Cryogenic Docking System

***THIS IS A COMBINED SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE AND NOTICE OF INTENT TO SOLE SOURCE***

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is seeking information from sources that may be capable of providing a Cryogenic Docking System for a Thermo Fisher Scientific Helios 5 UX Microscope.  If no alternate sources are identified, the Government intends to issue a Sole Source Award to Thermo Fisher Scientific, 5350 NE Dawson Creek Drive, Hillsboro, Oregon 97124, under the authority of FAR 13.106-1(b). The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this acquisition is 334516, Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing, with a size standard of 1,000 employees.

The Material Measurement Laboratory (MML) at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is involved in materials characterization efforts using atom probe tomography (APT). A particular research focus of the atom probe instrument is to study the effect of laser wavelength on semiconductor materials to characterize, quantify, and ameliorate sources of measurement bias and uncertainty, thereby improving accuracy, repeatability, and reproducibility of APT measurements. This work involves three-dimensional (3D) atomic imaging of nanoscale samples in an APT instrument. Specimens for APT analysis must be in the form of a sharp needle, with an apex diameter in the range of 50 nm to 100 nm. These specimens are prepared using a dual-beam focused ion beam scanning electron microscope (FIB/SEM) using Ga+ ions. It is often desirable and/or necessary to prepare specimens at cryogenic temperatures to minimize ion beam damage and heating. It may also be desirable to prepare specimens of frozen liquids or biological materials (e.g. frozen water ice, embedded proteins). Finally, it is necessary to be able to transport these “frozen” or “cold” specimens under ultra high vacuum directly from the FIB/SEM microscope to the APT microscope using our existing CAMECA vacuum cryogenic transfer module (VCTM).

To accomplish this, NIST-Boulder laboratories require a cryogenic sled docking device for our existing ThermoFisher Scientific Scientific Helios 5 UX FIB/SEM microscope to enable safe, reliable ultrahigh vacuum cryogenic specimen transfer to our existing CAMECA Invizo 6000 atom probe microscope  using our existing CAMECA VCTM module.

This upgrade module is to be installed on an existing ThermoFisher Scientific Helios focused ion beam microscope. It must be fully compatible and integrated with all of the existing proprietary hardware and software on the existing proprietary ThermoFisher Scientific microscope system.

Only ThermoFisher Scientific authorized personnel may install or modify hardware on the microscope. Utilizing unapproved third-party hardware voids all service agreements and warranty.

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 365, Microsoft Excel 365, 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 at the bottom of this notice as soon as possible, and preferably before the closing date and time of this notice.

• 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).

• Details about what your company is capable of providing that meets or exceeds NIST’s minimum requirements.

• Whether your company is an authorized reseller of the product or service being cited and evidence of such authorization.

• For the NAICS code

• 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 product addressed in this notice, identify an alternative NAICS code that you believe would be more appropriate for the planned procurement. 

• If your firm has existing Federal Supply Schedule contract(s) or other contracts for products or services against which the Department may be able to place orders, identify the contract number(s) and other relevant information.

• Describe your firm’s experience (as a prime, subcontractor, or consultant) providing the products or services described in Background section.

• Please provide a letter of authorization from the manufacturer showing the relationship as an authorized reseller

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

• Please let us know if you would like to engage to get a better understanding of the requirement or need additional information about the Government’s requirement for the products or services described in the Background section. 

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 8:00 a.m.. Eastern Time on July 24, 2026.  Questions will be anonymized and answered via sources sought notice amendment following the question submission deadline.

IMPORTANT NOTES

The information received in response to this notice will be reviewed and considered so that the NIST may appropriately solicit for its requirements in the near future. 

This notice should not be construed as a commitment by the NIST to issue a solicitation or ultimately award a contract. 

This notice is not a request for a quotation. Responses will not be considered as proposals or quotations.

No award will be made as a result of this notice. 

NIST is not responsible for any costs incurred by the respondents to this notice.

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