Breakthrough Analyzer

FBO ANNOUNCEMENT: PRE-SOLICITATION NOTICE, NOTICE OF INTENT

ACTION CODE: SPECIAL NOTICE

CLASSIFICATION CODE: 66 – Instruments and Laboratory Equipment SUBJECT: Breakthrough Analyzer

SOLICITATION NUMBER: NB646050-25-01283

DESCRIPTION:

The National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST) intends to negotiate on a sole source basis

under the authority of FAR 13.106(b)(1), with Micromeritics Instrument Corporation located in

Norcross, Georgia for a breakthrough Analyzer (BTA).

Sole Source justification is based on the following:

The NIST Facility for Adsorbent Characterization and Testing (FACT) Lab in the Chemical Sciences

Division aims to serve the sorbent materials research community as an impartial source for testing

and characterization of sorbent materials via the establishment of reference materials and testing

procedures. The FACT Lab seeks to contribute to gas separation efforts by developing reference

materials for dynamic adsorption measurements to enable the creation of standard measurement

procedures and reference data.

The FACT Lab requires a BTA for measurement intercomparisons with internal infrastructure and

external stakeholders. A BTA will permit the evaluation of differential adsorption properties of

porous materials under dynamic conditions. Dynamic breakthrough data are especially useful for

evaluating and selecting industrial sorbents by monitoring the uptake of multiple gases, including

water vapor, which often competes with the adsorption of common gases.

Market research by the Government has identified Micromeritics Instrument Company, as the sole

provider of the BTA that will allow intercomparisons with internal infrastructure and external

stakeholders. The instrument is utilized by many U.S. stakeholders in Government, industry, and

academia, which makes the requirement critical for the development of protocols to better enable

stakeholders to accomplish sorbent development goals.

The resulting order will be a Firm-Fixed Price purchase order.

NAICS code for this requirement will be 334516 – Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing

with a small size standard of 1,000 employees.

No solicitation package will be issued. This notice of intent is not a request for competitive

quotations: however, interested parties who regard themselves as capable of fulfilling these

requirements are invited to submit responses to the Government for consideration. Responses

received by 7/3/2025 will be considered by the Government.