SAM #NIST-MML-FY27-SS01

NIST Market Research for a Graphite Furnace Atomic Absorption Spectrometer

NIST is researching graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometers for trace-element analysis of liquid and solid samples. - Government buyer: U.S. Department of Commerce, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Inorganic Chemical Metrology Group. - Product sought: A graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometer (GFAAS) to complement NIST’s existing inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry capability. - Performance requirements: For liquid samples, copper detection limit of 0.02 µg/L or better at the 324.8 nm line using a 50 µL sample; detection limit is defined as three times the standard deviation of 10 replications. - Notable capability: Direct introduction and quantification of solid samples without digestion is required; NIST expresses particular interest in this capability. - OEMs, vendors, models, quantities, and part numbers: None are identified in the notice. - Opportunity context: This is market research for commercially available instruments, not a solicitation or commitment to award.

Description

Sources Sought Notice for Graphite Furnace Atomic Absorption Spectrometer

Notice ID: NIST-MML-FY27-SS01

Response Date: 11/28/2026

Product Service Code (PSC): 6640

NAICS Code: 334516

Background

The Inorganic Chemical Metrology Group (ICMG) uses at least two measurement methods, each based on orthogonal physical principles, to certify the trace elements in candidate standard reference materials (SRM). These SRMs are intended for method validation and quality assurance in trace-element measurements to assess the nutritional value and contaminant status of agricultural products. A sensitive trace-element detector, a graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometer (GFAAS) is sought to complement the group's inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometric (ICP-MS) measurement capability and fulfill the two independent method requirements for SRM development. Consideration will be given to GFAAS capable of direct solid-sample analysis to maximize its orthogonality relative to the liquid-sampling-based ICP-MS technique.   

Minimum Capabilities that NIST Requires and for Which Information is Being Requested

The National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) located in Gaithersburg, MD is seeking information on vendors that are capable of providing a graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometer (1) capable of measuring liquid test samples with an instrument detection limit (DL)  for Cu at 0.02 µg/L or better (324.8 nm line, 50 µL sample volume, DL=3 x standard deviation of 10 replications) and (2) designed for direct introduction of solid state test samples into the graphite furnace for analyte quantification without a need of sample digestion

Instructions for Responding to This Notice

Parties that respond to this Notice are requested to submit the requested information via email in Microsoft Word, Adobe PDF, and/or Microsoft Excel format to the designated point(s) of contact whose name and email address appears at the bottom of this notice. Please provide only the information requested by this Notice, and do not include proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information in a response to this Notice. The Government reserves the right to use information that it receives in response to this Notice as it deems appropriate to establish final requirements or for other legally appropriate purposes.

Information Requested in Response to This Notice: To help NIST with its market research, NIST is requesting that industry sources carefully review this notice and any attachments to it and voluntarily provide the following information: 

Company Summary

Notice Identification: Notice ID and Title of this posting.

Corporate Details: Company name, physical address, website address, and Unique Entity Identifier (UEI).

Point of Contact (POC): Name, phone number, and email address.

Company Size Standard: Your company’s size status relative to the NAICS code provided in this Notice. (Refer to the SBA Table of Small Business Size Standards).

System for Award Management (SAM) Registration: Indicate whether your company has an active registration for procurement purposes in SAM.gov.

Review the information included with this Notice, indicate whether there is anything that may inadvertently exclude domestically manufactured (made in the U.S.A.) end products from being considered; and indicate if anything included with this Notice could potentially be revised to improve the ability for domestic (“Made in America”) end products to be considered; and if a domestic end product is not currently available to meet the draft requirements/minimum specifications, please provide an estimated timeframe for when it may be domestically produced in the USA in the future if that appears to be likely.

Information Regarding Commercial Products and Related Commercial Services

Provide specifications, company name of the original equipment manufacturer, and the country of manufacture for commercial products and/or commercial services that your company is legally authorized to sell and that may meet NIST’s minimum requirements.

Standard Commercial Pricing: Provide your company’s standard commercial pricing information for the requirements described in this Notice (including any Attachments) and explain what is included in those standard commercial prices.

Estimated Price Range: You may provide an estimated price or estimated price range for the draft requirements included in this notice, including a brief explanation of how it was derived.

Standard Commercial Terms and Conditions: Provide a copy of the standard commercial terms and conditions for the commercial products and/or commercial services identified in your company’s response to this Notice, including the nature and the duration of applicable standard commercial warranty(ies).

Regulatory and Supply Chain Compliance

Indicate whether your company could comply with RFO FAR clause 52.219-14 (Deviation JAN 2026) if this acquisition were to be set aside for small businesses (assuming that there is no waiver to the Nonmanufacturer Rule for the applicable NAICS code). Provide a brief supporting explanation.

Existing Governmentwide Contract Vehicles

Indicate whether your company has its own GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) contract or other federal contract vehicle(s) under which NIST could award an order and, if so, provide the details of the contract(s) (contract number, Contracting Officer name/contact, SOW, terms and conditions, and price lists).

Important Notes

This Notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay respondents to this notice for information provided in response to this Notice. Following a review of the responses and market research, NIST may publish a solicitation on an authorized site, depending on the chosen acquisition strategy. Responses received after the closing date for this Notice may not be considered.

There is no solicitation available at this time.

The Government reserves the right to use information that it receives in response to this Notice as it deems appropriate to establish final requirements or for other legally appropriate purposes.

Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine the organization’s capability.

Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted.

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