DEA RFP Questions Answers.pdf

Questions for DEA RFP #15DDHQ20R00000008

1. Section 2.1

Base Year pricing for BLM product CLIN’s is based on the BLM FY 2020 (October 1, 2020 –

September 30, 2021) crude helium price of $99.00 per mcf (in-kind). Since there are no more auctions, will there be posted pricing from the BLM from 2020 onward?

For option period’s 1 -4, if there no longer remains a BLM price adjustment mechanism, will there be options for moving away from a BLM price adjustment mechanism?

Government Response: The BLM extended the in kind program until September 2022 and expects to have enough stock to run the program until 2023

2. Section 3.3

Does the DEA intend to award one contractor for all 10 sites, or award multiple contractors for each site? If the award is to be split between contractors, will it be split by region or by site?

The bid does not allow pricing per site, only by region.

Government Response: The Government intends to award multiple contractors per Region; but that is predicated on receiving multiple offers; An offeror may propose on one, two, or three of the Regions if interested.

3. Section 3.4

For the New York and Chicago locations, will the DEA allow for site surveys prior to the RFP submittal to assess the viability of the delivery site given that these locations exist in larger office buildings and on higher floors than the first floor?

Government Response:

A site survey is not possible. However we can provide the information that both laboratories have off-street loading docks and elevators that would allow access for delivery. This is the process used for current gas tank deliveries.

For the Dulles, Virginia location – for each delivery order will the location vary greatly? Will there be an opportunity to assess the delivery locations as they change prior to acceptance of each delivery order?

Government Response: Dulles Virginia delivery location will not change. It is one building

4. Section 3.5

Please provide Table 1 that lists the yearly total helium and compressed gas requirement for the entire laboratory system in the DEA. This section references Table 1, but Table 1 was not included in the RFP document.

Government Response: This was inadvertently omitted. The Government will provide.

It is written that Helium and other gases may be delivered in monthly or quarterly installments.

Is there a time when the DEA would require weekly deliveries, as opposed to monthly or quarterly deliveries? Monthly/quarterly deliveries would require that the DEA have enough space to store enough cylinders/dewars to accommodate a month or quarter’s worth of supply.

Government Response: With the exception of liquid helium dewars, quarterly deliveries will be problematic for the labs due to storage limitation. Deliveries will most likely need to be monthly, bi-weekly, or even weekly depending on the lab and specific gas.

In addition to regularly scheduled deliveries, there will be scenarios (e.g. leaking tanks, excessive use) where tank orders will need to be on-demand and off schedule.

The estimated quantities for Helium for each laboratory per quarter do not tie out with the volumes listed in Attachments 1,2, and 3. Please provide clarity on what volumes are correct based on your best estimation.

Government Response: Please use the higher estimate

Dewar sizes for the estimated quantities of Helium are not specified. Please specify if these are

60, 100, 250, 500 liter dewars or some other volume.

Government Response: 100l Dewar The volume may depend on the gas (e.g. liquid helium versus liquid nitrogen)

5. Section 3.8

If the contractor cannot meet the all of the information required on the packing list for each shipment, would that disqualify the contractor from being awarded?

Government Response: No

6. Section 3.9

Is the DEA requiring GPS tracking of each shipment, or would a barcoding system satisfy this requirement?

Government Response: Barcoding is acceptable

7. Section 4.0, FAR Clause 52.217-8

There is mention of adjusting rates due to prevailing labor rates provides by the Secretary of

Labor. Does that mean the adjusting of rates during the base year and option periods, or prior to the beginning of each prior period?

Government Response: Prior to the beginning of each period; that falls under FAR clause

52.217-9 too.

The option provision listed in this clause specifies a term that shall not exceed 6 months. On attachments 1, 2, and 3 the option periods are listed as 1 year. Please clarify.

Government Response: The one-year options pertain to FAR clause 52.217-9.

This clause gives the ability of the Contracting Officer to exercise the option by written notice within 30 days, but does not give the Contractor the ability to agree to supply for the extension period. Can this be added?

Government Response: No, that language cannot be added. As long as the Government exercises the option within the 30 days noted in the clause, this is a “unilateral right” the

Government has to exercise this option. If the Government attempts to exercise this option under the 30 day window noted in the clause (i.e. 29 days or fewer), the modification will then be bilateral, where the contractor will have the ability to “agree” or “not agree” to supply for the extension period.

8. Section 4.0, FAR clause 52.217-9

Same question for this clause, as there is for clause 52.217-8. This clause gives the ability of the

Contracting Officer to exercise the option by written notice within 30 days, but does not give the

Contractor the ability to agree to supply for the extension period. Can this be added?

Government Response: No, this cannot be added. As long as the Government, per the clause, informs the contractor of its intent to exercise the option within 60 days of the option period, the Government has the “unilateral right” to exercise the option so long as it is exercised 30 days prior to the expiration of the current performance period. If the Government attempts to exercise this option under the 30 day window noted in the clause (i.e. 29 days or fewer), the modification will then be bilateral, where the contractor will have the ability to “mutually agree” with the Government to exercise the option.

Section (c) if this clause does not specify the duration of the contract, including option periods.

Please specify.

Government Response: 60 months

9. Section 4.0, FAR clause 52.216-22

This clause references a Schedule. Is that Schedule the same as Attachments 1, 2, and 3?

Government Response: Yes

Section 5.1

The technical proposal provides for the submittal by region but does not allow for submittal by location within each region. Can a contractor submit the RFP by location within a region or is the RFP limited by Region?

Government Response: The RFP is limited by Region

10. Attachment 1

The size of cylinder/dewar, and the resulting volume therein is not given for each CLIN. Can this information be provided?

Government Response: 100l Dewar This may vary depending on the gas.

The dry ice requirement does not list the required volume in pounds. Can this information be provided?

Government Response: 100 pounds a week

CLIN #17 does not specific the grade of mixture, nor the size and volume of cylinder. Can this be

Government Response: 100l Dewar

Dewar/Cylinder rental appear to be listed as monthly charges, but there is a CLIN (#20) for daily rental of a 60 liter dewar. Is the rental for the 60 liter dewar outside of the monthly charge for dewars?

Government Response: These rental costs were vendor specific to the labs. The frequency of the rental cost may be decided upon by the vendor.

Delivery, hazmat, and fuel surcharges are listed as NTE numbers. Are deliveries weekly, monthly, quarterly to this region?

Government Response: From a laboratory perspective, storage would be an issue for quarterly deliveries. Monthly, bi-weekly, or weekly would be best in addition to potential ad-hoc deliveries (see question 4).

The volumes for helium cylinders/dewars do not match with the estimated volumes listed in section 3.5. Can you please clarify which volumes are correct based on your best estimation?

Option periods 1-4 and their timeframe do not align with the time frames listed in FAR clauses

52.217-8 and 52.217-9. Can you please specify?

Government Response: Yes they do. Both clauses are independent of each other. FAR 52.217-8 allows the Government to extend the contract for up-to an additional six (6) months prior to the expiration of the “final” option (option IV). FAR 52.217-9 allows the Government to exercise the option as noted in the schedule; a total of 60 months “if” each option is exercised under the contract. If all options are exercised per FAR part 52.217-9, and 52.217-8, the maximum length of this contract could not extend beyond 66 months.

11. Attachment 2

Government Response: 100l Dewar The total estimated cylinder size is listed in section 3.5. All values are estimates and some variation may exist.

Government Response: 100 pounds a week. If SFL1 was the only lab that required dry ice, then it is not needed in Region 2 (Attachment 2)

CLIN #20 does not specific the grade of mixture, nor the size and volume of cylinder. Can this be

Government Response: 100l Dewar.

Dewar/Cylinder rental and demurrage are unclear. There is a CLIN (#21) for rental of helium cylinders and a CLIN (#22) for rental of liquid Nitrogen dewars, and then a CLIN of Demurrage

(#25) for a quantity of 96. Can you clarify if the rental of helium cylinders and liquid nitrogen dewars are separate from the demurrage? Also, is the demurrage and other rental charges annual charges or some other period?

Government Response:The demurrage charge was the rental charge for one laboratory and was vendor specific. There should only be one rental charge per cylinder/dewar.

Delivery is listed as NTE numbers. Are deliveries weekly, monthly, quarterly to this region?

There are no CLIN’s for hazmat and fuel surcharges as there were in Attachment 1. Are those included in the delivery charge for region #2?

Government Response: (Carter and Laura … shall I add those CLINs to this Region?) From a laboratory perspective, storage would be an issue for quarterly deliveries. Monthly, bi-weekly, or weekly would be best in addition to potential ad-hoc deliveries (see question 4).

expiration of the “final” option (option IV). FAR 52.217-9 allows the Government to exercise the option as noted in the schedule; a total of 60 months “if” each option is exercised under the

12. Attachment 3

Government Response: 100l Dewar The total estimated cylinder size is listed in section 3.5. All values are estimates and some variation may exist.

Government Response: 100 pounds a week If SFL1 was the only lab that required dry ice, then it is not needed in Region 2 (Attachment 2)

CLIN #19 does not specific the grade of mixture, nor the size and volume of cylinder. Can this be

Government Response: 100l Dewar We do not have all the specific information at this time.

There are no CLIN’s for rental charges, as there were in Attachments 1 &2. Are rental charges rolled into product prices for this region or can they be added to this attachment?

Government Response: Rental charges are vendor specific and may be set accordingly.

Delivery, hazmat, and fuel surcharges are listed as NTE numbers. Are deliveries weekly, monthly, quarterly to this region?

Government Response: From a laboratory perspective, storage would be an issue for quarterly deliveries. Monthly, bi-weekly, or weekly would be best in addition to potential ad-hoc deliveries (see question 4).

expiration of the “final” option (option IV). FAR 52.217-9 allows the Government to exercise the option as noted in the schedule; a total of 60 months “if” each option is exercised under the

13. Request the proposal due date be extended to 9/4/2020 to allow for processing the

Government's responses.

Government Response: Yes

14. Please provide who is the current incumbent and initial awarded value of that agreement.

Government Response: This is a new requirement. That information cannot be provided.

15. Please indicate your current Helium pricing for reference in contemplation of pricing in relation to the BLM index.

Government Response: Previous small-dollar requirements did not include a BLM index.

16. As the BLM's in-kind program ends in 2022, what are the Government's intentions for the EPA benchmark at that time and going forward?

Government Response: When the time comes for the effective option, the contractor may submit a request for an equitable adjustment in accordance with commercial clause 52.212-4;

the equitable adjustment request will be mutually agreed upon by both the government and the contractor.

17. Please indicate if any line items are supported by government-owned cylinders.

Government Response: Chicago owns some of their cylinders.

18. Request clarification of specifications as follows. More information would need to be gathered to address these specifics. An estimate of tank numbers and size is listed in section 3.5.