SOURCES SOUGHT
B -- Calorimetry Testing
- Notice Date
- 8/20/2008
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 541712
— Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Biotechnology)
- 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
- RFI-CSB-08-0002
- Archive Date
- 8/21/2009
- Point of Contact
- Alan Dotson,, Phone: 304-480-7206, Lorraine Smicker,, Phone: 304-480-7128
- E-Mail Address
-
psb2@bpd.treas.gov, psb2@bpd.treas.gov
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- This is a Request for Information (RFI) for market research purposes, not a request for quotations. The purpose of this announcement is to determine the number of vendors and their business size that are interested in participating in a solicitation for the services described below. Any interested vendor wishing to participate must respond to the attention of Alan Dotson-RFI-CSB-08-0002 to psb2@bpd.treas.gov before the 12:00 pm et on August 28, 2008. Only timely responses consisting of word document with the following details will be considered: · Business Name and Address · Business DUNS number (if any) · Business size · Point-of-Contact (POC) o Name o Phone Number o Electronic Mail (Email) Address · Capabilities Statement (must address the elements as described in the Capabilities Statement section below) It is the responsibility of any interested offeror to call BPD to ensure electronic responses are received. BPD assumes no responsibility for the receipt of email. The responses received to this RFI will assist the government in determining the most proper acquisition strategy and the proper set-aside preference group, if any, which promises the greatest chance of fair competition. It is not guaranteed that any solicitation will be issued. No other information regarding this requirement will be provided at this time. The Performance Work Statement (PWS) below is not all-inclusive and the sections below are not final and may vary slightly. This is being included here to provide a general description of the work to be performed. CAPABILITIES STATEMENT The services desired by the Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) involve potentially hazardous chemistry with the possibility for a runaway reaction involving extreme reactor conditions. The safety of all participants is of the utmost concern, therefore the qualifications of the contractor must be assured. The interested laboratories and experts must have demonstrated experience conducting very similar or identical testing. Each respondent to the RFI wishing to be considered for inclusion in any solicitation must provide the following information at a minimum: 1. Detailed, written qualifications for each individual (curriculum vitae or equivalent) proposed to perform and oversee the calorimetry testing services. The person responsible for overseeing the reactive chemistry testing must possess post-graduate education and expertise in the field of chemical reaction evaluation, chemical process safety, chemical reaction calorimetry, and emergency relief system design. 2. A narrative description of prior work history by the contractor that is similar to the work described in the objectives and tasks sections below. If subcontractors are proposed for any portion of the work, the prior work history MUST include demonstration of past performance by the proposed subcontractor(s) as well. The CSB wishes to emphasize that mere lists of previous clients are not considered demonstrations of past work, and that the expectation of fulfillment of this requirement is a paragraph or more describing actual project experience that is very similar or identical in nature to the work required here. 3. Photographs and/or a detailed description of the proposed test equipment in place at the contractor's test facility demonstrating capability for fulfilling the tasks listed below. 4. A safety plan indicating the general approach the contractor will take to prevent test equipment overpressure and explosion and personnel exposure to high pressure and toxic chemicals during the fulfillment of the work described below. PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT OBJECTIVE The objective of this procurement is to obtain specialized laboratory calorimetry testing services to characterize the behavior of possible runaway chemical reactions. Data derived from calorimetry testing will be used to establish chemical reaction kinetic parameters. Data will also be used to perform engineering calculations to estimate the size of commercial equipment necessary to safely vent uncontrolled reactions TASKS: All work must be performed at the contractor's facilities. The contractor shall provide all equipment required to perform the services. The CSB will specify the reaction conditions under which the tests will be run. All instruments must be calibrated prior to testing and the contractor must include the calibration records in the written report. Task 1: Safety Plan Development The reactions being tested are of known runaway potential. The contractor must develop a detailed written safety plan that provides for the safety of all personnel and the facilities at use in this work. The safety plan must include detailed instructions for venting, reaction quenching or other means to prevent explosion and personnel exposure to high pressure gases and potentially toxic emission. If exposure to toxic materials is anticipated, the safety plan must include requirements for exposure prevention and monitoring. The plan must identify the certified safety professional responsible for the execution and oversight of the safety plan. The written safety plan must be submitted to and approved by the Contracting Officer's Technical Representative (COTR) prior to the start of work. Task 2: Materials Procurement Procure the necessary chemical reagents in accordance with quality specifications provided by CSB. (Specifications will follow). Sufficient quantity of reagents must be obtained to perform all of the required analytical runs specified by the CSB. In some cases materials may be provided by the CSB. Task 3: Adiabatic Reaction Calorimetry Perform adiabatic reaction calorimetry to determine kinetic properties of the reaction--namely rate of temperature rise and rate of pressure rise-using the Accelerating Rate Calorimeter (ARC) methodology as described in ASTM E1981(2004). Document the results in tabular and graphical formats. The CSB will specify starting conditions and instructions with respect to the number and configurations of reaction runs. Record the temperature and pressure at appropriate intervals during each run. At the conclusion of each run, calculate the rate of temperature rise and rate of pressure rise, and report the raw data and calculation results. Task 4: Bench-Scale Batch Reactor Test Perform instrumented reaction runs under conditions specified by the CSB using a commercially-available bench-scale reactor, such as the Fauske Vent Size Package (VSP ), Mettler-Toledo RC1 Reaction Calorimeter, Mettler-Toledo Contalab or equivalent. The CSB will provide starting conditions and instructions with respect to the number and configurations of reaction runs. Record the temperature and pressure at appropriate intervals during each run. At the conclusion of each run, calculate the rate of temperature rise and rate of pressure rise, and report the raw data and calculation results. Task 5: Materials Disposal At the conclusion of the work as directed by the COTR, the contractor is responsible for proper disposal of any remaining reactant materials, reaction products, waste products or other materials resulting from this work in a proper and safe manner and in accordance with all pertinent federal, state and local regulations. Task 6: Written Report The contractor will prepare a detailed written report that includes the following minimum information: 1. Starting conditions and composition of each reaction run. 2. All test data collected in tabular and graphical form. 3. Photo-documentation of the test equipment. 4. Calibration records for all instrumentation used to record test data. 5. Any conclusions and observations arising from the testing. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE November 1, 2008 - December 31, 2008 * The actual period of performance is subject to vary depending on the actual award date. SPECIAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS Confidentiality: If this RFI results in the issuance of a solicitation and award of a contract, the selected contractor, and its personnel assigned to the contract, will be required to execute a non-disclosure agreement to ensure the protection of trade secrets, confidential business information, and sensitive investigative information. The contractor will also be required to ensure that any subcontractors supporting the contract execute equivalent non-disclosure agreements. Conflicts of Interest: If this RFI results in the issuance of a solicitation and award of a contract, the selected contractor will be required to agree to a set of CSB-specific supplemental contract terms. These terms include, among other provisions, the following conflicts of interest clause: 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 has read and understood the requirements of this clause and agrees to abide by its terms. b. Contractor and its personnel performing work for the CSB under this contract 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 contract, nor should Contractor obtain an unfair competitive advantage over other parties by virtue of its performance under this contract. 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 term of this contract, 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 contract. Contractor shall ensure that all agents, employees, and subcontractors retained for any purpose under this contract 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, the 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 contract, 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 contract, provisions which shall conform substantially to the language of this entire clause. f. During the period of performance under this contract, Contractor specifically agrees not to represent, assist, be employed by, or otherwise perform any services or functions for T2 Laboratories Inc. (T2) or for T2'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 Dec. 19, 2007, incident at the T2 facility in Jacksonville, Florida); 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 T2 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 December 19, 2007, incident at the T2 facility in Jacksonville, Florida) for a period of 6 months after final completion of the contracted services rendered to the CSB. Additionally, if Contractor performs work for the CSB under contract 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 6 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 that the Contracting Officer and the General Counsel of the CSB 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 contract, or for such erroneous representations that necessarily imply bad faith, the CSB may terminate the contract for default, disqualify Contractor from subsequent contracts, and pursue other remedies permitted by law or this contract. Notwithstanding these remedies, however, the CSB may always terminate the contract for convenience, in whole or in part, if termination is in the best interest of the government.
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- Place of Performance
- Address: Contractor's Facility, United States
- Record
- SN01645689-W 20080822/080820221151-bf8c213c01593e6e0b160956ff1ec7f4 (fbodaily.com)
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