Amd_001_Questions_and_Answers_0001.pdf

RFQ 140P8523Q0050

PARK-WIDE PROPANE AND MAINTENANCE

Questions and Answers

The following are questions and answers received during the RFQ:

1. Who is the incumbent supplier?

a. Answer: The incumbent contractor is Suburban Propane Partners.

2. When will the award be announced?

a. Answer: An award is anticipated to be announced by September 12, 2023.

3. How often will delivery orders be issued?

a. Answer: It is anticipated that task orders will be issued once a year to cover a 12-month period and then as needed.

4. In reference to FAR clause 52.216-27, “The Government may elect to award a single delivery order contract or task order contract or to award multiple delivery order contracts or task order contracts for the same or similar supplies or services to two or more sources under this solicitation.” Does this mean that multiple vendors will be awarded a contract to service the propane needs of the park?

a. Answer: This means that the government reserves the right to award to either a single contractor or to multiple contractors. However, as stated on page 1 of the Combined Synopsis and Solicitation, the government anticipates awarding to only one contractor.

5. As stated in the Statement of Work, “The contractor shall monitor all tanks to ensure a minimum volume of 50% is maintained at all times for the safe operation of all propane/gas appliances.” Would it be acceptable to lower the minimum to 20-30%?

a. Answer: No. Tanks shall not fall below 50% to ensure they do not run dry when not accessible because of weather, fire and or road closures/failures.

6. If a tank that is out of gas, would a response time within 12 hours of notification, weather conditions permitting, acceptable?

a. Answer: Yes, but tanks should not be running dry.

7. The Statement of Work states, “The 18,000-gallon tank at the El Portal Maintenance Complex shall not be filled more than 75% (13,500 gallons) at any time due to security reasons. If propane deliveries exceed 75% of tank capacity, the vendor shall immediately remove the excess propane and credit the NPS for the removed fuel.” 1) What are the security and safety concerns on filling the 18,000 to 80% which is the industry standard?

Can the 18,000 gallon tank be filled by a large, transport trailer truck which would deliver around 9,000 gallons at a time to this tank?

a. Answer: Per the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards for propane, we may be required to register a tank that holds more than 60,000 pounds or 14,286 gallons.

The NPS does not intend to register this tank with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) therefore we ask the tank be kept at less than 75% full.

8. What is the breakdown of annual gallons between bulk deliveries to the smaller tanks and gallons delivered to the large 18,000 gallon tank?

a. Answer: In 2022 the large tank at building 759 in El Portal had about 36,000 gallons delivered in about 40 deliveries. Another large underground tank at crane flat had 28,500 gallons delivered in about 30 deliveries. A breakdown will not be made available.

9. What is usage by month by location?

a. Answer: This information will not be provided due to time constraints and the extent of research needed.

10. For the locations with generators, is this the only power source?

a. Answer: The Crane Flat underground tank provides fuel to a generator serving as the only power supply for the area. During power outages, other propane fueled generators are the only source of power.

11. Which locations require a key or card key for access?

a. Answer: None, unless a road closure has taken place, in that case the NPS will notify the contractor and arrange for escort if necessary. Should there be an unusual need for keys, the NPS will make those available to the awarded contractor.

12. The Butane-Propane News publication is issued via email weekly each Thursday with a Monday effective date. Will you accept a weekly wholesale price update each Monday?

a. Answer: Yes.

13. The sentence, “Should pricing location be subject to change, the Contractor shall provide the CO a written notification 30 days prior to the effective date. A formal modification to the contract will be implemented before the new location pricing takes effect.” At any time, a supplier can stop posting their pricing in the BPN without notice. We would not know 30 days in advance of this happening. We would provide notification as soon as we knew, but the change to the new supply point would need to be implemented the following week. Is this acceptable?

a. Answer: Yes.

14. Would the propane supplier be able to install their own large tank, between 18,000-30,000 gallons, somewhere at El Portal in order to use it as a fill point to deliver to the park?

a. Answer: No.

15. Can deliveries be made on Saturdays and Sundays if needed? How long will it take to get CO approval?

a. Answer: Yes, however Yosemite National Park is incredibly busy and difficult to navigate during weekends. Delays will not be cause for additional compensation and must be considered as a normal part of the existing conditions.

16. Is it acceptable if delivery tickets do not contain Unit Price (per gallon)?

a. Answer: No. All delivery tickets shall contain the following information for tracking purposes:

Price per gallon Number of gallons delivered Tank number Address or location description Delivery date Unique invoice number to ensure duplicate invoices are not being submitted

17. Is it permissible to not use the delivery ticket as an invoice, but instead generate a standard invoice either on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis, reflecting all deliveries for that time period?

a. Answer: An invoice may be submitted for multiple deliveries; however, all delivery tickets must be included with the invoice for tracking purposes.