QA RFP AA-2027-01 No. 2.pdf

RFP AA-2027-01

Questions & Clarifications No. 2

1. Factor 4 refers to detailed design packages for complex electro-mechanical, scientific, or industrial power distribution equipment. Will LBNL consider detailed design packages for power distribution systems in electric vehicle and electric marine propulsion applications (high-voltage and battery distribution, enclosures, bus bars and cable harnesses) as relevant under Factor 4? If directly comparable examples are unavailable, offerors may submit the most similar past projects based on their engineering judgment. This factor will be evaluated as such.

2. What is the anticipated award date? Is there a target date for delivery of the Standard Sector rack packages ahead of the January 31, 2027 completion date? Award is anticipated ~4 weeks after proposals are due.

3. The answer to Question 8 in the 9/20 Questions and Clarifications reads "Presently, this is the intention." Please confirm whether the majority of the detailed design work may be performed at the subcontractor's facility with remote coordination, and state the number and purpose of any on-site visits LBNL expects during the design phase (for example, kickoff, PDRs and FDRs). The design engineering activities are expected to be performed primarily at the subcontractor's facility, with remote coordination with the LBNL technical team. Occasional on-site visits may be scheduled if needed to support the design activities, either by the LBNL team visiting the subcontractor's facility or by the subcontractor visiting LBNL in Berkeley. Kickoff meetings, PDRs, and FDRs may be conducted remotely.

4. Please identify the Autodesk Inventor release used for the AR packages, whether SR deliverables must be delivered into Autodesk Vault or another PDM system, and the drafting standard, title block and part numbering scheme to be applied. Inventor Professional 2025

5. SOW Section 6 requires native Inventor files for the 3D models. What tool and file format does LBNL require for the electrical diagrams and for the interconnect and cable harness drawings? Are native files required for those deliverables, or are PDF and DWG/DXF acceptable? For the 3D models, LBNL is providing Inventor files as reference material, but there is no specific requirement regarding the software to be used by the company. At the end of the project, the complete 3D model source files will be required as part of the project deliverables, regardless of the software used to create them. The same applies to the electrical diagrams, interconnect drawings, and cable harness drawings. The subcontractor may use the software and file format it is most familiar with to develop the required documentation. However, at the end of the project, the editable source/native files used to generate the final drawings will be required as part of the technical documentation package, in addition to the final PDF and DWG/DXF files.

6. Article 4 of the Sample Subcontract provides up to 200 hours of on-call support at a fully burdened hourly rate under FAR 52.232-7. If on-site support is required during fabrication, is travel reimbursable under that line, or must it be included in the hourly rate? The hours are primarily intended to cover activities such as documentation reviews and technical support, not inclusive of travel or on-site support.

7. The answer to Question 5 gives the proposal cutoff as midnight PST on October 2, 2026. The SAM.gov notice lists October 2, 2026, 5:00 PM PDT. Please confirm which governs. Responses are due midnight PST on October 2, 2026.

8. The layouts for HBS R5 (AL-1978-2068) and for the ATS and STA racks (AL-1978-2074 and AL- 1978-2077) show a 42U panel height opening. The other layouts and SOW Section 4 describe 48U racks. Please confirm the rack height for these layouts. All the racks are 48U. Some files still report "42U" at the top; this was an old internal convention used in some layouts. Basically, the 48U total opening minus the 6U required by the Heat Exchanger at the bottom (considered as an ancillary device of the empty rack) results in 42U of available space to allocate chassis and components inside the rack. If you sum all the U slots depicted in the layouts, the total is always 48U.

9. The ATS and STA layouts are dated 12/10/2023, and the Standard Sector and Hard Bend layouts are dated 3/22/2026. Please confirm that the ATS and STA layouts are current. We confirm the ATS and STA layouts are current.

10. In the Attachment A package, each cable assembly dash number has its own drawing (for example LT-EL-SR-PS-WHS-6010-01 through -08). For SR cable assemblies that differ only in length, may the design use a tabulated drawing or a cable schedule, or is one drawing per dash number required? The documentation may be streamlined, and the subcontractor may use the documentation approach it considers most appropriate. A separate drawing or unique part number is not required when the only difference between cable assemblies is the cable length. A tabulated drawing, cable schedule, separate drawings, or another equivalent approach may be used at the contractor’s discretion. However, the final documentation must remain clear and unambiguous, both for LBNL review and for the suppliers responsible for manufacturing and assembling the cables. Each cable configuration and its corresponding length must be clearly identifiable to avoid any ambiguity in interpretation, procurement, or fabrication.