Sole Source 2701: Nu Instruments

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SOLE SOURCE CERTIFICATE AND POSTING NOTICE
(Greater than $150,000)
A sole source procurement is when you make a request to purchase product(s) and/or service(s)
without competition when competition is otherwise required. This means that product/service is
unique and that the supplier is the only supplier that can provide the product or service. In
accordance with the authority granted under applicable Florida law and UCF Regulation 7.130, the
following documentation is submitted in support of this request.
This form and related documentation shall be submitted through Workday Help using case type Waivers and
Sole Source. Please do not attach to a requisition or send via email for review and approval.
WD case subject title should have common structure for easy tracking, to include:
(cid:120) Exemption type (Sole Source)
(cid:120) Supplier name
(cid:120) Purchase amount
The completed sole source must be approved in the following order. Please be sure to obtain
all required signatures before submitting the form to Procurement Services.
* PI/Researcher/Director/Chair
* President/Vice President/Dean
* Procurement Specialist
* Procurement Services Manager or Associate Director
* Assistant Vice President for Tax, Payables & Procurement, who will review and
provide a recommendation to approve or disapprove the sole source to:
* Chief Financial Officer, who will either directly approve or disapprove the sole source, or
forward it to the Provost and Executive Vice President for goods/services related to
academia for input prior to making the final decision.
Once the completed sole source is received, Procurement Services in collaboration with kNEXT
reviews the documentation provided and determines whether the sole source is valid or if there are
additional suppliers that may be able to provide the requested product or service. The sole source
review and approval process varies based on the nature of the product/service being requested and
the information provided in the requestor's justification, among other factors, so please keep this in
mind when submitting the form.
Contingent upon the approval of all the officers/individuals listed, the sole source shall be
posted on the UCF Procurement Services website for seventy-two (72) hours. Upon expiration of
said posting period, Procurement Services will process a purchase order upon receipt of the
requisition.
The usual bidding process shall be conducted if sole source approval is not granted.
Revised 12/7/23

PARTI: DEPARTMENT AND SUPPLIER INFORMATION
Physics Ryan Ogliore
Department Name: Contact & Phone:
$1.7M
Product/Service Cost:

__ One Time Purchase __Term Contract: __________
__ Multiple Purchases __ Duration: ______________
Nu instruments mike.colucci@ametek.com
Company Name: Email:
Mike Colucci Regional Sales Manager
Contact Person: Title:
Mass spectrometers
Product and/or Service:
PARTII: SOLESOURCE JUSTIFICATION (see pages 4-5)
Only justifications submitted on this form and in the below format will be reviewed for approval.
All the listed points MUST be fully answered on the following pages and any additional attached
pages as needed. Failure to submit justification as outlined in the format below will result in the
form being returned without review.
PARTIII:SOLESOURCECERTIFICATIONS
A. In my professional opinion, this is the only product or service that can reasonably meet my
requirement(s)/specification(s), and this is the only supplier who can provide the product or
service. I further certify that the information contained herein is true and correct to the best of
my knowledge and belief and would withstand any audit or supplier protest.
B. I, the undersigned, certify that I and/or the user do not have a financial interest in the above
named supplier or contractor, and that I am unaware of any conflict of interest related to this
purchase.
Ryan Ogliore D O i g g l i i t o a r l e ly signed by Ryan Ryan Ogliore, Associate Professor June 8 2026
Date: 2026.06.08 09:16:49
-05'00'
Signature PrintedNameand Title(PI/Researcher/Director/Chair) Date
Joshua D Co ig lw ita e l l l l y signed by Joshua Joshua Colwell, Dean, College of Sciences June 8, 2026
Colwell Date: 2026.06.08 13:16:59
-04'00'
Signature PrintedNameand Title(President/Vice President/Dean) Date
(Delegationsnotallowed;emailsfromabsentapproversareacceptable)
I, the undersigned, hereby concur with the above justification and support a sole source approvalfor
the above product(s) and/or service(s). Approvals may be documented and supported via email.
See email approval below.
Signature PrintedNameandTitle(ProcurementSpecialist) Date
See email approval below.
Signature Printed Name and Title Date
(Procurement Services Manager or Associate Director)
See email approval below.
Signature PrintedNameand Title Date
(Asst. Vice President for Tax, Payables & Procurement)
Revised12/7/23

See email approval below.
Signature Printed Name and Title (Chief Financial Officer) Date
POSTING NOTICE
7/2/26 / 4:00 PM EST 7/8/26 2701 Brandon Orofino
Date/Time Posted Posting End Date UCF Control No. Procurement Specialist
Revised 12/7/23

SOLE SOURCE JUSTIFICATION
Please answer the questions below and attach additional documentation if needed.
1. Describe the product(s) and/or service(s) and anticipated use thereof in layman's language.
Nu instruments provides two mass spectrometers: the Sapphire XD and the Vitesse. The
Sapphire XD is an instrument that is highly precise, slower, and measures a few species at once.
The Vitesse is less precise, faster, and measures all species at once. In combination, these two
instruments allow for the interrogation of a sample, and follow-up high-precision measurements.
2. Describe the required specifications or requirements and why are they essential to the accomplishment of
your work.
Formyworkonmeteoriteandlunarsamples,Irequireaninstrumentwithpart-per-ten-thousandprecision
inisotopemeasurements,andtheabilitytofiltermassesandreachspeciessothattheycanbemeasured
withoutinterference.Theserequirementswillallowmetodatetheformationofcrystalsinlunarand
meteoritesamplestohighprecision.Ialsorequireaninstrumenttocharacterizethecomplexmineralogyof
thelunarandmeteoritessamplesIwillstudy.Irequirethesetwoinstrumentstoworkincombination.
Provide the names of other suppliers, products and/or services that you have investigated and explain why
they do not meet the required specifications or requirements. It may be helpful to present your information
in a table like the one below.
Required Specifications Supplier 1 Supplier 2 Supplier 3 Supplier 4
Y/N Y/N Y/N Y/N
Y/N Y/N Y/N Y/N
Y/N Y/N Y/N Y/N
Y/N Y/N Y/N Y/N
(Icouldnottypeintotheabovetable)IlookedattheThermo-FischerNeomainstrument,theIONTOFM6,andthe
CamecaLEAP6000XRAtomProbe.TheIONTOFandLEAP6000donothavetherequiredprecision.TheNeoma
doesnothavetheabilitytoswitchbetweentraditionalandcollision-cellmodeusingadualpathliketheNuinstrument
does.Italsodoesnothaveatime-of-flightinstrumentmadebythesamemanufacturerthatcanworkintandem.
3. State in detail why only this and no other product(s)/service(s) will satisfy the department's
requirements. Description may include unique features, compatibility, specifications,
availability, delivery time frame etc. (For example, please list the features or special
conditions that are unique and only available from one supplier. Note: Price is not a valid
reason.)
TheSapphireXDMC-ICP-MSsystemoffersbothstandardandcollision/reactioncellmodeofoperation. Thiswillallowtheresearcherstoperformboth
routineheavyisotoperatioanalysis(i.e.Sr,Nd,Pb,U,etc)andtheanalysisofnon-traditionalisotoperatiosystemsthataresubjectedtoargon-based
interferencesonthesameinstrumentwithoutanycompromiseinanalyticalperformance. Thispatented"dualmode"capability(asillustratedbelow)is
uniquetotheSapphireXDfromNuInstrumentsandnotavailableonanyothercommerciallyavailableMC-ICP-MSsystem.1.ZoomOptics:Each
instrumentmanufacturedbyNuInstrumentsisdesignedwithpatentedelectrostatic"zoom"opticsthatusesaquadrupolefieldtofocustheionbeamwith
variableinstrumentdispersion. Thezoomopticsallowtheionbeamtobefocusedintoafixedcollectorarray,thusprecludingthenecessityformoving
collectors. Thissavestimewhiletuningtheinstrumentandavoidspotentialfailurefrommovingpartsinthecollectorblock. OtherMC-ICP-MSinstruments
onthemarket,suchasthoseprovidedbyThermoFischerScientific,havemovablecollectorsthatarepronetofailureanddonotallowforthetypeof
multipleioncountingdescribedinthenextpoint.5.RetractableMassFilter-RecenttechnologicaladvancementsinMC-ICP-MSinstrumentationinvolvethe
implementationofa"MassFilter"thatallowsforthedeflectionandfilteringofionsoutsideofaspecificmassrangetoproducea"clean"massregionwhere
isobaricisotopesystemscanbeseparatedfromoneanotherthroughchemicalreactionsinthedownstreamcollision/reactioncell. Onesuchexampleisthe
Rb-SrisotopesystemthatisusedforagedatingandplannedforthelaboratoryatUCF. Sincetheseisotopesystemsoverlapinmass(mass/charge85Rb
and87Rboverlapswith86Srand87Sr),ithasbeenvirtuallyimpossibletoanalyzetheseisotopeswithinasinglesamplewithoutcomplexchemical
separationtechniques. Withtheadventofamassfilterinlinewithacollision/reactioncellthismeasurementisnowpossiblein-situwiththeproposedlaser
ablationsystemthroughmassfilteringandchemicalshiftingwithinthecollision/reactioncell. ThemassfilterontheNuInstrumentsSapphireXDis
"retractable",meaningthatitcanberetractedfromthemainionbeampathwhenitisnotneededformassshifting. Thisuniquefeatureavoidsanymass
biasandmagneticeffectsthatmaybeimpartedonheavyisotopesystems,suchasthelow-levelUranium-Thorium-Leadmeasurementsplannedforthe
returnmissionsamples. Alternativeinstruments,suchasthatprovidedbyThermoFischerScientific,donotprovidea"retractable"massfilterandare
thereforesubjecttomassbiaseffectsthatcompromisesuchmeasurements.
Revised 12/7/23

4. Are there resellers or distributors? If yes, please list names and contact information.
No.
5. Will this purchase obligate UCF to this vendor for future purchases such as maintenance,

licensing, or continuing need? ___ Yes ___ No
If yes, please provide details regarding future obligations and/or needs to include number of
years and total spending amount of obligations:
N u would perform maintenance on the instrument.
6. What efforts have been made to obtain the best pricing available? Please provide an explanation to
support the belief that the price is fair and reasonable.
Nu instruments provided a discount for purchasing both the Vitesse and Sapphire XD
together.
Revised 12/7/23

From: Albert Francis
To: Joel Levenson
Cc: Brandon Orofino; Nellie Nido; Brian Sargent
Subject: Re: Review for C0176366: Sole Source-Spectro Analytical Instruments
Date: Wednesday, July 1, 2026 4:15:35 PM
Attachments: Sole-Source-RCO_10865889063392604970 BF Signed.pdf
I approve as well, attached is the form with my signoff!
Bert
Bert Francis, CPA
Interim Vice President / Chief Financial Officer / University Treasurer
Administration and Finance
University of Central Florida
4635 Andromeda Loop N
MH384
Orlando, FL 32816
Tel: (407) 882-1075
Email: Albert.Francis@UCF.Edu
From: Joel Levenson <Joel.Levenson@ucf.edu>
Sent: Friday, June 26, 2026 11:47 AM
To: Albert Francis <Bert.Francis.III@ucf.edu>
Cc: Brandon Orofino <Brandon.Orofino@ucf.edu>; Nellie Nido <nellie.nido@ucf.edu>; Brian Sargent
<Brian.Sargent@ucf.edu>
Subject: RE: Review for C0176366: Sole Source-Spectro Analytical Instruments
Good morning Bert,
I approve of this sole source as well. Research into other products did not find the
precision of the instruments required for this research.
Please review and if you approve of the sole source as well, reply all and indicate as
such. If you have additional questions, I'm here to help.
From: Brian Sargent <Brian.Sargent@ucf.edu>
Sent: Friday, June 26, 2026 8:38 AM
To: Joel Levenson <Joel.Levenson@ucf.edu>
Cc: Brandon Orofino <Brandon.Orofino@ucf.edu>; Nellie Nido <nellie.nido@ucf.edu>
Subject: FW: Review for C0176366: Sole Source-Spectro Analytical Instruments

Good morning Joel,
I also support this sole source to Nu Instruments for a specialized mass spectrometer.
The Physics Department requires a multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass
spectrometer to measure complex mineralogical compositions. Physics researched
alternative sources but only the product from Nu Instruments meets the mandatory
requirements of the research (dual-mode operation, retractable mass filter, and
integrated system compatibility, more below).
Additionally, a search of GovSpend identified two sole sources issued by NIST and NASA
for the same equipment.
Please approve/disapprove and let me know if you have any questions.
Regards,
Brian
From: Brandon Orofino <Brandon.Orofino@ucf.edu>
Sent: Wednesday, June 24, 2026 11:09 AM
To: Brian Sargent <Brian.Sargent@ucf.edu>
Subject: Review for C0176366: Sole Source-Spectro Analytical Instruments
Hi Brian,
Please see attached my sole source justification review for C0176366: Sole Source-
Spectro Analytical Instruments. I will also include it below in this email for
documentation purposes. Please let me know if you have any questions, thanks for your
review!
Sole Source Justification Review:
I. Background and Description of Need
The UCF Physics Department requires the acquisition of a highly specialized mass
spectrometry system to support advanced research involving meteorite and lunar
sample analysis. The instrument must provide extremely high precision isotope
measurements, advanced mass filtering, and the ability to analyze complex

mineralogical compositions. These capabilities are essential to accurately determine
isotopic ratios and age-date extraterrestrial materials, directly supporting ongoing
scientific research objectives.
II. Unique Specifications and Requirements
Based on technical requirements identified by the research team, the instrument must:
* Provide part-per-ten-thousand precision in isotope ratio measurements
* Enable filtering of ion masses to eliminate interference
* Support dual operational modes, including standard analysis and
collision/reaction cell mode
* Integrate seamlessly with complementary instruments for combined analytical
workflows
* Include advanced ion optics and collector systems to maximize accuracy and
minimize mechanical failure
The Nu Instruments Sapphire XD system uniquely satisfies all of these requirements
through patented technologies, including dual-mode capability, retractable mass filter
functionality, and electrostatic zoom optics. No other commercially available system
provides this combination of features.
III. Market Research Conducted
Extensive market research was conducted to identify potential alternative vendors and
solutions. The following manufacturers and systems were evaluated:
* Thermo Fisher Scientific (Neoma MC-ICP-MS)
* IONTOF (M6)
* CAMECA (LEAP 6000 XR Atom Probe)
The evaluation determined:
* The IONTOF M6 and CAMECA LEAP 6000 XR lack the required measurement
precision for isotope analysis.

* The Thermo Fisher Neoma system does not provide a dual-mode operation
withintegrated collision/reaction cell capability nor compatibility with
complementarysystems from the same manufacturer.
* None of the evaluated alternatives offer a retractable mass filter or the
patented dual-mode configuration required for this research.
Accordingly, no other vendor can meet the technical requirements without significant
compromises to research outcomes.
IV. Determination of Sole Source
Based on the above analysis, Nu Instruments is the only responsible source capable of
providing the required equipment. The unique combination of capabilities-particularly
the dual-mode operation, retractable mass filter, and integrated system compatibility-
are not available from any other manufacturer. Price was not used as a determining
factor. The justification is based strictly on the technical and functional requirements
necessary to support mission-critical research.
V. Supporting Evidence from Comparable Sole Source Procurements
The GovSpend documentation found provides precedent demonstrating similar sole
source procurements for highly specialized scientific instrumentation:
1. A National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) sole source
procurement fora Cameca/Ametek ion microscope spectrometer upgrade shows the
necessity of usingoriginal equipment manufacturers for proprietary upgrades and
system compatibility.1
2. A NASA sole source notice for a mass spectrometer acquisition identified
NuInstruments as the only vendor capable of meeting highly specialized
technicalrequirements. The notice explicitly states that market research confirmed no
othervendors possessed the required expertise or capability. 2
3. 1View _ GovSpend2.pdf 2View _ GovSpend1.pdf
These examples reinforce the validity of the current sole source request by
demonstrating that federal agencies routinely determine sole source awards for
advanced analytical instrumentation when only one manufacturer can meet mission-
critical requirements.
VI. Efforts to Ensure Fair and Reasonable Pricing
The department engaged directly with the vendor to obtain pricing and secured a

bundled discount for multiple instrument purchases. Pricing was evaluated against the
specialized
nature of the equipment, the lack of competition, and comparable federal procurements
of similar systems.
Thanks,
Brandon