PRESOL | B | Combustibility Analysis

FBO DAILY ISSUE OF AUGUST 10, 2008 FBO #2449
SOLICITATION NOTICE

B -- Combustibility Analysis

Notice Date: 8/8/2008
Notice Type: Combined Synopsis/Solicitation
NAICS: 541380 — Testing Laboratories
Contracting Office: Department of the Treasury, Bureau of the Public Debt (BPD), Division of Procurement, Avery 5F, 200 Third Street, Parkersburg, West Virginia, 26106-5312, United States
ZIP Code: 26106-5312
Solicitation Number: CSB-00140-08-0013-RFQ
Archive Date: 8/9/2009
Point of Contact: Alan Dotson ,, Phone: 304-480-7206, Lorraine Smicker,, Phone: 304-480-7128
E-Mail Address: psb1@bpd.treas.gov, psb1@bpd.treas.gov
Small Business Set-Aside: N/A
Description: This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in FAR subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; proposals are being requested and a written soliciation will not be issued. Solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2005-26. An offeror must be actively registered in CCR at the time of award to accept an award. All questions and/or proposals must be emailed to the attention Alan Dotson at PSB1@BPD.TREAS.GOV. The deadline for receiving questions is 12:00 pm et on Monday, August 11, 2008. The deadline for receving proposals is 12:00 pm et on Thursday, August 14, 2008. Offerors can call Alan Dotson at 304-480-7206 to verify proposal receipt. Late proposals will not be accepted or evaluated. 52.212-4 Contract Terms and Conditions-Commercial Items (FEB 2007) Addendum to 52.212-4 52.217-8 Option to Extend Services. (NOV 1999) 1052.201-70 Contracting Officer's Technical Representative (COTR) Designation and Authority. (MAR 2002) INVOICING PROCEDURE 52.212-5 Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders-Commercial Items (JUNE 2008) 52.219-28, Post Award Small Business Program Rerepresentation (June 2007) (15 U.S.C. 632(a)(2)). 52.222-21, Prohibition of Segregated Facilities (Feb 1999). 52.222-26, Equal Opportunity (Mar 2007) (E.O. 11246). 52.222-36, Affirmative Action for Workers with Disabilities (Jun 1998) (29 U.S.C. 793). 52.222-50, Combating Trafficking in Persons (Aug 2007) (Applies to all contracts). 52.225-13, Restrictions on Certain Foreign Purchases (Feb 2006) (E.o.s, proclamations, and statutes administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the Department of the Treasury). 52.232-33, Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer-Central Contractor Registration (Oct 2003) (31 U.S.C. 3332). 52.222-41 Service Contract Act of 1965 (Nov 2007) 52.222-42 Statement of Equivalent Rates for Federal Hires (May 1989) PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT (PWS) Project: Investigation Support Services (Combustibility Analysis) Imperial Sugar Refinery, Port Wentworth, GA Investigation number: CSB-2008-05-I-GA BACKGROUND: The Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) is an independent federal agency with the mission of ensuring the safety of workers and the public by preventing or minimizing the effects of chemical incidents at industrial facilities. The CSB is a scientific investigation organization; it is not an enforcement or regulatory body. Established by the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990, the CSB is responsible for determining the probable causes of incidents, issuing safety recommendations, studying chemical safety issues, and evaluating the effectiveness of other government agencies involved with industrial chemical safety. Section 112 (r) (6) (G) of the Clean Air Act prohibits the use of any conclusions, findings, or recommendations of the CSB relating to any chemical incident from being admitted as evidence or used in any lawsuit arising out of any matter mentioned in an investigation report. Congress modeled the CSB after the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which investigates aircraft and other transportation accidents for the purpose of improving safety. Like the NTSB, the CSB makes public its actions and decisions through investigation reports, safety studies, safety recommendations, special technical publications, and statistical reviews. INCIDENT BACKGROUND On February 7, 2008, a fire and explosion occurred at the Imperial Sugar Refinery in Port Wentworth, GA, causing 13 fatalities and injuring over 40 workers. The explosion caused extensive damaged to the packaging areas of the facility in addition to other portions of the refinery in outlying areas. The refinery processed raw sugar into finished products that included, granulated sugar, powdered sugar, brown sugar, and other specialized sugar products. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this solicitation is to obtain the services of a testing firm (the contractor) with the expertise and capability to provide combustibility analysis of substances recovered from the Imperial Sugar Refinery site. SCOPE: Work shall be performed at the contractor's facility. Except where explicitly noted otherwise in this PWS, the contractor is required to provide all equipment and materials necessary to conduct testing as set forth in the detailed protocols itemized in the Task Section of this document. Test samples will be provided to the contractor by the CSB. Test protocols developed by the contractor must be consistent with ASTM E860-97, "Standard Practices for Examining and Testing Items That Are or May Become Involved in Litigation." TASKS: The contractor shall perform the following tasks. The contractor shall conduct all testing in strict compliance with the ASTM standards and specifications listed below. Modifications proposed by the contractor for purposes of quality and efficiency will be considered by the CSB. However, all changes must be authorized in writing by the CSB Contracting Officer's Technical Representative (COTR) and no deviations are permitted without such authorization. Task 1 MOISTURE CONTENT DETERMINATION Determine the as-received moisture content of each test sample. o Powdered sugar o Granulated sugar o Corn starch Task 2 PARTICLE SIZE MEASUREMENT/DISTRIBUTION 2a Powdered sugar and corn starch Measure and record the as received particle size. 2b Granulated sugar Measure and record the weight percent particle size distribution using the following particle sizes: o >500 micron o 500 o 250 o 125 o 63 o 32 Task 3 DUST EXPLOSIBILITY TESTING Powdered sugar and corn starch samples will be tested in the as-received condition. Granulated sugar testing shall be performed on the following particle size samples: o As-received o Screened to remove particles >500 micron i.e., one sample containing particle sizes less than or equal to 500 micron. 3a Explosion Severity Test samples in compliance with ASTM E1226 00, "Standard Test Method for Pressure and Rate of Pressure Rise for Combustible Dusts", and report the following: Pmax - the maximum pressure (above the initial pressure in the vessel at the time of ignition) reached during the course of a deflagration for the optimum concentration of the dust tested. dP/dt)max - the maximum value for the rate of pressure increase per unit time reached during the course of a deflagration in the test vessel for the optimum concentration of dust tested.. Deflagration Index, KSt - the maximum dP/dt (dP/dtmax) normalized to a 1-m³ volume. KSt is defined in accordance with the following cubic relationship: KSt = (dP/dt) max × V 1/3 where: P = Pressure, bar t = Time, sec, V = Volume, m3, 3b Minimum Explosible Concentration (MEC) Test samples in compliance with ASTM E1515-00, "Standard Test Method for Minimum Explosible Concentration of Combustible Dusts", and report the MEC for each material tested. 3c Minimum Ignition Energy (MIE) of Dust Cloud in Air Test samples in compliance with ASTM E2019-99, "Standard Test Method for Minimum Ignition Energy of a Dust Cloud in Air", and report the MIE for each material tested. Task 4 THERMAL STABILITY TESTING Powdered sugar, granulated sugar and corn starch samples will be tested in the as-received condition. Test samples in compliance with ASTM E 2021-00, "Standard Test Method for Hot Surface Ignition Temperature of Dust Layers". DELIVERABLES: 1. A report incorporating the data, information, and analysis specified in each task. The report shall include photographs of the test apparatus, and the following sub reports: · Moisture Content; · Particle Size Measurement/Distribution; · Dust Explosibility; and · Thermal Stability All information and results provided by the contractor will become part of the CSB case file for the investigation. All written deliverables required by this PWS shall be in MS Word or other MS Office format. All photographs shall be full color, provided in jpeg format, with not less than 4 mega pixel resolution. Four hard copies and four electronic (CD) copies of the final report shall be delivered to the CSB. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: August 18, 2008 through October 7, 2008. *The actual period of performance may vary. PROGRESS REPORTS: Because all work under this order is expected to be completed within a short period of time, no formal progress reports will be required. The contractor shall promptly report to the COTR any matters requiring immediate CSB attention. It is particularly important that the contractor immediately report to the COTR any issues that might adversely affect its ability to meet any requirement of this order. The COTR may ask the contractor for informal progress updates at any time. CONTRACTING OFFICER AUTHORITY The Contracting Officer (CO) for this procurement will be an employee of the Bureau of the Public Debt (BPD), the CSBs delegated procurement office. In no event shall any understanding or agreement between the contractor and any government employee other than the appointed CO on any contract modifications, change orders, letter or verbal direction (other than direction within the scope of the COTRs authority) to the contractor be effective or binding upon the government. All such actions must be formalized by the proper contract modification executed by the appointed CO. The contractor is hereby put on notice in the event a government employee other than the CO directs a change in the work to be performed or increases the scope of work to be performed, it is the contractor's responsibility to make inquiry of the CO before making the deviation. CONTRACT TYPE: This is a firm fixed price purchase order for all services and deliverables described in the PWS. Any work performed by the contractor that is outside the scope of this order and/or in excess of the fixed price stated in the order award documents shall be at the contractor's sole risk. PAYMENT: The contractor shall submit an invoice to the CSB for payment. Payment will be authorized upon completion of all tasks described in this PWS, receipt of an invoice, and the COTRs determination that all deliverables were received and met the requirements set forth in this PWS. CONFIDENTIALITY: Prior to beginning work, the contractor shall be required to sign a confidentiality agreement and non-conflict of interest agreement with the CSB. QUALITY ASSURANCE SURVEILLANCE PLAN (QASP): The Government will periodically evaluate the Contractor's performance in accordance with the QASP. The purpose of the QASP is to ensure reliable, uninterrupted services are provided in accordance with the PWS. The plan avoids unnecessary complaints and ensures acceptable performance. The Government's QASP includes the following elements: § QASP will consist of a review of the contractor's final report Methods of Surveillance: § The CSB may want to be present to observe during execution of testing. The CSB will contact the contractor to arrange a site visit for this purpose. ADDITIONAL TERMS: Performance under the order is subject to the following additional terms, which are hereby incorporated into the contract: Public Release of Information Contractor shall submit any proposed public release of information pertaining to its work for the CSB to the General Counsel of the CSB for approval prior to release. Contractor shall not release any such information without prior written approval from the CSB General Counsel. Personnel Security Requirement Contractor, Contractor personnel assigned to perform work for the CSB, and any subcontractor retained by Contractor shall execute a non-disclosure agreement as a condition for granting those individuals/entities access or potential access to trade secret and confidential business information. Contractor Testimony Contractor shall immediately report to the General Counsel of the CSB any and all requests for the testimony of Contractor, its personnel, and/or its subcontractors, and any intention to testify as a witness relating to: (a) any work required by and/or performed for the CSB; (b) any information or data produced by Contractor in the course of its work for the CSB; or (c) any information provided by any individual or entity to assist Contractor in performing work for the CSB. All requests for testimony of Contractor, its personnel, and/or its subcontractors that fall within the scope of 40 C.F.R. part 1611 shall be handled in accordance with the provisions of that regulation. Organizational Conflicts of Interest a. Contractor, its personnel, and any other person or entity performing work for Contractor on behalf of the CSB, shall execute a certification of non-conflict of interest. Such executed certification constitutes the signatory's acknowledgement that he/she has read and understands the requirements of this clause and agrees to abide by its terms. b. Contractor and its personnel performing work for the CSB under this order should not be placed in a conflicting role because of current or planned interests (whether financial, contractual, organizational, or otherwise), which relate to the work performed under this order, nor should Contractor obtain an unfair competitive advantage over other parties by virtue of its performance under this order. c. Contractor warrants that, to the best of its knowledge and belief, there are no relevant facts or circumstances which could give rise to an organizational conflict of interest, as defined in FAR Subpart 9.5, or in the alternative, warrants that it has fully disclosed all such relevant information. Additionally, during the period of performance under this order, Contractor agrees to forego entering into any other contractual arrangements with any firm or organization, the result of which may give rise to a conflict of interest with respect to the work being performed under this order. Contractor shall ensure that all agents, employees, and subcontractors retained for any purpose under this order abide by the provisions of this entire clause. If Contractor has reason to believe, with respect to itself or any of its agents, employees, or subcontractors, that any proposed contractual arrangement with any firm or organization may involve a potential conflict of interest, Contractor shall obtain the written approval of the Contracting Officer and the General Counsel of the CSB before the execution of such contractual arrangement. d. Contractor further agrees that if, after it commences work for the CSB, it discovers organizational conflicts of interest with respect to this order, it shall make an immediate and full disclosure in writing to the Contracting Officer and the General Counsel of the CSB. It is agreed that this disclosure will include a description of the action that Contractor has taken or proposes to take to avoid or mitigate the conflicts. Contractor shall continue performance until notified by the Contracting Officer of any contrary and/or supplemental action to be taken. e. It is the specific responsibility of Contractor to ensure that any and all subcontractors, and any subcontractors' employees, are free from conflicts of interest. Contractor warrants that no subcontractors already identified, or any of their subcontractors' employees, have an identifiable conflict of interest. It is further agreed that, in the event a conflict of interest is discovered after award of the subcontract, the same rules for disclosure, and all of the same remedies open to the CSB, described below, remain binding. Contractor further agrees to insert in each subcontract or agreement done in furtherance of this order, provisions which shall conform substantially to the language of this entire clause. f. During the period of performance under this order, Contractor specifically agrees not to represent, assist, be employed by, or otherwise perform any services or functions for Imperial Sugar (Imperial), or for Imperial's agents, insurers, or successors in interest (but only to the extent that work for such agents, insurers, or successors in interest would pertain to the February 7, 2008, incident at the Imperial refinery in Port Wentworth, Georgia); or for any other entity or individual that is the subject of an official CSB investigation. Contractor also agrees not to represent, assist, be employed by, or otherwise perform any services or functions for Imperial or its agents, insurers, or successors in interest (but only to the extent that work for such agents, insurers, or successors in interest would pertain to the February 7, 2008, incident at the Imperial refinery in Port Wentworth, Georgia) for a period of six months after the end of the period of performance under this order. Additionally, if Contractor performs work for the CSB under this order at the site of an official CSB investigation, Contractor agrees not to solicit work at that site from the entity or individual being investigated for a period of six months after the issuance of the final CSB report on that investigation. g. Notwithstanding the immediately foregoing prohibitions, the Contracting Officer and the General Counsel of the CSB may authorize Contractor to solicit or perform this general type of work if the Contracting Officer and the General Counsel determine that the situation will not pose a potential for bias or unfair competitive advantage, and they approve of the proposed solicitation or work. h. For breach of any of the above restrictions, or for intentional nondisclosure or misrepresentation of any relevant conflicts of interest required to be disclosed concerning this order, or for such erroneous representations that necessarily imply bad faith, the CSB may terminate the order for default, disqualify Contractor from subsequent contracts, and pursue other remedies permitted by law or this order. Notwithstanding these remedies, however, the CSB may always terminate the order for convenience, in whole or in part, if termination is in the best interests of the government. Proprietary Rights Contractor agrees that all property rights, including publication rights, in any information and materials that are newly produced by the Contractor specifically for the CSB under this order shall vest in the government. Information and materials shall include, but not be limited to: progress reports, source data, plans, systems analyses, reports, extracts, test data, and procedures. Contractor shall not publish any of the results of its work for the CSB under this order without the prior written approval of the General Counsel of the CSB. PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS SUMMARY (PRS) A PRS table will be added to the award for each task listed in the PWS. Acceptable Quality Level - 100% Evaluation Method - Comprehensive review of the final report Incentive/Disincentive - Performance Rating FAR 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors - Commercial Items. (SEP 2006) Failure to submit any of the requested information or follow any of the stated guidelines will result in the proposal being determined technically unacceptable without being evaluated. The government does not anticipate that negotiations will be required but reserves the right to conduct negotiations should the need arise. You must submit each of the following as part of your complete proposal package. Each section (a, b, c) must be independent and there must be no duplication of information anywhere. The government is not responsible for receipt of proposals. It is the responsibility of the offeror to make sure the proposal is received. The government reserves the right to only evaluate proposals that are determined to be priced competitively enough to receive an award. The total proposal package, consisting of sections a, b, and c as outlined below, may not exceed 12 pages in length (10 font minimum). a) Cover Page - Including the following information at minimum. 1. Company Name as it appears in CCR 2. Company DUNS Number 3. Company point of contact for this acquisition including name, title, phone number, and email b) Price Proposal 1. See description of required pricing format at 52.212-2 below. c) Non-Price Proposal - Composed of the following required components and as further detailed at 52.212-2 below. Absolutely no pricing information should appear in this section. 1. Performance Plan - See description at 52.212-2 below. FAR 52.212-2 Evaluation - Commercial Items. (JAN 1999) Award will be made to the responsible offeror whose proposal is determined to be the best overall value to the government. The government will consider awarding at a slightly higher price only to receive superior technical quality. The Contracting Officer will use the technical merits of each proposal and the price to determine the successful offeror. As technical merit becomes more equal, price may be the deciding factor. As the price becomes more equal, technical merit may be the deciding factor. The non-price factors as listed below, when combined, are approximately equal to price. The technical evaluation team will determine the technical merits of each proposal and provide a written summary of the evaluation results to the Contracting Officer. The Contracting Officer will determine what trade-off between technical merit and price promises the greatest value to the government. Price Proposal: · Firm fixed price to complete all tasks and deliverables as outlined in the PWS and PRS. Non-Price Proposal Evaluation Factor: · Performance Plan: The offeror shall provide a detailed action plan for carrying out the requested services as described in the PWS and PRS. The plan should specifically outline how the offeror will accomplish each task and provide the final deliverable. The plan will be scored based on its completeness and the demonstrated efficiencies in completing the work outlined in the PWS and PRS. Interested offerors may register at http://www.fedbizopps.gov to receive notification when any amendments are issued and available for downloading. Please note that the General Services Administration provides the notification service as a convenience and does not guarantee that notifications will be received by all persons on the mailing list. Therefore, we recommend that you monitor the FedBizOpps site for all information relevant to desired acquisitions. If the Internet option is not available to you, you may receive a hard copy of the solicitation and any amendments (via U.S. Mail) by faxing your request to (304) 480-7203 or e-mailing your request to psb1@bpd.treas.gov.
Web Link: FedBizOpps Complete View
(https://www.fbo.gov/?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=efbf2c8a5fef5e5738b5264b815e37ae&tab=core&_cview=1)
Place of Performance: Address: 2175 K Street, NW, washington, District of Columbia, 20037-1809, United States; Zip Code: 20037-1809
Record: SN01635368-W 20080810/080808222846-efbf2c8a5fef5e5738b5264b815e37ae (fbodaily.com)
Source: FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
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B -- Combustibility Analysis