IFB 80GSFC24B0001 Questions and Answers Set 2.pdf

IFB 80GSFC24B0001

WFF Propane Delivery Services Questions and Answers Set #2

Question 10: Will there only be (1) fixed delivered price be accepted for supply to both large and small tanks or are (2) different fixed prices acceptable?

Answer 10: There will be two fixed prices, one for bulk that will go to the large tanks and the other for bobtail which will go to the smaller tanks.

Question 11: I know the bid is due May 21st, but it is stated that a decision will not be made until June 24th. The problem is that the commodities market changes all the time and that commodity price could be higher or lower by the 24th of June. If I bid it on the 21st of May, I could not hold that pricing until June since there is such volatility in the commodity market.

Answer 11: The RFQ cover letter states that we anticipate contract award no later than June 24.

The actual bid opening is on May 29th (date was updated from May 21st to May 29th by Amendment 1) during which the low bidder will be identified and selected.

Question 12: Will the instillation of cellular-fed tank monitors be allowed?

Answer 12: Cellular-fed tank monitors are allowed. Please note however, that the cell reception around WFF is just “OK” There are three CELL towers that provide cell coverage to our facility. Most of the year the cell reception around the facility is fine, but during tourist season cell reception is “poor” for high demand of data.

Question 13: When were the bulk plant and large tanks last inspected (valves, actuators, belly valves, emergency shut offs, etc.)?

Answer 13: The bulk tanks are owned by the government and are maintained by the government. The bulk tanks are inspected annually. The small tanks are provided, owned, and maintained by the propane contractor. The contractor shall inspect and maintain all tanks and associated equipment they provide.

Question 14: As commodities futures contracts can only be purchased three years in advance, is there any chance to change the pricing to a published benchmark and differential formula?

Common benchmarks used in government purchase of propane include Mont Belvieu and Butane Propane News postings. (Information on Mont Belvieu here:

https://ycharts.com/indicators/mont_belvieu_propane_spot_price and a copy of BPN report here https://bpnews.com/sites/default/files/protected/newsletters/050924 BPN-PS- NL%20FINAL.pdf?oly enc id=8342I8861912I6C).

Answer 14: See answer to question #8 on Questions and Answers Set #1.

Question 15: If the 60k tanks don’t have monitors yet the facility won’t place orders, how would we know when to dispatch a load?

Answer 15: See response to question #12 above. If a monitor is not installed, at high periods a bi-weekly delivery will be required and on the lower periods a new schedule can be proposed .

NASA will alert the contractor when the base operations change to winter mode signaling the start of the high demand period.

Question 16: Is the contract start date to be 6/1/24?

Answer 16: Per the IFB cover letter, the contract effective date is 7/1/24.

Question 17: What is the install deadline for the contractor supplied tank?

Answer 17: See answer to question #4 on Questions and Answers Set #1.

Question 18: Who is the incumbent supplier?

Answer 18: See answer to question #2 on Questions and Answers Set #1.

Question 19: Can the bid due date be pushed back to Tuesday 5/28? Or at a minimum Friday 5/24?

Answer 19: The bid opening date has been extended to May 29th via Amendment 1.

Question 20: Can tank monitors be added to the (3) 60,000 gallon tanks and the vendor supplied smaller bulk tanks? These would be supplied at the contractor’s expense. The monitors utilize a cellular network to transmit only the tank level reading to the contractor. They are a commonly used industry tool to allow for timely and efficient deliveries to be made.

Answer 20: See answer to question #12 above.

Question 21: Is the contractor able to come up with their own delivery schedule to keep the all the tanks filled?

Answer 21: See answer to question #15 above.

Question 22: Please provide more details related to the “as required” schedule that may be needed during extended electrical power outages or natural disasters. When would that schedule be provided? How long would we have to respond to it?

Answer 22: In the event of an emergency it is expected the contractor will give NASA WFF priority in providing propane and provide the fuel within four hours of being notified of the emergency.

Question 23: Can the out of gas fill up deadline be extended to (8) eight hours to allow time sufficient time for a delivery to made in case the available driver is not near to the location?

Answer 23: This is not acceptable.

Question 24: Are we able to set the account on emailed delivery tickets and bill of ladings that would be sent directly to the point of contact(s)? This is our preferred method since COVID; it also reduces eliminates environmental waste.

Answer 24: Invoices must be submitted electronically per Clause GSFC 52.232-95, Submission of Invoices for Commercial Items/Services. The delivery tickets should be submitted with the invoice.

Question 25: Delivery tickets and bills of lading will not include unit price or total price. Is this acceptable?

Answer 25: No. Per Clause GSFC 52.232-95, Submission of Invoices for Commercial Items/Services, unit price/total price must be listed on the invoice.

Question 26: Can we deliver to the smaller tanks utilizing a metered transport truck that would be able to fill all the tanks on site?

Answer 26: That is acceptable.

Question 27: For the Economic Price Adjustment, what if the pricing for any of the option years is higher than 10% of the original unit price?

Answer 27: The cap for an increase is 10%.

Question 28: For the following paragraph under the EPA section –

(f) As the actual cost of propane may fluctuate from the EPA substantiated cost, a final EPA adjustment may be necessary to reflect the final cost of propane. This adjustment shall be made at the close of each contract year and is subject to the 10% limitation set forth in paragraph (d) above. The Contractor shall submit a final analysis which compares actual EPA costs to EPA substantiated costs from paragraph (c) above within 30 days following the receipt of the final invoice for propane associated with the preceding year. The Contractor's supporting data shall include copies of purchase orders or invoices showing the actual unit cost to include base price of propane, any surcharges and total quantity of the applicable propane. The Contracting Officer will modify the contract to reflect the final EPA price adjustment.

Please explain in more detail what exactly this will mean for the contractor as I am not familiar with this review. Can an example be provided as to what this would look like for the contractor?

Could the contractor owe money back to the site at the end of each year?

Answer 28: This means that at the close of each contract year and at the end of the contract (final year), there will be a look back to see if a cost adjustment is necessary. The adjustments will be conducted per the EPA clause. Unfortunately, we do not have a sample that we can provide. If the rates decrease the Government will not ask for a refund.

Question 29: Note - For the Tank Size and Location chart – Propane tanks are only filled to 80% so technically, the total tank volumes shown are not accurate as they will never be filed to 100%. For instance, a 1000 gallon tank has a total tank volume of 800 gallons. A 500 gallon has a total tank volume of 400 gallons.

Answer 29: Agree. Tank sizes are given because the contractor will be responsible for providing in kind tanks after award. Estimated monthly delivery volumes were provided and should be used to estimate the volume of propane the contractor will provide.

Question 30: What kind of pedestal would be required for (2) 1000 gallon tanks?

Answer 30: The government will install the pedestals if needed. Amendment 2 revised the SOW to state that the government will provide the pedestals.

Question 31: When my company representative was on site for the walkthrough, they had (2) 1000 gallon tanks sitting on the ground alongside of the 2000 gallon tank. Please provide clarification on what is needed for V-055 Payload Processing Facility if (2) 1000 gallon tanks need to be set. My company rep did ask questions about this location while on site, but the individuals giving the tour were not sure.

Answer 31: At the time the IFB was drafted the tanks were not installed at this building. The tanks were recently installed as a fix to a technical issue that was occurring at the boiler. At this time the two additional tanks are not required.

Question 32: Per the site visit attendee, I learned that the usage for the (3) 60,000 gallon tanks and most of the smaller tanks is heat. In looking at Attachment C, the high-use months for the big tanks in particular, and the smaller ones to some degree, are showing as August – October.

On our end, we have to be sensitive to higher usage being in the colder winter months from Nov

– March/April from a supply perspective. Based on Attachment C, we would have no issues with the gallons listed for Aug-Oct, but I want to confirm that the numbers shown are accurately represented linked to their corresponding months. Are the gallons on Attachment C populated under the correct month headers? If yes, is this gallon history reflect of July 2023 – June 2024 or an average of multiple years?

Answer 32: The estimate is reflective of what is expected for the corresponding month header.

The estimated value is an average of multiple years.

Question 33: Will the transport driver need an escort to make each and every delivery to the (3) 60,000 gallon tanks?

Answer 33: No the transport driver will have long-term badging.

Question 34: Is there a process where badges could be issued to the transport drivers? I would assume at least two so that there is coverage.

Answer 34: See answer to question #33 above.

Question 35: If no badge, could the escort requirement be lifted in the winter months to allow for a quicker in and out turnaround time?

Answer 35: See answer to question #33 above.

Question 36: What is the average time we could anticipate for the inspection of the transport trucks getting on the property?

Answer 36: 15 minutes at the most.

Question 37: What is the average time we could anticipate for the inspection of the bobtail trucks getting on the property?

Answer 37: 15 minutes at the most.