Liquid Helium Delivery

THIS SOURCES SOUGHT IS NOT A NOTICE OF SOLICITATION ISSUANCE. This is a special notice that includes a REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) issued solely for information and planning purposes; it does not constitute a Request for Quote (RFQ) or Proposal (RFP) or promise to issue a solicitation in the future. This notice does not commit the Government contractually for any services or supplies whatsoever. Responders are advised that the United States Government will not pay for any information or administrative costs incurred in the response to this RFI. Not responding to this RFI does not preclude participation in a future solicitation if one is issued. If a solicitation is released, it may be posted to the System Award Management (SAM) website, but it is not guaranteed, and it is the responsibility of the potential offerors to monitor the Government website for a potential solicitation and additional information pertaining to this requirement. The proposed project consists of the following: The contractor shall furnish the necessary personnel, material, equipment, services, and facilities to supply LHe in 100, and 250-liter contractor-owned dewars, on an as-needed basis, in accordance with the statement of work (SOW) for the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Boulder, Colorado. This requirement is assigned a NAICS code of 325120 Industrial Gas Manufacturing with the Small Business Administration (SBA) size standard of 1,200 employees. Submit an Interest and Capability (to include cut sheets, drawings, previous installation examples, etc.) shall be limited to 20 pages (Times New Roman, 12 point font, 8-1/2 x 11. Cut sheets and drawings are acceptable as 11 x 17) and submitted via e-mail to the contract specialist listed in this notice. All correspondence sent via e-mail shall contain a subject line that reads " NB192020-26-02035 Liquid Helium Delivery Project Sources Sought". If this subject line is not included, the e-mail may not get through e-mail filters. Filters are designed to delete emails without a subject or with a suspicious subject or attachment. Attachments with files ending in .zip or .exe are not allowable and will be deleted. Ensure only .pdf, .doc, .docx, .xsls, or .xls documents are attached to your e-mail. All other attachments may be deleted. All responses must reach the point of contact no later than 2:00 PM MT on July 2, 2026 and must include the following information: company name; address; phone number, fax number, e- mail address, and business size status for the applicable NAICS. Responses shall not include classified data. Proprietary information, if any, shall be kept to a minimum and MUST BE CLEARLY MARKED. To aid the Government, SEGREGATE proprietary information. Please be advised that all submissions become Government property and will not be returned. Questions regarding this notice shall be submitted via e-mail to the point of contact listed in this notice. Questions shall be sent to the point of contact via e-mail ONLY. Verbal or FAX questions are not acceptable, and will not be answered -- 1 of 8 -- DRAFT STATEMENT OF WORK Title: LIQUID HELIUM DELIVERY I. BACKGROUND INFORMATION Liquid helium (LHe) is used for cryogenic applications across the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) (including standards development and dissemination, initiatives, Innovations in Measurement Science (IMS) projects, and other agency projects). LHe has several unique properties, including an extremely low boiling point and its non-reactivity, so it cannot be replaced by other gases easily. Helium is a non-renewable resource that is only found naturally in some natural gas deposits. Therefore, the LHe supply is limited, both in quantity and location. LHe is volatile and must be used within a narrow window of time from delivery, typically within one to two weeks before significant loss of product. II. PURPOSE The Contractor shall furnish the necessary personnel, material, equipment, services, and facilities to supply LHe in 100, and 250-liter contractor-owned dewars, on an as-needed basis. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE LHe orders shall be delivered to NIST’s central drop off sites. Empty dewars shall be picked up at the same facility. The Contractor shall deliver to and pick-up from the central drop of sites located at, 325 Broadway, Boulder, CO. The following designated delivery areas are established: • Drop off/Pick up location 1: Bldg. 1 Wing 2 • Drop off/Pick up location 2: Bldg. 1 Wing 3 • Drop off/Pick up location 3: Bldg. 1 Wing 6 • Drop off/Pick up location 4: Bldg. 2/81 Dock • Drop off/Pick up location 5: Bldg. 2 Annex • Drop off/Pick up location 6: Bldg. 24 • Drop off/Pick up location 7: Bldg. 12 • Drop off/Pick up location 8: Bldg. 5 Regular Business Hours Regular business hours are Monday through Friday, Mountain Time, excluding Federal holidays and NIST closures. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE The Period of Performance will be 12 Months from 1 October to 30 September. III. SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS 1. LIQUID HELIUM PURITY Purity of the LHe shall be a minimum of 99.998%; 2. DEWAR USAGE CHARGES -- 2 of 8 -- The Contractor shall deliver the actual number of dewars ordered in the 100 L, and 250 L. The Government shall pay the Contractor a flat monthly fee for unlimited use of dewars. To the maximum extent practicable, the Government will return the dewars to the Contractor within 30 days from the date of delivery. 3. DEWAR REQUIREMENTS 3.1 Dewars shall have no icing or frost caused by dewar malfunction on them at delivery; 3.2 All valves shall open and close easily and seal completely; 3.3 Over-pressure valves and road relief valves shall be fitted and operate at the manufacturer- recommended nominal pressures; 3.4 Dewars shall have a working pressure gauge; 3.5 Dewars shall be delivered with an over-pressure valve in the open position, to avoid an unsafe buildup of large pressure; 3.6 Dewars shall have mechanical movement (wheels and travel) that is smooth an…