***AMENDMENT 01****
The purpose of this amendment is two-fold: 1) Post responses to questions received during Q&A period; 2) Extend the due date of the solicitation.
1. Q&A
Q.1. Regarding Line Item 0003: BASE LINE ITEM, are there any RAID requirements for the storage system?
A.1. No, there is no RAID requirement. The drives must be visible to the OS, and we will configure the storage at the OS level to meet the use-case requirements. Having the drives attached via a RAID controller is not disqualifying, but it's not a requirement.
Q.2. For each computer system, when it says the system must be air-cooled, does this allow for liquid-cooling for the CPU as the system would still only require air cooling and not chilled liquid from outside the computer?
A.2. Yes, if the system has internal liquid cooling that is self-contained, and does not require it to be plumbed in to an external liquid coolant, this meets the requirement that the system be air-cooled.
Q.3. To confirm the size requirement for Line Item 0001, will you accept 2 2U chassis that house two complete computers inside? Want to confirm that's what the 1U per node means before building the quotes out.
A.3. Yes, if there are two complete nodes in a 2U chassis, that meets the requirement. The wording is also meant to allow a "super-twin" chassis with four complete nodes in 2U to meet the requirement. Stand-alone single nodes in their own chassis must be 1U in height.
2. The solicitation close date is extended to 12:00 PM on September 8, 2025.
***END OF AMENDMENT***
THIS IS A COMBINED SYNOPSIS/SOLICITATION FOR COMMERCIAL ITEMS PREPARED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE FORMAT IN FAR SUBPART 12.6-STREAMLINED PROCEDURES FOR EVALUATION AND SOLICITATION FOR COMMERCIAL ITEMS-AS SUPPLEMENTED WITH ADDITIONAL INFORMATION INCLUDED IN THIS NOTICE. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONSTITUTES THE ONLY SOLICITATION; QUOTATIONS ARE BEING REQUESTED, AND A SEPARATE WRITTEN SOLICITATION DOCUMENT WILL NOT BE ISSUED. THE SOLICITATION IS BEING ISSUED USING SIMPLIFIED ACQUISITION PROCEDURES UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF FAR PARTS 12 AND 13.
This solicitation is a Request for Quotation (RFQ). The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through the Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) FAC 2025-05, effective August 7, 2025.
The associated North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code for this procurement is 334111 – Electronic Computer Manufacturing with a small business size standard of 1,250. This acquisition is being procured as a 100% Small Business Set-Aside.
Quoters must possess an ACTIVE registration in the System for Award Management system, www.SAM.gov, when submitting a quotation and shall continue to be registered until the time of award, during performance, and through final payment of any contract resulting from this solicitation. Upon receipt of the quotation, the Contracting Officer will confirm that quoters have an “active” registration at the www.sam.gov website. If the SAM.Gov registration is not active, the quotation will not be considered for award.
The requirement is for (a) four (4) highly-parallel high-performance computer systems, (b) one high-performance general-purpose GPU computer system bearing two GPU devices, and (c) one high-speed data storage system.
The objective of this solicitation is to establish a Firm-Fixed-Price purchase order based on the specifications described in the attached Statement of Requirements (SOR).
SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS
Responsible quoters shall provide a quotation for the following Contract Line Items (CLINs) in accordance with the specifications outlined in the attached Statement of Requirement. All equipment must be new. Used or remanufactured equipment will not be considered for award.:
BASELINE ITEMS:
- LINE ITEM 0001: (Quantity 4, Each) Highly-parallel high-performance computer systems, in accordance with Statement of Requirements.
- LINE ITEM 0002: (Quantity 1, Each) High performance GPU computer system, in accordance with Statement of Requirements.
- LINE ITEM 0003: (Quantity 1, Each) High performance low latency storage system, in accordance with Statement of Requirements.
OPTIONAL LINE ITEMS:
- Line Item 0004: (Quantity 4, Each) Highly-parallel high-performance computer systems, in accordance with the Statement of Requirements.
DELIVERY TERMS
Delivery terms shall be FOB Destination. The Contractor shall pack and mark the shipment in conformance with carrier requirements, deliver the shipment in good order and condition to the point of delivery specified in the purchase order, be responsible for loss of and/or damage to the goods occurring before receipt and acceptance of the shipment by the consignee at the delivery point specified in the purchase order; and pay all charges to the specified point of delivery.
EVALUATION CRITERIA & BASIS FOR AWARD:
The Government intends to award a purchase order resulting from this solicitation to the responsible Contractor whose quotation, conforming to the solicitation, provides the lowest-priced, technically acceptable quote.
Technically acceptable means that the quote:
- Meets or exceeds the minimum equipment specifications listed within the Statement of Requirements;
- Meets warranty requirements as applicable; and
- Meets the required delivery schedule.
Price:
The price evaluation will determine whether the quoted prices are fair and reasonable in relation to the solicitation requirements. Quoted prices must be entirely compatible with the technical quotation.
INSTRUCTIONS:
System for Award Management Registration
In accordance with FAR 52.204-7, the awardee must register in the System for Award Management (SAM) (www.sam.gov) prior to the award. Failure to register forfeits the award.
Completed Solicitation Provisions
A completed version of all required solicitation provisions (see attached provisions/clauses document – required submissions highlighted in blue).
Due Date for Quotations and Questions
All quotations must be submitted via e-mail to Rudolph Spencer, Contract Specialist, at rudolph.spencer@nist.gov with a carbon copy to Donald Graham, Contracting Officer, at donald.graham@nist.gov. Submissions must be received no later than 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time on September 4, 2025. FAX quotations will not be accepted. Quoters must reference the RFQ number in the subject line of the e-mail submission. Quotes shall not be deemed received by the Government until the quotation has entered the e-mail inbox of the individual(s) set forth above.
Questions: All questions regarding this notice must be submitted via e-mail to rudolph.spencer@nist.gov with a carbon copy to Donald Graham, Contracting Officer, at donald.graham@nist.gov, no later than 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time on September 2, 2025.
Quotation Preparation Instructions
Each quotation shall consist of two (2) separate electronic files: (1) Technical Quotation and (2) Pricing Quotation. See details below:
1. Technical Quotation containing:
- Technical description and/or product literature. Quoters shall include the manufacturer, make and model of the product, manufacturer sales literature, or other product literature that CLEARLY DOCUMENTS that the offered products meet or exceed all specifications outlined in the statement of requirements. The quoter is responsible for ensuring the submitted documentation clearly addresses all specifications and requirements.
- Quoter’s ability to meet the required delivery schedule.
- Quoter’s ability to meet the warranty requirements.
2. Price Quotation: A Firm-Fixed Price, FOB Destination quotation inclusive of shipping and warranty, in accordance with the Statement of Requirements for all line items. The price quotation shall include a cover page with the following information:
- The solicitation number 1333ND25QNB640484.
- The name, address, and telephone number of the Quoter.
- Unique Entity ID# for the SAM registration.
- A total firm-fixed price for the requirement.
- Any applicable discount terms.
- A statement that the Contractor agrees to all terms, conditions, and provisions included in the solicitation. 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 Contractor's sole responsibility to identify any exceptions to the terms and conditions of the solicitation in their quote. 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.
- A statement that the quotation is valid for a minimum of 60 days from the response deadline of this solicitation.
Please note that this procurement IS NOT being conducted under the GSA Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) program or another Government-Wide Area Contract (GWAC). If a contractor submits a quotation based on an FSS or GWAC contract, the Government will accept the quoted price. However, the terms and conditions stated herein will be included in any resultant Purchase Order, not the terms and conditions of the contractor’s FSS or GWAC contract.
PROVISIONS AND CLAUSES:
The provisions and clauses applicable to this solicitation are identified in Attachment 2, titled “Applicable Clauses & Provisions.” The full text of a Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) provision or clause may be accessed electronically at www.acquisition.gov/far. The full text of a Department of Commerce Acquisition Regulation (CAR) provision or clause may be accessed electronically at http://www.osec.doc.gov/oam/acquistion_management/policy/.
ATTACHMENTS:
The following attachments apply to this solicitation:
1. Statement of Requirements
2. Applicable Clauses & Provisions
