B -- BALLAST WATER TREATMENT TECHNOLOGY TEST FACILITY

Notice Date

September 10, 2001

Contracting Office

Department of Transportation, United States Coast Guard (USCG), Contracting Office, USCG Research and Development Ce nter, 1082 Shennecossett Rd, Groton, CT, 06340-6096

ZIP Code

06340-6096

Solicitation Number

Reference-Number-DTCG32-01-S-SOURCE

Response Due

October 15, 2001

Point of Contact

Joyce Overton, Contracting Officer, Phone 860-441-2886, Fax 860-441-2888, Email joverton@rdc.uscg.mil

Description

THIS IS NOT A SYNOPSIS TO ADVERTISE A SOLICITATION THAT IS READY FOR RELEASE, rather the purposes are (a) to determine whether there are a sufficient number of responsible sources and (b) to conduct market research. The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG ) is seeking information on test and/or research facilities that could potentially participate in testing of ship ballast wa ter treatment technologies within the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) Prog ram (information on the ETV Program may be found at www.epa.gov/etv). Ballast water discharged from ships has been implicat ed as a major means for introducing nonindigenous species to the aquatic ecosystems of the United States. In an effort to r educe risk of such introductions, Congress enacted the National Invasive Species Act of 1996 (NISA), provisions of which dir ected the USCG to develop a National Ballast Water Management Program. Key to this effort is the development of innovative technologies for treating ballast water to remove unwanted organisms. A number of potential ballast water treatment technol ogies are being investigated worldwide by government, industry, academic and non-governmental interests. The USCG and the E PA have formally agreed to cooperatively utilize the ETV Program to assess the performance level of private sector, commerci ally ready ballast water treatment technologies. The USCG views participation in the ETV Program as a way to facilitate dev elopment of protocols for evaluating capabilities of ballast water treatment systems, and as a source of information in thei r efforts to develop regulatory procedures for approving ballast water treatment systems for installations on ships. Perfor mance testing of any apparatus in the ETV Program does not constitute approval by the USCG or the EPA, nor does it set any s tandards for regulatory purposes. It is desired that suitable ballast water treatment technology test facilities incorporat e the following areas: Water Source -- a natural body of marine or fresh water with natural assemblages of organisms, sufficiently large to permit s ample collection and system operation. Water Delivery, Distribution and Discharge System ? equipped with sufficient intakes, pumps, piping, valves, bypass piping, electrical power and controllers. Standard flanged connections and adapters are needed to allow installation and removal of various flow-through water treatment and/or organism removal equipment. Discharge permits would be obtained as needed per applicable regulations. Systems capable of varying intake water flow rates in range of those typically found in modern ship board ballast systems (350 to 4400 gpm) are desired. Appropriate capabilities will be required to allow withdrawal of repre sentative water samples. The ability to take samples upstream of the pump, between the pump and treatment system equipment, between major components of treatment systems, and again downstream of treatment system equipment is desired. The capabili ty to manipulate physical and chemical characteristics (i.e., turbidity, color, etc) of test water will also be required. Sample Holding Tanks ? capable of storage in either a dark or light, temperature controlled environment, with capacities ran ging from 50 to 200 gallons. Water Holding Tanks ? adapted or constructed to mimic typical shipboard ballast water tank structure, conditions, and capaci ties, with access to allow installation and removal of various in-tank water treatment equipment. Monitoring System ? calibrated system monitoring equipment such as flow meters, turbidity meters, temperature sensors and pr essure gages would be incorporated as needed. Biological Testing Laboratory ? a professionally staffed and equipped laboratory, with demonstrated experience, capable of d etermining presence, percent-kill, disappearance rate and viability of organisms such as bacteria, zooplankton, and phytopla nkton. Analyses of biochemical compounds such as ATP and chlorophyl, and the volume distribution of particle sizes would be included in testing activities. Samples may be analyzed immediately after treatment, or after a period of time in dark or light controlled temperature storage. Organism Cultures ? access to sufficient living organism cultures for use as surrogates and indicators is also desired. Shipping Port Access ? possibly to allow offload and analysis of ballast water from an operating ship. All Weather Enclosure ? to allow system operation and sampling for all typical weather conditions in a facility?s geographic region. Facilities having any of the capabilities described are encouraged to submit responses to this announcement. Facilities do not need to meet all of the capabilities described to respond to this announcement. Please describe succinctly the capabili ties and infrastructure components that do meet the needs listed above. The sole purpose of the announcement is to identify existing facilities with the described capabilities for possible certification as designated facilities for a prospective t esting program. Offerors shall provide the following: 1. Capability Statement addressing the above areas (limit 8 pages) 2. Company history (limit 1 page). This announcement is not a research or development project. The purpose of this announcem ent is NOT to ?develop? or evaluate potential new products, services or facilities, or to improve existing facilities for th e purpose of meeting the specific performance capabilities or objectives. At this stage, the Government has no intention to further develop or produce any equipment from the information received. Information collected through this announcement wi ll be reviewed by individuals from USCG, EPA and private industry. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS ) Code for this procurement is 541380. All responses are required by 15 October 2001. Responses may be forwarded electroni cally to the address below. Please identify if you are large or small business in your response. NOTE: Actual proposals a re not being solicited at this time for the above requirement, and no contract will be awarded in response to this "Sources Sought" and "Market Research Synopsis". Joyce P. Overton, Contract Specialist, Phone 860-441-2886, Fax 860-441-2888, Email j overton@rdc.uscg.mil. Forward requested information by 15 October 2001. Electronic responses are preferred.

Web Link

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Record

Loren Data Corp. 20010912/BSOL005.HTM (A-253 SN50X1T2)