KLA G200 Nano Indenter Computer Hardware and Software Upgrades

Introduction

This is a notice of intent, not a request for a quotation. A solicitation document will not be issued, and quotations will not be requested.

Purpose

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) intends to negotiate a firm-fixed priced purchase order on a sole source basis with KLA Corporation (UEI: MDYMRNJZ36U3), located at 1, Technology Drive, Milpitas, California 95035. The purchase order will specifically procure KLA G200 Nano Indenter Computer Hardware and Software Upgrades.

Authority

This acquisition is being conducted under the authority of FAR Subpart 13.106(b)(1) allowing the Contracting Officer (CO) to solicit from one source. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this acquisition is 541519 – Other Computer Related Services with a small business size standard of $34.0 million.

Description

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Materials and Structural Systems Division’s (MSSD) Infrastructure Materials Group (IMG) studies surface mechanical properties of materials (polymer, concrete, engineered composites) used for building, infrastructure, and energy applications. IMG owns and operates a Nano-indenter (NI) G200 system to provide essential data for research needs. It is vital to maintain the normal operation and performance of the NI.

The instrument was purchased in 2016 and has seen extensive usage since purchase. A recent power outage and the aging of the instrument have resulted in several issues during the operation of the instrument, with increasing frequency. Minor issues include the failure of control of the microscope backlight, which prohibits imaging of the surface to measure and accurately determine the location of the indents. Major issues include failure of the surface detection and load measurement during indentation, which has led to damage on the measured surface of various samples and has the potential to cause damage to the used diamond indenter tips. A new PC assembly, software, and associated installation and calibration for the NI G200 are needed for normal operations to resume.

Sole Source Determination

The sole source determination is based on the following:

The NIST MSSD’s IMG operates a KLA NI G200 system to provide essential data for research needs. The use of the NI system is critical to the mission for research in EL, particularly for the STRS projects in the IMG group, the CHIPS Metrology project, and engagement with other national laboratories and US industry (NREL, UL, Southern Company). It is vital to maintain the normal operation and performance of the NI. Downtime of the NI would delay the milestones and cause failure to meet the deadlines of the projects. A new PC assembly, software, and its installation/calibration to the NI are needed for normal operations within EL.

Results of the market research showed that other vendors (including Anton Paar, Keysight Technologies, Nanovea) offer different NI, but the design and operational principle are different; not one vendor could meet all the specifications required to be compatible with the KLA G200 system. The requested PC and NanoSuite 7.0 software are specifically designed by KLA for the G200 NI model. It contains proprietary hardware and software specific to connect to and control the NI instrument. Both are specifically configured to operate at the highest performance levels by specifications required at the KLA factory. The installation and calibration of the equipment by a certified KLA service engineer is required for the use of KLA proprietary service tools.

Information for Interested Parties

Interested parties that believe they could satisfy the requirements listed above for NIST may clearly and unambiguously identify their capability to do so in writing by or before the response date for this notice. This notice of intent is not a solicitation.

Any questions regarding this notice must be submitted in writing via email to Collin Randall, Contract Specialist, at Collin.Randall@nist.gov. All responses to this notice of intent must be submitted via email to Collin.Randall@nist.gov so that they are received no later than July 23, 2025, at 10:00 AM, Eastern Time.

Each response should include the following Business Information:

1. Contractor Name, Address,


2. Point of Contact Name, Phone Number, and Email address


3. Contractor SAM Universal Entity Identifier (UEI)


4. Contractor Business Classification (i.e., small business, 8(a), woman owned, hubZone, veteran owned, etc.) as validated in System for Award Management (SAM). All offerors must have an active registration in www.SAM.gov.


5. Capability Statement