Combined Sources Sought Notice and Notice of Intent to Sole Source for Piezoelectric Z-stage Upgrade for Optical Microscope

***THIS IS A COMBINED SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE AND NOTICE OF INTENT TO SOLE SOURCE*** The purpose of this sources sought notice is to conduct market research and identify potential sources of commercial products/services that satisfy the Government’s anticipated needs. If no alternate sources are identified, the Government intends to issue a Sole Source Award Carl Zeiss Microscopy LLC, 1 N Broadway STE 1501, White Plains, NY 10601-2335 US, under the authority of Revolutionary FAR Overhaul (RFO) FAR 12.102(a). The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this acquisition is 334516, Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing. BACKGROUND The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Microsystems and Nanotechnology Division (MND) develops integrated microsystems by advancing the state of the art in nanofabrication, enabling the transfer of NIST measurement technologies to the industrial, academic, and government communities. The MND owns two Zeiss Axio Observer microscopes that serve CHIPS Metrology project GC6.01 – Universal Microscopy Standards. To meet mission-critical requirements, the MND needs to procure a piezoelectric z-stage upgrade for one of these microscopes. This acquisition will provide the Division and CHIPS Metrology with essential capabilities for calibration and measurement method development, assessment of nanofabrication processes, and characterization of microscopy NIST is developing traceable standards for calibrating microscopy systems, including optical microscopes, scanning-electron microscopes, and atomic-force microscopes. A key component of this process is traceable optical microscopy to rapidly characterize standards and establish traceable critical dimensions, enabling the transfer of traceability from the NIST line-scale interferometer (LSI) to other microscopies. Current efforts have established that such characterization, scale calibration in particular, is sensitive to sample positioning in the z direction relative to the optical microscope at the nanometer scale, requiring the ability to adjust the sample position with high fidelity while all optical components of the microscope remain stationary. NIST is seeking information from sources that may be capable of providing a solution that will achieve the objectives described above, and meet the following essential requirements: Piezoelectric z-stage for microscopy (Quantity: 1) Technical Specifications Must integrate with the existing x-y stage of a Zeiss Axio Observer 7 optical microscope. Must be able to be controlled by Zeiss Zen microscope control software, including integration with experiment design functionality in Zen. Must have a travel range in z of 500 micrometers or more Must have a resolution of 1 nm or less Must have a reproducibility of +/- 5 nm or less Must include a stage insert for sample mounting NIST conducted market research from December 2025 to April 2026 by performing internet searches, reviewing product literature, and speaking with vendors to determine what sources could meet NIST’s minimum requirements. The results of that market research revealed that only Carl Zeiss Microscopy LLC (UEI: H41JAKKNEXY1) appears to be capable of meeting NIST’s requirements. 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 in this notice as soon as possible, and preferably before the closing date and time of this notice. Please note that to be considered for award under any official solicitation, the entity must be registered and “active” in SAM at the time of solicitation response. Provide the complete name of your company, address, name of contact for follow-up questions, their email, their p...