FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy) Integrating Sphere and components system

(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 package consists of Standard Form (SF) 1449, Solicitation/Contract/Order for Commercial Items, this solicitation notice, and any attached documents. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; quotations are being requested and no separate written solicitation document beyond the SF1449 and accompanying attachments will be issued. 

(ii)     The solicitation number is NIST-AMD-TC-RQ-26-01221, and the solicitation is issued as a Request for Quotation (RFQ) on an Unrestricted basis. This acquisition is for a commercial item or service and is conducted under the authority of RFO Part 12--Acquisition of Commercial Items. A Fixed-Price type of Purchase Order contract is contemplated for any resulting contract entered into as a result of this solicitation.   

(iii)     The solicitation document, including the SF1449 and incorporated provisions and clauses, is issued in accordance with the RFO update effective July 1, 2026.

(iv)     The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this procurement is 334419, Other Electronic Component Manufacturing, with small business size standard of 750 employees. This solicitation is released unrestricted with no set-aside restriction applicable. Both small- and large- sized companies are invited to submit a quotation

(v)    Requirements: Please see the attached Statement of Work for further details.

(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 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 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. Responses to this solicitation must include clear and convincing evidence of the offeror’s capability of fulfilling the requirement as it relates to the technical evaluation criteria. Responses to this solicitation must include sufficient information to establish the interested parties’ bona-fide capabilities of providing the product or service. 

    Technical Response
The Quoter shall detail its ability to meet each of the Specific Requirements in the Statement of Work. The Technical response shall include a narrative of the Quoter’s relevant technical capabilities and the proposed approach to executing the SOW. If subcontractors are used, the Quoter shall provide the names of the companies or organizations and their expected roles. The following items shall be included in the technical approach narrative: 1) Proposed methods to successfully complete the SOW requirements, 2) A summary of the relevant technical capabilities, personnel, fabrication tools, and proposed approach to achieve the scope requirements in the SOW, and 3) a list of prior experience and/or similar products that were supplied to customers in the past five years to evaluate experience. The Contractor shall address schedule requirements as well. 

Price Response
The Contractor shall provide a Firm-Fixed-Price Quotation corresponding to the requirements identified in the attached SOW and the contract line-item numbering structure provided in this solicitation. Quotations shall be valid for 90 days after solicitation close. Quoters shall also include a proposed fixed price payment schedule based on requirement milestones/deliverables in relation to the specific requirements in the SOW. Quoters may propose alternate payment schedules. Shipping and Delivery cost must be included in the quotation either as a separate line item or contained in the total price of the quote. The total cost of shipping, which includes any potential tariff cost, must be included in the total fixed-price quoted amount and contain delivery terms for FOB-Destination only. 

The price quote shall include unit price, list price, shipping and handling costs, delivery days after contract award, delivery terms, prompt payment discount terms, F.O.B. Point (Destination), any product or catalog number(s), product description, and warranty or training considerations, if applicable, and any other information or factors that may be considered in the award decision. Such factors may include special features required for effective program performance, trade-in considerations, probable life of the item selected as compared with that of a comparable item, warranty considerations, maintenance availability, and environmental and energy efficiency considerations. The price quote shall include the CLIN/line-item Structure identified in the following:

CLIN    Description                                                                                 Total
0001    Completion of all requirements in the SOW (inclusive of FOB Destination Shipping)                                                        ---    
0002   Other Transportation Related Charges (Not to Exceed)               ---

0003 (option): Option for additional service and support, 1 year        ---

0004 (option): Option for additional service and support, 1 year        ---

0005 (option): Option for additional service and support, 1 year        ---

(viii)    The provision at FAR clause 52.212-2, Evaluation – Commercial Items, applies to this acquisition. Please see the RFQ attachment - “FAR provisions” for a description of the evaluation criteria. 

(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 
    52.219-28, 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
52.225-1 Buy American-Supplies
52.226-8 Encouraging Contractor Policies to Ban Text Messaging While Driving
52.223-23 Sustainable Products and Services
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

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 52.212-4 Contract Terms and Conditions--Commercial Items 
•    FAR 52.222-90 Addressing DEI Discrimination by Federal Contractors
•    FAR 52.232-40 Providing Accelerated Payments to Small Business Subcontractors [DOC Deviation April 2020]
•    FAR 52.244-6 Subcontracts for Commercial Products and Commercial Services.

(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: LAUREN.ROLLER@NIST.GOV 

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)

(xi)    The following provisions and clauses apply to this acquisition and are hereby incorporated by reference.  All CAR clauses may be viewed at http://www.ecfr.gov 

1352.201-70 – Contracting Officers Authority 
1352.201-72 Contracting Officer's Representative (COR)
1352.209-73 – Compliance with the Laws (APR 2010)                                                                            1352.209-74 – Organizational Conflict of Interest       
                                                                   
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 54 – BILLING INSTRUCTIONS
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.
(End of Clause)

    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 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.

(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 offerors must have an active registration in the System for Award Management (SAM) at www.sam.gov. 

(xv)    Offerors must submit all questions concerning this solicitation in writing to hunter.tjugum@nist.gov.  Questions shall be received no later than three (3) 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 hunter.tjugum@nist.gov. Facsimile responses will not be accepted. For information regarding this solicitation, contact Hunter Tjugum, Contract Specialist, by email at hunter.tjugum@nist.gov 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.