Large Binocular Telescope Observatory

Request For Proposal (RFP)

for the

Mask Manufacturing Unit

01 May 2007

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Introduction
2. Statement of Work
3. Specimen Contract
4. Pre-Proposal Communication
5. Proposal Preparation
6. Alternate Proposals
7. Proposal Submittal/Acceptance
8. Proposal Evaluation
9. Technology Demonstration

1. Introduction

The Large Binocular Telescope Observatory (LBTO), the authorized representative for the LBT Corporation (LBTC), invites proposals for the procurement or fabrication of a laser-cutting Mask Manufacturing Unit (MMU) that will be used to cut apertures in thin metal masks for two pairs of spectrographs being built for the LBT.

2. Statement of Work

A description of the work to be performed is provided under Attachment A

3. Specimen Contract

To provide insight into the elements of the formal agreement that will be negotiated with the organization that submits the successful proposal, a specimen contract has been prepared and included as Attachment B. The contract awarded pursuant to this RFP is likely to be substantially in this format, however, LBTC reserves the right to negotiate the final terms and conditions with the selected supplier. The Proposals should specify whether the draft contract is acceptable in the form provided and, if not, must indicate the requested changes.

4. Pre-Proposal Communication

A traditional pre-proposal conference is not planned and/or scheduled. This solicitation has been sent to several qualified manufacturers in Europe and the United States. The LBTO plans to utilize preferentially Electronic Mail to receive and respond to inquiries regarding this solicitation. Inquiries by FAX will also be addressed. The source of the inquiries will remain confidential, but the response to an inquiry will be distributed to each recipient of this Request for Proposal. Since the LBTO will be handling several different RFPs in parallel, any request must identify the RFP name and date. Technical clarifications or supplementary explanations will be issued promptly, so that all recipients are fully informed.

5. Proposal Preparation

Proposals submitted in response to this solicitation should be presented in a form similar to the Proposal Format that has been provided as Attachment C. The format is free, but it will be appreciated if it reflects, at least in the itemization and order, the items listed in Attachment C.

5.1 Delivery Date

LBTO aims for delivery of a complete mask manufacturing unit in fall 2007. Delivery dates earlier than this are not considered as an advantage, but are certainly acceptable.

5.2 Manufacturing Plan

The proposal should include a description of the manufacturing plan consisting of at least the following items:
  1. A complete schedule for the project including dates for major milestones from signing of the contract (assume 1 July 2007) to final delivery of the machine (if possible in Gantt diagram form). Contractual duties associated with milestones (progress reports, acceptances, meetings, payments, etc.) must be clearly defined.

  2. A list of the most challenging specifications/requirements or potential delays to the production schedule, along with a discussion of how the vendor intends to address each in the design.

  3. A description of how the design will be verified to LBTO before manufacturing starts (design review).

  4. A description of how the finished machine will be acceptance tested. One possible test would be to use the machine to manufacture a test mask for each instrument and verify that they meet the necessary requirements.

5.3 Management and quality assurance

The proposal must contain a section describing the organizational structure proposed for this activity, including a description of the skills and roles of the key persons and of methods to be adopted to reduce the technical risks and/or the risks of delays. The proposers should provide descriptions of their experience with laser drilling or milling units of similar capabilites.

6. Alternate Proposals

An alternate technical proposal would be considered if your organization has proprietary capability, resources or innovative design that could result in the reduction of the overall manufacturing cost, make an improvement in the delivery schedule, or yield superior performance. It will be mandatory that an alternate proposal be identified as such, since it cannot be evaluated on the same basis as the others. The Proposal Format, Attachment C, should still be followed, but the Proposal's Title Page must clearly state "this is an Alternate Proposal to RFP name."

7. Proposal Submittal/Acceptance

Proposals must be submitted so that they are assured to arrive prior to the deadline. Each proposal, consisting of two paper copies plus a digital version (PDF preferred), shall be received/accepted by the LBTO in Tucson, Arizona no later than June 1, 2007 at 3 p.m. Requests for extension to this deadline will be considered. All proposals will be opened privately at the owner's discretion, and evaluated according to the predetermined criteria approved by the LBTC Board of Directors.

All proposals should be addressed to:

Large Binocular Telescope Observatory Phone: +1 (520) 626-5231
The University of Arizona Fax: +1 (520) 626-9333
933 N Cherry Avenue e-mail: gkoeppen@as.arizona.edu (Grisela Koeppen)
Tucson, AZ 85721-0065 USA

8. Proposal Evaluation

Proposals will be evaluated according to the criteria listed in qualitative order in the table below.

LBT Proposal Evaluation Criteria
Meets Performance Requirements/Goals
Cost
Cost
Quality Assurance, Safety, Reliability
Ease of Use and Maintenance
Delivery Schedule
Technical Capability
Technical Proposal
Management Capability
Financial Stability

The LBTC reserves the right to reject any or all proposals, to waive irregularities in any proposal, or to withhold the award for any reason it may determine, and also reserves the right to hold any or all proposals for a period of (90) days after the date of opening.

9. Technology Demonstration

Prior to the formal award of the contract for this MMU, the LBTO is likely to request sample masks be machined in substrates for both instruments using similar technologies (e.g. comparable laser type and power, XY table accuracy) as would be used in the proposed MMU. The mask substrates and any associated support frames will be provided by the LBTO. Since the specifics of the machine software interface could differ from the proposed machine, the layout of the test mask can be set up by the machine supplier following the specifications in this RFP and suggestions from the LBTO. These sample/test masks will be used to evaluate placement accuracy and edge quality of the laser machining.
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