Q_A_seismic_IDIQ_upload_0001.pdf

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140G0324R0002 Q&A seismic equipment IDIQ

1. Referencing B.1 (c), please could you confirm that additional items added to the contract after award do not necessarily need to be updates to existing items on the contract at the time of the award? E.g. if a contract is awarded to vendor supplying a particular model of Force balance accelerometer, they would be able to add a model of seismic digitizer to the contract at a later date, provided it meets necessary technical requirements and testing at ASL?

A: No. The items that may be added to the contract after award shall be updates or upgrades to existing items on the contract. We will not perform any more testing post award.

2. Are manufacturers expected to bid directly or would it be preferable for USGS to contract with a local entity (I.e. a US based distributor)?

A: Manufacturers may bid directly. This opportunity is Unrestricted. Interested parties shall have an active SAM record to be eligible for award.

3. Will all question responses be made public to all bidders?

A: Yes.

4. Is it possible to extend the bid deadline by 1 week?

5. Do DAUs submitted for verification testing require the “standard sensor connector” specified in the TestingSpecs2024 document?

A: No, but it would be preferred if short adapter cables could be provided for each DAU.

6. If a DAU is submitted for testing with the “standard sensor connector” is there the need for the vendor to supply sensor cables for verification testing?

A: Yes, the offeror must provide the sensor cables regardless. We want to prevent the situation where the offeror questions the legitimacy of the verification testing outcome due to cables that were not provided by them.

7. Would the USGS be interested in seeing information within the technical proposal on related future hardware, software and service offerings?

A: No. That information can be provided outside of this process after it is completed. We are only interested in currently available equipment for the purposes of this contract.

8. Please can you provide more information on how equipment is selected for use by the USGS groups once equipment has passed verification testing and placed on an IDIQ contract?

A: Equipment selections by the USGS groups are made on a case-by-case basis. There are various factors that are considered when making a selection including but not limited to performance, form-factor, interoperability and compatibility with existing systems, and available budget. Any USGS group can still purchase equipment outside of the IDIQ contract(s) through regular procurement procedures.

9. Are unit prices provided expected to be inclusive of packaging and shipping?

10. What are the expected timescales for verification testing? I.e. when is the Vendor expected to ship equipment and when are the results of testing expected by.

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A: to be considered timely and responsive, the equipment should be received by the USGS by the due date of this Solicitation. In accordance with Section M, M.1 52.212-2 EVALUATION - COMMERCIAL ITEMS, results of testing evaluation will not be provided. The post-award debriefing will be available upon request.

11. Is there any mechanism for direct discussion with the testing team prior or during the verification testing?

A: No. We are only interested in testing equipment that is fully documented and ready to deploy as-is.

12. Page 9, Definitions:

The definition of Digital Sensor as “All-in-one” or “Logger with Internal Sensor” does not mention the well-known “Accelerograph” from the past three IDIQ contracts (Accelerograph = Accelerometer plus DAU with ONLY 3 channels, in one package). Is it intentional or just an oversight in excluding the Accelerographs?

A: “Accelerographs” are considered an “All-in-one” for the purposes of this contract and verification testing. They do not require the same 6 channel minimum that stand-alone DAUs have.

13. In the spreadsheet with the specifications:

a. The Strong Motion and Broadband tabs specifications do not mention borehole or posthole sensors and do not include borehole sensors specifications. Is a borehole version required or not? Only the Power and Package tab mentions “borehole and direct burial sensors”, but no specifications for their diameter, for example. And if the installation depth is 10m maximum and the cable weight doesn’t matter, why the wire rope should “have a minimum working load limit of 5,000 kg (50,000 kg minimum breaking load)”?

A: Posthole and Borehole sensors require a lifting bail capable of withstanding the provided weights.

The rope is not part of this contract. Diameter of the Posthole and Borehole sensor variants is not specified.

b. In the Broadband tab, the specification No. 13 “Sensitivity of less than 50 mm/s^2/C RMS over 24-hour period temperature changes” does NOT mention what temperature changes.

A: Starting at any ambient air temperature from -20 to 40 degrees C, the sensor should have a sensitivity to temperature changes less than 50mm/s^2/C over a 0.04 degree C peak to peak change.

14. The specifications do not mention the combination of Accelerometer and Broadband sensors in one package. As this combination is more and more used in seismological practice, we wonder whether it was intentionally not included or it was only an oversight.

A: Accelerometer and Broadband sensors in the same package can be offered.

15. Section M suggests: For each model of equipment proposed by the Offeror that has not previously passed testing by ...(ASL) 3 units will be loaned.... Can the contracting officer identify and provide a list of the models of equipment that have previously passed testing for the current testing specifications "TestingSpecs2024" for "DAU" type equipment?

A: No. The Government does not intend to share the previous passed testing and/or a list of the models of equipment that have previously passed testing.

16. Please provide the pinout details and requisite cable connector for a "T-360" seismometer as described in Section M. There are various versions and form factors of the Trillium 360 seismometer (Vault/Post Hole etc.) with different pinouts and connectors. At this point it is

140G0324R0002 Amd01 Page 4 of 4 assumed the Vault Trillium 360 is the required device to connect a DAU unit under test to. If another device is required this requires time to procure the requested connector so an extension on the delivery of test equipment to ASL is provisionally requested in that instance.

A: T360 Vault sensor cable is the preferred form factor for the T360 sensor cable. Alternatively, STS-2 sensors cable may be provided.

17. The “Equipment Testing” is the most important factor listed in the evaluation procedure. What can we mention about the testing performed at ASL in the absence of Open-File Reports?

A: Reference the contract, name and model number of the equipment that has previously passed testing at ASL.

18. The solicitation only states an indefinite quantity of equipment. Do you want us to price for one so this way you will know how much each is or is there an actual number of seismic equipment you need?

A: Unit price. The equipment will be ordered through specific delivery orders (by actual quantities and models) issued as specified in the contract using the pricing stated in the award document.