THIS IS A COMBINED SYNOPSIS/SOLICITATION FOR COMMERCIAL ITEMS PREPARED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE FORMAT IN FAR SUBPART 12.6-STREAMLINED PROCEDURES FOR EVALUATION AND SOLICITATION FOR COMMERCIAL ITEMS-AS SUPPLEMENTED WITH ADDITIONAL INFORMATION INCLUDED IN THIS NOTICE. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONSTITUTES THE ONLY SOLICITATION; QUOTATIONS ARE BEING REQUESTED, AND A WRITTEN SOLICITATION DOCUMENT WILL NOT BE ISSUED. This solicitation is a Request for Quotation (RFQ). The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2001-25. ****The associated North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code for this procurement is 325120 with a small business size standard of 500 employees. This acquisition is unrestricted and all Responsible Parties may submit a quote. *****In accordance with FAR 8.5-Acquisition of Helium. In order to be considered for award, Offerors must be a helium vendor that has an in kind crude helium sales contract with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and that is on the BLM Amarillo Field Offices Authorized List of Federal Helium Suppliers available via the internet at http://www.nm.blm.gov/www/amfo/amfo_home.html. ****The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has a requirement for filling six (6) Government owned storage tubes with Ultra High Purity Helium Gas with a minimum purity of 99.999% with trace contaminate gas at Building 235 on the NIST Gaithersburg, MD site on an AS NEEDED basis from the date of award through September 30, 2005. Each tube has a volume of 62.125 cubic feet. NIST estimates around 7-8 deliveries within the period of performance at approximately 35,000 cubic feet per delivery. All interested parties shall provide a quote for the following line item: ****LINE ITEM 0001: Helium meeting the following required specifications. Quoters shall provide pricing for Ultra High Purity Helium on a per cubic foot basis: **Ultra High Purity with minimum purity of 99.999 percent with trace contaminate gases, Oxygen less than 1 ppm, Moisture less than 1 ppm, Hydro Carbons less than 0.5 ppm, and Nitrogen less than 5 ppm. A certificate of actual analysis for each load shall be presented prior to filling the Government tanks. The certificate shall certify trace elements for each delivery. The Government estimates total usage over the period of performance to be 285,000 cubic feet. NIST REQUIRES DELIVERY TO BE MADE WITHIN 72 HOURS OF THE GOVERNMENT’S REQUEST FOR HELIUM. ****DELIVERY SHALL BE FOB DESTINATION. The Contractor shall pack and mark the shipment in conformance with carrier requirements, deliver the shipment in good order and condition to the point of delivery specified in the purchase order, be responsible for loss of and/or damage to the goods occurring before receipt and acceptance of the shipment by the consignee at the delivery point specified in the purchase order; and pay all charges to the specified point of delivery. The Contractor shall deliver the Helium to NIST, Building 235, 100 Bureau Drive, Gaithersburg, MD 20899-0001. *****Award shall be made to the Offeror whose quote offers the best value to the Government, technical, price, and other factors considered. ****The Government will evaluate information based on the following evaluation criteria: 1) Technical Capability factor "Meeting or Exceeding the Requirement," 2) Past Performance; and 3) Price. Technical Capability and Past Performance, when combined, are more important than Price. ****Evaluation of Technical Capability shall be based on the information provided in the quotation. Quotations shall include the documentation (for example certificate of analysis) or other product literature, which CLEARLY DOCUMENTS that the offered product meets or exceedssr the purity specifications stated above. ****Past Performance will be evaluated to determine the overall quality of the product and service, provided by the Contractor. Evaluation of Past Performance shall be based on information obtained from the references provided IAW FAR 52.212-1(b)(10) and/ or information provided by NIST or its affiliates. Quoters shall provide a list of at least THREE (3) REFERENCES to whom the same or similar products have been sold. The list of references shall include, at a minimum: The name of the reference contact person and the company or organization; the telephone number and email address of the reference contact person; the contract or grant number; the amount of the contract and the address and the telephone number of the Contracting Officer if applicable; and the date of delivery or the date services were completed. ****Past Performance and Price shall be evaluated only on quotations determined to be technically acceptable in accordance with the technical capability factor. ****The following provisions and clauses apply to this acquisition: Provisions: 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors-Commercial Items; 52.212-3 Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial Items; and 52.208-8, Required Sources for Helium and Helium Usage Data Clauses: 52.204-7, Central Contractor Registration (Oct 2003); 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions—Commercial Items: 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders--Commercial Items, including subparagraphs: (14) 52.212-3 Convict Labor; (15) 52.222-19 Child Labor – Cooperation With Authorities And Remedies; (16) 52.222-21, Prohibition of Segregated Facilities; (17) 52.222-26, Equal Opportunity; (18) 52.222-35, Equal Opportunity for Special Disabled Veterans, Veterans of the Vietnam Era, and Other Eligible Veterans; (19) 52.222-36, Affirmative Action for Workers with Disabilities; (20) 52.222-37, Employment Reports on Special Disabled Veterans, Veterans of the Vietnam Era, and Other Eligible Veterans; (23) (i) 52.225-3, Buy American Act—Free Trade Agreements—Israeli Trade Act (Jan 2004) with Alternate I; (25) 52.225-13, Restrictions on Certain Foreign Purchases; (30) 52.232-33, Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer— Central Contractor Registration (May 1999)(31 U.S.C. 3332); 52.237-2, Protection of Government Buildings, Equipment, and Vegetation (APR 1984); and Department of Commerce Agency-Level Protest Procedures Level Above the Contracting Officer, which can be downloaded at www.nist.gov/admin/od/contract/agency.htm. ****All Parties shall submit the following: 1) Two (2) copies of a quotation which addresses all Line Items; 2) Two (2) copies of the technical description, certificate of Analysis and/or product literature; 3) Two (2) copies of Past Performance References List; 4) Two (2) copies of the description of commercial warranty; 5) Two (2) copies of the most recent published price list(s); and 6) One (1) completed copy of the provision at 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial Items which may be downloaded at www.arnet.gov/far. ****All quotes should be sent to the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Acquisition and Logistics Division, Attn: Erin M. Schwam, Building 301, Room B175, 100 Bureau Drive, Stop 3571, Gaithersburg, MD 20899-3571. ****Submission must be received by 3:00 p.m. local time on November 15, 2004. All questions should be addressed in writing (via email) to the Contract Specialist at
[email protected]. FAXED AND EMAILED QUOTATIONS SHALL NOT BE ACCEPTED.