Hydrogen Maser Repair/Refurbished

Combined Sources Sought Notice and Notice of Intent to Award a Sole Source Contract for Hydrogen Maser Repair/Refurbished Notice ID: NB688000-26-02296 Contract Opportunity Type: Sources Sought/Notice of Intent Response Date: August 3, 2026 Product Service Code (PSC): 6640 NAICS Code: 334515 BACKGROUND The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is conducting market research to identify alternative sources that (a) are capable of meeting NIST’s minimum requirements for the following commercial products and commercial services and (b) would be interested in competing for that requirement: The NIST Time Realization and Distribution group operates an ensemble of atomic clocks (timescale) that realizes UTC(NIST), maintenance of which is one of NIST’s mission essential functions. Some of the constituent hydrogen maser atomic clocks are reaching end of life and exhibiting degradation of performance. To maintain continued accurate operation of the timescale these aging masers need to be addressed, either through refurbishment or replacement, Additionally, there are new revisions of various modules that will improve performance and extend the lifetime of these units – performing these upgrades will bring the performance of our aged units up to currently available maser atomic clocks. The services required as part of these refurbishments and upgrades are as follows: Item 1: Hydrogen maser refurbishment Quantity: 3 Specifications: 1.1: inspect hydrogen bulb, recoat if needed 1.2: check and adjust RF alignment 1.3: inspect thermal control board and components, repair if needed 1.4: test AC/DC power module, replace if malfunctioning or too old 1.5: inspect quartz oscillator, replace if not operating at spec 1.6: replace ion pumps 1.7: inspect physics package, replace and test if needed Item 2: Hydrogen maser upgrade to MHM-2020 level Quantity: 3 Specifications: 2.1: replace cavity register control module with newest revision 2.2: replace front panel control module with newest revision 2.3: wiring harness modification and replacement 2.4: replace discharge source with latest revision 2.5: replace distribution amplifiers and rf outputs with latest revision NIST has not yet determined its acquisition strategy for this requirement and encourages interested sources to respond to this Notice. If NIST’s market research indicates there are alternative sources that are capable and interested in competing to fill this requirement, separate and apart from Microchip Technology Inc. UEI: QSXSDASP8FT6, then NIST will consider conducting a competitive acquisition in accordance with law and regulation. To be clear, NIST’s identification of Microchip Technology Inc. in this Notice does not constitute a binding commitment or obligation for it to conduct a sole source procurement with Microchip Technology Inc. for this requirement. Instructions for Responding to Respond to This Notice Parties that respond to this Notice are requested to voluntarily 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 d o not include proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information in a response to this Notice. 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. Feedback for Draft Requirements Review the potential requirements/minimum specifications included with this Notice. Then, please provide suggestions to (a) improve clarity of it; (b) to make it more competitive; (c) to indicate whether there anything in it that may inadvertently exclude domestic involvement; and (d) to indicate how the requirements could potentially be revised to improve the ability for domestic (“Made in America”) end products to be considered. Information Regarding Your Company’s Products and Services Provide specifications, company name of the original equipment manufacturer, and the country of manufacture for products and services that your company is legally authorized to sell and that may meet NIST’s minimum requirements. Indicate whether, in your o