23-58160 - Superconducting Nanowire Single Photon Detector

1. Advance Contract Award Notice (ACAN)

An ACAN is a public notice indicating to the supplier community that a department or agency intends to award a contract for goods, services or construction to a pre-identified supplier, thereby allowing other suppliers to signal their interest in bidding, by submitting a statement of capabilities. If no supplier submits a statement of capabilities that meets the requirements set out in the ACAN, on or before the closing date stated in the ACAN, the contracting officer may then proceed with the award to the pre-identified supplier.

2. Definition of the requirement

The National Research Council has a requirement for the supply of system of low timing jitter Superconducting Nanowire Single Photon Detectors (SNSPDs). The system must contain at least 22 SNSPDs, which must exhibit high quantum efficiency (>80%), high count rates (>5MHz), and low dark counts (80%), low dark counts (<100Hz), large number of detectors (22), and continuous operation.
6. Government Contracts Regulations Exception(s)

Only one vendor is able to meet the unique technical requirements listed herein.
The following exception to the Government Contracts Regulations is invoked for this procurement under subsection 6 (d) as only one supplier is capable of performing work.

7. Exclusions and/or Limited Tendering Reasons

The following exclusion(s) and/or limited tendering reasons are invoked under the trade agreements specified below:
a. Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA) – Article 513 (1) (b) (iii): due to an absence of competition for technical reasons;
b. World Trade Organization - Agreement on Government Procurement (WTO-AGP) – Article XIII (b) (iii): due to an absence of competition for technical reasons;
c. Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) – Article 19.12 (b) (iii): due to an absence of competition for technical reasons;
d. Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) – Article 15.10 (2) (b) (iii): due to an absence of competition for technical reasons;
e. Canada-Chile Free Trade Agreement (CCFTA) – Article Kbis-16 (2) (c): necessary to protect intellectual property;
f. Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement – Article 1409 (1) (b) (iii): due to an absence of competition for technical reasons;
g. Canada-Honduras Free Trade Agreement – Article 17.11 (2) (b) (iii): due to an absence of competition for technical reasons;
h. Canada-Korea Free Trade Agreement – referencing the WTO Protocol Amending the GPA, Article XIII (1) (b) (iii): due to an absence of competition for technical reasons;
i. Canada-Panama Free Trade Agreement – Article 16.10 (1) (b) (iii): because of the absence of competition for technical reasons;
j. Canada-Peru Free Trade Agreement (CPFTA) –Article 1409 (1) (b) (iii): due to an absence of competition for technical reasons;
k. Canada-Ukraine Free Trade Agreement (CUFTA) – Annex 10-6 (2) (a): any form of preference, including set asides, to benefit micro, small and medium enterprises; and
l. Canada-United Kingdom Trade Continuity Agreement: refer to CETA as the provisions of CETA are incorporated by reference into and made part of this Agreement. (CETA) Article 19.12 (b) (iii).
8. Ownership of Intellectual Property

The Crown will have the right of use for normal business operations of the system once purchased. The design and system’s intellectual property are solely owned by the contractor.

All IP generated on this instrument during its use by the NRC would belong entirely to NRC and its Research partners.
9. Period of the proposed contract or delivery date

NRC is expecting the equipment to be delivered within the month of August 2024, based on the date of the contract. Delivery time frame is expected to take 9 months.

10. Name and address of the pre-identified supplier

Single Quantum
Rotterdamseweg 394
2629 HH Delft
The Netherlands

11. Suppliers' right to submit a statement of capabilities

Suppliers who consider themselves fully qualified and available to provide the goods, services or construction services described in the ACAN may submit a statement of capabilities in writing to the contact person identified in this notice on or before the closing date of this notice. The statement of capabilities must clearly demonstrate how the supplier meets the advertised requirements.
13. Closing date for a submission of a statement of capabilities

The closing date and time for accepting statements of capabilities is the 22nd of November, 2023 at 2PM (EST).

14. Inquiries and submission of statements of capabilities

Paul Hewitt
National Research Council Canada
Procurement Specialist
E-mail: Paul.Hewitt@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca