1 REQUEST FOR QUOTES (RFQ) – N60969C for GEMINI SOUTH Sodium Laser Guide Star ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITIES FOR RESEARCH IN ASTRONOMY, INC. OPERATING THE GEMINI OBSERVATORY Hilo, Hawaii and La Serena, Chile RFQ Schedule RFQ Issued: October 2, 2015 Quotes Due: December 4, 2015 at 4:00 pm MST Prepared by AURA Procurement Office 950 North Cherry Avenue Tucson, AZ 85719 RFQ- N60969C Gemini South Sodium Laser Guide Star 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS I. Introduction and Background II. Scope of Work, Requirements III. Instructions to Proposers IV. Evaluation Criteria V. Communications and Questions RFQ- N60969C Gemini South Sodium Laser Guide Star 3 SECTION I. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND The Gemini Observatory consists of two 8-meter telescopes, one located at the summit of Mauna Kea in Hawaii, USA (Gemini North), the other at the summit of Cerro Pachón, Chile (Gemini South). The Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc. ("AURA") is the managing organization of the Gemini Observatory under a cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation for the benefit of the Gemini partner nations: The United States of America, Canada, Australia, Chile, Brazil, and Argentina. For more information, visit the Gemini Observatory website at www.gemini.edu . AURA is seeking to replace its current continuous wave (CW) mode-locked 50 Watt laser at the Gemini South facility with a more robust alternative Laser (the subject of this RFQ, hereafter called the “Laser”) providing a photon return equivalent to or greater than currently received by its 5 laser guide star Multi-Conjugate Adaptive Optics system, GeMS. AURA desires that the new Laser utilize as much as possible of the existing Beam Transfer Optics (BTO) and Laser Launch Telescope (LLT) for projecting the Laser onto the sky, enabling Gemini to switch from the current system to the new system with minimal downtime. Laser RFQ/Selection Events Laser RFQ Selection Events Release RFQ Intent to Submit Quote Quote Deadline Contractor selection Due Date Date 2 October 2015 30 October 2015 4 December 2015 at 4:00 PM (MST) 12 February 2016* *This date is estimated and included only to provide proposers scheduling guidance. Selection may occur sooner or later than anticipated and is dependent upon how quickly the required approvals can be obtained. RFQ- N60969C Gemini South Sodium Laser Guide Star Scope of Work SECTION II: SCOPE OF WORK and REQUIREMENTS Gemini Observatory seeks to obtain a 589nm Sodium Laser Guide Star to be installed at the Gemini South Observatory in Chile. The selected Laser must meet or exceed the requirements and specifications identified below. After delivery of the Laser, Gemini intends to install it, replacing the existing continuous wave mode-locked 50 W laser. Gemini staff will make all modifications needed to the existing BTO/LLT to accommodate the new Laser; however, the preference is to minimize such modifications. Quotes shall demonstrate that the Laser will meet all requirements noted below. Bidders must deliver statements and/or acceptance test plans justifying how they can meet all Requirements. Requirements Photon Return Performance 1. The laser beam will be divided equally into 5 separate beams inside the BTO. The total minimal photon return from the combined Laser beams must meet or exceed the following: 5 π₯ 106 πβππ‘πππ π−2 at the primary mirror for a sodium concentration of 4 π₯ 1013 ππ‘πππ π−2 in the mesosphere. 2. Half of the produced photons shall be considered lost in transmission from the laser output to the Laser Launch Telescope. With the current "pure" (Bandwidth <=10MHz) D2a CW laser, the required photon return rate has been found to be equivalent to a power of 18W at the output of the laser. 3. The bidder may propose a laser format different from a pure D2a CW laser. 4. The bidder shall demonstrate that the combination of power and laser format will meet or exceed the expected minimal photon return. Laser Spectral and Beam Characteristics 5. Nominal central wavelength: 589.159 nm corresponding to coverage of mesospheric sodium D2a excitation, and possibly D2b @ 589.157 nm for any D2b repumping option 6. Capacity to tune the wavelength for optimum return from the sodium layer. Minimum detuning capability: 4 GHz in less than 10 seconds. 7. Stability of the central wavelength: better than 100 MHz if pure D2a CW over 14 hours. 8. Temporal stability/intensity noise: a. Short term (< 5 seconds): less than 10% power variation peak to peak. The considered sampling period is 1.25 milliseconds. b. Medium term (14 hours): less than 5% power variation rms. The considered sampling period is 1.25 milliseconds. 9. Out of band power: lower than 0.1% 10. Beam quality: Gaussian beam with M2 <1.4. M2 <1.2 is strongly desired. 11. Stability of M2: 10% rms over 14 hours. 12. Beam diameter: 2 mm to 7mm (at the 1/e2 intensity point) with 5 mm preferred 13. Pointing stability: < 0.4 millirad rms (long term: average angular tilt of the laser over a 1 second period of the output beam over 14 hours.) <20 µrad (short term: maximum peak to peak RFQ- N60969C Gemini South Sodium Laser Guide Star 4 variations in the angular tilt when averaged at 10 Hz for 1 second every 30 minutes in laboratory operating conditions). 14. Beam shift: < 50 microns over 14 hours. 15. Beam Polarization ratio: > 0.95 Linear (20:1) 16. The capacity of operating with a low power setting (<1 W) for alignment and testing is desired. Demonstrated Robustness 17. From power off to full sky propagation capability in less than 1 hour. This time should be sufficient to recover from complete unexpected power loss and network interruption to full sky propagation. 18. The Laser must routinely be able to operate continuously for at least 200 hours with no power dropouts or wavelength lock fluctuations. 19. The Laser shall have an enclosure to prevent dust contamination and shall have a window cover to seal the laser output from the environment. Performance will be measured at the output of this window. 20. Downtime resulting from routine scheduled maintenance shall not exceed 2 consecutive weeks twice a year. 21. Unscheduled downtime for repairs should not occur more than twice a year and not exceed 2% of annual nighttime operational use. 22. The Laser will be operated at full power at night up to 1500 hours per year, plus additional time for warm up, maintenance/calibration time, and daytime power on status if needed for stability. Operations Requirements 23. Each bid shall include the cost to provide the necessary Laser control system software. This software shall provide the means to interface with observatory software systems and shall allow complete remote operation from a distant site. Consequently, this software shall not require any Microsoft Windows nor custom driver to interface with the observatory software system. The interface of choice would be a TCP/IP socket (or RS-232 line connected to a Perle) with a text (ASCII) based protocol. A separate socket for alarm notifications is a plus. Other possible interfaces options are, in decreasing order of choice, TCP/IP socket with custom (binary) interface or specialized hardware installed in the computer host. 24. The Laser software system shall produce real time and network accessible logged measurements of the instantaneous power, M2, wavelength tuning, temperature, and any other parameters needed for optimizing Laser photon return and should have the ability to report any faults with the system 25. The Laser control system software should be able to recover from TCP/IP network errors and dropouts without restarting software or rebooting hardware. In case of a prolonged network outage, an automated graceful shutdown of hardware is desired. 26. Bidders shall provide an additional software interface (GUI), preferably operating under a linux OS, allowing the users to check the parameters of the laser (instantaneous power, M2, wavelength tuning, temperature, and any other parameters needed for optimizing Laser photon return) and control the state of the laser. This software will be used during the acceptance phase and maintenance phase. RFQ- N60969C Gemini South Sodium Laser Guide Star 5 27. An EPICS interface to the Laser control system is preferred to reduce integration with existing observatory control software. 28. All mechanical moving parts must be designed for a 10 year operating lifetime or suitable spares be included in the bidder-provided maintenance plans. 29. The Laser must comply with all safety requirements as defined by the ANSI Z136 series of standards, the IEC 60825-1 standard, and CDRH regulations including the use of a safety shutter. 30. Complete documentation for operation and servicing must be included in the final product as outlined in the bidder-provided maintenance plans. 31. Bidders shall identify necessary support equipment such as electronic cabinets and coolant systems. 32. The bidder is expected to train Gemini technical staff on general maintenance procedures during the initial integration phase on the telescope. 33. It is desired that the Laser should provide a communication interface to the existing observatory Laser Interlock System, as defined in the following diagram. 6/7/2005 6.2. Specification sheets The following data sheets can be found in Publication 1746-2.35 - March 1998. RFQ- N60969C Gemini South Sodium Laser Guide Star 6 Installation and Site Requirements 34. Total mass shall not exceed approximately 1000 kg. The bidder shall provide the approximate mass of the proposed Laser, including necessary support systems, such as electronic and coolant enclosures. 35. Vibration isolation shall be employed as required to isolate sources of vibration within the laser system due to moving components such as fans, pumps and motors. The Laser system shall conform to the generic vibration criterion curve VC-C1 (12.5 micrometers/sec), as shown below. 1 Colin G. Gordon. "Generic vibration criteria for vibration-sensitive equipment", Proc. SPIE 3786, Optomechanical Engineering and Vibration Control, 22 (September 28, 1999). RFQ- N60969C Gemini South Sodium Laser Guide Star 7 8 36. The Laser shall be operable at Cerro PachoΜn facility under the following conditions a. Altitude : 2700m b. Temperature range: -10 to 25 degrees Celsius c. Temperature rate of change: +/- 0.8 degrees C / hour d. Humidity: 0 to 90% e. Vibration: 8 x 10-4 g2/Hz f. Shock: 15 g g. Acceleration due to seismic activity: 2 g h. Electrical Voltage: Min:187 VAC Typ 208 VAC Max:229 VAC i. Electrical Current: 60 Amperes j. Electrical Frequency: Min:47Hz Typical:50Hz Max:53Hz k. Power dissipation : <50W in ambient temperature, <15kW in coolant supply. 37. The system shall be able to be returned to operational status within a day after a period of up to 1 week at 100% humidity (non-condensing) at temperatures of -20 degrees C in a powered down state. 38. The system shall interface with our existing BTO/LLT with an injection point preferably near the Laser Output Box in the BTO schematic below. 39. The bidder shall provide the approximate dimensions of the proposed Laser and ensure that it will fit within the available volume(s) as diagrammed below. Necessary support systems, such as electronic and coolant enclosures must also fit within this volume. The space on the light blue platform attached to the existing Laser Service Enclosure is available [top image] as well as a larger space below the platform on the floor [bottom image]. RFQ- N60969C Gemini South Sodium Laser Guide Star 9 RFQ- N60969C Gemini South Sodium Laser Guide Star 10 Delivery 40. To minimize delay in receipt of goods, shipping of deliverables should be via standard air cargo. The system shall be able withstand vibration, cold, altitude, and all conditions related to standard air cargo shipping. 41. The Contractor is responsible for transporting and shipping the Laser to the GS base facility in La Serena, Chile. 42. The Contractor shall provide the Laser and lifting and handling fixtures to interface with GS lifting equipment which consists of dome cranes with capacities of 50 tons and 5 tons and a lab crane of 1 ton. 43. The laser shall be delivered and ready for operation as quickly as possible but not later than 1 year from execution of contract. 44. The bidder shall provide two possible maintenance plans that will allow the laser to operate at delivery efficiency or greater for a lifetime of 10 years. Both plans should include a cost estimate of spare parts and servicing equipment. One plan must be a full maintenance plan that would require minimal Gemini staff support. The other plan should rely more on support from Gemini staff and include an estimate of labor and a list of skills that Gemini support personnel would need. 45. The vendor should warrant that the Laser will meet or exceed the Requirements and be free from defects in material and workmanship for a period of at least one year after final acceptance. RFQ- N60969C Gemini South Sodium Laser Guide Star 11 Section III. INSTRUCTIONS TO PROPOSERS Request for Quotes Documents. This Request for Quotes is comprised of the following documents: A. Request for Quotes (Document SLGS-01 - this document). B. Quote Form (Document SLGS-02) available in Microsoft Word format. Please review this document carefully before beginning work on your Quote. C. Fixed-Price Gemini South Sodium Laser Guide Star contract (SLGS-03). The purchase of the laser might be done via contract or purchase order. This is the contract that will be used for any contracts awarded as a result of this RFQ. This contract is made up of the following elements: i. Main Document, which covers the basic terms of the contract (including price schedule) that will be used for the project. Although this document has a signature line you do NOT need to fill this in or return it as part of your quote. ii. Terms and Conditions iii. Scope of Work Intent to submit. Please notify AURA of your intent to submit a quote by 30 October 2015. Please send an email to Karen Godzyk (kgodzyk@aura-astronomy.org) notifying her that you intend to submit a quote and provide the names of the institutions and or companies that would be performing significant parts of the work. Failure to give advance notice of your intent to submit a quote will result in your preclusion from submitting a quote. AURA will not disclose the names of the institutions and companies that submit notices of intent to quote. Submitting a quote: Quotes are contractually binding offers. By submitting a quote you are making an offer to enter into a contract or purchase order prepared with the Statement of Work portion modified to conform to the specifics of your quote. You also agree that if you fail to sign such a contract promptly if offered to you, AURA may elect, at its sole discretion, to offer a contract to another proposer and/or pursue any available remedies. Each quote must have a lead company. A group of companies may not submit a joint quote in which multiple companies are all listed as equal partners. The only way for a group of companies to submit a quote is for one company to submit a quote as a lead contractor with the other companies listed as subcontractors. A single lead contractor is required so that the contract(s) can be quickly awarded without delays associated with placing multiple contracts for one team's effort. Download and complete the Quote Form (Document SLGS-02) in Microsoft Word format, answer all the questions, and provide all the requested information and documentation. In addition, complete and submit the following documents: Contractor’s Experience Forms Statement of your company’s long-term ability to support future service contacts Assessment of and mitigation plans for any identified risks that could affect your ability to meet the terms of all aspects of this project. List of similar lasers installed in Chile with contacts Have the completed Quote Form reviewed, approved, and signed by the appropriate administration official of your institution or company who has authority to bind your institution or company to contractual obligations. In addition, ensure that you have equivalent assurances from all subcontractors. Convert the finished quote to PDF format. Quotes should be submitted as a single electronic document in Adobe Acrobat PDF format. Please do not send a hard copy and do not submit multiple electronic documents. Whenever possible, the size of the PDF file should be minimized by printing documents directly to PDF format RFQ- N60969C Gemini South Sodium Laser Guide Star instead of scanning them. Where signatures are required in the Quote Form you should print the page, have it signed, and then scan the signed page to PDF and attach the signature page to the main document. Submit your quote by emailing it as a PDF file attachment to Karen Godzyk, AURA Contracts Officer, at Kgodzyk@aura-astronomy.org. All quotes must be received by AURA on or before the due date and time stated at the top of this document. No oral, telegraphic, or telephonic Quotes will be considered. No oral, telegraphic, or telephonic modifications to Quotes will be considered. Modifications to Quotes submitted may be made electronically, if the modified Quote Documents are delivered to AURA in accordance with the Modification of Quote section (below) before the Quote due date. If selected and contract objections exist, AURA will strive to resolve all objections within 10 working days of selection. Acknowledgement of Quotes: Receipt of quotes will be acknowledged by email by 5:00pm MST of the next working day following the deadline for submitting quotes. Please contact the AURA Contracts Officer (Kgodzyk@aura-astronomy.org) if you do not receive an acknowledgement. AURA reserves the right to accept quotes submitted after the deadline if it can be documented that the failure to meet the deadline was due to technical problems with the transmission of the quote by email. Modification of Quote: Quotes that have already been submitted may only be modified by means of submitting a replacement quote before the deadline for receipt of quotes. Quotes may not be modified after the due date. Quote Withdrawals: A bidder may withdraw its Quote(s) by written request (i.e., email) at any time prior to the scheduled closing time for receipt of Quotes. Thereafter, all quotes, including all subcontracts, must be valid for 120 days and cannot be withdrawn or modified during that period. Contractors must ensure that this requirement is effectively communicated to all their subcontractors. Quote Representations: By submitting a quote you are representing that you have carefully examined this RFQ and its referenced documents, understand all aspects of the work, and are not aware of any ambiguities in the scope of work or specifications that may affect your proposed price or schedule. By submitting your quote, you are also representing that: (1) You have the technical and management capabilities to perform the work in a timely and competent manner; (2) You are not aware of any pending legal, financial, or other action that could have a material detrimental effect on your ability to perform the work in a timely manner; (3) You have the financial resources reasonably required to complete the work in a competent and timely manner; and (4) You have the facilities, tools, staff effort, and equipment necessary to perform the work in a timely and competent manner. RFQ- N60969C Gemini South Sodium Laser Guide Star 12 13 Section IV: EVALUATION CRITERIA Evaluation criteria: AURA will use evaluation scores to assist in selecting quotes for contract award; AURA will consider the following criteria in preparing evaluation scores. The evaluation criteria are listed below with their weighting. The material used to evaluate each criterion shall include, but not be limited to, the listed sections of the Quote Document that proposers are required to include in their quote as described in section 4. Criterion Demonstrated ability to meet technical specifications and requirements ο· ο· 35% Cost of Ownership o Initial Cost of Laser o Cost of proposed maintenance plans, including Gemini labor o Requested milestone payment schedule o Results of price/cost analysis o Fairness and reasonableness of the price Contractor Experience and Project Management ο· ο· ο· 35% How well has the team demonstrated they can meet the technical requirements? By how much can the team exceed the minimal technical requirements? o Laser return o Delivery time o Robustness, ease of maintenance and downtime requirements o Ease of installation and interface with the existing observatory infrastructure o Documentation Quote Price ο· Weight 30% How well has the project team demonstrated their experience in constructing lasers? Has the team submitted a credible production plan? Longevity of the project team for maintenance and servicing The scores will provide a guide to the selection committee but additional trade-offs may be considered in making a best value selection. RFQ- N60969C Gemini South Sodium Laser Guide Star Section V. COMMUNICATION AND QUESTIONS Any questions or requests for clarification of this Request for Quotes document should be directed to: Karen Godzyk Contracts Officer Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc. 950 N. Cherry Avenue Tucson, AZ 85719 Email: Kgodzyk@aura-astronomy.org (520) 318-8357 (MST) a) General procedural questions can be handled by telephone. Questions or requests for clarification regarding the scope of work, requirements, or specifications must be submitted by email and must be received at least five working days before the due date for quotes. Answers and clarifications that modify or clarify any of the documents included in this RFQ will only be made in writing; bidders shall not rely on verbal answers or clarifications. AURA may decide to share any questions and their answers with all of the bidders by issuing a supplement to the RFQ. b) To ensure that all bidders receive the same information, clarification or direction by other persons at AURA or individuals at the Gemini Observatory is not permitted during the RFQ process. Bidders may not contact any other person at Gemini regarding this procurement without express permission from the AURA Contracts Officer, and bidders may be disqualified from participating in this procurement if they attempt to communicate about this procurement with AURA or Gemini personnel other than the AURA Contracts Officer. c) Bidders may request modifications to any requirements that are impossible to meet or that appear to needlessly increase the cost of the work. These requests for modifications should be submitted as early as possible before the due date for submitting quotes. Modifications will be issued to all bidders through an amendment to the RFQ. d) AURA may modify parts of the RFQ after it has been released. Modifications will be made only by means of amendments to the RFQ posted at the top of the RFQ web page. Notice of amendments will be distributed only to the email addresses to which the RFQ was originally sent. Verbal amendments will be void, so do not rely on any modification to anything in this RFQ unless it has been confirmed by a written RFQ amendment posted on this page. RFQ- N60969C Gemini South Sodium Laser Guide Star 14