FINAL.Q&A.12.3.2019.pdf

Question Answer

1 What contract type is envisioned?

The Government currently anticipates awarding multiple Cost-Plus-Fixed Fee (CPFF) Single Award IDIQ's. However, the Government reserves the right to change the contract type if it is in the best interest of the Government to do so. The contract type and details relating to the contract type will be specified in the RFP at time of release.

Will task orders have requirements in addition to those in the base contract statement of work?

Task orders will specify and detail task requirements that are within scope of the base contract statement of work.

SOW Sect. 3.1.6: The SOW states “Travel requirements will be identified in individual TOs.” Will the Government provide more details on travel requirements in the RFP for bidding purposes?

Detailed travel requirements will not be identified in the base contract. Travel requirements will be detailed in each individual Task Order when travel is appropriate or anticipated.

SOW Sect. 3.3.2: The SOW states “The Contractor shall conduct a FAT of each BWTS unit.” Is it a correct assumption that this means one compact BWTS and one standard BWTS?

Yes, Phase Two and Phase Three will first be completed with a compact BWTS, then Phase Two and Phase Three will be completed with a standard BWTS, as described in section 1.2. So the FAT test in section 3.3.2 shall be completed for both a compact and standard BWTS, but not at the same time.

SOW Sect. 3.4: The SOW states “The Government will operate the BWTS and conduct operational testing.” Section 3.4.1.b states “The Contractor shall commission each BWTS…” and “The Contractor shall provide and operate instrumentation and equipment required for commissioning each unit.” Who will conduct this testing, Government or Contractor? Please clarify.

The Government will conduct the operational test. The Contractor shall conduct commissioning in accordance with the Contractor developed commissioning checklist.

SOW Sect. 3.4.1: The SOW states testing is up to 700 hours. Is the Government expecting a price for 700 hours or are they planning some type of quantity option?

No, an option quantity is not anticipated at this time. The Contractor shall be responsible for the planning, commissioning, training, and decommissioning as specified in Section 3.4.1 and activities under Section 3.4.3. And, to provide repair and warranty support, as needed during testing IAW the SOW. The Contractor is not responsible for conducting the 700 hour test.

SOW Sect. 3.4.1.a: The SOW states that installation drawings for testing are to be drafted by the Government and Contractor shall provide comments. Does this mean the Government will assume liability for drawing errors?

The Government will be responsible for the installation of BWTS for operational testing. The Government will be responsible for the accuracy and completeness of Government Furnished Information/Drawings. However, IAW the SOW the Contractor shall provide comments to the Government for proper installation and integrity of the BWTS. The Contractor shall be responsible for any system design/manufacture defects provided to the Government.

SOW Sect. 3.4.1.c: How many persons are to be trained and what is their skillset?

The Contractor shall provide training for BWTS operators and Government personnel at the operational test site. The training will be limited to a small group (not to exceed ten people). The training shall be for operators/maintainers that have experience operating and maintaining shipboard mechanical and electronics equipment, but may not have experience with BWTS.

SOW Sect. 3.4.2.b: Will the Government provide more details on Contractor travel requirements for environmental testing in the RFP for bidding purposes?

Travel requirements (e.g., location) relating to environmental testing will be provided in future Task Orders, as appropriate.

SOW Sect. 3.4.2.d: The SOW implies modeling may not be required.

Does the Government expect modeling to be priced as an option?

The Government has not finalized the pricing structure at this time, and therefore unable to confirm if modeling will be an option CLIN or not. If modeling is acceptable as an alternative to testing or to supplement testing, the requirement will be specified in the Task Order, when appropriate.

SOW Sect. 3.4.4.d: Is only software documentation required or is the software source code a deliverable?

The Government intends to obtain software documentation for the militarized BWTSs. However, if the software source code is developed exclusively for the Government at the Government's expense under the Contract, the Government will also have Government Purpose rights to the software source code. Data rights and ownership will be specified at time of RFP release, as appropriate.

We’ve noted the MIL-DTL-32613 requirement for system cybersecurity, but will cybersecurity requirements be part of the contract? DFAR 252.204-7012 and/or the new DoD CMMC requirements? How will the Navy view these requirements vis-à-vis our partner company in the U.K. who has the U.K.’s Cyber Essentials Plus program in force?

The scope of Phase I includes detailed design to meet all requirements in the Baseline Design Requirements Document (BDRD) including cybersecurity. MIL-DTL- 32613 defines the requirements for BWTS control systems.

The Defense Industry Base cybersecurity requirements for the protection of controlled unclassified information (CUI), as it pertains to this requirement, is still under review. CMMC's applicability to this requirement will be specified at time of RFP release. In the interim, please visit www.acq.osd.mil/cmmc/faq.html for more information on CMMC, applicability and implemenation requirements.

For Phase Three work, will the Navy require the use of US testing labs, or might we be able to perform some of this testing in the U.K.? If done in the U.K., would it be possible to substitute standard RN test requirements for some of the DoD specifications?

Undoubtedly, the RN has an equivalent high impact shock test (for example) with which a U.K. lab would be more familiar.

The Government will solicit and award a contract to a testing laboratory/facility to conduct environmental testing, separate from this requirement.

The Government will consider Contractor furnished objective quality evidence (OQE) including test data from other labs to verify conformance. The Government cannot answer whether test data from foreign labs can be used to substitute DoD specifications, prior to reviewing the test data. Interested offerors are encouraged to submit test data with their proposals, as appropriate, for Government evaluation.

Will testing by analysis (DDAM) for high shock be allowed, or will all shock testing have to be by physical test (tested units are scrap, so this is a cost factor)? Is such testing to be within the scope of Phase One?

The Government intends to conduct environmental testing in a laboratory setting.

Analytical method is acceptable for generating objective quality evidence (OQE) to verify conformance with military standards (see section 3.4.2.d). The scope of Phase I includes detailed design to meet all requirements in the Baseline Design Requirements Document (BDRD). However, the contractor is not required to provide OQE to demonstrate conformance to shock, vibration, and electromagnetic interference (EMI) in Phase One.

The Government intends to conduct operational test prior to conducting EMI, vibration, and shock tests. Due to potential damage to the BWTS, shock test will be conducted last.

For testing in general, will a complete skid mounted unit be required for testing, or can the components be tested individually?

The Government intends to procure skid mounted BWTSs for testing. The operational test will be conducted on the entire unit. Environmental testing will be conducted in accordance with relevant military standards (e.g., MIL-DTL-901, MIL- STD-167-1, MIL-STD-461). Specific test requirements (e.g., principal unit vs.

component testing) will be contingent on the BWTS design and qualification status of the BWTS.

In the requirements document, para. 3.4.3, is there a threshold size below which MIL-STD-167-1 Type II does NOT apply? Low mass items like filter backflush pumps, or UV reactor wiper drives and filter self-cleaning indexing gearmotors might be excluded at little risk. a. We’ve also noted the absence of a requirement for MIL-M- 17060 motors for auxiliary drives such as these. Please confirm that commercial standard motors will be acceptable.

See MIL-STD-167-1 for threshold requirements. All BWTS rotating machinery shall be tested for Type II - internally excited vibration in accordance to MIL-STD-167-1.

a. MIL-M-17060 was replaced by MIL-DTL-17060. The Government will evaluate all BWTS equipment including motor as part of the detailed design. All rotating machinery including motors shall meet MIL-STD-167-1 Type II requirements.

We’ve noted that electrical enclosures need to be NEMA 4X. Could you also specify an IP rating equivalent? Specifically, we need to know whether fan cooling with an external air source is possible under the requirements document. If so, could this air be piped to the enclosure from another space?

The enclosure shall provide protection against water and corrosion. If the potiential offeror's design proposes to use air from another space, then the detailed design shall assess the integration requirements. Offerors are encouraged to propose a solution that best satisfies the requirement.

We’ve noted the inclusion of a CDRL list in the SoW, however the CDRLs and DIDs have not been provided. Please specify a source for these or include in the SoW.

CDRLs and DIDs will be provided at time of RFP release.

Please confirm that the following system capacities are acceptable as these match our commercial USCG systems: a. Compact- 250m3/h b. Standard- 1,000m3/h (we offer a 750m3/h plant also, if there's interest)

IAW the Baseline Design Requirements Document (BDRD), the compact BWTS shall satisfy the process rate of 200-300 m3/hr and the Standard BWTS shall satisfy the flow rate of 800-1,000 m3/hr. During normal ballast operation (in the absence of filter self-cleaning), the BWTS shall maintain the process rate under challenging conditions including low UV Intensity (UVI) and UV transmission (UVT).

The Contractor shall describe its approach for designing the Compact and Standard BWTS to maintain the process rates under all operating conditions (e.g., UVI, UVT, salinity). The Government will evaluate proposal(s) including the proposed technical approach for technical acceptability, as it relates to the requirement IAW the RFP.

Would it be possible to submit pricing for Phase One only and ROM pricing for Phase Two and Three contracts? This really goes to the root of the “confidence” question in your email. Manufacturing costs will necessarily be impacted by the design analysis as it’s very unlikely that as-designed components will survive Phase One unchanged. The extent of those changes cannot be predicted, therefore the manufacture cost of the system can neither be predicted.

The Government is seeking industry input on the ability to price the work/deliverables in the draft Statement of Work. If the Contractor cannot fully price the requirement as specified, or can only partially price a portion(s) of the work/deliverables specified therein, then the interested parties are asked to indicate that in their response to the Government's Request for Information.

Industry is reminded that this is not a formal RFP, and submissions will not be considered a "proposal". The Government is asking for industry's best estimate where available for the purposes of planning and refining the requirement.

21 Will the FAR Buy American Clause be invoked in the contract?

The RFP will specify if the FAR Buy American Clause will be invoked in the contract.