Sources Sought.Flame Test Apparatus.docx

I. INTRODUCTION/PURPOSE

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), Office of the Senior Procurement Executive (OSPE), is issuing this Sources Sought Notice - Request for Information for information on behalf of the Mine Safety & Health Administration (MSHA) to improve its understanding of the market and identify qualified vendors capable of providing a flame test apparatus for its burn center located in the Approval & Certification Center in Triadelphia, West Virginia.

II. BACKGROUND

The mission of the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) is to administer the provisions of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 (Mine Act), the Miner Act of 2006 and to enforce compliance with mandatory safety and health standards as a means to eliminate fatal accidents; to reduce the frequency and severity of nonfatal accidents; to minimize health hazards; and to promote improved safety and health conditions in the Nation’s mines. As a regulatory organization, MSHA’s jurisdiction includes the Nation’s mining industry, which consists of coal, metal, and nonmetal mines, including both underground and surface operations.

MSHA’s Approval and Certification Center evaluates, tests, and approves equipment for underground mining use, using a variety of electrical and mechanical equipment to meet the safety and health requirements of the mining regulations contained within the 30 CFR. Items requiring approval include electric cables, signaling cables, and splices. These cables and cable splices are tested according to the 30 CFR, Part 7, Subpart K requirements. The cables are analyzed for their flame resistance, with the data collected used to maintain a safe and healthy work environment for miners.

The Approval and Certification Center’s Quality Assurance and Materials Testing Division (QA&MTD) maintains a flame test laboratory for performing these tests, as well as other flame tests and technical support testing.

A modern replacement flame test apparatus is needed to ensure QA&MTD meets their audit and technical support missions without interruption. The goal of the project, and the market research, is to identify potential manufacturers of this type of equipment that meet the laboratory’s minimum requirements and identify modern equipment for any additional capabilities for facilitating the laboratory mission.

III. OBJECTIVE

The objective of this procurement is to locate vendors who can provide a flame test apparatus.

IV. PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS

The flame test apparatus will meet or exceed the specifications found in the 30 CFR, Part 7, Subpart K, section §7.406 (Flame Test Apparatus), https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-30/section-7.406:

(a) Test chamber. A rectangular enclosure measuring 17 inches deep by 141⁄2 inches high by 39 inches wide and completely open at the top and front. The floor or base of the chamber shall be fabricated or lined with a noncombustible material that will not extinguish burning matter which may fall from the test specimen during testing. The chamber shall have permanent connections mounted to the back wall, sides, or floor of the chamber which extend to the sample end location. These are used to energize the electric cable and splice specimens. They are not used, but may stay in place, when testing signaling cables.

(b) Specimen holder (support). A specimen holder (support) consisting of three separate metal rods each measuring approximately 3⁄16 inch in diameter (nominal) to support the specimen. The horizontal portion of the rod which contacts the test specimen shall be approximately 12 inches in length.

(c) Gas ignition source. A standard natural gas type Tirrill burner, with a nominal inside diameter of 3⁄8 inch, to apply the flame to the test specimen. The fuel for the burner shall be natural gas composed of at least 96 percent combustible hydrocarbons, with at least 80 percent being methane.

(d) Current source. (For electric cables and splices only). A source of electric current (either alternating current or direct current) for heating the power conductors of the test specimen. The current source shall have a means to regulate current flow through the test specimen and have an open circuit voltage not exceeding the voltage rating of the test specimen.

(e) Current measuring device. (For electric cables and splices only). An instrument to monitor the effective value of heating current flow through the power conductors of the specimen within an accuracy of ±1 percent.

(f) Temperature measuring device. (For electric cables and splices only). An instrument to measure conductor temperature within an accuracy of ±2 percent without the necessity of removing material from the test specimen in order to measure the temperature.

Specifications:

The following information are details of the specifications required in the 30 CFR quoted above, and the specifications of the system to be replaced. New system must meet or exceed these specifications. Photos of the current installation are provided as reference to location and orientation where new system is to be installed.

For other information, please consult the 30 CFR link above.

Dimensions and Hook-Ups

Page | 1 5/23/2024 The following pages show photos of the current installation of the laboratory cable tester. General locations of new installation will be the same, with allowable adjustments for new technology and different footprint. Also shown are floorplan drawings of the rooms where the flame test apparatus will be located (as marked).

Figure 1: E.I.L. Instruments Flame Test Apparatus in the A&CC Burn Laboratory.

Figure 2: Close -up of Cable Test Power Supply in Cable Splice Room.

Location of flame test apparatus Approx. Path of heated line through Ceiling General Area of Heated Oven/Pump

Figure 3: Floor Plan of Cable Splice Room (Room No. 105).

Approximate Position: flame test apparatus

Figure 4: Close up of Cable Splice Room Floor plan.

V. INDUSTRY FEEDBACK

This is a SOURCES SOUGHT/REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY to obtain industry’s feedback on the required product. Please answer all the following items when responding to this RFI.

Attachment 1: Market Research Questionnaire:

Please review and respond to the following questions regarding business size.

Please indicate your business classification for NAICS code – 334515 – Instrument Manufacturing for Measuring and Testing Electricity and Electrical Signals (Size Standard of 750 employees) below:

|_| Small Business |_| Other Than Small Business

· If your business classification is Small Business, do you anticipate remaining under the size standard for the next five years?

|_| Yes |_| No

· If your business classification is Small Business, do you qualify under any of the following certification programs and socio-economic categories?

|_| HUBZone |_| Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) |_| Women Owned Small Business (WOSB) |_| 8(a)

1. Please provide a capability statement outlining your company’s ability to provide the product to the specifications.

2. If the equipment you are proposing is on GSA Schedule, please provide your GSA Schedule number.

3. Please provide any exceptions to the Buy American Act per the below paragraph from FAR Part 25.101:

(a) The Buy American statute restricts the purchase of supplies that are not domestic end products. For manufactured end products, the Buy American statute, E.O. 13881, and E.O. 14005 use a two-part test to define a domestic end product.

(1) The article must be manufactured in the United States; and

(2) (i) Except for an end product that consists wholly or predominantly of iron or steel or a combination of both, the cost of domestic components shall exceed 60 percent of the cost of all the components, except that the percentage will be 65 percent for items delivered in calendar years 2024 through 2028 and 75 percent for items delivered starting in calendar year 2029. But see paragraph (d) of this section. In accordance with 41 U.S.C. 1907, this domestic content test of the Buy American statute has been waived for acquisitions of COTS items (see 12.505(a)) but see paragraph (a)(2)(ii) of this section).(ii) For an end product that consists wholly or predominantly of iron or steel or a combination of both, the cost of foreign iron and steel must constitute less than 5 percent of the cost of all the components used in the end product (see the definition of "foreign iron and steel" at 25.003). The cost of foreign iron and steel includes but is not limited to the cost of foreign iron or steel mill products (such as bar, billet, slab, wire, plate, or sheet), castings, or forgings utilized in the manufacture of the end product and a good faith estimate of the cost of all foreign iron or steel components excluding COTS fasteners. This domestic content test of the Buy American statute has not been waived for acquisitions of COTS items in this category, except for COTS fasteners.

(b) The Buy American statute applies to small business set-asides. A manufactured product of a small business concern is a U.S.-made end product but is not a domestic end product unless it meets the domestic content test in paragraph (a)(2) of this section.

Responses must be submitted in writing according to the requirements outlined in this document and received via e-mail by Rhonda Sizemore at sizemore.rhonda@dol.gov no later than 3:00 p.m. EST on Thursday, June 6, 2024. Late responses may not be considered or evaluated.

VI. AGENCY POINT OF CONTACT

Rhonda Sizemore Contract Specialist/Contracting Officer Sizemore.Rhonda@dol.gov Office Phone: (304)256-3538

VII. OTHER INFORMATION

All interested and qualified businesses are encouraged to respond to this notice in accordance with the instructions found herein. Responding to this RFI does not guarantee an award of a contract nor does the Government guarantee that a solicitation will be issued as a result of the RFI. The Government does not intend to award a contract based on this request or to otherwise pay for the information submitted in response to this request. This request is issued only to locate vendors who currently provide the subject product. Interested parties are responsible for adequately marking proprietary, restricted, or competition-sensitive information contained in their response.

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