Portable Optical Atomic Clocks
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY
Original Solicitation Links
OU68-FY26-493-NEW
]high-performance optical atomic clocks
OU68-FY26-492-NEW
]portable optical atomic clocks
Contact
Submission Instructions
Description
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is conducting market research to identify businesses capable of providing two portable optical atomic clocks. These clocks are intended to upgrade the official U.S. timekeeping system and will be integrated into an auxiliary timescale in Gaithersburg, Maryland. The primary goal is to improve the resilience and performance of UTC(NIST) by augmenting an ensemble of microwave atomic clocks. The clocks must support timescale instabilities of 1.2 ns/day and offer excellent short-term stability. Additionally, NIST intends to use the continuous-wave (CW) output from these clocks for experimental research in optical quantum networks, high-resolution atomic and molecular spectroscopy, and optical clock comparisons. Having two units provides crucial backup redundancy. The specifications require systems that can achieve frequency discipline of an oscillator to an atomic or molecular spectroscopic transition, provide various RF and optical outputs, and meet stringent requirements for short-term frequency instability (Allan deviation). The system must also adhere to strict power dissipation limits (less than 150W for clock stability components, less than 500W total), fit within standard 19-inch rack enclosures, and support complete remote operation via digital interfaces. NIST is seeking responses from all responsible sources, including small and large businesses, to determine potential acquisition methods and identify any small business set-aside opportunities.
Classification Codes
Smart Codes
Specifications
Documents
| Title | Date Posted |
|---|---|
| OU68-FY26-492-NEW Requirements and Specifications_v2.docx | Jun 09, 2026 12:00 PM |
| OU68-FY26-493-NEW Requirements and Specifications_chronos.docx | Jun 09, 2026 12:00 PM |
'Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing' Opportunities
The USDA National Animal Disease Center in Ames, Iowa, is requesting a Circular Dichroism Spectromet...
The Texas Department of State Health Services is seeking a WINDOWLESS ALPHA/BETA LOW BACKGROUND DETE...
NASA/NSSC is seeking a sole source Total Organic Carbon Analyzer from SHIMADZU SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT...
The Department of Veterans Affairs is requesting an automated osmometer system for the Birmingham VA...
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) intends to award a sole-source contract for a S...
The Department of Veterans Affairs is seeking a Beckman Coulter Airfuge air-driven micro-ultracentri...
The Texas Department of State Health Services is seeking a mass spectrometer, including installation...
The Florida Department of Financial Services, Division of Criminal Investigations, intends to procur...
The Department of Veterans Affairs is seeking sources for a Molecular Testing Platform to replace ex...
NASA/NSSC is seeking a two-year service plan for Thermo Scientific laboratory instrumentation, inclu...
The Indian Health Service is seeking a Pipette Calibration System, installation training, software c...
The U.S. Army Contracting Command is conducting market research for a Primary Standard Liquid Flow C...
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) intends to award a sole-source contract for a 1...
The National Institute on Aging is seeking to sole-source purchase brand-name Oxford Nanopore long-r...
The U.S. Army Contracting Command is seeking information on potential sources for a brand-name Windo...
The Air Force Primary Standards Laboratory is intending to procure a Triple Point of Water Maintenan...
The U.S. Naval Hospital Naples is seeking a contractor to provide two Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics VIT...
The Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) is seeking bids for repair and maintenance ser...
The Army Research Laboratory is seeking fourteen (14) Keysight digital storage oscilloscopes (DSOs) ...
The Indian Health Service is seeking a five-year lease for a Blood Gas Analyzer, including maintenan...
The Department of Veterans Affairs is seeking information on small business manufacturers capable of...
The Great Lakes Acquisition Center is seeking to negotiate a sole source contract with Quest Diagnos...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is seeking a semiautomatic aerosol propellant filler sys...
The Defense Health Agency is seeking to purchase a SciAps X-550 XRF Lead Paint Analyzer as a sole so...
Opportunities In Maryland
The University of Maryland Global Campus is seeking third-party short-form content providers for its...
Wor-Wic Community College is seeking commissioning services for their Maintenance Building Expansion...
The Naval Medical Readiness Logistics Command is seeking information on providers of on-site mainten...
The United States Army Medical Research Institute for Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) is seeking a we...
The FDA is seeking software license renewals, maintenance, development, and hardware maintenance ser...
The Naval Air Systems Command is seeking information on robust, high-bandwidth, and long-range commu...
The federal government is seeking maintenance services for a Sony LE MA900 system used in clinical t...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is seeking a single-award IDIQ contract for enterprise-w...
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is seeking scientific project management and research progra...
The 316th Civil Support Squadron is seeking performance testing services for their fire apparatus ve...
The Department of the Army is seeking a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization to establish and operate a...
The Department of Veterans Affairs is seeking multi-gas detection equipment, docking stations, and a...
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is seeking a Supplemental Medical Review Contract...
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is seeking an electrical performance monit...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is seeking a 18-40 GHz High Frequency Power Amplifier fo...
The United States Coast Guard is seeking six boat capture nets with specific material and strength r...
The Army Contracting Command is seeking information on commercially available user-interface solutio...
The Department of Veterans Affairs is seeking a sole source provider for Methasoft Treatment Managem...
The Defense Health Agency is seeking to purchase a SciAps X-550 XRF Lead Paint Analyzer as a sole so...
The United States Coast Guard Surface Forces Logistics Center is seeking antenna tuning units manufa...
The United States Coast Guard Surface Forces Logistics Center is seeking repair services for a speci...
The U.S. Coast Guard Surface Forces Logistics Center is seeking quotations for 10 Eaton Duplex Strai...
The National Institutes of Health intends to award a firm-fixed-price purchase order to Chesapeake M...
The National Institute on Aging is seeking to sole-source purchase brand-name Oxford Nanopore long-r...
The U.S. Coast Guard Surface Forces Logistics Center is seeking maintenance and repair services for ...