Combined Synopsis/Solicitation
Combined Synopsis/Solicitation for Spent Fuel Cell Shipment(s)
Department of Commerce · National Institute of Standards and Technology
AI summaryThe National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Center for Neutron Research wants a contractor to pack and truck spent reactor fuel from Gaithersburg, Maryland to the Department of Energy's Savannah River Site near Aiken, South Carolina (solicitation 1333ND27QNB610AMD). One base shipment is due by December 31, 2028, with an option for a second by December 31, 2030. No set-aside is used, and the lowest-priced quote that is technically acceptable wins. The response due date is November 23, 2026, 10:00 AM Eastern (extended from November 5, 2026 by Amendment 01). More in the summary
A newer version of this notice was posted Oct 23, 2026. It moves the due date from Nov 5, 2026 to Nov 23, 2026, which is the date shown on this page. See the latest version.
AI summary Beta
Summary of another version of this notice: check what changed on SAM.gov.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Center for Neutron Research wants a contractor to pack and truck spent reactor fuel from Gaithersburg, Maryland to the Department of Energy's Savannah River Site near Aiken, South Carolina (solicitation 1333ND27QNB610AMD). One base shipment is due by December 31, 2028, with an option for a second by December 31, 2030. No set-aside is used, and the lowest-priced quote that is technically acceptable wins. The response due date is November 23, 2026, 10:00 AM Eastern (extended from November 5, 2026 by Amendment 01).
Who can bid (5)
- Open to all businesses: no set-aside program is required
- Active registration in the System for Award Management (SAM.gov) when quoting, through award, performance and final payment
- A shipping cask covered by a valid NRC Certificate of Compliance for materials-testing-reactor (MTR) type spent fuel from the NIST reactor; the certificate is due with the quotation
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- Clearances under Title 10, Part 73 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR 73) for staff who handle Safeguards information (sensitive nuclear security information)
- A small business subcontracting plan, if the quoter is not a small business under NAICS 484230
How to submit: Email to Nina.Lin@nist.gov and Donald.Collie@nist.gov, with the RFQ number in the subject line. What to include is under Full summary below. Check the solicitation's instructions on SAM.gov.
Things to watch (9)
From the version posted Oct 23, 2026.
- Serious: NRC-certified cask needed, with certificate due with the quote. You must supply a cask whose NRC Certificate of Compliance covers this fuel type, and send that certificate with your quote, so a firm without such a cask cannot bid alone.
- Serious: Nuclear security clearances for staff. Your people must hold the clearances that 10 CFR 73 requires to handle Safeguards information, and communications must stay need-to-know.
- Serious: Contractor gets the route approved and handles every state. You must prepare a route plan for NRC approval and manage permits, escorts and checkpoints in each state along the way, which takes experience and lead time.
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- Worth checking: Contractor supplies all lifting and handling equipment. You provide the casks, rigging and cranes or forklifts and run them yourself, and must be ready with spare tools since Government help is only an attempt.
- Worth checking: Subcontracting plan for larger firms. A firm that is not small under NAICS 484230 (size standard $34 million) must send a small business subcontracting plan with its quote.
- Worth checking: Background check for non-U.S. citizens takes about four weeks. Any non-U.S. citizen on your crew needs a NIST background check and campus access approval before working on site.
- Minor: Many plans due after award. Safety plan, project schedule and others are due one to two months after award, and the safety plan and schedule need approval before the notice to proceed.
- Minor: Option second shipment. The second shipment is an option the Government may or may not use, so plan the price knowing it is not guaranteed; unbalanced option prices can hurt a quote.
- Minor: Questions due five days after the solicitation was issued. Questions go in writing to both email addresses, and only answers posted in an amendment count.
Read from the notice and 4 attachments. Show which files.
- 1333ND27QNB610AMD Spent Fuel Cell Shipment 10-22-26.docx (read)
- Attachment 1 Statement of Work.docx (read)
- Attachment 2 Deliverables from Manufacturer for Standard Lifts - Custom Built.docx (read)
- Attachment 3 Applicable Provisions and Clauses.docx (read)
Full summary
What they want
- Pack the spent fuel in a single cask and truck it to the Department of Energy (DOE) Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC: contract line item number (CLIN) 0001, QTY 1 EA
- Option CLIN 0002: a second shipment, QTY 1 EA, exercised within two years after the first shipment is complete and finished by December 31, 2030
- Supply the shipping cask, transfer cask and basket, rigging, and the cranes or forklifts and their operators; NIST staff handle the fuel sections and run NIST-owned cranes
- Write the plans: safety and health plan with radiological safety, Transportation Security Plan, Proposed Route Plan with at least three routes, site-specific cask loading procedure, lift plan, resource request and project schedule
- Get the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) approval of the route and all state, local and federal permits, clearances and escorts
- Provide cask leak-test and quality records, and a delivery certificate within one week after the fuel reaches DOE
- Hold a kick-off meeting within one month after award, plus regular project meetings
- Prearrange NIST badging; staff entering contamination controlled areas take NIST Radiation Safety training of about four to six hours
- Contract type
- Firm-fixed-price purchase order (one set price per line), with a base line and an option line; quoters may propose another structure that fits their standard commercial practice
- Period of performance
- First shipment: date of award through December 31, 2028. Option second shipment: may be exercised within two years after the first is complete, to be finished by December 31, 2030
- Place of performance
- Gaithersburg, MD (NIST Center for Neutron Research, 100 Bureau Drive, Bldg 235, Gaithersburg, MD 20899); the shipment goes to the DOE Savannah River Site near Aiken, SC
- Estimated value
- Not stated
- How they'll choose
- Lowest price technically acceptable: the lowest-priced quote that meets every Statement of Work (SOW) requirement wins
- Offers due
- November 23, 2026, 10:00 AM Eastern
- How to submit
- Email to Nina.Lin@nist.gov and Donald.Collie@nist.gov, with the RFQ number in the subject line
What they'll judge offers on
- Technical Capability: the quote must show the approach meets or exceeds every minimum SOW requirement, citing SOW paragraphs
- Price: checked for reasonableness; option prices are added to the base price, and unbalanced option prices can make a quote unacceptable
What to include when you submit
- Send signed and dated quotes that include the solicitation number, your name, address, phone, email and Unique Entity Identifier (UEI)
- Volume I, Technical Quotation: explain your approach, resources and methods, and cite the SOW paragraph that each part meets; do not just say you will comply
- Volume II, Price Quotation: a firm-fixed-price for CLIN 0001 and option CLIN 0002 in the pricing table; prices stay valid 90 days from the due date
- Include the NRC Certificate of Compliance for the cask, as a PDF, with the quotation
- Fill in the representations and certifications in Attachment 3 (Applicable Provisions and Clauses) that are not already in SAM.gov
- Add a statement of how far you agree with all terms, conditions and provisions and any amendments
- Send a small business subcontracting plan if you are not a small business under NAICS 484230
- Quotes count as received only when they reach both email addresses
After award, you must have
- NIST Radiation Safety training (or equivalent training under 10 CFR 19 done within 2 years) for staff who work in contamination controlled areas, before they do that work From Attachment 1 Statement of Work.docx:
…requires the contractor to take and pass NCNR Radiation Safety training before they will be allowed to perform the work.
Not in the notice text
- The Government's estimate or budget for this work is not given
- The exact calendar date for submitting questions is not given; the text says five calendar days after the issuance date
- The text does not say whether the bidder needs its own radioactive material license or a specific transport certification beyond the cask Certificate of Compliance and 10 CFR 73 clearances
- The Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) name and contact details are listed as TBD
- The agreement with the Savannah River Site to receive the fuel will be available at least 60 days before the shipment date, and the exact shipment date is not given
- The documents to attach to invoices in the Invoice Processing Platform are listed as TBD
Eligibility and how to respond
- No set-aside: any business, large or small, can bid unless the notice says otherwise.
- How to submit, from the AI summary: Email to Nina.Lin@nist.gov and Donald.Collie@nist.gov, with the RFQ number in the subject line. Check it in the notice before you send anything.
- Service contracts usually set minimum pay rates (the Service Contract Act). Price the labor with the SCA price calculator.
Notice details
- Posted
- Oct 22, 2026
- Notice type
- Combined Synopsis/Solicitation
- Office
- Dept of Commerce NIST, Gaithersburg, MD
- Product/service code
- V112 · Transportation/Travel/Relocation – Transportation: Motor Freight
- Business type
- Transportation, logistics & vehicles (FedReady's grouping, from NAICS 484230)
- Versions
2 versions have been posted, newest first.
- Oct 23, 2026 · Amendment 0001Due Nov 23, 2026 (changed)
- Oct 22, 2026 · Combined Synopsis/Solicitation (this version)Due Nov 5, 2026
- Attachments
Past awards and competition
Who has won work like this before, the likely incumbent, and what similar contracts paid, from USAspending.gov.
Before you respond
- How to respond to a solicitation (8 steps)
- How to read a government solicitation
- How to price a government contract
Terms on this notice: Solicitation
Full notice text from SAM.gov
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Center for Neutron Research (NCNR) owns and operates a 20 MW test reactor called the National Bureau of Standards Reactor (NBSR) located in Gaithersburg, Maryland. The NBSR is fueled by 30 highly enriched uranium fuel elements. During the course of a year, the NBSR produces approximately 28 spent fuel elements. To be in accordance with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), NIST is required to transfer its spent fuel to the Department of Energy (DOE) Savannah River Site (SRS) near Aiken, South Carolina. This requirement is for one base shipment to be completed no later than December 31, 2028, with an option for a second shipment to be completed no later than December 31, 2030. See attached solicitation# 1333ND27QNB610AMD and related attachments for full details.
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