Department of the Treasury (DY), Bureau of Engraving and Printing Office of Procurement, 14th & C Sts., SW, Room 708-A, Washington, DC 20228

36 -- TABLE TOP EXPOSURE UNIT AND CONTINUOUS WASHER, DRYER AND EXPOSURE UNIT POC Darlene Williams (202) 874-2663 The Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) is seeking prospective offerors capable of supplying a Table Top Exposure Unit and a Flow Line Continuous Washer, Dryer and Post Exposure Unit for Nyloprint Plates. In addition, the BEP is seeking comments on the draft Statement of Work contained herein. All interested vendors shall mail their comments and any pertinent literature to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing 14th & C Sts, SW, Room 708-A, Washington DC 20228 Attn: Darlene Williams, Purchasing Agent or e-mail to darlene.williams@bep.treas.gov . All information must be received by March 5, 1999 (This is not a request for proposal). If you require additional information contact Darlene Williams at (202) 874-2663. The DRAFT STATEMENT OF WORK is for Photopolymer Plate Manufacturing Line for Securities PrintingThe Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) requires a plate manufacturing line to produce photopolymer plates of suitable quality for printing United States securities. The equipment will solelyexpose and process BASF Nyloprint WS II 73 W photopolymer plates. In addition to supplying the processing equipment, the successful offeror shall also provide all labor and material necessary to deliver, install and test their equipment. Once the equipment is operational, the offeror shall also instruct BEP personnel in its proper operation and maintenance. All utilities will be provided in accordance to a site preparation plan submitted with the offerors' proposal. A separate item to be exercised at the BEP's option, is a registration system to facilitate proper alignment of the photographic image with the printing plate and alignment of the printing plate to the press. The BEP anticipates that the photopolymer plate making system will consist of an exposure unit and a processing/finishing unit. At a minimum, these components shall have the following characteristics. The exposure unit shall: (1) be capable of exposing steel backed BASF Nyloprint WS II 73 W photopolymer plates up to 777 mm (30.6") high x 840mm (33.1") wide by 0.73 mm (0.029") thick; (2) enable the operator to adjust the exposure time of each plate anywhere from 0 to 20 minutes; (3) provide even exposure across the entire surface of the plate; (4) provide optimal reproduction of the original image; (5) provide a means of keeping the photographic film flat against the plate; (6) include registration pins to maintain alignment between the plate and the photographic film within +/- .001"(Attachment 1). The processing/finishing unit shall: (1) wash, dry and post-expose BASF Nyloprint WS II 73 W photopolymer plates to 777 mm (30.6") long x 840 mm (33.1") wide by 0.73 mm (0.029") thick; (2) automatically process plates through all processing steps via a continuous conveyor; (3) allow the operator to adjust the processing rate from 8 to 60 cm. / min. (3 to 24 in. / min.); (4) provide instrumentation allowing the operator to monitor process control set points and actual values throughout; (5) alert the operator in the event that a control parameter is not maintained in accordance with its set point; (6) facilitate processing plates of varying size and thickness; (7) produce a plate suitable for immediate installation on a printing press and of a quality suitable to produce securities documents; (8) provide features that prevent injury to the operator and damage to the plates and/or the equipment; (9) use only domestic water as the plate washing agent. The contractor shall: (1) provide an installation drawing within thirty (30) days after contract award. In addition to room lighting and ventilation requirements, the installation drawing shall indicate the location, type and specification of all utility connections required by the equipment; (2) deliver the plate manufacturing system to the BEP loading dock located on D' Street between 13th and 14th Streets, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20228 within 120 days after contract award; (3) arrange all deliveries at least 24 hours in advance through the BEP Dock Master at (202) 874-2333. Except for holidays, the hours of operation are Monday through Friday between 7:30 am to 2:30 pm. Vehicles entering the BEP loading dock shall not exceed a height of 12'-6" and a length of 42'; (4) transport their equipment from the loading dock to room 502-23A, located on the fifth floor of the BEP annex building (Note: Offeror's are encouraged to contact the contracting officer to arrange a visit to the installation site before submitting their proposal); (5) remove the equipment from and discard their crates, set the equipment in place and ensure proper connection to BEP provided utilities; (6) provide any carriers required to process the plates through the equipment; (7) supply instrumentation to measure the exposure elements' intensity and the uniformity of illumination across the plate; (8) warranty all equipment components, except illumination elements, for up to 1 year after acceptance; (9) supply four (4) copies of standard documentation with the units outlining operational procedures, troubleshooting and any preventative maintenancerequired for any of the units; (10) instruct up to four (4) BEP personnel in the proper operation and up to four (4) personnel in the maintenance of the equipment. Training shall be completed within thirty days after equipment acceptance; (11) provide twenty (20) BASF Nyloprint WS II 73 W photopolymer plates (777 mm (30.6") long x 840 mm (33.1") wide by 0.73 mm (0.029") thick); (12) ensure programming of all controllers conforms to IEC 1131-3; (13) provide CAD versions of all equipment and site preparation drawings in either *.dxf or *.dgn format. Option 1: Film and plate registration system. The system shall: (1) create layout registration locating elements (holes, notches, slots) according to Attachment 1; (2) maintain the position of locating elements within tolerances shown in Attachment 1; (3) punch elements into mylar up to .25 mm (.010 in) thick. Given a Nyloprint plate pre-cut to its final dimension, the plate punch shall: (1) ensure a high degree of accuracy simultaneously punch all elements (2) ensure the dimensions and tolerances of all locating elements adhere to Attachment 1; (3) chamfer plate corners in accordance with Attachment 1; (4) maintain flatness and alignment of the plate during the punching operation; (5) facilitate installation, release and removal of the plate from the fixture The information shall include: (1) One (1) copy of the operating and maintenance manuals for the equipment being proposed; (2) a list of facilities and contact personnel currently using the proposed equipment to manufacture plates used to print securities documents; (3) a BASF Nyloprint WS II 73 W photopolymer plate manufactured on the proposed equipment using an image provided by the BEP; (4) an exhibit individually addressing each specification requirement and whether the equipment satisfies or exceeds the stated requirement. Within the exhibit, the offeror shall reference specific pages and paragraphs within their product literature and/or equipment manuals. (5) a preliminary site preparation plan for the plate making equipment and the registration equipment; (6) a statement indicating which of the five (5) languages as defined by IEC 1131-3 will be used in programming the machine controllers and for what purpose for selecting a particular language; (6) written certification that the equipment complies with all applicable OSHA and NEC regulations or their international equivalent. Specific sections shall be identified. The BEP will: (1) prepare the site in accordance with the contractor's specifications; (2) supply all utilities as specified by the contractor; (3) assess compliance with the aforementioned specification requirements; (4) compare the test plate submitted as part of their proposal with one produced after equipment installation at the BEP to assess fitness of equipment. Posted 02/12/99 (W-SN298207). (0043)

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