O-band Optical Filters

The purpose of this sources sought notice is to conduct market research and identify potential sources of commercial equipment/services that satisfy the Government’s anticipated needs.

BACKGROUND

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Quantum Information Group performs research and maintains expertise in fundamental mathematics, physics, and measurement science necessary to enable the exploitation of quantum phenomena for information processing tasks. As part of this mission, the group is planning to develop new schemes and protocols for quantum networking including studying transmission of quantum and classical data in the O-band wavelength range.

Requirements:

NIST is seeking information from sources that may be capable of providing a solution that will achieve the objectives described below:

Line Item 0001:

Quantity: 2

Description: O-band tunable optical filters meeting or exceeding the following specifications: 

1. 1. Manually tunable optical filters covering the wavelength range 1260 nm to 1300 nm
   2. Pass bandwidths (measured at -3 dB) of 0.15 nm or narrower
   3. Very low insertion loss (IL) with typical IL value 1.6 dB or better and worst-case IL not to exceed 2.0 dB over the full tuning range
   4. The polarization-dependent loss of the filter shall not exceed 0.25 dB
   5. The out-of-band suppression shall be 45 dB or better
   6. The input and output of the filter shall be compatible with SMF-28 FC/APC fibers

Line Item 0002: 

Quantity: 2

Description: O-band tunable optical filters meeting or exceeding the following specifications:

1. Manually tunable optical filters covering the wavelength range 1260 nm to 1300 nm
2. Pass bandwidths (measured at -3 dB) of 0.25 nm or narrower
3. Very low insertion loss (IL) with typical IL value 1.6 dB or better and worst-case IL not to exceed 2.0 dB over the full tuning range
4. The polarization-dependent loss of the filter shall not exceed 0.25 dB
5. The out-of-band suppression shall be 45 dB or better

The input and output of the filter shall be compatible with SMF-28 FC/APC fibers

 

HOW TO RESPOND TO THIS NOTICE

In responding to this notice, please DO NOT PROVIDE PROPRIETARY INFORMATION. Please include only the following information, readable in either Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, or .pdf format, in the response: Submit the response by email to the Primary Point of Contact and, if specified, to the Secondary Point of Contact listed in this notice as soon as possible, and preferably before the closing date and time of this notice.  Please note that to be considered for award under any official solicitation, the entity must be registered and “active” in SAM at the time of solicitation response.

• Provide the complete name of your company, address, name of contact for follow-up questions, their email, their phone number and, if your company has an active registration in https://sam.gov, your company’s Unique Entity ID (UEI).

• Identify the equipment that your company sells that can meet the objectives addressed in this notice.  For each equipment recommended to meet the Government’s requirement, provide the following:
  • Manufacturer name
  • Product details
  • Please identify whether the potential product is manufactured in whole or in part in the United States. If it is manufactured outside of the United States, in whole or in part, pleas identify the country of manufacture.
  • If your company is not the manufacturer, provide information on your company’s status as an authorized reseller of the equipment(s)

• Identify any aspects of the NIST market research notice, including instructions, and draft minimum specifications you cannot meet and state why.  Please offer suggestions for how the market research notice and draft minimum specifications could be made more competitive.

• For the NAICS code listed in this notice:

• • Indicate whether your company is (a) a small business or (b) other than small business.  See the Table of Small Business Size Standards and the associated .pdf download file for small business size standards and additional information.

• • If you believe the NAICS code listed in this notice is not the best NAICS code for the type of equipment addressed in this notice, identify an alternative NAICS code that you believe would be more appropriate for the planned procurement. 

• Describe standard terms and conditions of sale offered by your company for the recommended equipment such as: delivery time after your company accepts the order; FOB shipping terms; manufacturer warranty (including details regarding nature and duration).

• If the recommended equipment and related services are available for purchase on any existing Federal Supply Schedule contract(s) or other contracts against which NIST may be able to place orders, identify the contract number(s) and other relevant information.

• Provide any other information that you believe would be valuable for NIST to know as part of its market research for this requirement.

QUESTIONS REGARDING THIS NOTICE

Questions regarding this notice may be submitted via email to the Primary Point of Contact and the Secondary Point of Contact listed in this notice. Questions should be submitted so that they are received by May 18, 2026, 12:00 p.m. ET. If the Contracting Officer determines that providing a written amendment to this notice to document question(s) received would benefit other potential respondents, the questions would be anonymized, and a written response to such question(s) would be provided via an amendment to this notice.

IMPORTANT NOTES

This notice is for market research purposes and should not be construed as a commitment by NIST to issue a solicitation or ultimately award a contract.  There is no solicitation available at this time.

This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in response.

NIST reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate.

Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine the organization’s capability.

Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted.

After a review of the responses received, a synopsis and solicitation may be published on GSA’s eBuy or SAM.gov. However, responses to this notice will not be considered an adequate response to any such solicitation(s).

The responses shall not exceed 3 pages including all attachments, charts, etc.

Thank you for taking the time to submit a response to this request!