SOURCES SOUGHT
68 -- LIQUID NITROGEN FOR THE NATIONAL TRANSONIC FACILITY
- Notice Date
- 5/15/2002
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- Contracting Office
- NASA/Langley Research Center, Mail Stop 144, Industry Assistance Office, Hampton, VA 23681-0001
- ZIP Code
- 23681-0001
- Solicitation Number
- SS-LN2
- Response Due
- 6/6/2002
- Point of Contact
- David H. Jones, Contracting Officer, Phone (757) 864-2421, Fax (757) 864-8863, Email D.H.JONES@larc.nasa.gov
- E-Mail Address
-
Email your questions to David H. Jones
(D.H.JONES@larc.nasa.gov)
- Description
- NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) is hereby soliciting information for potential sources to provide Liquid Nitrogen (LN2) on or after April 1, 2004 for use in the National Transonic Facility, a research wind tunnel at LaRC (details below). The following is a description of the facility, NASA's LN2 requirement, and historical usage: The U.S. National Transonic Facility (NTF) is a closed circuit, fan driven cryogenic pressure wind tunnel. The NTF operates at cryogenic temperatures by injecting LN2 in to the tunnel. More information about the facility can be found at www.larc.nasa.gov. There are two on-site LN2 storage dewars at the NTF. The small LN2 storage dewar (built in 1979) can hold 250,000 gallons of LN2 and the large dewar (built in 1997) can hold 900,000 gallons of LN2. Both dewars are constantly maintained at 5psig and require a minimum liquid LN2 levels of 6% for the small dewar and 2% for the large dewar. The 250,000 gallon dewar is the NTF "Run" tank and provides all LN2 prior to injection into the tunnel. The NTF can empty this tank at a maximum rate of 9400 gallons per minute (GPM) using three different size LN2 pumps. The boil-off for this dewar is approximately 0.35%/day. This dewar is primarily filled by a pipeline coming directly from the 900,000 gallon dewar. LN2 can be pumped directly from the 900,000 gallon dewar to the 250,000 gallon dewar at a maximum rate of 1250 GPM. There are also four truck off-loading stations capable of filling the 250,000 gallon dewar at 400 GPM. Additionally, the 250,000 gallon dewar can receive LN2 directly from a commercial LN2 production facility via an external 3.0 inch ID vacuum jacketed pipeline at a maximum rate of 250 GPM (however, this pipeline typically is used to supply the 900,000 gallon dewar). The 900,000 gallon dewar provides the main LN2 storage for the NTF. The boil-off for this dewar is also approximately 0.35%/day. This dewar receives LN2 directly from a commercial LN2 production facility via an external 3.0 inch ID vacuum jacketed pipeline at a maximum rate of 250 GPM. The NTF operations require between 1,500,000 gal/year (~5,000 ton/year) and 20,800,000 gal/year (~70,000 tons/year) of LN2. The NTF can use over 560,000 gal/day (~2,000 tons/day) during normal operations and therefore can require a replenishment rate up to 240,000 gals/day (810 tons/day) of the on-site dewars to ensure efficient operations of the facility. The desired operations of the facility are to run continuously for 5 days during cryogenic operations (~20 hrs. per day) and stand down for 5 days to replenish the dewars during the following week. Not all testing programs require cryogenic operations so there are extended periods throughout the year with significantly reduced LN2 demands. The minimum quality requirements of LN2 are: Purity 99.995% Oxygen < 8 ppm by volume Moisture < 5 ppm by volume Particulate < 10 micrometer nominal and < 40 micrometer absolute The historical use of LN2 per year at the NTF is shown in Table 1. The ten-year LN2 usage average is 15,500,000 gallon/year (~52,000 ton/year). Table 1 - NTF Yearly LN2 Usage FY LN2 Tons LN2 Gals. 1991 41,773 12,386,360 1992 46,014 13,643,884 1993 57,051 16,916,531 1994 56,372 16,715,196 1995 63,765 18,907,339 1996 73,696 21,852,039 1997 48,613 14,414,529 1998 36,542 10,835,285 1999 59,614 17,676,501 2000 30,262 8,973,165 2001 64,231 19,045,515 Average 52,539 15,578,759 A SITE VISIT AT THE NATIONAL TRANSONIC FACILITY WILL BE CONDUCTED FOR INTERESTED PARTIES ON MAY 30, 2002 AT 10:00 AM. TO ATTEND YOU MUST PROVIDE THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION TO d.h.jones@larc.nasa.gov NO LATER THAN NOON ON MAY 28: ? YOUR FULL NAME ? THE NAME OF YOUR COMPANY ? YOUR COUNTRY OF CITIZENSHIP ? YOUR BUSINESS ADDRESS AND PHONE NUMBER (Note: You will need to provide a photo ID when you pick up your visitor badge at the NASA Langley badge and pass office. Please arrive at the badge and pass office no later than 12:30 PM to ensure adequate processing time for your visitor badge.) WHETHER OR NOT YOU PLAN TO ATTEND THE SITE VISIT, ALL INTERESTED SOURCES ARE REQUESTED TO RESPOND TO THE FOLLOWING BY 4:30 PM ON JUNE 6, 2002: 1. Please indicate whether your firm is a large or small business, using the small business size standard of 1,000 or fewer employees (NAICS Code 325120). 2. If you answered that you are a small business in question 1 above, also indicate whether you fall into any of the following categories: small disadvantaged business, 8(a) Program participant, small woman-owned business, small veteran-owned business, small service-disabled veteran-owned business, or Historically Underutilized Business (HUB) Zone small business. Please refer to the Federal Acquisition Regulation for definitions of each category. 3. Please provide brochures or a capability statement that details your experience in providing LN2 in quantities similar to those in NASA Langley's requirement description. It is requested that any capability statement developed specifically in response to this request be limited to no more than three pages. There is no page limitation on existing brochures on your firm, but you are requested to limit the submission of such brochures to those that are directly applicable to this requirement. Please provide four (4) copies of all materials requested in this paragraph. 4. How long would your firm need from the time of contract award to begin delivering LN2 at the rates specified in NASA's requirement description? NASA assumes that any potential contractor (other than the incumbent) would have to build an air separation plant adjacent to Langley Research Center in order to meet our requirements. In the interest of promoting competition, NASA is willing to provide the lead-time needed by a contractor to complete construction and commissioning activities for a production facility. 5. In your opinion, which type of contract would be more desirable / appropriate for this requirement, an indefinite delivery indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract with a guaranteed minimum quantity, or a requirements contract? If you consider an IDIQ contract to be preferable, what would you consider to be a reasonable minimum quantity? Assume a contract term of no more than five years and a single guaranteed minimum quantity (as opposed to an annual minimum quantity). 6. Will the answers to the questions in item 5 above change if the potential term of the contract increases to 10 years? 15 years? 7. What is the minimum length of contract that would be required to get a proposal from your firm? 8. How far into the future would you be willing to bid fixed price rates per ton if no economic price adjustment clause is included in the contract? 9. If an economic price adjustment clause were to be incorporated into the contract, what price index, in your opinion, should be used? Consider both product (LN2) price indices, if they exist, and price indices related to production costs (e.g., price of electricity or other fuels). Please be specific, and briefly explain your choice. 10. What could NASA do to enable your firm to supply LN2 at a lower cost? (e.g., negotiating terms with the local electric supply company whereby you could buy electricity at the same rates as NASA.) Please provide as many specific details as possible. No solicitation exists; therefore, do not request a copy of the solicitation. If a solicitation is released it will be synopsized in FedBizOpps and on the NASA Acquisition Internet Service. It is the potential offerors responsibility to monitor these cites for the release of any solicitation or synopsis. Responses must include the following: name and address of firm; number of employees; ownership; number of years in business; affiliate information: parent company, joint venture partners, potential teaming partners, prime contractor (if potential sub) or subcontractors (if potential prime); list of customers covering the past five years (highlight relevant work performed, contract numbers, contract type, dollar value of each procurement; and point of contact - address and phone number). Questions should be directed to David H. Jones, the Contracting Officer. Please advise if the requirement is considered to be a commercial or commercial-type product. A commercial item is defined in Internet "Note A". This synopsis is for information and planning purposes and is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government nor will the Government pay for information solicited. Respondents will not be notified of the results of the evaluation. Respondents deemed fully qualified will be considered in any resultant solicitation for the requirement. The Government reserves the right to consider a small business or 8(a) set-aside based on responses hereto. All responses shall be submitted to David H. Jones no later than June 6, 2002. In responding reference SS-LN2. Any referenced notes can be viewed at the following URL: http://genesis.gsfc.nasa.gov/nasanote.html
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