36C24221Q1060.docx

Contract Opportunity Combined Synopsis/Solicitation Notice

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* = Required Field Contract Opportunity Combined Synopsis/Solicitation Notice H335 Boiler End of Life Study 10010 36C24221Q1060 07-06-2021

3 PM

EASTERN TIME, NEW YORK, USA

N

SBA

541330 Department of Veterans Affairs Network Contracting Office 2 New York Harbor Healthcare System 423 East 23rd Street New York, NY 10010 Contracting Officer Monique Paltan Monique.Paltan@va.gov

(212) 686-7500 Ext 6090 Department of Veterans Affairs New Jersey Health Care System East Orange & Lyons Campus 151 Knollcroft Rd Lyons, NJ 07939

USA

https://www.va.gov Department of Veterans Affairs Home COMBINED SYNOPSIS/SOLICITATION FOR BOILER END OF LIFE STUDY SERVICES AT THE LYONS AND EAST ORANGE CAMPUS, NEW JERSEY VA MEDICAL CENTER.

(i) This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for a commercial item prepared in accordance with the format in FAR Subpart 12.6 and 13 - “Simplified Procedures for Certain Commercial Items”, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; quotes are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued.

(ii) This solicitation is issued as a request for quote (RFQ). Request for Quote will be submitted through Contract-Opportunities at beta.SAM.gov on RFQ reference number 36C24221Q1060

(iii) This solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2021-05, VAAR Update 2008-28.

(iv) This procurement is being issued as Total Small Business Set-Aside - Open Market combined synopsis/solicitation. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code is 541330 ENGINEERING SERVICES with a Small Business Size Standard of $16.5 Million.

(v) The Contractor shall provide pricing for Boiler End of Life Study services. Below is a template for pricing. Contractors may provide their own pricing document, but it must be broken down to allow for price reasonableness determination.

PRICING TABLE FOR: Boiler End of Life Study services.

Contractor shall be an authorized inspector to perform Boiler End of Life Study services for 5 boilers and its associated equipment in accordance with the Statement for Work

Re-inspections after corrections of deficiencies.

Contractor shall be an authorized inspector to perform Boiler End of Life Study services for 4 boilers and its associated equipment in accordance with the Statement for Work

Re-inspections after corrections of deficiencies.

Total Base Year:

(vi) Description of requirement:

STATEMENT OF WORK

ENGINEERING EVALUATIONS OF BOILER, DEAERATOR AND CONDENSATE TANK RELIABILITY/LIFE EXPECTANCY.

A. BACKGROUND:

The Department of Veterans Affairs New Jersey Health Care System is currently seeking for Engineering evaluation/study of Boiler, Deaerator and Condensate Tank reliability and useful Life Expectancy. Study services are for equipment located at the Lyons Campus and East Orange VA Medical Center in NJ. The contractor shall provide the study of useful life expectancy services as specified in this document for all equipment listed in Attachment 1 – Equipment List.

VA Medical Centers provide critical health care which requires reliable steam supply for sterilization, domestic hot water, kitchens, and building heating and air conditioning. Boilers and associated equipment serving VA Medical Centers must be reliable, safe and efficient. The age of boilers and associated equipment is often a major indicator of reliability.

The VHA Directive 1810 (1), BOILER AND BOILER PLANT OPERATIONS, assigns “useful life expectancy”, in years, to the boilers and plant equipment. The Directive requires that retention of certain equipment beyond the “useful life expectancy” must be based on an engineering evaluation of the reliability, efficiency and cost effectiveness of continued operation.

B. SCOPE OF WORK:

The contractor shall provide all labor, materials and equipment necessary to inspect, test and conduct the study of useful life expectancy of all 9 boilers and associated ancillary equipment located the Lyons Campus and East Orange Campus VA Medical Center. There are five (5) boilers in Lyons Campus and four (4) boilers in East Orange Campus. All the information for the boilers and other equipment to be addressed are described in Attachment 1 – Equipment List. The work shall be documented in a full report of findings and recommendations. The report must be stamped by a licensed professional engineer.

C. SPECIFICATIONS:

1. Qualification Requirements for Contractor and Inspection Personnel:

A. A professional engineering firm (Professional License (PE)) that specializes in useful life expectancy evaluations. The PE will sign under their seal the evaluations/analysis of the calculated life expectancy of the boilers and associated equipment. The evaluations shall be accomplished by visual inspection and non-destructive testing conducted by experienced boiler inspectors and non-destructive testing experts on the team.

B. The inspections shall be supervised on-site by a “Qualified Professional Inspector”, defined as anyone or combination of the following. Proof of qualifications shall be provided with the bid and as part of the final report.

1) A boiler inspector who has a valid commission from the National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors.

2) A boiler inspector who has qualified by passing a written examination under the laws, rules and regulations of a jurisdiction of a state.

3) A boiler inspector who is regularly employed as a boiler inspector by a jurisdiction that has adopted and administers one or more sections of the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code as a legal requirement, and has a representative serving as a member of the ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers) Conference Committee.

4) A boiler inspector who is regularly employed by an insurance company that has been licensed or registered by the appropriate authority of a state of the United States to write boiler and pressure vessel insurance.

C. Non-destructive testing personnel shall be certified to American Society for Non-destructive Testing (ASNT) Level II, who are experienced in evaluating boilers and associated equipment.

2. Inspector:

A. The “Qualified Professional Inspector” shall demonstrate familiarity with and ready access to the current versions of the following codes and manuals:

B. The NDT technicians shall demonstrate familiarity with and ready access to the current version of:

1. NACE International Standard RP0590, Recommended Practice for Prevention, Detection, and Correction of Deaerator Cracking

D. INSPECTION REQUIREMENTS FOR BOILERS

1. Since steam production cannot cease, the consultant and the VA COR will have to work closely to develop an inspection schedule that will ensure the facility can always meet steam demand with sufficient backup.

2. The contractor shall develop a detailed list of information required at least two weeks prior to the inspection to allow the VA to compile the information.

3. The contractor shall develop a detailed schedule of the inspection in consultation with the VA COR to ensure availability of equipment as needed during the execution of the project.

4. The contractor shall furnish copies of the original National Board (NB) “Manufacturer’s Data Report” inspection form that was prepared for the boiler when it was new and NB “Report of Repair” forms if boiler pressure vessel repairs have been performed.

5. The contractor shall prepare the boilers by opening all manways, hand holes and access doors, clean unit of loose materials, provide proper illumination, comply with “confined space” access requirements including having own safety personnel present in the boiler plant.

6. Remove all manway and handhole covers, access panels.

7. Remove all drum internals. (If applicable)

8. Clean all fireside and waterside surfaces.

9. Remove insulation from water tube boilers steam and mud drum ends and from locations where pipes are connected to the boiler.

10. Arrange for ladders, lifts, scaffolding and other devices necessary to allow access to the boiler.

11. The contractor shall visually inspect the following items and document the locations with a sketch or pictures. Any adverse findings must be documented with pictures and notes in detail. All data shall be included in the final report as supporting documentation.

A. Review the boiler/s history including operating conditions, date of last inspection, current inspection certificate, ASME stamping, National Board registration number, materials of construction, extent of post weld heat treatment, history of repairs and modifications.

B. All welded and threaded pipe connections to the boiler shell or drum for signs of leakage or defects in the welded areas. Defects must be documented as to location with a sketch or picture and be non-destructively tested.

C. Boiler support structure for proper alignment, evidence of sagging, shifting or misalignment.

D. Boiler casings for signs of warping, misalignment and overheating.

E. All furnace tubes and all accessible convection tubes for alignment, evidence of corrosion, erosion, bulges, sagging, defective or deteriorated welds.

F. Exposed surfaces of steam and mud drum in furnace, particularly ligament areas between tubes, for evidence of corrosion, cracking, scale buildup, other defects.

G. Refractory for cracking, shifting, sagging, bulging or general deterioration.

H. Internal areas of steam drum and mud drum (inside boiler shell in fire tube boilers).

1. Welded outlet connections.

2. Surface of drums for pitting or surface discontinuities.

3. Ligament areas between tube holes for cracking.

5. Clean and inspect shell or tube sheet between tube holes for cracking.

12. At the completion of the inspection each boiler is closed up properly and that combustion testing on both #2 Fuel Oil and Natural Gas is performed.

B. Lyons requires: Handhole gaskets are required to be Teflon. Manhole gaskets can be standard material for High pressure boilers.

C. Replace all additional gaskets used in the cleaning and inspection of the boilers with OEM gasket kit.

D. Where insulation is removed or damaged during inspection, it must be replaced.

13. Boilers inspection schedule:

A. From April to September, two (2) boilers at a time will be available for inspections.

B. From October to March, one (1) boiler at a time will be available for inspection.

C. Prior arrangements with COR at each campus will be necessary to avoid conflicts with boilers availability.

D. The number of inspections visits will depend on how the contractor plans to accomplish the inspection of the nine boilers and its associated equipment.

E. VAMC RESPONSIBILITIES FOR PREPARATION OF BOILER INSPECTION

1. The boiler will be prepared as follows by VAMC for the inspection prior to the scheduled arrival of the inspector. This includes cooling the unit to near ambient temperature. Boiler shall be locked-out and tagged-out using VA lock-out procedures, connecting piping isolated. The contractor shall inspect the lock-out and have his staff place their own lock-out devices on the equipment, piping, and devices. If further isolation and bleeding of high energy or any other systems are needed based on contractor’s recommendation and deemed beyond the capability of the VA it shall be done by the contractor at their expense.

2. VAMC will comply with any other requirements of the inspector that are considered reasonable by VAMC and have been presented in writing at least two weeks prior to the scheduled inspection.

3. Coordinate preparation work with the requirements of the inspection firm.

4. All records of maintenance and repair activities, water treatment logs, operational logs, inspection reports, and all histories of prior problems shall be readily available during the inspection. Records for three years are suggested. If the consultant requires copies, they will need to sign out the documents and return them upon completion.

F. INSPECTION REQUIREMENTS FOR DEAERATOR (DA) AND CONDENSATE TANKS

1. Deaerators and Condensate Tanks shall be inspected first and in the first three months of the period of performance.

2. Since steam production cannot cease, the consultant and the VA COR will have to work closely to develop an inspection schedule that will ensure the facility can always meet feed water demand with sufficient backup.

3. The DA inspections shall comply with the guidelines in the current issues of the following documents:

4. NACE International, Standard RP0590, Recommended Practice for Prevention, Detection and Correction of Deaerator Cracking.

5. The contractor shall prepare the DA and Condensate/Surge tanks by opening all manways, clean unit of loose materials, provide proper illumination, comply with “confined space” access requirements including having safety personnel present in the boiler plant.

6. NATIONAL BOARD INSPECTION CODE, Part RB, Inservice Inspection of Pressure-Retaining Items.

A. Review the DA and Condensate history including operating conditions, date of last inspection, current inspection certificate, ASME stamping, National Board registration number, materials of construction, extent of post weld heat treatment, history of repairs and modifications.

B. Assess the external parts of the DA and Condensate and accessories and piping for safety, accessibility, cleanliness, proper operation, and compliance with codes.

C. Inspect for evidence of leakage.

D. Inspect DA and Condensate tank safety valve installation and verify that the valves have proper set pressure and capacity and are properly installed.

E. Inspect support structures for proper integrity and allowance for thermal expansion.

F. Internal inspections:

1. Visually inspect all visible pressure vessel and tanks surfaces for corrosion, material thinning, deposits, and weld cracking.

2. Inspect DA spray nozzles and trays. (If installed)

a. Completely examine all accessible welds utilizing the WFMT test method. Properly prepare the surfaces before testing.

7. At the completion of the inspection each DA and Condensate tank are closed up properly using new gaskets.

8. If insulation is removed or damaged during inspection, it must be replaced.

G. VAMC RESPONSIBILITIES FOR PREPARATION OF DEAERATOR (DA) AND CONDENSATE TANKS FOR INSPECTION.

1. The DA and Condensate tanks will be prepared by VAMC for the inspection prior to the scheduled arrival of the inspector. This includes cooling the unit to near ambient temperature. The DA and condensate tanks shall be locked-out and tagged-out, connecting piping isolated. The contractor shall inspect the lock-out and have his staff place their own lock-out devices on the equipment, piping, and devices. If further isolation and bleeding of any systems are needed based on contractor’s recommendation and deemed beyond the capability of the VA it shall be done by the contractor at their expense.

H. TESTING REQUIREMENTS FOR BOILERS, DEAERATORS AND CONDENSATE TANKS

1. The following Nondestructive testing shall be completed and document for the boilers and associated equipment as to the location or findings with a sketch or pictures. Any adverse findings must be documented with pictures and notes in detail. All data shall be included in the final report as supporting documentation.

A. Ultrasonic thickness testing of representative samples of all components.

B. Obtain sufficient material thickness measurements to accurately reflect the condition of the entire boiler, DA or condensate tank.

C. Ultrasonic thickness testing of all areas visually noted to have corroded or eroded.

D. Magnetic particle testing of all areas where indications of defects have been found visually.

E. Metallurgical analysis of representative samples of boiler metal if there are indications or a record of overheating.

I. CALCULATIONS:

1. The contractor shall calculate and report the maximum allowable working pressure rating and remaining life expectancy based on the thickness measurements, data obtained, observations and testing for the boiler, deaerator and condensate tanks into which DA discharges.

A. ASME Code formulas shall be used, and references provided in the final report.

B. Calculate and report the depletion rate of material thickness.

C. Remaining life calculation shall be based on original material thickness, current material thickness, evaluation of other factors in the condition of the boiler.

J. REPORT REQUIREMENTS:

1. The contractor shall provide complete written report on the Boilers, Deaerators and Condensate Tanks fully describing all inspections and tests performed, findings, and recommendations. The condition of all items inspected shall be stated whether acceptable or deficient. All deficiencies shall be fully described along with recommendations for methods of correction.

2. The contractor shall provide oral report of condition of the boiler to VAMC engineering management at the conclusion of the inspection and prior to leaving the site.

3. The contractor shall provide a draft report Microsoft (MS) Word format withing 7 days of the completion of inspection for review and comment by the COR. Once approved by VA, provide MS Word format and 6 copies of final report to COR.

4. The contractor shall complete a narrative of the history of the equipment in the plant and current conditions of the same as well as an analysis of the visual inspections and test results, photographic views of deteriorated areas and photographs to show areas identified as not acceptable for continued service or requiring repair.

5. The contractor shall provide calculations for remaining life based on calculated present maximum allowable working pressure vs. original maximum allowable working pressure when the boiler was new. Show locations and extent of all non-destructive testing by sketches. (Spec Writer Note: this applies to boiler, deaerator and only condensate tanks that are feed from deaerator).

6. Describe all deteriorated areas; provide expert judgment on need for repairs and repair methods.

7. Provide expert judgment on cost effectiveness of retaining the boiler in service.

8. Provide expert analysis of the condition of boilers/ancillary equipment and recommended extension to useful life in years.

9. Provide photographs and/or drawings and show where each the measurements or negative observation was taken.

10. All safety-related deficiencies shall be immediately reported to the COTR during the inspection visit.

11. The contractor shall conduct re-inspections when necessary for equipment to be re-inspected after correction of deficiencies.

K. WORKING HOURS:

Working hours for these services will be between 08:00 AM to 04:30 PM Monday through Friday excluding Federal Holiday.

L. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE:

The period of performance for these services will be 6 months from date of award of contract.

M. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

Services for the study of the boilers and associated equipment will be for two sites listed below:

CONTRACTING OFFICE ADDRESS:

VISN 2 Network Contracting Office – Manhattan NY Harbor Healthcare System 423 East 23rd Street New York, NY 10010

(vii) Awardee shall coordinate with the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) prior to performance.

(viii) The provision at FAR 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors-Commercial Items (JUN 2020), applies to this acquisition. All offers must reference:

1) Solicitation number for this requirement as 36C24221Q1060;

2) The time specified in the solicitation for receipt of offers;

3) Name, address and telephone number of offeror;

4) Technical description of services to be performed in accordance with the Statement of Work. This Technical description should address the requirement specifically. Capability statements that are merely an overview of what the contractor offers will be determined incomplete. Please address all the technical evaluation sub-factors. Failure to address all the sub-factors will result in your package being determined incomplete;

5) Terms of any express warranty;

6) Price should be for all services detailed in section “v” of this document. The pricing must be broken down in a manner that allows for price reasonableness to be determined. Failure to provide complete pricing will result in contractors package being determined to be incomplete;

7) “Remit to” address, if different than mailing address;

8) A completed copy of the representations and certifications at FAR 52.212-3 (see FAR 52.212-3(b) for those representations and certifications that the offeror shall complete electronically);

9) Acknowledgement of any solicitation amendments;

10) Past performance information;

11) A statement specifying the extent of agreement with all terms, conditions, and provisions included in the solicitation.

Offers that fail to furnish required representation or information or reject the terms and conditions of the solicitation will be excluded from consideration.

The following provisions are included as addenda to FAR 52.212-1:

(ix) The provision at FAR 52.212-2, Evaluation-Commercial Items (OCT 2014), applies to this acquisition.

(a) Award shall be made to the contractor whose quotation offers the best value to the government, considering technical capability, past performance, and price. Technical Capability is more important than past performance and price. However, price will become significantly more important as technical capability approach equality. All sub-factors under technical capability are of equal importance. Past performance is less important than price.

The Government may perform a comparative evaluation (comparing offers to each other) to select the contractor that is best suited and provides the best value, considering the evaluation factors in this solicitation.

The government shall evaluate information based on the following evaluation criteria.

(1) Technical Capability: Technical capability is defined as an offeror’s ability to satisfy the solicitation’s requirements, providing the highest quality service to the specified facilities. Contractor shall provide a maximum 10-page capability statement demonstrating their ability to meet all of the requirements of the Statement of Work (SOW).

(2) Past performance: Contractor must provide three references for contract of similar scope and magnitude to be evaluated. Relevant past performance information shall include key personnel who have relevant experience, predecessor companies, and subcontractors who will perform major or critical elements of this solicitation. The contractors’ Past Performance shall also be reviewed in PPIRs; Individuals with no past performance shall receive a neutral rating for this evaluation factor.

(3) Price: The government will evaluate offers for award purposes based on the pricing for the total requirement. Offers for partial requirement will not be evaluated and will be deemed non-responsive upon receipt.

(b) Options. N/A

(c) A written notice of award or acceptance of an offer, mailed or otherwise furnished to the successful offeror within the time for acceptance specified in the offer, shall result in a binding contract without further action by either party. Before the offer's specified expiration time, the Government may accept an offer (or part of an offer), whether or not there are negotiations after its receipt, unless a written notice of withdrawal is received before award.

Failure to provide the information requested in the evaluation criteria may result in being found non-responsive.

(End of Provision)

(x) The provisions at FAR 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial Items (FEB 2021) applies to this acquisition. * All firms or individuals submitting a quote shall include a completed copy of this provision OR have current Representations and Certifications in the System for Award Management (SAM - https://www.sam.gov). Representations, Certifications, and SAM must be current at award. IF NOT CURRENT AND/OR YOU DO NOT SUBMIT A COMPLETED COPY OF THIS PROVISION, YOUR QUOTE WILL BE CONSIDERED NON-RESPONSIVE.

(xi) The clause at FAR 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions-Commercial Items (OCT 2018), applies to this acquisition. The following clauses are included as addenda to FAR 52.212-4:

(xii) The clause at FAR 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Order- Commercial items (JAN 2021), applies to this acquisition.

The following subparagraphs of FAR 52.212-5 are applicable:

(xiii) The Service Contract Act of 1965 does apply to this procurement.

See attached Wage Determination

(xiv) N/A

(xv) This is a Total Small Business Set-Aside – Open Market combined synopsis/solicitation for Boiler End of Life Study services for the Lyons Campus and East Orange Campus, New Jersey Health Care System, VA Medical Center at NJ as defined herein. The government intends to award a contract as a result of this combined synopsis/solicitation that will include the terms and conditions set forth herein. To facilitate the award process, all quotes must include a statement regarding the terms and conditions herein as follows:

"The terms and conditions in the solicitation are acceptable to be included in the award document without modification, deletion, or addition."

OR

"The terms and conditions in the solicitation are acceptable to be included in the award document with the exception, deletion, or addition of the following:"

The Quoter shall list exception(s) and rationale for the exception(s). Quotes received without this statement will be assumed to infer that terms and conditions are acceptable without modification, deletion or addition.

Submission shall be received not later than 3:00 PM EST, Tuesday, July 6, 2021. The government shall only accept electronic submissions via email, please send all quotations to Monique.Paltan@va.gov. RFI’s will not be accepted after Monday, June 28, 2021, 3:00 PM EST. Late submissions shall be treated in accordance with the solicitation provision at FAR 52.212-1(f).

(xvi) Any questions or concerns regarding this solicitation should be forwarded in writing via e-mail to Monique Paltan, Contracting Officer, Monique.Paltan@va.gov.

See attached document: ATTACHMENT 1 - EQUIPMENT LIST.

See attached document: WAGE DETERMINATION.