Service Bruker Icon Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM)

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) intend to negotiate a firm-fixed priced purchase order on a sole source basis with Bruker Nano, Inc. (UEI: HF8BQ45QKKJ3), located at 5255 East Williams Circle Suite 2080, Tucson, AZ 85711. The purchase order will specifically procure Service for a Bruker Icon Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) for a one-year period (12 months).

Authority

This acquisition is being conducted under the authority of FAR RFO Part 12.102(a) and 41 USC 1901 allowing the Contracting Officer (CO) to solicit from one source. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this acquisition is 811310 – Commercial and Industrial Machinery and Equipment Repair and Maintenance with a small business size standard of $12.5 Million.

Description

The Infrastructure Materials Group of the Materials and Structural Systems Division in the NIST Engineering Laboratory requires annual preventive maintenance and extended warranty service for a Bruker Icon Atomic Force Microscopy instrument to ensure uninterrupted performance within the manufacturer’s specifications on a scheduled and as-needed basis.

Sole Source Determination

The sole source determination is based on the following:

The Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), an instrument generating surface morphology/ property with atomic resolution, is a crucial technique for accomplishing the projects in the Infrastructure Materials Group of the Materials and Structural Systems Division of the NIST Engineering Laboratory. Bruker Nano Inc. is the sole source vendor for the preventive maintenance and extended warranty service for the Bruker Dimension Icon AFM because the existing AFM system was manufactured by Bruker Nano Inc., and the hardware and software on the system are proprietary and copyrighted by Bruker Nano Inc. No other type of supplies or services will satisfy the requirements. Any repair or service on the existing Bruker ICON AFM by a 3rd party vendor would result in an unnecessary loss of this instrument's capability. This would result in the inability of the government to complete projects in Engineering Laboratory's Materials and Structures for Resilience Program and NIST's Critical Emerging Technology Program in the defined time frame. Not having a service contract will result in downtime of six months or greater whenever the instrument breaks or when preventative maintenance is necessary.

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 June 25, 2026, 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