SEM METALLIZATION SYSTEM

Trade Agreement: NAFTA/AIT/Canada FTAs with Peru/Colombia/Panama Tendering Procedures: Generally only one firm has been invited to bid Non-Competitive Procurement Strategy: Exclusive Rights Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement: No Vendor Name and Address: Leica Microsystems (Canada) Inc. 71 Four Valley Drive Concord Ontario Canada L4K4V8 Nature of Requirements:

Definition of the requirement: The National Research Council (NRC) has a requirement for the supply of a metallization system for non-conductive samples for scanning electron microscopy (Leica Model EM ACE 600) to be be delivered to NRC facilities in Boucherville, Quebec.

Criteria for assessment of the Statement of Capabilities (Minimum Essential Requirements) Any interested supplier must demonstrate by way of a statement of capabilities that its product//system meets the following requirements:

1. The system must be compatible with an installation in a class 1000 clean room and must not have any component that contains oil. 2 The system must have a planar magnetron sputter head. 3 The system must be supplied with the following targets: Platinum (2 units) Iridium (2 units) Gold (1 unit) Gold/Palladium (1 unit) 4 The system must allow easy target exchange without any screws or tools. 5 The system must allow control of a fully motorized 3-axis stage (rotation, height andangle) for automatic and programmable adjustments withou t breaking the vacuum. 6 The system must integrate a planetary gear device with a minimum of 4 planets on the motorized stage to rotate independently each of the sample holders. All these movements during the sputtering of the metal mu st ensure complete and even coverage of the coating on all sides of the high aspect ratio structures rapidly and in a single step. 7 The system must include an intuitive touch screen to set parameters and run automatically the whole deposition cycle. 8 The system must be completely automated for the following functions: degassing; pre-sputtering based on metal composition; tooling factor in case the sample height has changed relative to the film thickness monitor; variable rotation; tilt, height adjustment; vent and pumping, without the need to adjust a needle valve. 9 The system must include an automatic process pause if the head gets too hot which could cause damage to the sample or to the target. 10 The system must allow a maximum deposition time up to 30 minutes to allow deposition of thick metal coatings. 11 The system must be able to provide a high vacuum of at least 2x10-6mbar as required for high resolution coating deposits of materials such as pl atinum and iridium in order to obtain having a very fine particle size which will not mask the fine details of the nanostructures of our samples. 12 The system must allow setting the spray current in a continuous manner up to 150 mA which enables a precise and optimum adjustment of the spraying conditions. 13 The system must operate with argon as the process gas and nitrogen as the p urging gas. 14 The system must have a small footprint having a maximum of 400 mm width x 550 mm depth because it must be installed against a wall facing th e mechanical service room to allow connection of the gas cylinders required for its operation and the available space is very limited. 15 The system must incorporate in its housing both a turbo molecular pump and a diaphragm pump. A separate pump is not allowed due to restricted space in the cleanroom. 16 The system must include an integrated monitor for measuring the thickness of the metal film deposited on the sample. The thickness range mu st be from 0 to at least 999 nm with a thickness accuracy of at least 1 nm. A separate box for the thickness monitor is not allowed due to restricted space in the cleanroom. 17 The system must have a metal vacuum chamber having a minimum inside diameter of 150 mm, with a front door for loading samples and be easy to c lean in order to preserve the conditions of cleanliness of the clean room environment.

Justification for the Pre-Identified Supplier: To the best of our knowledge, the Leica EM ACE600 is the only system that can provide the combination of technical capabilities and specifications required in a single integrated system to adequately metallize polymer samples with high aspect ratio micro and nanostructures and is the only system compactenough to be installed in the avai lable space.

Government Contracts Regulations Exception(s): The following exception(s) to the Government Contracts Regulations is invoked for the procurement under subsection 6 (d) - ?only 1 person is capable of performing the work?. Exclusions and/or Limited Tendering Reasons

The following exclusion(s) and/or limited tendering reasons are invoked u nder the: Agreement on Internal Trade (AIT) - Article(s) 506 12(b) North American Free Trade Agreement(NAFTA) - Article(s) 1016 2(b)

Delivery date: The product must be delivered on or before March 31, 2016

Name and address of the pre-identified supplier: Leica Microsystems Canada Inc. 71 Four Valley Drive Concord ON

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.

Closing date for a submission of a statement of capabilities: The closing date and time for accepting statements of capabilities is November 27, 2015.

Inquiries and submission of statements of capabilities are to be directed to: Sharon Joy Supply Specialist Telephone: 819-420-2964 E-mail: Sharon.joy@pwgsc-tpsgc.gc.ca

Delivery Date: Above-mentioned

You are hereby notified that the government intends to negotiate with one firm only as identified above. Should you have any questions concerning this requirement, contact the contracting officer identified above.

An Advance Contract Award Notice (ACAN) allows departments and agencies to post a notice, for no less than fifteen (15) calendar days, indicating to the supplier community that it intends to award a good, service or construction contract to a pre-identified contractor. If no other supplier submits, on or before the closing date, a Statement of Capabilities that meets the requirements set out in the ACAN, the contracting authority may then proceed with the award. However, should a Statement of Capabilities be found to meet the requirements set out in the ACAN, then the contracting authority will proceed to a full tendering process.

Suppliers who consider themselves fully qualified and available to provide the services/goods described herein, 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.

The PWGSC file number, the contracting officer's name and the closing date of the ACAN must appear on the outside of the envelope in block letters or, in the case of a facsimile transmission, on the covering page.

The Crown retains the right to negotiate with suppliers on any procurement.

Documents may be submitted in either official language of Canada.