Notice End Date: February 10, 2023

Vendor Name: AFL Global FSM-100P Factory Fusion Splicer and Related Accessories

Contract Amount: $137,429.19

Agency Procurement Manager: SC Young

Agency Procurement Manager Email: scy@clemson.edu

Agency Procurement Manager Telephone#: 864-656-2830

The Agency hereby provides notice that it intends to enter into a sole source contract per S.C. Code Ann. §11-35-1560 with Vendor for the following supplies, services, information technology, or construction:

Clemson University's research group is currently conducting research into high-power fiber lasers with our in-house drawn specialty optical fibers. Due to their unique shape and design, it is hard to splice specialty optical fibers with regular or industry standard ones. To fix this issue, our group has investigated a splicer that can solve these issues. During our trial process of two specialty optical fiber fusion splicers, one being from 3SAE and the other from AFL, we found that the AFL FSM-100P Factory Fusion Splicer was the far superior option. In general, it had >100 pre-designed fusion splicer commands that allowed for more control of the two fibers undergoing a splice, the option to do ball-lensing, tapering, and end-facing (three important aspects of fiber processing), as well as the ability to control/receive real-time splice data that could help with the ability to troubleshoot our splices and account for any problems present in the instrument. Each of these advantages transferred into laboratory achievements as the AFL FSM-100P was able to consistently give high-quality splices that survived >100s of watts of average power for >15min and with <30°C heating of the splice. Each of these metrics being important to ensure experimental success in our laboratory. Also, this splicer is compatible with other older and current instruments as well as a whole host of other accessories already purchased from AFL. Due to these factors, as well as the fact that other companies or supplies cannot meet our research needs. For these reasons, this item is a sole-source procurement.

Agency's justification for a sole source procurement may be viewed or immediately obtained at: Agency Procurement Manager (Listed Above)

PROTESTS:
Any actual or prospective bidder, offeror, contractor, or subcontractor aggrieved in connection with the intended award or award of this sole source contract, shall notify the appropriate chief Procurement officer in writing of its intent to protest within five (5) business days of the date this notice is posted. Any actual or prospective bidder, offeror, contractor, or subcontractor who is aggrieved in connection with the intended award or award of this sole source contract and has timely notified the appropriate chief procurement officer of its intent to protest, may protest to the appropriate chief procurement officer in the manner set forth below within fifteen days of the date this notice is posted; except that a matter that could have been raised as a protest of the solicitation may not be raised as a protest of the award or intended award of a contract.
A protest must be in writing, filed with the appropriate chief procurement officer, and set forth the grounds of the protest and the relief requested with enough particularity to give notice of the issues to be decided. The protest must be received by the appropriate chief procurement officer within the time provided above. Days are calculated as provided in S.C. Code Ann. § 11-35-310(13).

Any Notice Of Intent To Protest And Protest Must Be Addressed To: Materials Management Officer