NOTICE OF INTENT TO SOLE SOURCE: Nine (9) National Instruments (NI) PXI-2541 Switchmatrices

The United States Department of Commerce (DOC), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Acquisition Management Division (AMD) intends to negotiate, on a sole source basis, with National Instruments Corp. 11500 N Mopac EXPY, Austin, TX 78759-3504 for the purchase of nine (9) NI PXI-2541 switchmatrices to be utilized by NIST’s Physical Measurements Laboratory (PML). The statutory authority for this acquisition is 41 USC 3304(a)(1); FAR 13.106-1(b).

***** Sole source determination is based on the need to acquire nine (9) NI PXI-2541 switchmatrices. The Alternative Computing Group in the Nanoscale Device Characterization Division of PML requires the purchase to expand the current experimental setup to a scale that can characterize the newest, 20,000-device array our group has recently fabricated. Previous experiments developed operation of devices with nanosecond pulses on a 225-device array that used three (3) NI PXI-2541 switchmatrices. These switchmatrices are essential to ensure that nanosecond pulses from one end of the experiment properly propagate through the whole system. As part of an ongoing research program, these cards will not only be applied to a single project but are required components in a multitude of fronts that the Alternative Computing Group is pursuing. The switchmatrix cards are a part of a larger experimental setup that uses a python coding environment to send signals between components. To communicate, each component contains a National Instruments proprietary application programming interface, or API. Without use of the API on each component, including the switchmatrices, PML cannot perform experiments. Other vendors, while offering switchmatrix units, do not report compatibility with the python API, and thus incompatibility with the experimental setup. These switchmatrices are critical for operating our devices with voltage pulses as low as 5 nanoseconds (200MHz). Furthermore, one single switchmatrix is not capable of measuring all 20,000 devices, meaning that the switchmatrices must be expandable by connecting to the output of one to the input of the next one. Only the NI-2541 is capable of performing both. Products from Keysight do not offer expandable switchmatrices, and the product from Pickering reports reduced bandwidth (150 MHz) for connecting multiple switchmatrices together.

National Instruments is the sole manufacturer and distributor of the equipment that meets the required minimum specifications.

*****The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this acquisition is 334516 – Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing, with a small business size standard of 1,000 employees.

*****A determination by the Government not to compete the proposed acquisition based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Information received will be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement.

*****No solicitation package will be issued. This notice of intent is not a request for quotations; however, all responsible sources interested may identify their interest and capability to respond to this requirement. Interested parties that believe they can satisfy the requirements listed above must identify their capability in writing before the response date of this notice. Only responses received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on December 21, 2022 will be considered by the government. Responses shall be submitted via email to tracy.bisson@nist.gov or forest.crumpler@nist.gov