U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, Contracts Management Division (MD-33), Attention: OARSC, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711

H -- ACCEPTANCE TESTING AND DISTRIBUTION OF 46.2MM TEFLON FILTERS SOL PM0037 DUE 082200 POC James F. Kempf, Contract Specialist, (919) 541-4278/Janice White, Contracting Officer, (919) 541-3166 WEB: Click here to visit the site that has information about, http://www.epa.gov/oam/rtp_cmd. E-MAIL: Click here to contact the contract specialist via, kempf.james@epa.gov. THIS IS A COMBINED SYNOPSIS/SOLICITATION FOR COMMERCIAL ITEMS PREPARED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE FORMAT IN SUBPART 12.6, AS SUPPLEMENTED WITH ADDITIONAL INFORMATION INCLUDED IN THIS NOTICE. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONSTITUTES THE ONLY SOLICITATION; QUOTES ARE BEING REQUESTED AND A WRITTEN SOLICITATION WILL NOT BE ISSUED. The solicitation number is PM0037 and the solicitation is being issued as a Request for Proposal solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 97-15. The Environmental Protection Agency anticipates that the contract will be as a result of full and open competition. A firm-fixed-price purchase order is anticipated to result from the award of this solicitation. This procurement is NOT a total small business set aside and the SIC No. is 8999 with a size standard of $5 million in average annual receipts for the last three years. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Research Triangle Park, North Carolina is responsible for procuring, testing, and distributing teflon filters of high purity to the State/local air pollution control agencies. The teflon filters are used with a sampler to collect PM-2.5 (particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter less than or equal to a nominal 2.5 micrometers) samples. This process assures filters with uniform characteristics and known quality assurance testing for the national particulate networks. EPA obtains the filters each year from a filter manufacturer and has them shipped to EPA for acceptance testing. The filters for a specific year must be made from the same lot of raw materials for distribution to the States. If the acceptance testing confirms that the filters meet EPA's specifications for physical and chemical properties, the contractor shall ship the filters to the State/local air pollution control agencies. Statement of Work A. The contractor shall use the following test methods, which will be provided by the PO, to check the filters. American Society of Testing Methods (ASTM) Method D645-92 (standard test Method for Thickness of Paper and Paperboard). ASTM Method D828-93 (tensile Properties of Paper and Paperboard Using constant-Rate-of-Elongation Apparatus with Attachment for use on Hi-Vol Filters). Filter Flow Rate Acceptance Test Procedure. Atmospheric Research and Exposure Assessment Laboratory (AREAL) Visual Inspection Test for filters. ASTM Method D2986-91 (Standard Practice for Evaluation of Air Assay Media by the Monodisperse DOP (Dioctyl Phthalate Smoke Test). The contractor shall test 350 filters from the batch of Teflon filters provided by the manufacturer, where a batch is defined as the filters to be used in one calendar year, specified by the PO for acceptance testing by the physical and chemical test described below. All 350 filters shall be subjected to the visual inspection tests and then a certain quantity (specified in chart) shall be subjected to the other tests described below. 1. Physical Properties: The number of filters to be tested and the physical properties to be measured are given below: All Filters Must Meet the Following Dimensions Characteristic/No. Of Filters/Test or Analysis Method (Reference No.)/Maximum/Minimum: Reinforcing Ring, outside diameter/50/Micrometer or Template/46.45 mm (millimeters)45.95 mm; Reinforcing Ring, width/50/Micrometer or template/3.68 mm/3.17 mm; Reinforcing Ring thickness/50/Micrometer/0.42 mm/ 0.34 mm; P at 16.7 L/min 50/ASTM Method D2986-91 (Q127 test apparatus)/30 cm H2O 30 cm H2O; Retention of Particles/0.3 m in diameter/50/ASTM MethodD 2986-91// 99.7 percent; Numbering of Filter Container/All containers selected for test or analysis/Visual/No defect permitted; Calendar Year ID/All containers encountered during sampling or use/Visual/No defect permitted; Visual/All filters selected for test or analysis/AREAL Visual Inspection Test Procedure a. Defect Filters /10%/None; Visual/All filters selected for test or analysis/b. Reject Filters/5%/None; 1.a. Additional tests as required by Appendix L, Part 50 shall be performed on 50 filters. (1) Maximum moisture pickup: Not more than 10 g weight increase after 24-hour exposure to air of 40 percent relative humidity, relative to weight after 24-hour exposure to air of 35 percent relative humidity. (2) Collection efficiency. Greater than 99.7 percent, as measured by the DOP test (ASTM D 2986-91) with 0.3 m particles at the sampler's operating face velocity. (3) Filter weight stability. Filter weight loss shall be less than 20 g, as measured in each of the following two tests specified in 6.9.1 and 6.9.2 of Appendix L. The following conditions apply to both of these tests: Filter weight loss shall be the average difference between the initial and the final filter weights of a random sample of 50 test filters. The filters shall be weighed under laboratory conditions and shall have had no air sample passed through them (i.e., filter blanks). Each test procedure must include initial conditioning and weighing, the test, and final conditioning and weighing. Conditioning and weighing shall be in accordance with Part 50, Appendix L, and general guidance provided in the following reference: Quality Assurance Handbook for Air Pollution Measurement Systems, Volume II, Ambient Air Specific Methods (Interim Edition), EPA/600/R-94/038b, Section 2.12. Available from CERI, ORD Publications, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 26 West Martin Luther King Drive, Cincinnati, Ohio 45268. (Note: Prior to publication and inclusion of Section 2.12 as part of this Handbook, prepublication draft copies of section 2.12 will be available from EMAD/MQAG (MD-14), U. S. EPA, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711.) (4) Test for loose, surface particle contamination. After the initial weighing, install each test filter, in turn, in a filter cassette (Figure numbers L-27, L-28, and L-29 from Appendix L) and drop the cassette from a height of 25 cm to a flat hard surface, such as a particle-free wood bench. Repeat two times, for a total of three drop tests for each test filter. Remove the test filter from the cassette andweigh the filter. The average change in weight must be less than 20 g. (5) Test for temperature stability. After weighing each filter, place the test filters in a drying oven set at 40 C 2 C for not less than 48 hours. Remove, condition, and reweigh each test filter. The average change in weight must be less than 20 g. (6) Alkalinity. Less than 25 microequivalents/gram of filter, as measured by the procedure given in the above reference. 1.b. Trace Metal Analyses: The contractor shall analyze 50 filters for the trace elements listed below. The acceptance criteria is that 90 percent (or 45 of the 50 filters) shall meet the following criteria. The average concentrations for the total of the 30 trace metals in 90 percent of the filters shall be less than the stated concentrations (which is twice the minimum detectable concentrations). The EPA shall reject the filters if any trace metal is ten times the minimum detectable concentration (or five times the concentrations stated below). Maximum Concentration (ng/cm2) for Teflon Filters for XRF Analysis: Element/Concentration (ng/cm2): Al/94.4, Si/32.8, P/22.6, S/13.4, Cl/9.4, K/5.6, Ca/8.2, Sc/7.2, Ti/13.8, V/4.8, Cr/2.2, Mn/2.2, Fe/5.8, Co/4.0, Ni/3.0, Cu/2.8, Zn/2.2, Ga/1.8 Ge/3.0, As/2.8, Se/1.6, Br/2.0, Rb/2.0, Sr/2.2, Y/14.6, Zr/13.2 Mo/11.6, Rh/9.4, Pd/9.6, Ag/9.6, Cd/10.8, Sn/15.2, Sb/14.4, Te/16.2, I/18.6, Cs/25.0, Ba/32.2, La/87.6, W/5.0, Au/4.4, Hg/4.4 Pb/4.8. 2. Visual Inspection for Acceptance: The maximum number of rejects allowed for all physical characteristics combined is 6 percent. No defect is permitted for filter identification, and the maximum number allowed for the visual is 10 percent for defective filters and 5 percent for rejected filters. The following descriptions of visual defects shall to be used in the acceptance inspection of the filters. Each filter is inspected, using a light screen or table or by viewing over a black surface, for the following defects: (a) Pinhole -- a small hole appearing (1) as a distinct and obvious bright point of light when examined over a light table or screen, or (2) as a dark spot when viewed over a black surface. Such a filter is considered a reject or unusable filter. (b) Separation of ring -- any separation or lack of seal between the filter and reinforcing ring. Such a filter is considered a reject filter. (c) Chaff or flashing -- any extra attached residual material on the ring or heat seal area which would prevent obtaining an airtight seal when the ring is placed under compression. Such a filter is considered a reject filter. (d) Loose material -- any extra loose material or dirt particles on the filter which would require removal by brushing prior to weighing. A filter with such a defect is considered a defective filter. Defective filters are considered usable. (e) Discoloration -- any obvious visible discoloration which might be evidence of a contaminant. Such a filter is considered a reject filter. (f) Filter non-uniformity -- any obvious visible non-uniformity in the appearance of the filter when viewed over a light table or black surface which might indicate graduation in porosity across the face of the filter. A filter with such a defect is considered defective. (g) Other -- a filter with any imperfections not described above, such as irregular surfaces or other results of poor workmanship, may be considered defective. B. Distribution: The contractor shall distribute approximately 252,600 filters to the State/local air pollution control agencies as soon as the testing has been completed and the filters are determined to be acceptable to EPA. The Teflon filters will be shipped by the manufacturer in one lot packed in sets of 50 filters per container in suitable clear hard dust-tight non-contaminating plastic. The contractor shall transfer the appropriate number of filter boxes from the manufacturer's shipping cases to boxes provided by the contractor for distribution of the filters to the State/local air pollution control agencies nationwide. The contractor shall never ship a partial box, and the smallest quantity of filters to be shipped to any location shall be one (set of 50 Teflon) box. EPA will provide to the contractor shipping labels and a master letter (one-sided, 10 page document to the State/local agencies). The contractor shall make copies of this letter and include one copy in each shipment to the agencies. After the filters are distributed, it is anticipated that some filters will remain. The contractor shall move the remaining filters to the EPA storage facility until the PO notifies the Contractor in writing to either (a) send to State/local agencies whose filters were damaged in shipment, or (b) to dispose of them. If a State/local agency receives the filters from the Contractor in a condition where contamination is suspected due to a shipping mishap and the Contractor is notified, the Contractor shall immediately notify the EPA PO to get written consent to ship another set of filters to the participant. V. Deliverables: A. The contractor shall submit all test results to the PO within 75 days after receipt of the filters. B. The contractor shall ship the filters to the designated State/local agencies within 5 days after notification by the PO. Evaluation criteria to be included in paragraph (a) of provision 52.212.2 are as follows: Offerors will be evaluated on demonstrated past performance (for the prior three years) for performing similar type of work for acceptance testing and price. Past Performance is more important than price. The following FAR provisions apply (which can be downloaded at the following site: http://www.epa.gov/oamrtpnc/spclaus/index.htm)apply to this solicitation: 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors Commercial Items, and 52.212-2, Evaluation Commercial Items. Offeror shall include with their offer a completed copy of provision 52.212-3, Offror Representations and Certification-Commercial Items. The following FAR clause applies to this acquisition: 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions-Commercial Items. The following additional FAR clauses which are cited in clauses 52.212-5 are applicable to the acquisition: 52.203-6, Restrictions on Subcontractor Sales to the Government, with Alternate I: 52.203-10, Price or Fee Adjustment for Illegal or Improper Activity; 52.219-14, Limitation on Subcontracting; 52.222-26, Equal Opportunity; 52.222-35, Affirmative Action for Special Disabled and Vietnam Era Veterans; 52.222.36, Affirmative Action for Handicapped Workers; 52.222-37, Employment Reports on Special Disabled Veterans and Veterans of the Viet Nam Era. Price and technical information should be submitted to James F. Kempf, Contract Specialist, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, MD-33, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711. Courier Delivery Address is: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Receptionist-Administration Bldg. Lobby, Attn: James F. Kempf, 79 T.W. Alexander Drive, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709. All offers are due by August 22, 2000, 4:00PM EDT. No telephonic requests will be honored. Posted 08/10/00 (W-SN484598). (0223)

Loren Data Corp. http://www.ld.com (SYN# 0046 20000814\H-0002.SOL)

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