2_SON_HYDROGEN_AL_142020-25-0086.docx

STATEMENT OF NEED (SON)

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE (DOC)

NATIONAL OCEANIC ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION (NOAA)

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE (NWS)

WEATHER FORECAST OFFICE (WFO) Birmingham, AL

HYDROGEN GAS SUPPLY, DELIVERY AND CYLINDER RENTAL

DELIVERY PERIOD:

Base Year: 09/01/2025 – 08/31/2026 Option Year 1: 9/1/2026 to 8/31/2027 Option Year 2: 9/1/2027 to 8/31/2028

1. BACKGROUND:

The NWS is a 24-hour, 365-day operation and is a public safety agency. The primary mission of the NWS is the protection of life and property. The NWS in 465 Calera, AL, launches weather balloons routinely twice a day at 0600 and 1800 CDT. Each balloon requires approximately 75 cubic feet (CF) of hydrogen. Instrumentation is attached to each balloon that provides measurements of temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction, and height. This data is transmitted worldwide, incorporated into weather models, and used to make weather forecasts out to 10 days into the future.

2. OBJECTIVE

The objective of the NWS is to receive and keep on-site an adequate supply of hydrogen gas in individual cylinders to perform the weather balloon launches on schedule.

SCOPE

The Contractor is responsible for supplying hydrogen to the NWS upper air building located at 465 Weathervane Road, Calera, AL 35040. The total amount of hydrogen to be delivered for the 12-month period of this requirement will be a maximum of 230 full 300 CF hydrogen cylinders. The hydrogen will be supplied at regular intervals throughout the period, provided as individual cylinders. See Delivery Schedule in Section 6, below, for details.

3. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

All deliveries are to be made to the NWS office at 465 Weathervane Road, Calera, AL 35040. The point of delivery is at the Upper Air Inflation Building, located past the main office and through the locked gate. The contractor must coordinate with the NWS office upon arrival to unlock the gate. The hydrogen truck is permitted to use the main driveway for delivery. The drop off door is located on the north side of the inflation building as depicted by the red arrow in the aerial picture below.

4. REQUIREMENTS

Site Storage and Usage: All hydrogen must be provided in individual cylinders as the facility is not arranged to allow for other configurations. The Government will store ten 300 CF bottles of hydrogen. This site uses approximately 150 CF of hydrogen every day of the year. Actual use can vary, particularly if we have to launch extra balloons.

The Contractor shall ensure bottles are individually and securely chained upright at delivery and placed in an orderly/neat and clean fashion with cap loose and nozzle facing out. NWS personnel will not assist with loading or unloading of cylinders. NWS personnel will make an attempt to mark empty cylinders by placing a small box on the cap of each empty cylinder. The Contractor will remove the boxes and place them away from the main traffic area and the cylinders, on the East side of the room. The Contractor will unchain each empty cylinder prior to removal. After cylinders are replaced and secured, any extra chains will also be placed away from the main traffic area and the cylinders, on the East side of the room.

Initial Delivery: The contractor will supply 10 full 300 CF individual cylinders. Initial delivery date will be at the start of the period of performance

Delivery Schedule: Deliveries shall be made every two weeks, Monday through Friday, between the hours of 0800 and 1530 local time. This is a strict time slot as balloon launches must not be delayed or interrupted in order to receive the delivery. Balloon launches occur twice a day, every day of the year, regardless of holidays. Therefore, the delivery schedule needs to be maintained regardless of holidays. If a holiday falls on a scheduled delivery day and the Contractor is not able to complete a regularly scheduled delivery, the Contractor shall make arrangements in advance for an alternate delivery date. The Contractor will contact the NWS office if a delivery is going to be delayed for any other reason. If the Contractor is unable to find a reasonable supply in time to fill the requirement, the NWS reserves the right to purchase hydrogen from another supplier outside of this contract.

The delivery schedule shall be arranged with the Administrative Support Assistant (ASA), Upper Air Program Point-of Contact or Meteorologist-in-Charge (MIC) upon contract award (see Section 9 below for contact information).

Transition Period: If this contract is awarded to a provider other than the incumbent Contractor, then prior to the first day of the contract, the new Contractor and one of the NWS points of contact listed in Section 9 below shall establish the delivery schedule, including coordinating the initial delivery to coincide with the pickup of cylinders by the former Contractor. Likewise, upon completion of this contract, if the new follow-on contract is awarded to a provider other than the current Contractor, the current Contractor shall participate in the transition coordination efforts in order to minimize the risk of a missed balloon launch due to the hydrogen being unavailable at the launch site. The end-of-contract transition period may include a lighter delivery in the final weeks of the contract.

Recurring Deliveries: The point of delivery is not staffed except for during the balloon launches. The Contractor shall supply hydrogen gas to the Place of Performance in accordance with the coordinated date and time schedule

The Contractor will supply ten (10) full 300 CF cylinders every two weeks. If additional cylinders are needed the WFO will coordinate with the contractor three business days in advance of the next scheduled delivery. The Contractor shall then pick up the empty cylinders in the same trip; the empty cylinders to be picked up will be capped and marked as empty by NWS personnel. NWS personnel will unchain the capped, empty cylinders upon the Contractor’s arrival to the Place of Performance. The total quantity of bottles will not exceed 260 tanks total per year

The Contractor shall contact NWS personnel at this location when arriving for a delivery. The loading area is located on the South side of the Inflation Building. The loading area will remain clear of obstructions and all safety rules shall be followed. Cylinders can be rolled from a truck lift gate to its delivery point. All equipment necessary for loading and unloading the hydrogen shall be provided by the Contractor.

The Contractor shall ensure the bottles are securely strapped to the stand at delivery and placed in an orderly/neat and clean fashion with cap loose and nozzle facing out. The Contractor shall perform the deliveries in such a manner that there will be minimal interruption to or interference with the normal operation of Government business on the premises. NWS personnel will not assist with loading or unloading of cylinders.

Evidence of Delivery: The Driver shall provide evidence of delivery by way of receipt signed by an NWS representative at the time of delivery. A copy of the signed receipt shall be left with the NWS representative, and a copy shall also be attached to the associated invoice. NWS will perform random tests of bottles delivered using a certified pressure gage and notify the contracted vendor within 48 hours of discrepancies. After that time, the vendor will be held harmless for shipment discrepancies.

Compliance: At the start of the contract the contractor will provide the government with a “Certified Pressure Gauge” that will be used to verify the pressure of the bottles. The pressure gauge will be recertified annually at the contractors expense in accordance with the option periods. If any of the deliveries do not conform to contract requirements (i.e. a delivery of tanks not completely filled), the Government reserves the right to require the Contractor to bring the delivery into conformity with contract requirements, at no increase in contract amount (i.e. without additional delivery charges).

SAFETY AND SECURITY

All rules concerning safety, including but not limited to not smoking and the security of the property, must be observed at all times.

Safety Data Sheets (SDS) must be provided by the Contractor to the MIC or ASA at each office, where the information will be kept on file in accordance with applicable guidelines of the OSHA Hazard Communications Standard. Requirements pertaining to recordkeeping will be strictly followed, with copy(s) provided to MIC as necessary and upon request.

5. POINTS OF CONTACT

The Government contacts at the NWS office in Birmingham, AL, are:

· Administrative Support Assistant:

Tara Goggins, 205-621-5646,tara.goggins@noaa.gov

· Meteorologist-in-Charge:

Chris Darden ,205-621-5646, chris.darden@noaa.gov

· Upper Air Program Point-of-Contact:

Chris Darden ,205-621-5646, chris.darden@noaa.gov

INVOICING

The Contractor will invoice monthly. The invoice must include the following items:

The invoices must be submitted using the system governments Invoice Processing Platform (IPP)

BIDDING INSTRUCTIONS

In submitting the bids the contractor will break down:

Cost per cylinder Delivery Costs Cylinder Rental Costs Hazmat Fees Overhead and Other Expenses.

Invoices

The invoices will be submitted through the Invoice Processing Platform. Invoices will include each element as identified in the bidding instructions image2.jpeg image3.emf image1.jpg