Sources SoughtPosted Aug 14, 2026·Responses due Aug 24, 2026

Combined Sources Sought Notice and Notice of Intent to Award a Sole Source Contract for FPGA-based GHz Multi-instrument

Commerce (all) · DEPT OF COMMERCE NIST

Stage
Early notice (sources sought, presolicitation or special notice)
NAICS
334516
Value
Not stated
Solicitation
NIST-SS26-153
Set-aside
No Set aside used
PSC
6640
Place
Gaithersburg, MD, USA
Contact
Nina Lin (nina.lin@nist.gov)
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CSV Email

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Where this opportunity stands

Every notice posted under solicitation NIST-SS26-153 in this department, oldest first.

Early notice
  • Aug 14, 2026
    Sources Sought
    Open
  • Aug 14, 2026 · this notice
    Sources Sought
Solicitation
None posted
Award
Not yet. Typical award: Oct 10, 2026 to Dec 19, 2026, middle of the range Nov 2, 2026.
Measured from 19 past early notices at National Institute of Standards and Technology that later posted an award (middle half of cases, counted from Aug 14, 2026).

Next steps for this stage

Standard steps for the notice type; not advice about this buyer.

  • Answer the notice: this is when the requirement can still be shaped.
  • Contact the contracting officer named on the notice.
  • Check who won similar work; they are the likely bidders.

What the notice says

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: As part of its mandate to maintain and develop standards for absorbed dose of ionizing radiation, the NIST, Physical Measurement Laboratory (PML), Radiation Physics Division, Dosimetry Group has undertaken projects for realizing the gray (the SI unit of absorbed dose, abbreviated Gy)… (show all)

in materials and under conditions that support needs in various medical and industrial uses of radiation. To meet emerging needs in absolute dosimetry for radiotherapy, sterilization of surfaces and quality assurance in semiconductor manufacturing, the Dosimetry Group is pursuing projects for imaging dose fields in water and within silicon with high spatial resolution. For this work, specialized instrumentation capabilities � such as GHz lock-in detection, GS/s phase and spectral analysis, Pound-Drever-Hall wavelength locking, frequency-comb generation, GHz streaming to host computer, and customizable signal generation and analysis � deployed through multiple channels and sensor arrays are critically necessary to develop proof-of-concept laboratory prototypes. To support projects in the Dosimetry Group for developing measurement standards to realize the gray (Gy) in water using thermistor probes and imaging modalities such as ultrasound, and for industrial low-energy electron beams using photonic sensors, the Dosimetry Group requires an FPGA-based GHz Multi-instrument. See attached for list of required minimum technical specifications. MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS The Contractor shall provide a system that meets all technical specifications identified below. All items must be new. Used or remanufactured equipment will not be considered for award. Experimental, prototype, or custom items will not be considered. The use of �gray market� components are not authorized for sale in the U.S. by the Contractor is not acceptable. All line items shall be shipped in the original manufacturer�s packaging and include all original documentation and software, when applicable. Line Item 0001: Quantity: 1 Description: Customizable FPGA-based instrument with software to realize required technical specifications Technical Specifications Number of analog input channels: at least 4 Number of analog output channels: at least 4 ADC sample rate: at least 5 GS/s ADC resolution: at least 14 bits DAC update rate: at least 5 GS/s DAC resolution: at least 14 bits Input noise spectral density at/above 100 Hz: < 10 nV/sqrt(Hz) Spectral purity/clock jitter: 10 ps or lower Data transfer rates: 1 GS/s or better Local data storage: 1 TB Instrument functionality (configurable through software): waveform generator, arbitrary waveform generator, oscilloscope, phase analyzer, spectrum analyzer, lock-in amplifier, PDH lock � specifications below: Waveform generator: Number of output channels: 4 or more Frequency range: DC to 500 MHz Output voltage range: +/- 1 mV to +/- 10 V Vert resolution: 14-bit or better Modulation: AM, FM, PM, PWM Arb generator: Number of output channels: 4 or more Sample rate: 5 GS/s Vert resolution: 14-bit or better Memory depth: Unlimited Bandwidth: 500 MHz Oscilloscope: Number of input channels: 4 or more Sample rate: 2 GS/s Vert resolution: 14-bit or better Phase analyzer: Number of input channels: 4 or more Phase resolution: 10 urad or better Update rate: 500 MS/s or better LPF bandwidth upper limit: 1 MHz or more Spectrum analyzer: Number of input channels: 4 or more Freq range: 500 MHz Resolution bandwidth: 1 Hz or lower Lock-in amplifier: Number of channels: 4 or more Dual quadrature: 4 channels Input noise: 10 nV/sqrt(Hz) above 100 Hz Dynamic reserve: 120 dB LPF bandwidth: 1 Hz to 1 MHz Frequency: DC to 500 MHz PDH lock: Number of channels: 4 or more Scan frequency: 10 MHz Filter range: 3 kHz to 30 MHz Software Requirements: software support for all instruments described immediately above plus DIO pattern generator and logic analyzer (using 32-bit DIO port), customizable multi-instrument coordination capability, neural-net instrumentation mode 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 Liquid Instruments Inc (UEI: MS6AHD4EF8D7), then NIST will consider conducting a competitive acquisition in accordance with law and regulation. To be clear, NIST�s identification of Liquid Instruments Inc in this Notice does not constitute a binding commitment or obligation for it to conduct a sole source procurement with Liquid Instruments Inc for this requirement. NIST has not yet determined its acquisition strategy for this requirement and encourages interested sources to respond to this Notice. 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 do 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: 1. 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. 2. 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. 3. 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 opinion, the product(s) meet the definition of (a) commercial product or (b) commercially available off-the-shelf (COTS) item or COTS item as described at https://www.acquisition.gov/far-overhaul/far-part-deviation-guide/far-overhaul-part-2 and, if so, which definition applies ((a) or (b)). Indicate whether, in your opinion, the service(s) meet the definition of commercial service as described at https://www.acquisition.gov/far-overhaul/far-part-deviation-guide/far-overhaul-part-2. Standard Commercial Pricing: Provide your company�s standard commercial pricing information for the identified products and services and explain what is included in those standard prices. Estimated Price Range: You may provide an estimated price or price range for the requirements, including a brief explanation of how the price estimate was

Who won similar work

89 award notices on SAM.gov in the last 24 months. Matched by: Same office (DEPT OF COMMERCE NIST), same product/service code (PSC) 6640 and NAICS 334516.

Single-winner award sizes (89): middle half $45K to $199K, median $81K; range $8K to $5.7M.

WinnerAwardsValueLast
TOPTICA PHOTONICS INC5$550KOct 7, 2026
TECHNICAL COMMUNITIES, INC.4$1.0MOct 7, 2026
BRISTOL INSTRUMENTS INC3$91KSep 24, 2025
Montana Instruments Corporation2$440KSep 8, 2026
STABLE LASER SYSTEMS INC2$277KSep 15, 2026
SPINNER ICT INC2$196KOct 7, 2026
LIQUID INSTRUMENTS INC2$176KSep 15, 2026
GOVERNMENT SCIENTIFIC SOURCE INC2$97KSep 22, 2026
NKT PHOTONICS INC.2$48KSep 30, 2025
CAMECA INSTRUMENTS, INC1$5.7MFeb 25, 2025

Value counts single-winner awards. "Shared" awards are multiple-award contracts that list every winner with the same total ceiling; that ceiling is not one company's win, so it is not added in. Revenue next to a ticker is the company's last annual revenue from its 10-K.

Latest awards

Materiality: one award's value as a share of the winner's revenue over the latest 12 months in its SEC filings (or its last fiscal year, as noted when you point at it). Low under 1%, Medium 1 to 5%, High 5% or more. Many awards are paid over several years, so this overstates a single year's share.

Competitive landscape

For the 8 most frequent past winners above. Lobbying is matched by the company's exact name or exact ticker; agencies are as named on the filings.

  • 0 of these past winners lobbied Commerce, Dept of (DOC) since 2024 (0 filings)
  • 0 of their lobbyists list a past Commerce, Dept of (DOC) job
  • No corporate PAC money from them to the overseeing committees since 2024
  • 0 foreign-agent (FARA) registrations
See who and the source records with Pro

Policy around it

Bills the past winners named while lobbying this agency's issues, rules from the department, and executive orders that name the agency, last 12 months.

  • 0 bills named on the past winners' lobbying filings
  • 372 rules from the department in the last 12 months
  • 0 executive orders naming the agency in the last 12 months
See who and the source records with Pro

Market

For past winners matched exactly to a listed company. Insider trades are open-market buys and sells (Form 4) in the last 90 days, shown as facts; our own study found insiders do not reliably buy ahead of awards. A sale marked 10b5-1 was made under a trading plan set up in advance.

  • 0 of the past winners are listed companies
  • 0 insider buys and 0 insider sells at them in the last 90 days
See who and the source records with Pro

Sources: SAM.gov notices and award notices; Senate LDA lobbying filings; FEC filings; FARA; Federal Register; congress.gov; SEC Form 4. Every row above links to its record.

Companies are matched to tickers by exact name only. A company we could not match shows no market rows; that is a miss, not a finding.