A market survey is being conducted to determine if there are adequate Small Business, SBA-certified HUBZone, SBA-certified 8(a), Women-Owned, or Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) contractors available for a proposed project who meet the specific criteria outlined below. This is not a solicitation Announcement or Request for Proposal. It does not constitute any commitment by the Government. No award will result from this notice. The purpose is to conduct market research to gain knowledge of potentially qualified sources. Responses to this Sources Sought Notice will be used by the Government to make an appropriate acquisition decision. The USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) will not award a contract on the basis of responses or pay for the preparation of any information submitted. Respondents will not be notified of the results of this notice. After completing an analysis of the responses, the Government will determine whether to limit competition to 8(a), HUBZone, SDVOSB, Women-Owned, or other small business firms, or to proceed with issuing an unrestricted solicitation, inviting full and open competition. Requirements: The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service Western Regional Research Center– 800 Buchanan Street, Albany, CA has issued this sources sought announcement in order to determine if there are existing businesses sources capable of providing a high pressure vessel. The complete requirement is: One custom-built high-pressure vessel with the following characteristics: Material: 7075 Aluminum Inner Diameter: 4" Outer Diameter: 6.5" Working Volume : 2L Minimum Operating Temperature: -30°C Maximum Operating Pressure: 150 MPa Assembled Weight: 40 lb The vessel will be used to investigate a new preservation technology called isochoric freezing for food preservation. In isochoric freezing, the food product is immersed in a solution in osmotic equilibrium with the product and processed inside a pressure chamber. When the temperature of the isochoric system is decreased to a point where freezing occurs, ice forms and expands in the chamber. This increases the pressure inside the closed chamber. This increase in pressure will hinder further formation of ice until a thermodynamic equilibrium exists between ice and water at the set temperature. In this way, the food product can be safely preserved at subfreezing temperatures without being frozen if it remains in the non-frozen volume that is apart from the space occupied by ice. Companies who have the experience, as well as an interest in doing business with ARS, should submit a Capabilities Statement which, for this notice, is not expected to be a proposal, but rather short statements regarding the company’s ability to demonstrate their expertise and experience in relation to the areas specified in this notice. Companies should also indicate whether they are a Small Business, SBA-certified HUBZone, SBA-certified 8(a), SDVOSB, or Women-Owned Small Business. Responses should be submitted by 08/19/2021 BY 5:00pm EST to the attention of Mr. Paige Francis at
[email protected] . Please ensure to use the sources sought notification number on the posting in the subject line to ensure proper tracking.