions. Any contractor request for changes shall be referred to the Contracting Officer directly or through the COR. No such changes shall be made without the express written prior authorization of the Contracting Officer. The Contracting Officer may designate assistant or alternate COR(s) to act for the COR by naming such assistant/alternate(s) in writing and transmitting a copy of such designation to the contractor.
(End of clause)
CAR 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:
DOC-NIST
Building 301 Shipping and Receiving
100 Bureau Drive
Gaithersburg, MD 20899-0001
NIST LOCAL-39 MARKING/PACKING INSTRUCTIONS
- If the total contract/order includes multiple quantities of the same or like item(s), segregated as separate CLIN/Item numbers, deliverables shall be packed accordingly. Each individual Package / container in the shipment shall include deliverables on a per-CLIN or Item basis.
- For each shipment made under this contract/order, the Contractor shall furnish itemized packing list(s), enumerating the specific contents of each shipping container and what specific individual components constitute a full and complete "unit" for each bid item. The packing list shall include the brief description of each item found in the Schedule. If more than one container is required for each unit, each container should be marked accordingly, e.g., "Box 1 of 2," "Box 2 of 2," and the boxes, where feasible, should be taped or shrink-wrapped together as an issuable unit.
- The contract number AND CONTRACT LINE-ITEM NUMBER (CLIN) OR ORDER ITEM NUMBER shall be placed on the exterior of all containers.
NIST LOCAL-53 CONTRACT PERFORMANCE DURING CHANGES IN NIST 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 the U.S. Department of Commerce, National Institute of Standards and Technology (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
During 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 you have been, or are notified that you are to work under an excepted status, you will automatically enter a temporary work stoppage. The work stoppage shall remain in effect until the lapse is resolved and notification is provided via the NIST website at https://www.nist.gov/ and/or the NIST operating status lines. 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 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 cause the Government to incur additional obligations during the lapse in appropriation may continue performance.
NIST LOCAL-54 ELECTRONIC BILLING INSTRUCTIONS
Instructions: use in all awards that require electronic submission of invoices.
NIST requires that Invoice/Voucher submissions are sent electronically via email to INVOICE@NIST.GOV.
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.
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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: IPPCustomerSupport@fiscal.treasury.gov 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.
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Defense Priorities and Allocations System (DPAS) is NOT applicable.
The solicitation will close on the specified and provided date and time, Mountain Time. All quotations shall be delivered electronically by the specified close date and time to Lia Arthofer, Contracting Officer, at lia.arthofer@nist.gov.
For information regarding this solicitation, contact the Contracting Officer at lia.arthofer@nist.gov or via phone at 303-497-3870.
Attachments:
Attachment 1 – Raman microscope Statement of Work (SOW)
Attachment 2 – Experience Project Data Sheet Template
Attachment 3 – Questions and Answers template
