U-Pb isotopic dating and contamination-free mineral separation of critical rocks

1. Definition

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 Requirements

The department of Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) has a requirement for the following analyses, involving high-precision isotopic age dating of up to twenty five (25) rock and mineral samples in support of TGI-5 Program research activities:

Tasks

U-Pb dating by chemical abrasion isotope dilution thermal ionization mass spectrometry (CA-ID-TIMS)

• Separation of datable minerals (e.g., zircon, titanite, rutile, monazite, baddeleyite, perovskite) from bulk rock samples that have been collected by, and shipped to, the bidder at the expense of the GSC.

• Selection of mineral grains by microscopic examination for chemical dissolution and isolation of U and Pb, and mass spectrometric analysis. Mineral separation, selection, and preparation will be undertaken with the utmost care using an isodynamic magnetic separator, heavy liquids, and chemical abrasion if appropriate (high temperature annealing and partial dissolution), or air abrasion techniques.

• Low Pb contamination chemical procedures using ultraclean facilities (0.2-0.4 picogram Pb blanks).

Deliverables

• The GSC will provide the vendor with twenty five (25) rock samples critical to the TGI research program.
• The contractor will perform contamination free, state-of-the-art mineral separation on all samples, in many cases involving special Wilfley table procedures in addition to standard heavy mineral separation.
• And detailed isotopic dating on up to twenty (20) selected samples from the original twenty five (25) submitted, assuming that some sample may not return datable mineral grains.
• The contractor will perform rock dating, which includes rock crushing and pulverization, as well as mineral separation procedures on all samples submitted.
• The contractor will report preliminary results on mineral separation and initial analytical data by October 31, 2019.
• The contractor will report full results on both mineral separation and isotopic dating to the GSC and the Scientific Authority no later than December 31, 2019.

  Reporting Requirements

  A report will be submitted to the Client upon completion of the work prior to December 31, 2019. This report will contain all relevant isotopic data, such as would routinely be included in scientific papers. This includes the following:

  A description of analytical techniques and methods of data reduction

• Sample descriptions
• Description of the U-Pb results
• Tabulation of the isotopic data
• Concordia diagrams displaying data
• And the full interpretations of the results that take into account discordance, inheritance, and scattering of data, and the possible effects of metamorphism and alteration on the isotopic systems

  The Jack Satterly Laboratory scientists will communicate with the Scientific Authority on a regular basis, and in the case of any unforeseen complications with the rocks samples submitted.

3. Criteria for Assessment of the Statement of Capabilities

Any interested supplier must demonstrate by way of a statement of capabilities that they meet the following requirements:

Statement of Capabilities

The Geochronology Laboratory must be able to demonstrate that they:

• Have at least five (5) years of experience within the last 10 years performing the type of work described in Section 2 above in the realm of high-precision U-Pb geochronology;
• Are able to perform contamination free mineral separation on a large suite of samples;
• Are operating in accordance with the latest standards and calibrations, including the Earth-Time calibration of standard solutions;
• Are able to perform single zircon chemical abrasion analysis with blank Pb levels routinely below 0.5 picograms;
• Have the cumulative experience and state-of-the-art capabilities as demonstrated by a publication record of peer-reviewed papers on high-precision dating of geological samples and processes in the peer reviewed literature.

  Knowledge and understanding

  The Geochronology Laboratory should have knowledge and capability of all aspects of high-precision U-Pb geochronology, including the full variety of accessory minerals. The lab should have the capability and instrumentation to apply different dating techniques such as ID-TIMS (isotope dilution thermal ionization mass spectrometry) and LA-ICPMS (laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry) methods to acquire the U-Pb results.

  Academic qualifications

  The lead geochronologists in the laboratory should have Ph.D. degrees from leading universities and have ten (10) or more years of experience.

4. Trade Agreements

Trade Agreements are not applicable.

5. Justification for the Pre-Identified Supplier

We intend to deal directly with the supplier mentioned in section 10 below as it is the only known supplier that satisfies the mandatory criteria set out in Section 3 above as well as the requirement as described in Section 2.

Should Canada receive a statement of capabilities from a supplier that contains sufficient information to indicate that it meets the requirements set forth in this ACAN, a competitive process will be triggered with a technical and financial evaluation methodology of the bids proposed by the potential bidders.

6. Exception to the Government Contracts Regulations and applicable trade agreements

In accordance with the Government Contract Regulations (GCR) exception, Part 1, Section 6, (d) only one person or firm is capable of performing the contract.

The identified provider, Jack Satterly Geochronology Laboratory, at the University of Toronto, is the only one able to meet all of the criteria identified in section 3 above.

7. Ownership of Intellectual Property

Canada intends to retain ownership of any Foreground Intellectual Property arising out of the proposed contract on the basis that the main purpose of the contract is to generate knowledge and information for public dissemination.

8. Contract Period

The period of the contract will be from Contract Award Date to December 31, 2019.

9. Estimated Cost

The estimated cost of the contract will not exceed $80,000.00 all inclusive.

10.  Name and Address of the Proposed Contractor

Jack Satterly Geochronology Laboratory, University of Toronto

Department of Geology, University of Toronto

22 Russell Street

Toronto, Ontario, CANADA

M5S 3B1

11.  Suppliers’ right to submit a statement of capabilities

Suppliers who consider themselves fully qualified and available to provide the services/goods described herein, may submit a Statement of Capabilities in writing, preferably by e-mail, to the contact person identified in this Notice on or before the closing date and time of this Notice. The Statement of Capabilities must clearly demonstrate how the supplier meets the advertised requirements.

12.  Closing Date

July 8, 2019 at 2:00 P.M. Eastern Daylight Saving Time (EDST).

13.  Contract Authority

Lucie Lepage

Natural Resources Canada

Contracting Officer

580 Booth Street, room 5-D2-2

Ottawa, Ontario

K1A 0E4

Fax: 613-947-5477

E-mail: lucie.lepage@canada.ca