Precast Concrete Moment Frame Assemblies for Structural Testing at the NFRL

(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 AMDTCRQ2601207, and the solicitation is issued as a Request for Quotation (RFQ) on a Total Small Business Set Aside 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 April 22, 2026.

(iv)     The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this procurement is 327390, Other Concrete Product Manufacturing, with small business size standard of 500 employees. This solicitation is released with a Small Business Set-Aside restriction applicable. Quotations from concerns that do not qualify as small businesses under the applicable NAICS size standard will not be considered.

(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 
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 deliverables table 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 Deliverables in the SOW (re: FOB Destination Shipping)  ---    
0002   Other Transportation Related Charges (Not to Exceed)                                 ---

0003 (option): Option for additional precast concrete frame assembly                      ---
0004 (option): Other Transportation Related Charges (Not to Exceed)                     ---

0005 (option): Option for additional precast concrete frame assembly                      ---
0006 (option):  Other Transportation Related Charges (Not to Exceed)                    ---

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

(a) Evaluation factors. The Government will award a contract resulting from this solicitation to the responsible Offeror whose offer conforming to the solicitation will be most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered. Responses received to this RFQ will be evaluated on a Trade-Off Basis. 

The award will be made on a competitive best value basis, using “tradeoff” among price-cost and non-price-cost factors.  All evaluation factors other than cost or price, when combined, are more important than cost or price.  However, cost or price may become a critical factor in source selection in the event that two or more offers are determined to be essentially equal following the evaluation of all factors other than cost or price.
        
Each quotation will be evaluated in strict conformity with the evaluation factors, utilizing written critiques. The evaluation will be based upon the demonstrated capabilities of the prospective contractor in relation to the needs of the project as set forth in the RFQ. 

The following factors shall be used to evaluate quotations:

(1) Technical Approach: The Government will evaluate the quoter’s technical approach and capabilities for performing each task in the SOW. The technical volume will be evaluated for the quoter’s overall understanding of and capability to complete the Government requirements, as well as the expected effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed approach. Particular attention will be given to the quoter's approach to addressing the following subfactors:

1.    Fabrication Facility Access – The extent to which the quoter's approach provides safe and adequate access to reinforcing steel, allowing Government personnel sufficient time and opportunity to install strain gauges prior to concrete placement.
2.    Communication – The extent to which the quoter demonstrates a clear and effective plan for timely coordination and communication with the Government throughout performance.
3.    Lifting Hardware – The extent to which the quoter demonstrates the ability to properly locate and provide lifting anchors of sufficient capacity and to furnish compatible lifting clutches with sufficient capacity for safe handling and delivery.

The Government may evaluate more highly quotations that include innovative approaches to Fabrication Plant Instrumentation and Monitoring Approach (Task 3.5) which produce more efficient results while maintaining safe access for NIST staff. The Government may also evaluate more highly proposals that demonstrate innovative technologies, methodologies, or processes that may reduce risk, improve fabrication quality, data availability, process control, or operational efficiency. The Government may also evaluate more highly proposals which promote safe access and observation opportunities for Government personnel during the required site visit.

(2) Experience: The Government will evaluate the Quoter’s extent to which it has recently fabricated and delivered similar and relevant products to the items described in this solicitation. The Quoter shall provide descriptions of up to three (3) projects completed within the last five (5) years that demonstrate experience fabricating and delivering products similar to those required by this solicitation.

For each project, the Quoter shall provide:

1. Project title and customer name.
2. Period of performance (month/year completed).
3. Description of the fabricated product(s), including dimensions, weight, complexity, and intended use.
4. Description of the Quoter's role and responsibilities.
5. Description of any precast concrete structural systems fabricated and delivered.
6. Description of any specialized requirements, such as embedded hardware, instrumentation access, lifting and handling considerations, unique connection details, or research/testing applications.
7. Contract or project value, if available.
8. Customer point of contact, including name, title, email address, and telephone number (if available).

The Government may consider the recency, relevance, scope, complexity, and similarity of the referenced projects when evaluating the Quoter's experience. Greater consideration may be given to projects completed within the last five (5) years involving precast concrete structural systems fabricated for research, testing, laboratory, or other specialized structural applications.

(3) Schedule: The proposed schedule will be evaluated for conformance with the stated requirements. Proposed schedules which do not, at a minimum, meet stated requirements will be determined unacceptable. Conforming schedules are acceptable. More efficient schedules may be evaluated more favorably if the proposed schedule and associated technical approach are evaluated to be reasonable for maintaining technical quality and safety. 

Price. The Government will evaluate offers for award purposes by making a price reasonableness determination. For a price to be reasonable, it must represent a price to the government that a prudent person would pay when consideration is given to prices in the market. Quoted pricing will be evaluated but not scored. Price evaluation will determine whether the quoted price is complete, fair, and reasonable in relation to the RFQ requirements. 

(b) Options (if applicable). The Government will evaluate offers for award purposes by adding the total price for all options to the total price for the basic requirement. The Government may determine that an offer is unacceptable if the option prices are significantly unbalanced. The evaluation of options does not obligate the Government to exercise the option(s). 

(c) Notice of award. A written notice of award or acceptance of an offer furnished to the successful Offeror within the time for acceptance specified in the offer, shall result in a binding contract without further action by either party. Before the offer’s specified expiration time, the Government may accept an offer (or part of an offer), whether or not there are negotiations after its receipt, unless a written notice of withdrawal is received before award.

(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
52.225-1 Buy American-Supplies
52.226-8 Encouraging Contractor Policies to Ban Text Messaging While Driving
52.232-18  Availability of Funds
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]
•    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.