Sources Sought Notice for unipolar diffusion aerosol charger

Notice ID Number NB305000-26-01333 Title: Sources Sought Notice for unipolar diffusion aerosol charger Department of Commerce Advanced Acquisition Planning (AAP) Entry Number: OU03-FY26-249-NEW 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. BACKGROUND The Chemical Sciences Division (CSD) is part of the Material Measurement Laboratory (MML) at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The CSD provides the measurement science, standards, technology, data, and chemical informatics required to support the nation's needs in determining the chemical composition and chemical structure of gases, organic, and inorganic species. This acquisition supports the CSD mission by providing critical technical infrastructure for Grand Challenge Project 1.04, enabling precise unipolar diffusion charging of aerosol particles, which is necessary for advanced metrology and chemical analysis. The purpose of this acquisition is to procure a new Unipolar Diffusion Aerosol Charger (UDAC). This instrument is required to support aerosol research within the Chemical Sciences Division and represents a new capability for the Grand Challenge Project 1.04 research team. The UDAC will be used to place a known, high level of charge on sub-?m aerosols. In conjunction with an aerosol electrometer, the UDAC enables calibration of condensation particle counters (CPCs) through direct traceability to the SI. An additional mass measurement, such as using a particle mass analyzer, enables the generation of particle mass concentration standards as in https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02786826.2013.801547. The UDAC must be able to operate at volumetric flows ? 1.5 L min-1 and be capable of placing a unipolar positive charge on the aerosol. NIST is seeking information from sources that may be capable of providing a solution that will achieve the objectives described above, in addition to the following essential 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. 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). Identify the equipment that your company sells that can meet the objectives addressed in the BACKGROUND section of this notice. For each product recommended to meet the Government’s requirement, provide the following: Manufacturer name Model number Technical specifications If your company is not the manufacturer, provide information on your company’s status as an authorized reseller of the product(s) Describe performance capabilities of the product(s) your company recommends to meet the Government’s requirements. Additionally, if there are other features or functions that you believe would assist NIST in meeting its objectives described above, please discuss in your response. Discuss whether the equipment that your company sells and which you describe in your response to this notice may be customized to specifications and indicate any limits to customization. Identify any aspects of the NIST market research notice, including instructions, and draft minimum specifications in the BACKGROUND section you cannot meet and state why. Please offer suggestions for how the market research notice and draft minimum specifications could be made more competitive. State whether the proposed equipment is manufactured in...