36C24124Q0801.docx

Newington Medical Center Boiler Plant - Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) Upgrade

GENERAL INFORMATION

SET-ASIDE

VAMC Manchester

718 Smyth Road Manchester NH 03104

POINT OF CONTACT*

Contract Specialist Nathan Langone Nathan.Langone@va.gov 603-340-0102

PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

555 Willard Ave

Newington CT

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

AGENCY’S URL

URL DESCRIPTION

AGENCY CONTACT’S EMAIL ADDRESS

EMAIL DESCRIPTION

Sources Sought Notice Sources Sought Notice

DESCRIPTION

Sources Sought Notice

This is a Sources Sought notice only. This is not a request for quotes and no contract will be awarded from this announcement. The Government will not provide any reimbursement for responses submitted in response to this Source Sought notice. Respondents will not be notified of the results of the evaluation.

If a solicitation is issued it shall be announced at a later date, and all interest parties must response to that solicitation announcement separately. Responses to this notice are not a request to be added to a prospective bidders list or to receive a copy of the solicitation The purpose of this announcement is to perform market research to gain knowledge of potential qualified sources and their size classification relative to NAICS 238220 (Plumbing, Heating, and Air-Conditioning Contractors) SBA size standard $19 Million. The Newington VA Medical Center (VAMC) has high pressure steam boilers providing steam and heating service to the campus buildings. The boilers are housed and operated from the boiler plant in building (3) on campus. The boiler plant utilizes a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system as its integrated central monitoring and control tool. This existing SCADA no longer functions and is running on a Windows XP operating system. Microsoft dropped support for Windows XP in 2014, meaning no software support or security patches have been provided in the last 10 years for this operating system. If the system were functional, it would suffer from lag, crashes, and security vulnerabilities due to running on the dated operating system. An upgraded SCADA is required to provide boiler plant management with the tools to adequately monitor, record data, and control boiler systems during operation. The full SOW is attached below for reference.

This Sources Sought notice provides an opportunity for respondents to submit their capability and availability to provide the requirement described below. Vendors are encouraged to submit information relative to their capabilities to fulfill this requirement, in the form of a statement that addresses the specific requirement identified in this Sources Sought. Information received from this Sources Sought shall be utilized to facilitate the Contracting Officer’s review of the market base, for acquisition planning, size determination, and procurement strategy.

Submission Instructions: Interested parties who consider themselves qualified to perform the services are invited to submit a response to this Sources Sought Notice by 17:00 EST, 9th of August 2024. All responses under this Sources Sought Notice must be emailed to Nathan.Langone@va.gov with Sources Sought # 36C24124Q0801 in the subject line. Telephone inquiries will not be accepted or acknowledged, and no feedback or evaluations will be provided to companies regarding their submissions.

Interested parties should complete the attached Sources Sought Worksheet. Parties may submit additional information related to their capabilities, provided it contains all the requirements contained in the Sources Sought Worksheet. Responses to this Sources Sought shall not exceed 8 pages. In addition, all submissions should be provided electronically in a Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF format.

Attachment 1 Sources Sought Worksheet

QUALIFICATION INFORMATION:

Company / Institute Name: _______________________________________________________ Address: ______________________________________________________________________ Phone Number: ________________________________________________________________ Point of Contact: _______________________________________________________________ E-mail Address: ________________________________________________________________ Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) #: ___________________________________________________ CAGE Code: __________________________________________________________________ SAM Registered: (Y / N) Other available contract vehicles applicable to this sources sought (GSA/FSS/NASA SEWP/ETC): __________________________________________________________________

SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS:

VIP Verified SDVOSB: (Y / N) VIP Verified VOSB: (Y / N) 8(a): (Y / N) HUBZone: (Y / N) Economically Disadvantaged Women-Owned Small Business: (Y / N) Women-Owned Small Business: (Y / N) Small Business: (Y / N) NOTE: Respondent claiming SDVOSB and VOSB status shall be registered and Center for Veterans Enterprise (CVE) verified in VetBiz Registry www.vetbiz.gov.

BASED ON THE RESPONSES TO THIS SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE/MARKET RESEARCH, THIS REQUIREMENT MAY BE SET-ASIDE FOR SDVOSB, VOSB, SMALL BUSINESSES OR PROCURED THROUGH FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION.

CAPABILITY STATEMENT:

Provide a brief capability and interest in providing the service as listed in Attachment 2 Statement of Work with enough information to determine if your company can meet the requirement. The capabilities statement for this Sources Sought is not a Request for Quotation, Request for Proposal, or Invitation for Bid, nor does it restrict the Government to an ultimate acquisition approach, but rather the Government is requesting a short statement regarding the company’s ability to provide the services outlined in the SOW. Any commercial brochures or currently existing marketing material may also be submitted with the capabilities statement. This synopsis is for information and planning purposes only and is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government. The Government will not pay for information solicited. Respondents will not be notified of the results of the evaluation.

DEPARTMENT OF VETERAN AFFAIRS

SCOPE OF WORK

Newington Medical Center Boiler Plant Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) Upgrade Background:

The Newington VA Medical Center (VAMC) has high pressure steam boilers providing steam and heating service to the campus buildings. The boilers are housed and operated from the boiler plant in building (3) on campus. The boiler plant utilizes a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system as its integrated central monitoring and control tool. This existing SCADA no longer functions and is running on a Windows XP operating system. Microsoft dropped support for Windows XP in 2014, meaning no software support or security patches have been provided in the last 10 years for this operating system. If the system were functional, it would suffer from lag, crashes, and security vulnerabilities due to running on the dated operating system.

An upgraded SCADA is required to provide boiler plant management with the tools to adequately monitor, record data, and control boiler systems during operation.

Justification:

Boiler plant service is critical for the Newington VAMC to operate and maintain healthcare services year-round. Replacing the existing SCADA with a modern system that functions as intended is necessary to facilitate operating the plant. Real time operating data that is locally stored and readily accessible to management will benefit boiler plant efficiency, efforts to troubleshoot faulty equipment, and operator training.

Location of Services:

VA Medical Center Newington 555 Willard Ave Newington, CT 06111 Newington VAMC Building (3), Boiler Plant.

Period of Performance:

The period of performance for this work is 100 calendar days starting from the date of the notice to proceed.

References:

The following VA standards are reference documents that pertain to the scope of work contained herein and shall be adhered to.

Reference (a) – VA Division 23 Specification, Section 09 11, Instrumentation and Control for Boiler Plant.

Reference documents are available via the VA Technical Information Library using the following link: https://www.cfm.va.gov/TIL/spec.asp. Alternatively, the COR or FMS designee may provide these documents upon request.

Boiler Plant Equipment:

Newington Boiler Plant, Boiler equipment information:

Boiler #1 – Zurn Industries, Model 12,000 LB/HR, serial number 99034/ NB 18595, built 1975, design pressure 200 PSI, typical operating pressure is 90 psi.

Boiler # 1 Burner – Coen, Type Micropnox SDAF12, Natural Gas No. 2 Oil, built 1995 (EST) Boiler #2 – Bigelow company, Model Watertube 20,580 LB/HR, serial number NB1677, built 1958, design pressure 160 psi, typical operating pressure 90 psi.

Boiler #2 Burner – Coen, Type Micropnox SDAF12, Natural Gas No. 2 Oil, built 1995 (EST) Boiler #3 – Same make, model, and Burner as Boiler #2. This boiler is non-operational at time of writing.

Scope of Work:

The contractor shall provide all labor, materials, tools, consumables, equipment, along with applicable state license(s) and permits to furnish a new SCADA system for the Newington VAMC Boiler plant.

The contractor shall participate in an initial boiler plant safety meeting to review safety and lock out/tag out (LOTO) procedures as applicable, discuss the nature of SCADA system installation and testing activities, and coordinate with boiler plant operations management as needed.

The contractor shall furnish and install a new SCADA system to include software and hardware needed to fully utilize the system. This system shall meet Reference (a) requirements as applicable:

The individual boiler plant controllers and instrumentation system shall be networked with a central computer workstation (Main SCADA in Boiler Control Room) to provide remote operation of the controllers, custom graphic display of information, alarm message display, report generation, historical trending, and remote tuning of controllers. Trending data shall be captured continuously. The software shall allow the user to export and generate trend reports for time frames that can be selected by the user. All control functions shall be accomplished within the individual controllers and shall be monitored by the central computer so that the integrity of the control system shall not be dependent on the status of the central computer or the interconnecting network. Burner management (flame safety control) systems shall not be controllable from the workstation but shall be monitored from the workstation for status and access to historical data.

Provide client SCADA in Boiler plant manager Office in building 3, 3rd floor. Coordinate with local FMS and Boiler Plant management for installation of network cable to the client SCADA in the boiler plant manager office.

The SCADA software shall be compliant with latest version of Microsoft Windows. The system shall use Windows Open Systems Architecture (WOSA), such as in its use of dialog boxes and menus. Local system with capability for future networking. All features shall be supported on the in-plant hardware furnished with this contract. The software shall be a complete package requiring no additional software to configure or run the features of the program. The program shall not require hardware “dongle” keys for licensing. The program shall be completely configured to perform all required functions at the required speed and with complete accuracy.

Software configuration shall be accomplished from the keyboard or the mouse. All configuration changes shall be capable of being made while the system is on-line (operating) without interfering with the normal functions of the program. No programming, compiling, or linking shall be required to configure the system.

Provide complete user documentation in electronic format, including examples of how to operate the various modules of the system. Provide keyword and specific text search features.

Provide pre-emptive multitasking to ensure that common Windows actions are permissible and do not interfere with I/O communications, processing of data, alarming, and the integrity of the real-time and historical data.

System functions shall be available to support the following:

Analog and Digital Input/Output.

Analog and Digital Alarm.

Analog and Digital Register.

Boolean Logic.

Calculation: Includes add, subtract, multiply, divide, parentheses, absolute value, square root, exponentiation, logs, relational operations, change floating point values to integers.

Device Control.

Event Action.

Fanout.

Multi-state Digital Input.

Program: Sequencing, monitoring, process control.

Real-time Trend.

Text.

Timer.

Totalizer.

Wherever possible, the device communications program will perform error checking on messages. This shall include lost response and data error. Should communications errors be detected, the software shall automatically indicate that the data is no longer valid and identify the invalid data. The system shall automatically attempt to re-establish communications, and, if successful, shall then replace the characters with valid data without any user programs or other actions to implement.

Hardware storage capacity shall be sufficient to store up to 10 years’ worth of operating data for each boiler and without overwriting or deleting previous data. Boiler operating data shall be recorded continuously 24/7 and indicate when monitoring is interrupted due to boiler down time. Boiler operating data shall be exportable to Excel.

The SCADA system shall be read only by default for operators and allow Supervisor/Administrative access to key VA management staff. Provide a user-based security system which, when enabled, shall allow for the creation of users with certain rights and/or privileges. These rights shall include the ability to run any combination or all of the applications in the data acquisition system. The ability to allow or disallow users access to change values, such as set points and control setups, on an individual tag basis shall be supported. VA management with supervisor/administrative access shall have the ability to remove and/or assign operator access to the system. The VA COR, Boiler Plant Management and/or FMS designee shall be granted supervisor/administrative access to the system.

Furnish and install new SCADA system hardware. Hardware shall meet Reference (a) requirements as applicable and at a minimum:

Microsoft Windows based desktop computer workstation(s) with keyboard, mouse, two speakers, color graphic monitor, alarm printer, logging printer, and uninterrupted power supply. Equip with latest version of Microsoft Windows operating system compatible with SCADA software furnished. Patches and/or software updates for the windows operating system and the SCADA software shall be accomplished manually only and by the VA internally or with additional (separate) contract services as required. The system shall be designed so that additional workstations and peripheral equipment can be added in the future. Provide all devices necessary for complete access to all features of the programs applied.

Desktop Computer(s): Comply with requirements published by SCADA software supplier for optimum performance of software furnished. System shall include hardware as recommended by Microsoft for installation of Windows 10 operating system. Minimum requirements are Intel Xeon processor, 8 MB L2 cache, 2.4 GHz, 1066 FSB; 16 GB 600 MHz DDR2 SDRAM memory ECC (2 DIMMS); dual hard drives each 400 GB SATA, Nvidia QUADROFX4400 512 MB graphics, DVD+/-RW optical drive, integrated gigabit Ethernet, sound card, audible alarm and a battery-backed clock which counts seconds, minutes, hours, days, and years. Provide two parallel ports and two serial ports, minimum.

Digital Flat Panel Color Monitor: TFT, minimum 21-inch diagonal (nominal) screen with capability of 1600 by 1280 pixels resolution, non-interlaced, dot pitch 0.31 maximum. Minimum of True 16bit colors supported. Energy-Star compliant.

Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS): Provide complete protected power conditioner. Line interactive, UL 1449 rated, interactive digital display. Power supply shall protect computers, controls, instruments, and accessories from damage due to ground leakage, spikes, surges, sags, transients, and overloads in the incoming power supply. Smooth sine wave output. Hot swappable batteries. Audible and visual alarm to signal failure of UPS.

Provide to the plant manager, two removable USB flash drives to transfer data from SCADA machines onto VA systems. The USB flash drives shall be selected from VA OIT/Security Engineering list of validated removable storage devices and shall have 16 GB minimum storage capacity. The COR can provide the list of validated storage devices upon request. The following example part numbers for validated removable storage devices are provided for reference (ASK3-16GB, SK350-016-FE).

Furnish documentation and training documents for the SCADA system and hardware deliverables.

Provide complete user documentation in hard copy and electronic format, including examples of how to operate the modules of the system, how to add/remove users, set up accounts, interpret, disable, and enable all system alerts/alarms, and generate reports.

Test software and hardware deliverables to ensure operability and functionally. Make corrections and adjustments as necessary to the satisfaction of the COR or boiler plant management.

All waste material (includes packaging, consumables) and debris generated by this work shall be removed off VA campus by the contractor and shall be disposed of in accordance with applicable State and Federal regulations.

Definitions/Acronyms:

CO – Contracting Officer.

COR – Contracting Officer’s Representative.

OSHA – Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

FMS – Facilities Management Service.

Parts and Deliverables:

No used (non-new), reverse engineered or counterfeit parts shall be supplied or used for any items furnished under the terms of this contract.

The contractor shall provide technical customer support, diagnostic and troubleshooting services after delivery of software and hardware furnished under this contract, for a typical warrantee period.

The contractor shall provide a training agenda and training package (i.e. course/instructional handout and end user’s reference documentation) be submitted for COR & boiler plant Supervisor review and acceptance prior to final draft(s) and scheduling of training for plant operators.

The installed SCADA software and furnished hardware as paid for by the VA shall be provided to the government without restriction or limitations. The VA assumes responsibility for and rights to all deliverables once turned over.

Qualifications:

The contractor must provide, upon request, evidence of appropriate training of any field service technicians providing services under terms of the contract. Service technicians must have appropriate training and certifications consistent of the service or deliverable they are providing. The CO and/or COR specifically reserve the right to reject any of the contractor’s personnel and refuse them permission to work on the equipment outlined herein, based upon credentials provided.

Subcontracting of any ensuing award of this solicitation will not be allowed without written permission of the Contracting Officer. Service response on calls from unauthorized personnel could result in non-payment.

Documentation/Reports:

The contractor shall provide the following reports and documentation.

Provide technical manuals for each new piece of equipment that is furnished and installed as part of this contract.

Provide user manual for SCADA software Inspection personnel certification as applicable to the work being performed.

Material certificates for parts, components, and consumables.

Services Beyond the Contract Scope:

The contractor shall immediately, but not later than 24 consecutive hours after discovery, notify the CO and COR, (in writing), of the existence or the development of any defects in the scheduled equipment which the contractor considers they are not responsible for under the terms of the contract.

The contactor shall provide the COR with a written estimate of the cost to inspect or test parts or equipment that are beyond this contract scope.

Any additional charges claimed will be approved by the CO and COR before service is completed.

Test Equipment:

Test equipment calibration shall be traceable to National Institutes of Standard Technology standards. Each service report shall list test equipment used and date calibration to NIST is due.

Test equipment out of calibration shall not be used.

Hours of Coverage:

Unless otherwise authorized by the COR and coordinated with boiler plant management, all efforts for this work shall be scheduled during normal working hours (7:00 AM to 5:00 PM (CST) Monday through Friday).

Scheduling for work outside of normal hours shall be coordinated with and require the approval of the FMS Chief.

Federal holidays observed by VA Connecticut Healthcare System are:

Labor Day Columbus Day Veteran’s Day Thanksgiving Day Christmas Day New Year’s Day Martin Luther King Day President's Day Memorial Day Juneteenth Independence Day and any other day specifically designated by the President of the United States.

Identification, Parking, Smoking, and VA Regulations:

Contractor’s FST(s) shall wear visible identification at all times while on the premises of the VA. Identification shall include, at a minimum, the employee’s name, position, and the contractor’s trade name.

It is the responsibility of the contractor to park in the appropriate designated parking areas. Information on parking is available from VA Police Service. The VA will not invalidate or make reimbursement for parking violations of the contractor under any conditions.

Smoking is prohibited inside all VA buildings.

Possession of weapons is prohibited. Enclosed containers, including tool kits, shall be subject to search.

Violations of VA regulations may result in citation answerable in the United States (Federal) District Court, not a local district, state or municipal court.

Safety The contractor shall take all safety precautions necessary to furnish and install a new SCADA system as required herein and ensure installation activities do not endanger the contractor’s authorized personnel, VA personnel or patients during work.

The contractor shall ensure all energy sources are isolated or controlled prior to performing field work in the boiler plant or while installing the SCADA system. Coordinate with FMS or boiler plant management personnel as needed to control, isolate and/or lock out tag out applicable sources.

The contractor shall comply with the following:

Confined Space permit(s) as required.

Lock Out – Tag Out procedures as required.

Personal Protective Equipment as required for field service work.

Records Management:

The following standard terms and conditions relate to records generated in executing the contract and should be included in a typical procurement contract:

Citations to pertinent laws, codes and regulations such as 44 U.S.C chapters 21, 29, 31 and 33; Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552); Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. 552a); 36 CFR Part 1222 and Part 1228.

Contractor shall treat all deliverables under the contract as the property of the U.S. Government for which the Government Agency shall have unlimited rights to use, dispose of, or disclose such data contained therein as it determines to be in the public interest.

Contractor shall not create or maintain any records that are not specifically tied to or authorized by the contract using Government IT equipment and/or Government records.

Contractor shall not retain, use, sell, or disseminate copies of any deliverable that contains information covered by the Privacy Act of 1974 or that which is generally protected by the Freedom of Information Act.

Contractor shall not create or maintain any records containing any Government Agency records that are not specifically tied to or authorized by the contract.

The Government Agency owns the rights to all data/records produced as part of this contract.

The Government Agency owns the rights to all electronic information (electronic data, electronic information systems, electronic databases, etc.) and all supporting documentation created as part of this contract. Contractor must deliver sufficient technical documentation with all data deliverables to permit the agency to use the data.

Contractor agrees to comply with Federal and Agency records management policies, including those policies associated with the safeguarding of records covered by the Privacy Act of 1974. These policies include the preservation of all records created or received regardless of format [paper, electronic, etc.] or mode of transmission [e-mail, fax, etc.] or state of completion [draft, final, etc.].

No disposition of documents will be allowed without the prior written consent of the Contracting Officer. The Agency and its contractors are responsible for preventing the alienation or unauthorized destruction of records, including all forms of mutilation. Willful and unlawful destruction, damage or alienation of Federal records is subject to the fines and penalties imposed by 18 U.S.C. 2701. Records may not be removed from the legal custody of the Agency or destroyed without regard to the provisions of the agency records schedules.

Contractor is required to obtain the Contracting Officer's approval prior to engaging in any contractual relationship (sub-contractor) in support of this contract requiring the disclosure of information, documentary material and/or records generated under, or relating to, this contract. The Contractor (and any sub-contractor) is required to abide by Government and Agency guidance for protecting sensitive and proprietary information.

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