Boiler Plant Vendor Questions.docx

Question 1: On-Site Presence vs. Responsiveness of the Contract Manager Section B.7 makes the Contract Manager the point of contact for the contract and sets a one business day response time during normal business hours, with the same one business day standard repeated for non-business hours. It isn’t clear from the SOW whether this person needs to be on site at the boiler plant every day, or whether the real requirement is being reachable within that window, with actual on-site time tied to the monthly visits, training sessions, the annual waterside inspection, and any emergency or routine calls. Can the Government confirm which one is intended? Contract Manager must be reachable by Phone or email with in one business day. The Water Treatment Professional has been the only person who routinely showed up on site. The Water Treatment Professional has obtained and tested the samples taken; made treatment recommendations; inventoried the Treatment Chemicals; provided all required training and performed their annual inspection when equipment is down for the annual overhaul period the equipment has been open during the monthly site visits for testing so no additional trips have been required.

Question 2: Business Hours vs. Non-Business Hours Response Time On a related point, Section B.7 gives the same one business day response time for both business hours and non-business hours. Was a difference between the two meant to apply here, or is one business day simply the standard no matter when notification happens? One Business day is the Standard Question 3: Historical Pricing Information Is this a recompete of an existing requirement? If so, would the Government share the current or most recent annual contract value, or at least a general price range? We understand the IGE itself isn’t something you can release, but any historical pricing context would go a long way toward a well grounded quote.

Question 4: Boiler Plant Steam Production Rate Section A.2 requires contractors to show experience with boiler and steam systems “similar in design and annual steam production rates” to VA SORCC, and asks for references that meet that same bar. To judge whether our specialist and references actually clear it, we need the plant’s rated steam production capacity in lb/hr, along with the number and type of boilers currently in service. We have 3 250 HP Fire tube Boilers Each One is Rated at 8625 PPH Question 5: Percent Condensate Return Section B.5 sets treatment targets for feedwater, boiler water, and condensate, but doesn’t say what share of condensate typically makes it back to the plant. That number drives how much raw makeup water we’re treating and, in turn, our feed rates for scale and oxygen control. What is the average condensate return percentage for this system? Average Condensate return is 80-82% Question 6: Feedwater Temperature Section B.5 caps dissolved oxygen in the feedwater at 7 ppb under normal scavenger treatment, with a 12 ppb threshold that flags a deaerator problem. Feedwater temperature has a direct bearing on oxygen solubility and scavenger dosing, so we’d like the average feedwater temperature entering the deaerator or boiler feed system.

Average Temperature of water entering the Deaerator is 122 Deg F Question 7: Makeup Water Polishing Equipment Section B.5 caps feedwater hardness at 1 ppm and has the contractor advising on softener operation, which tells us some form of makeup water pretreatment is already on site. Can the Government confirm what that equipment is, softener, RO, or something else, along with its rated capacity and how well it’s currently performing? That will help us scope the chemical program to actually hit the hardness target. We have a Water Softener with two resin beds each with a capacity of approximately 10,000 gallons our current hardness has been around 2 ppm Question 8: Steam and Condensate Piping Runs Section B.8 calls for condensate pH between 8.0 and 9.0 at every receiver across the facility, with sample points that rotate year to year. Does the plant have long steam or condensate runs that would need more than one chemical injection point to hold that pH consistently across the whole system? We have approximately 14 Miles of Steam and Condensate Piping in our Distribution System Question 9: Site Visit Task 2 of the SOW mentions visiting the site and meeting with the Boiler Plant Supervisor to go over existing conditions and our proposed treatment plan. With only a week between the question deadline and the July 23 quote due date, is there still time to schedule a site visit before we submit, and if so, who should we reach out to?

Stephen Stimson Boiler Plant Supervisor: Stephen.Stimson@va.gov Derrick Schawo Lead Boiler Plant Operator : Derrick.Schawo@va.gov