FY26 Boiler Inspections (Questions and Answers).xlsx
XLSX spreadsheet 17 KB Posted
- Attached to
- FY26 Boiler Inspections
- Solicitation number
- 2026-PZI-1696
About this file
This is a Questions and Answers document for a Federal boiler inspection contract opportunity at Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts (Solicitation 2026-PZI-1696). The Q&A clarifies key requirements and scope for contractors bidding on FY26 Boiler Inspections, a five-year base contract plus four option years running from September 18, 2026, through September 17, 2031. The contract is strictly an inspection-only requirement with no repair or corrective work included; deficiencies identified during inspections are to be reported with remediation recommendations for handling under separate contract actions. Contractors must perform eight Type "A" External/Internal inspections and eight Type "C" External/Operational inspections annually (twice per year on all four boilers), testing and recalibrating 12 safety valves per ASME requirements. The prime contractor must hold National Board of Inspectors of Boilers and Pressure Vessels (NBIC) certification and employ National Board Commissioned Inspectors; subcontractor credentials alone are insufficient.
Key operational requirements include that the prime contractor must supply its own confined space rescue team and safety equipment, provide all means of access to safety valves (potentially requiring scaffolding, though height and clearance specifications are unknown), and perform safety valve replacements if valves fail inspection. The government will shut down, cool, drain, and prepare boilers for internal inspections and provide operational assistance for external inspections; all four boilers are offline during spring and fall shutdowns. Consumable parts expended during inspections are included in the contract scope, but replacement safety valves must be supplied by the contractor. The government was unable to provide equipment nameplate data, safety valve specifications, incumbent contractor information, boiler preparation timeframes, or clarification on impacts from concurrent Building 1201 modernization work (Contract FA283523C0001). Questions were due August 26, 2026, with answers provided by August 28, 2026; offers are due September 2, 2026.
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Sheet1
| FY26 Boiler Inspections Q&A | |
| 1. The SF1449 Cover Letter describes the requirement as inspections, testing, and maintenance. PWS paragraphs 1.1 and 1.3.1 reference parts provided under this contract, and paragraph 1.3.1 directs the contractor to assume that no maintenance has been performed and that everything needs to occur this year. The Bid Schedule contains no CLIN for parts, materials, or corrective repair. Could you confirm that parts under this requirement are limited to consumables expended in the course of performing the inspections and safety valve recalibrations, and that correction of deficiencies identified in the inspection report will be handled under separate contract action? | Correct- No repairs. Only inspection. |
| 2. Bid Schedule CLINs 0001 and 0002 describe Type "A" External/Internal and Type "C" External/Operational inspections performed biannually. PWS paragraph 1.1 states these inspections occur twice in a calendar year, PWS paragraph 1.3 states the work shall be performed in one trip during the cooling season, and the Service Summary at 2.1 describes an annual inspection of the four boilers. Could you confirm how many inspection events per contract year the CLIN 0001 and 0002 unit prices are expected to cover, and whether internal entry into each boiler is required once or twice per year? | All 4 boilers to have A and C inspections twice per year. 8 A inspections, 8 C inspections. |
| 3. The Cover Letter refers to instructions outlined in the attached SF1449, and states a Period of Performance of 30 days ARO where the PWS and Bid Schedule reflect a base year and four option years running 18 September 2026 through 17 September 2031. No SF1449 appears in the posted attachments. Could you advise whether the SF1449 containing the submission instructions, evaluation criteria, and clause list will be posted to SAM.gov? | SF1449 is in SAM.gov. |
| 4. Contract FA283523C0001 provides for replacement of a boiler, new catwalks, conversion of the Central Plant to No. 2 fuel oil, and controls modernization at Building 1201 through February 2027. Will that work alter the boiler inventory, the fuel train configuration, or the means of access to the twelve safety valves during the base period of this requirement? If so, how should offerors account for it in their pricing? | Unknown |
| 5. The SAM.gov description states that the contractor shall inspect and repair the equipment and that the objective is to identify and correct deficiencies. The PWS reads differently. Paragraph 1.3.1 calls for a report outlining deficiencies found along with recommendations for remediation, and the QASP method of remedy is re-performance of the inspection. The Bid Schedule contains no repair line item and no contingency amount. |
| Is corrective repair work within the scope of this requirement? If it is, how should offerors price it, and will a repair line item or not-to-exceed contingency be added to the Bid Schedule? | This is an Inspection contract. Contractor is to inspect all aspects outlined in the PWS and provide reports on condition and what is needed to correct deficiencies. | ||||
| 6. | National Board Certification (PWS 1.3.1): PWS Paragraph 1.3.1 requires that "the contractor shall provide proof of NBIC certification" and that the inspection be provided by a "National Board Commissioned Inspector". Can the Government confirm whether this requirement is satisfied by submitting the active NBIC credentials and commissions of our proposed on-site National Board Commissioned subcontractor inspectors, or must the Prime Contractor bidding entity itself hold an NBIC Certificate of Authorization? | Prime to hold certifications as well. | |||
| 7. | Confined Space Emergency Rescue Services (PWS 1.20.3): PWS Paragraph 1.20.3 states that emergency rescue services will not be provided by the installation Fire & Emergency Services (F&ES) Flight without a prior written rescue support agreement approved by the Fire Chief and the installation contracting office. Will the Government facilitate this written rescue support agreement post-award, or must offerors price and provide their own self-sufficient standby rescue team and equipment in their proposals? | Contractor to supply their own safety team for confined space requirements. | |||
| 8. | Safety Valve Access and Scaffolding (PWS 1.3.2): PWS Paragraph 1.3.2 states that the contractor is responsible for providing the means of access to the twelve (12) safety valves for testing and recalibration. To support accurate pricing, could the Government provide the mounting heights of these safety valves and clarify if scaffolding is required, or if the Central Plant workspace has sufficient clearance to accommodate standard aerial lifts? | Unknown. | |||
| 9. | Contradiction in Period of Performance / Delivery Schedule: The SF1449 Cover Letter states that the "Period of Performance/Delivery Schedule" is "30 days ARO", while the PWS, SAM.gov posting, and the SF1449 CLIN structure outline a 5-year Base + 4 Option Years structure running from September 18, 2026, to September 17, 2031. Could the Government please clarify whether this is a 5-year recurring services contract or a series of one-time inspections completed within 30 days ARO?Who is the incumbent? If there is an incumbent, could you please provide us with the Purchase Order number and the total value? | Contract period is 5-year Base + 4 Option Years = 18 Sep 2026 thru 17 Sep 2031. We are not able to provide answers to the other questions. | |||
| 10. PWS paragraph 1.3.2 requires testing and recalibration of the 12 safety valves per ASME requirements. The solicitation documents do not include nameplate data for these valves. Can the government provide the manufacturer, model, inlet size or orifice designation, set pressure, and capacity for each of the 12 valves, or an equipment schedule containing this information? Offerors need this data to price the safety valve line items accurately. | No | ||||
| 11. Will you have qualified personnel on-site to assist our boiler inspector during the inspections? | Minimal help will be available. | ||||
| 12. For the Internal Inspections, the boilers will need to be shut down, cooled, drained, and opened prior to the inspector beginning the inspection. Will your personnel be responsible for preparing the boilers for the internal inspections? | Yes. | ||||
| 13. For the External Inspections, the boilers will need to be fully operational and running under normal operating conditions. Will someone who is familiar with operating the boilers be available on-site to assist the inspector? | Yes | ||||
| 14. Approximately how long does it take to shut down and properly prepare each boiler for an internal inspection? | Unknown | ||||
| 15. Once an internal inspection is completed, approximately how long does it take to bring each boiler back online and up to normal operating conditions? | Unknown | ||||
| 16. Are we correct in assuming that only one boiler can be taken out of service at a time? | All 4 boilers are offline during the Spring and Fall shutdowns. | ||||
| 17. Will you have replacement safety valves available on-site in the event a valve does not pass inspection/testing and needs to be replaced? If so, will your technicians be available to perform the replacement? | Safety valves on site. Contractor to make replacement. | ||||
| 18. Can the government make available tag information for all 31 valves at the boiler plant? | No-contractors had the opportunity to take photos. | ||||
| 19. Could you please provide the following information? | |||||
| • | Pictures of each boiler unit, including overall views and surrounding equipment | ||||
| • | Pictures of equipment nameplates/data plates | ||||
| • | Manufacturer, model numbers, and serial numbers for the boilers and associated equipment | ||||
| • | Available information on the Heat Recovery Steam Generator, deaerator tanks, condensate receiver tanks, and safety valves | All known information is listed in 1.3 of the PWS. | |||
| 20. Are the relief valves part of the bid? | Yes | ||||
| 21. What is the name plate on the safety relief valve on boiler #1? | Unknown-contractors had the opportunity to take photos. |
File details come from the government source that posted it. Updated .