Skip to content
BidBenchmark
Solicitation

Optical Microscope

DEPT OF COMMERCE NIST · Gaithersburg, Maryland, 20899

Response status

Due in 4 days

Sep 8, 2026, 3:00 PM UTC

The response window is short.

Posted
Sep 2, 2026
Archive date
Sep 23, 2026
SAM status
Active

Answer-first brief

What the source record says

  • DEPT OF COMMERCE NIST published this solicitation.
  • The place of performance is Gaithersburg, Maryland.
  • The notice uses NAICS 334516 (Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing).

Procurement identity

Notice ID
9c1ef1e9132e48e39c3fffc46bb1e61f
Solicitation
1333ND26QNB640568
Base type
Solicitation
Version
1 of 1

Solicitation facts

Structured fields from the current SAM notice version. A dash means the source did not publish a value.

Notice type
Solicitation
Solicitation number
1333ND26QNB640568
Set-aside
Set-aside code
Posted
Sep 2, 2026
Responses due
Sep 8, 2026, 3:00 PM UTC
Archive date
Sep 23, 2026
Archive type
auto15
Base type
Solicitation
Organization type
OFFICE
Benchmark category
Category confidence
Category source
Last seen
Sep 5, 2026

Buyer and place

Office hierarchy and place of performance as published.

Department
COMMERCE, DEPARTMENT OF
Department code
Subagency
National Institute of Standards and Technology
Subagency code
Office
DEPT OF COMMERCE NIST
Organization path
Organization path codes
Office address
GAITHERSBURG, MD, 20899, USA
Place of performance
Gaithersburg, Maryland, 20899
City code
State
Maryland
State code
MD
Postal code
20899
Country

Points of contact

Contact details from the current notice version.

Notice description

Source text reproduced without an AI summary.

Responses to Questions posed by Industry: Q:There is no description of the �imaging modes�. Reflected light Brightfield is assumed, but does the user also want to have Darkfield and DIC? A: Requirements for imaging modes are specified in points c, d, and h of the Technical Specifications, Section III Requirements, page 2 of the Statement of Requirements. Q: A �motorized translational stage� is mentioned in the general description, but not in the requirements. There is no mention of whether the stage is encoded or not, A: The motorized stage must include an integrated measuring system and rotation, as outlined in point i of the Technical Specification, Section III Requirements, page 2 of the Statement of Requirements. Q: It also mentions that the samples will be cleaved from large wafers, but there is no XY size requirement for the stage. A: The size of the XY stage is specified as 100 mm x 100 mm, see point i of the Technical Specification, Section III Requirements, page 2 of the Statement of Requirements. Q: A camera is mentioned without any further specification A: The camera details are specified in point n of the Technical Specifications, Section III Requirements, page 2 of the Statement of Requirements: at least 6 megapixels, a minimum FOV of 20 mm, and a pixel size better than 3.0 �m Q: There is a mention of Image Analysis software but no mention of what the user wishes for it to do. A: The software requirements are specified in the Software section, Section III Requirements, page 2 of the Statement of Requirements. These requirements will satisfy our needs. Q: Encoded capability for the selected imaging modes: A: Requirements for integrated X-Y-Z motorization and encoded capabilities are specified in points g, k, l, and m of the Technical Specifications and in point e of the Software section, Section III Requirements, page 2 of the Statement of Requirements. Q: Issues with the objectives� specifications. A: We did not specify that our samples are flat. In general, they may come from wafers with less topographical variation, but in some cases, we alter the surface through various processes. Additionally, we may need to create active devices with contacts and wires attached to the cleaved pieces. All of these factors impose constraints on the working distances required for the objectives. These research needs were the main reason for our requirements. Q: If 1mm is sufficient WD for a 100x objective, then why is 1mm not sufficient WD for a 50x objective? A: Exceeding 1mm of WD is not necessary. For our samples, we need a working distance as large as possible (given the numerical aperture) to facilitate easy manipulation and observation. The 50X objective is the one we are most likely to use for our sample inspections. In contrast, we expect to use the 100X objective less frequently, in cases that permit a more restrictive working distance of 1 mm. However, this shorter distance requires extra caution to avoid damaging the samples. SOLICITATION 1333ND26QNB640568 OPTICAL MICROSCOPE This is a solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with format in RFO Subpart 12.2, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; quotations are being requested, and a separate written solicitation document will not be issued. This solicitation is a Request for Quotations (RFQ). The associated North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code for this procurement is 334516 � Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing, with a Small Business size standard of 1,000 employees. This requirement is will be a Full and Open Competition.

Comparable award range

Historical award values for work matched by the fixed rubric—not an estimate of this opportunity.

No past awards scored highly enough to form a comparable range.

Comparable awards

The match score is decomposed so each comparison can be challenged.

No comparable awards are attached to this notice.

Record provenance

Field-level lineage for the current opportunity version.

FieldSourceSource as ofParserTransform
agency_nameSAM.gov Contract OpportunitiesSep 4, 2026sam_opportunity_snapshot@2026.08.32026.08.3
archive_dateSAM.gov Contract OpportunitiesSep 4, 2026sam_opportunity_snapshot@2026.08.32026.08.3
archive_typeSAM.gov Contract OpportunitiesSep 4, 2026sam_opportunity_snapshot@2026.08.32026.08.3
base_typeSAM.gov Contract OpportunitiesSep 4, 2026sam_opportunity_snapshot@2026.08.32026.08.3
city_nameSAM.gov Contract OpportunitiesSep 4, 2026sam_opportunity_snapshot@2026.08.32026.08.3
contactsSAM.gov Contract OpportunitiesSep 4, 2026sam_opportunity_snapshot@2026.08.32026.08.3
country_codeSAM.gov Contract OpportunitiesSep 4, 2026sam_opportunity_snapshot@2026.08.32026.08.3
descriptionSAM.gov Contract OpportunitiesSep 4, 2026sam_opportunity_snapshot@2026.08.32026.08.3
naics_codeSAM.gov Contract OpportunitiesSep 4, 2026sam_opportunity_snapshot@2026.08.32026.08.3
notice_idSAM.gov Contract OpportunitiesSep 4, 2026sam_opportunity_snapshot@2026.08.32026.08.3
notice_typeSAM.gov Contract OpportunitiesSep 4, 2026sam_opportunity_snapshot@2026.08.32026.08.3
office_citySAM.gov Contract OpportunitiesSep 4, 2026sam_opportunity_snapshot@2026.08.32026.08.3
office_country_codeSAM.gov Contract OpportunitiesSep 4, 2026sam_opportunity_snapshot@2026.08.32026.08.3
office_nameSAM.gov Contract OpportunitiesSep 4, 2026sam_opportunity_snapshot@2026.08.32026.08.3
office_postal_codeSAM.gov Contract OpportunitiesSep 4, 2026sam_opportunity_snapshot@2026.08.32026.08.3
office_state_codeSAM.gov Contract OpportunitiesSep 4, 2026sam_opportunity_snapshot@2026.08.32026.08.3
organization_typeSAM.gov Contract OpportunitiesSep 4, 2026sam_opportunity_snapshot@2026.08.32026.08.3
pop_postal_codeSAM.gov Contract OpportunitiesSep 4, 2026sam_opportunity_snapshot@2026.08.32026.08.3
posted_dateSAM.gov Contract OpportunitiesSep 4, 2026sam_opportunity_snapshot@2026.08.32026.08.3
psc_codeSAM.gov Contract OpportunitiesSep 4, 2026sam_opportunity_snapshot@2026.08.32026.08.3
response_deadlineSAM.gov Contract OpportunitiesSep 4, 2026sam_opportunity_snapshot@2026.08.32026.08.3
sam_urlSAM.gov Contract OpportunitiesSep 4, 2026sam_opportunity_snapshot@2026.08.32026.08.3
solicitation_numberSAM.gov Contract OpportunitiesSep 4, 2026sam_opportunity_snapshot@2026.08.32026.08.3
state_codeSAM.gov Contract OpportunitiesSep 4, 2026sam_opportunity_snapshot@2026.08.32026.08.3
subagency_nameSAM.gov Contract OpportunitiesSep 4, 2026sam_opportunity_snapshot@2026.08.32026.08.3
titleSAM.gov Contract OpportunitiesSep 4, 2026sam_opportunity_snapshot@2026.08.32026.08.3
upstream_activeSAM.gov Contract OpportunitiesSep 4, 2026sam_opportunity_snapshot@2026.08.32026.08.3

Sources and method

Figures on this page are computed from public federal award records. Numbers are never estimated or generated; where a figure is withheld, the reason is stated rather than filled in.

  1. 1Notice fields come from the SAM.gov contract opportunities record last seen Sep 5, 2026. SAM.gov remains authoritative.

Note 1 covers the solicitation record. No synthetic FAQ or inferred solicitation value is published.

Optical Microscope — federal contract opportunity · BidBenchmark