Attachment 1 - Radiological Services Sections B-M Final.pdf

ATTACHMENT 1

RFP: 9531BM21R0002, Radiological Services 1

SECTION B -- SUPPLIES OR SERVICES AND PRICES

B-1 Services The contractor shall provide all supervision, personnel, and other items or services necessary to perform radiological services for the National Transportation Safety Board

(NTSB).

B-2 Prices of Services under Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) Contract The NTSB anticipates awarding one (1) IDIQ contract with individually funded firm-fixed price task orders provided in Section B for a total performance period of one (1) year.

However, the government will accept proposals with a total performance period up to five

(5) years in the form of a base year and option years. The contractor shall furnish all necessary labor and equipment to provide the services as set forth in Section C, Statement of Work (SOW). Services shall be performed at the contractor’s facility.

No future work is ordered by this IDIQ contract beyond the minimum amount of services provided in Section “B-3 Minimum/Maximum Amount of Supplies or Services” until funds are obligated through the issuance of individually funded firm fixed-price task orders.

The radiological services shall include one or more of the following services: computed tomography (CT) scans, digital radiographs, and post processing of images. The contractor shall provide radiological services through the following four processes:

1. Set Up

2. Scanning Single Slice, Volume CT and 2D Imaging

3. Scanning MVCT Single Slice, Volume CT and 2D Imaging

4. Post Processing

Required Pricing:

Set Up Pricing

Period Hourly Rate Year 1 - Base

Scanning Single Slice, Volume Computed Tomography (CT) and 2D Imaging Pricing

Scanning Megavolt Computed Tomography

(MVCT) Single Slice, Volume CT and 2D Imaging Pricing

RFP: 9531BM21R0002, Radiological Services 2

Post Processing Pricing

Optional Pricing (If proposing more than one (1) year of service):

Set Up Pricing

Option Year 1

Option Year 2

Option Year 3

Option Year 4

Scanning Single Slice, Volume Computed Tomography (CT) and 2D Imaging Pricing Period Hourly Rate Option Year 1

Option Year 2

Scanning Megavolt Computed Tomography

(MVCT) Single Slice, Volume CT and 2D Imaging Pricing

Period Hourly Rate Option Year 1

Option Year 2

Post Processing Pricing

Option Year 1

Option Year 2

B-3 Minimum/Maximum Amount of Supplies or Services

a. The minimum amount of supplies and services that shall be ordered during the total performance period of this contract is $1,500.00. The maximum amount of supplies and services that may be ordered during Year 1 (Base) is $200,000.00.

Additionally, the maximum amount of supplies and services that may be ordered during the total performance period of this contract if the contractor proposes and the government accepts option years is $200,000.00 per year not-to-exceed

RFP: 9531BM21R0002, Radiological Services 3

$1,000,000.00 for up to five (5) years of services.

b. The minimum amount is reached when the sum of the dollar amount of all ordered supplies or services equals or exceeds the minimum amount stated in paragraph (a).

c. The maximum amount is reached when the sum of the dollar amount of all ordered supplies and services equals the maximum amount stated in paragraph (a).

[END OF SECTION]

RFP: 9531BM21R0002, Radiological Services 4

SECTION C – STATEMENT OF WORK

C-1 Background The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is an independent Federal agency with the primary missions of investigating civil aviation accidents in the United States and significant accidents in the other modes of transportation -- railroad, highway, marine and pipeline -- and issuing safety recommendations aimed at preventing future accidents.

As part of the NTSB’s accident and incident investigations, the NTSB requires various radiological services in order to fully characterize the condition of accident components.

The radiological services shall include one or more of the following services: computed tomography scans, digital radiographs, and post processing of images. These services are uniquely able to document the interior configuration of a component without requiring disassembly.

The purpose of this contract is to enable the NTSB to procure timely test results regarding the condition of investigation related components through the use of radiological services.

C-2 Scope of Work The NTSB requires radiological services in order to document the interior configuration of accident components without disassembling the components. Once a task has been identified, the NTSB requires the contractor to complete the work as quickly as possible

– generally within one to three weeks.

The NTSB will use its best efforts to provide the contractor with information on the size of the components, the materials makeup of the components, and any hazards associated with the components prior to the scanning activity. For reference only, the sizes of components that the NTSB has needed to be scanned in the past have ranged from approximately 10 millimeters (mm) to 200 mm in diameter and 25 mm to 300 mm in length. The components have consisted of both single material and mixed material (composite, aluminum, steel, stainless steel) components as well as electrical circuit type components. Specific component size and type of material are difficult to predict and may be larger than has occurred in the past, because they are ultimately determined by the types of accidents that occur during the contract period.

The NTSB requires a range of radiographic equipment be available to conduct this work.

Past experience has shown that having multiple x-ray sources and/or detector elements available greatly increases the opportunity to produce useful images. The NTSB sometimes requires that scans of a given component be completed on two or more types of radiographic equipment to get all of the required information. These equipment types range from micro-focus computed tomography (CT) equipment with a relatively low x-ray source strength (up to approximately 225 kV) to high energy CT equipment with a relatively high x-ray source strength (approximately 1 MeV or more). The NTSB requires that the contractor have CT equipment available that provides images using a range of x-ray source strengths from at least 225 kV to 1 MeV. The NTSB strongly prefers to have the various types of radiographic equipment be located at one physical location (within one building, if possible) to minimize the potential for damage to samples during transportation between machines.

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Since the components to be scanned within the contract period are unknown and the scanning protocols will likely need to be developed for each component, the NTSB requires that the contractor be able to produce test CT images of various areas within a component prior to scanning the full component. The test images will ensure that the developed protocols will be adequate for scanning the component.

NTSB will activate radiological services by issuing individual firm fixed-price task orders relating to one or more of the Task Areas listed below:

1. Task Area 1 – Computed Tomography (CT) Scan of Component. The contractor shall discuss the proposed scanning protocol with the NTSB prior to the scan, and the NTSB’s concurrence with the proposed scanning protocol is required before scanning the complete component. In general, test CT scanning images using the proposed protocol shall be generated at several locations within a component prior to scanning the complete component. The contractor shall produce a CT scan, or volume CT scan, or MVCT scan of the component that shows the entire region of interest, as designated by the NTSB. For some components, after the initial CT scanning work has been accomplished, the NTSB may request additional scans of a specific region of interest within a component (generally, the new region of interest will be a specific sub-region within a component). In these cases, the contractor shall develop a scanning protocol that will allow for scanning the sub-region (using increased geometric magnification) while the remainder of the component rotates into and out of the scanning field of view while providing the best quality images of the new region of interest. CT scan images shall be produced with the smallest slice thickness and highest level of resolution possible (consistent with producing the best possible images), unless otherwise directed by the NTSB. The images should be free of artifacts. The contractor shall supply all parts and labor required to mount the component as required to be scanned in their equipment. Any unique mounting fixtures created for use on NTSB tasks shall be sent to the NTSB for storage and possible future use at the end of each task.

The contractor shall provide a data set of images showing the results of the scans in a format acceptable to the NTSB (generally, the images will be in a TIFF format suitable for loading into Volume Graphics VGStudio Max software). The images shall only contain the scan data – no contractor logos, scanning equipment manufacturer logos or other markings will be allowed. After all of the scanning work for a component or group of components has been completed, the contractor shall facilitate the shipping of the components to an address provided by the NTSB.

The shipping costs will be charged to an NTSB shipping services provider account number provided by the NTSB.

2. Task Area 2 – Digital Radiograph (DR) of Component. The contractor shall produce a DR of the component that shows the entire part or region of interest, as designated by the NTSB. The DR image shall be produced with the highest level of resolution possible, unless otherwise directed by the NTSB. The contractor shall supply all parts and labor required to mount the component as required to be scanned in their equipment. Any unique mounting fixtures created for use on NTSB tasks shall be sent to the NTSB for storage and possible future use at the end of each task. The contractor shall provide the DR images in a format acceptable to the NTSB (generally, the images will be in a TIFF format). The images shall only contain the DR data – no contractor logos, scanning equipment manufacturer

RFP: 9531BM21R0002, Radiological Services 6 logos or other markings will be allowed.

3. Task Area 3 – Post Processing of Images. Post processing of images may or may not be required for each item to be scanned as determined by the NTSB. The contractor, upon direction from the NTSB, shall provide re-processed images showing zoomed areas, multi-planar reconstructed images, or other images as may be applicable.

The contractor shall provide radiological services for the 3 task areas above through the following four processes:

1. Set Up

2. Scanning Single Slice, Volume CT and 2D Imaging

3. Scanning MVCT Single Slice and 2D Imaging

4. Post Processing

Setup includes mounting the part on the turntable (no special fixturing requiring machine shop time), basic calibrations (offset, gain, centered central ray and/or asymmetric central ray, and/or possible material scan), and initial test images at various locations to determine image quality.

Scanning Single Slice, Volume CT and 2D Imaging and Scanning MVCT Single Slice and 2D Imaging includes the actual time on the machine in the x-ray beam acquiring data and reconstructing images.

Post Processing includes reprocessing of volume CT images and MVCT images to change slice thickness, scale and offset, or to adjust other configurable parameters. It also includes any detailed analysis such as wall thickness analysis, defect (porosity) analysis, coordinate measurements, nominal to actual comparisons or other intensive flaw detection and analysis processes performed in VG StudioMax or other software including detailed image analysis reports outside the normal task order final reports.

C-3 Standards The contractor shall conduct all tasks on equipment that is maintained and calibrated on a schedule that is in accordance with best industry practices for radiological equipment.

The safety procedures in place for all operations using this equipment shall comply with existing state and federal laws and guidelines governing radiological equipment. The images produced in response to these tasks shall be of sufficient quality to be usable to the NTSB for the purpose stated in this SOW, and they must be of sufficient quality to be usable as both single slice images and as part of a 3-D reconstructed image (for example, the CT slices and volumes must all align properly during reconstruction). The quality of these images must be present regardless of the type of CT process used to generate the images (i.e. single slice methods or volume CT). The contractor shall provide the NTSB with annual standardized test results that demonstrate the capabilities of the equipment used in the performance of this contract. When requested by the NTSB, the contractor shall report and explain variations in these annual test results that by industry standards would be significant. The test procedures used shall be drawn from a recognized source (such as the American Society for Testing and Materials [ASTM]). The contractor shall provide the NTSB with the test procedures used to compile the values/curves. In general, RFP: 9531BM21R0002, Radiological Services 7 the contractor is expected to have an image quality monitoring program in place. If so, the results of the latest image quality testing conducted for that program may be used to satisfy this requirement, with NTSB concurrence. In the absence of such a program, the annual standardized tests are as follows:

1. Modulation Transfer Function (MTF) curve. A curve showing the MTF values as a function of spatial frequency. Spatial frequency should be given in line pairs (lp) per mm.

2. Limiting resolution for the equipment. This is defined as the resolution available at an MTF value of 10%, given in lp/mm.

3. Noise Level. The noise value is expressed as either a percentage or as a standard deviation value (or both). The noise value is computed using scan parameters likely to be used in this project. These parameters include a slice thickness of 0.1 mm (or less) and power settings appropriate for both high-density materials and low-density materials. The region of interest used for the noise level determinations must include any image artifacts present.

4. Contrast Detail Diagram. A curve showing the minimum diameter of an object that can be resolved as a function of the difference in (delta) CT value.

5. Image Linearity Curve. A curve showing the variation of CT number as a function of linear attenuation.

C-4 Deliverables

1. Task Area 1 – CT Scan of Component. Deliverables include:

a. The contractor shall provide a data set of images showing the results of the scans in a format acceptable to the NTSB (generally, the images will be in a TIFF format suitable for loading into Volume Graphics VGStudio Max software). The images shall only contain the scan data – no contractor logos, scanning equipment manufacturer logos or other markings will be allowed. The images and field of view information sufficient to determine pixel sizes in the images shall be provided immediately after the end of the scanning activities, unless otherwise directed by the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR). Development of the mounting (if needed) will be determined in each task order.

2. Task Area 2 – DR of Component. Deliverables include:

a. DR images, in a TIFF format (unless otherwise directed by the NTSB). The images shall only contain the scan data – no contractor logos, scanning equipment manufacturer logos or other markings will be allowed. The images shall be provided immediately after the end of the scanning activities, unless otherwise directed by the COR.

b. Development of the mounting (if needed) to be determined in each task order.

3. Task Area 3 – Post-Processing of Images. Deliverables include:

a. Post-processing images provided (in a TIFF format unless otherwise directed by the NTSB) within fourteen (14) calendar days of the date the

RFP: 9531BM21R0002, Radiological Services 8 contractor was notified by the NTSB of the need for post-processing. The post-processed images shall be accompanied by documentation, which is sufficient to explain what post-processing operations were applied to the original scanned images.

4. Image Delivery. All images from Task Areas 1-3 must be provided to the COR in any of the following methods:

a. From the contractor’s File Transfer Protocol (FTP) website, or,

b. Through other means as agreed to by NTSB.

In general, the image delivery methods should allow for the NTSB to download the images within one day of the scanning activities, if not faster.

5. Progress Reports. During performance of the work as described in this SOW, the contractor shall furnish one (1) copy of a progress report to the COR and one (1) copy to the Contract Administrator on or before 30 calendar days after the end of the scanning activity. This progress report shall contain the following:

a. Information that sufficiently meets the requirements of the contract and documents the configuration of the equipment and the protocols used to produce the scans. The information shall include items such as the x-ray source power used, x-ray focal spot size, detector used, integration time, number of views, image pixel size, field of view size, slice thickness, total length scanned, and number of slices.

b. Description of tasks initiated for the scanning period (including the dates when the scanning for each task was accomplished), status of current tasks, and tasks completed.

c. A status of delivery and acceptance of all contract deliverables of the scanning period.

d. A summary of costs for the scanning period and cumulative cost summary for all task orders issued during the contract year.

6. Ad-Hoc Reports. The contractor shall complete tasks in a thorough and acceptable manner in timeframes provided by the NTSB. Some of these tasks may require summary reports or other types of deliverables. Content, formats, and due dates for these types of deliverables will be determined by the NTSB in each task order.

The contractor shall deliver one (1) copy of the Ad-Hoc Reports to the COR in the timeframes specified by the COR.

7. Annual Standardized Test Results. The contractor shall provide results of the tests on or before July 1 of each year of the contract.

C-5 Period of Performance The period of performance shall be for one (1) base year of 12 months. The government is amendable to accepting up to four (4) 12-month option years. The anticipated date

Year 1 (Base) - March 10, 2021 through March 9, 2022

RFP: 9531BM21R0002, Radiological Services 9

Optional Years (If proposing more than one (1) year of service):

Option Year 1 - March 10, 2022 through March 9, 2023 Option Year 2 - March 10, 2023 through March 9, 2024 Option Year 3 - March 10, 2024 through March 9, 2025 Option Year 4 - March 10, 2025 through March 9, 2026

Clause 52.217-9 Option to Extend Term of Contract is only applicable to the subsequent contract if the contractor proposes and the government accepts option years.

C-6 NTSB Presence During Scanning Activities Unless otherwise determined by the COR, the COR or an NTSB representative will be present either in person or through a virtual connection as services described in this SOW are being performed. Therefore, scheduling of the radiological service date and time shall be coordinated with the COR. The COR will determine the necessity of NTSB’s presence (either in person or virtually) during the performance of each task order.

Sometimes, the presence by the NTSB may not be required during every scanning activity. In the instances where the COR determines that NTSB presence is not required, the COR will provide instruction to the contractor regarding the specific requirements of the scanning activity consistent with this SOW.

C-7 Virtual Connection A virtual connection between the COR and the contractor is highly desirable but not required. If the NTSB is not physically present during the scanning activity, the COR may utilize a virtual connection during the required work. The connection should be capable of displaying the scan images to the COR as the initial scans are being conducted as well as the scan images that are being gathered during the completion of the task.

C-8 Government Furnished Property and Information The NTSB will provide the components to be scanned, and the NTSB will use its best efforts to provide information on the size of the components, the materials makeup of the components, and any hazards associated with the components prior to the scanning activity. The contractor shall promptly return all components to the NTSB after the required services are complete unless the NTSB requires the components to be stored at the contractor’s facility.

C-9 Contractor Furnished Property The contractor shall furnish all supplies and equipment to perform the services required.

C-10 Place of Performance The services to be provided under this contract shall be performed at the contractor’s facility.

C-11 Other General Requirements

1. Priority of NTSB Requirements. The NTSB may identify a task order as urgent and require the contractor to begin work within 72 hours of notification of the requirement.

See Section “G-1 Task Order Procedures” for additional information.

2. Travel. The NTSB will deliver the components for the radiological services and any other Government-furnished property to the contractor. The NTSB will be responsible for the arrangements and cost of shipping the components to and from the contractor’s

RFP: 9531BM21R0002, Radiological Services 10 facility. Travel shall not be authorized by the contractor because the services to be provided shall be accomplished at the contractor’s facility.

3. Security Requirements. All parts supplied to the contractor for scanning shall be secured in its facility by a means acceptable to the NTSB. This may include storing parts in a locked room, office, or other means determined by the NTSB to be acceptable.

4. Access to Sensitive Information. Because work under this contract may involve access to sensitive information, the contractor shall provide training to any contractor employee authorized access to sensitive information and, upon request of the Government, provide information as to an individual’s suitability to have such authorization. Contractor employees found by the Government to be unsuitable or whose employment is deemed contrary to the public interest or inconsistent with the best interest of national security may be removed from performing work under this particular requirement when requested by the Contracting Officer.

The contractor and any of its subcontractors in performance of this contract, may also have need for access to and use of various types of data and information in the possession of the Government which the Government obtained under conditions which restrict the Government’s right to use and disclose the data and information, or which may be of such a nature that its dissemination or use other than in the performance of this contract, would be adverse to the interests of the Government or other parties. Therefore, the contractor and its subcontractors agree to abide by any restrictive use conditions on such data and not to:

1. Knowingly disclose such data and information to others without written authorization from the Contracting Officer, unless the Government has made the data and information available to the public; and

2. Use for any purpose other than the performance of this contract that data which bears a restrictive marking or legend.

In the event the work required to be performed under this contract requires access to proprietary data of other companies, the contractor shall obtain agreements from such other companies for such use unless such data is provided or made available to the contractor by the Government. Two copies of such company-to-company agreements shall be furnished promptly to the Contracting Officer for information only. These agreements shall prescribe the scope of authorized use or disclosure, and other terms and conditions to be agreed upon between the parties. It is agreed by the contractor that any such data, whether obtained by the contractor pursuant to the aforesaid agreement or from the Government shall be protected from unauthorized use or disclosure to any individual, corporation, or organization so long as it remains proprietary.

The contractor shall be capable of conducting work required by this contract when the parts are subject to International Traffic in Arms Restrictions (ITAR), Export Administration Regulations (EAR), or other export controls. The restrictions required under these provisions could include (but are not limited to), protection against unauthorized access to or viewing of a component as well as protection against unauthorized disclosure of the resultant scanned images. The NTSB will alert the

RFP: 9531BM21R0002, Radiological Services 11 contractor when a specific part requires ITAR/EAR protection and will include the specific nature of the protections that must be observed.

The contractor agrees to hold the Government harmless and indemnify the Government as to any cost/loss resulting from the unauthorized use or disclosure of third-party data or software by the contractor, its employees, subcontractors, or agents.

The contractor agrees to include the substance of all requirements in this clause concerning required training and protection of sensitive information in all subcontracts awarded under this contract. The Contracting Officer will consider case-by-case exceptions from this requirement for individual subcontracts in the event that (1) the contractor considers the application of the prohibitions of this clause to be inappropriate and unnecessary in the case of a particular subcontractor; (2) the subcontractor provides a written statement affirming absolute unwillingness to perform absent some relief from the substance of this prohibition; (3) use of an alternate subcontract source would reasonably detract from the quality of effort; and (4) the contractor provides the Contracting Officer timely written notices of these and any other extenuating circumstances.

Except as the Contracting Officer specifically authorizes in writing, upon completion of all work under this contract, the contractor shall return all such data and information obtained from the Government, including all copies, modifications, adaptations, or combinations thereof, to the Contracting Officer. Data obtained from another company shall be disposed of in accordance with the contractor’s agreement with that company, or, if the agreement makes no provision for disposition, shall be returned to the company. The contractor shall further certify in writing to the Contracting Officer that all copies, modifications, adaptations or combinations of such data or information that cannot reasonably be returned to the Contracting Officer (or to a company), have been deleted from the contractor’s (and any subcontractor’s) records and destroyed.

These restrictions do not limit the contractor’s (or subcontractor’s) right to use and disclose any data and information obtained from another source without restriction.

As used herein, the term “data” has the meaning as set forth in Federal Acquisition Regulations, clause 52.227-14 entitled “Rights In Data – General” and includes, but is not limited to, computer software, as also defined in clause FAR 52.227-14.

5. Non-Disclosure Agreement. All contractor personnel and subcontractor personnel directly involved in the performance of the required services of this contract shall execute a NTSB Non-Disclosure Agreement within fourteen (14) calendar days of contract award and that provisions subject to non-disclosure to protect information remain in effect two (2) years from termination or expiration of the contract. Contractor personnel and subcontractor personnel who have not signed the NTSB Non- Disclosure Statement may not work on this program.

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SECTION D -- PACKAGING AND MARKING

D-1 Marking All information submitted to the Contracting Officer or Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) shall clearly indicate the contract number for which the information is being submitted.

D-2 Packaging and Shipping Instructions The contractor shall deliver all images:

a. From the contractor’s File Transfer Protocol (FTP) website, or

b. Through other means as agreed to by NTSB.

In general, the image delivery methods should allow for the NTSB to download the images within one day of the scanning activities, if not faster. If compact disks, DVD, or other formats as specified by the NTSB are used, the disks shall be shipped by means other than the U.S. Postal Service to avoid irradiation problems. The NTSB will provide the contractor with shipping account number if shipping is required.

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SECTION E -- INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

E-1 Inspection and Acceptance Inspection and acceptance of all work and deliverables required under this contract shall be performed by the COR as identified in Section G of this contract. The COR will inspect the images produced for each task order and acceptance will be based on the following factors:

1. Resolution (spatial and contrast) of the image;

2. Ability to successfully construct and analyze a 3-D image based on the delivered slice images;

3. Level of image artifacts;

4. Range of images covering the region of interest of the component at the agreed upon slice thickness;

5. Formation of files that are imported into the NTSB’s analysis software programs;

6. Field of view information provided that allows determination of image pixel size;

7. Other criteria as specified in the task order.

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SECTION G -- CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION DATA

G-1 Task Order Procedures Future funds expended beyond the minimum amount of services provided in Section “B-3 Minimum/Maximum Amount of Supplies or Services” under this contract shall be incurred and accounted for under individual firm fixed-price task orders. The contractor shall incur costs under this contract in the performance of task orders and task order modifications issued in accordance with this ordering procedure. No other costs are authorized without the expressed written consent of the Contracting Officer

(CO).

The contractor shall only begin work of a deliverable after it has received a task order from the CO. Once a task order has been issued, the NTSB requires the contractor to complete the work as quickly as possible – generally within one to three weeks.

Task order procedures are as follows:

1. Work will be conducted by the contractor on an as-needed basis, within the scope of the contract and at the rates set forth in this contract.

2. The COR shall contact the contractor to request a quote for radiological services.

3. The contractor shall provide a quote to the COR and CO based on the part size, its composition, region of interest, the number of hours required to perform set up, scanning using single slice, Volume CT and/or 2D imaging techniques, and/or MVCT single slice and 2D imaging, and post processing.

4. The quote shall include an estimate of the number of hours required to perform the radiological services required. The number of hours estimated to perform the work in the task order shall be based on technical consultations between the contractor and the COR.

5. At the discretion of the NTSB, the task order may be awarded with more hour(s) than estimated on the quote. These additional hour(s) will give the COR the flexibility to order additional set up, scanning time, or post processing time without having to stop work and modify or issue a new task order if during the course of performance it is required by the NTSB.

6. The NTSB shall only be billed for the actual hours incurred in the performance of work of each task order.

7. The exact nature and extent of the contractor’s work under this contract will be based on a written task order issued by the CO. Each task order will include at a minimum the following:

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a. Contract number and task order number

b. Description of the work required

c. Radiological Services category(s) for cost determination

d. Delivery/ performance schedule

e. Task order firm fixed-price hourly rate

f. Estimate of number of hours required for the task order

g. Total Not-To-Exceed (NTE) Amount of task order

h. Any other pertinent information

i. Name and contact information of the COR

j. CO signature

8. Should the contractor determine that the task order cost will exceed the task order firm-fixed price set forth in the task order, the contractor shall notify the COR and the Contract Administrator immediately. The contractor’s cost incurred shall not exceed the total firm fixed-price specified in each task order.

9. If the NTSB designates a task order as urgent, (i.e. the NTSB requires the contractor to begin work within 72 hours of notification of the requirement) the contractor may receive authorization to begin work immediately expending up to $3,500, pending final approval of the task order. The CO is the only individual who can authorize the work.

10. Once issued, a task order may be modified in the same manner with which it was issued. The contractor shall incur costs under this contract in the performance of task orders and task order modifications issued in accordance with this ordering procedure.

11. No other costs are authorized without the express written consent of the

CO.

G-2 Authorized Ordering Officials The authorized personnel for activating services for this requirement are NTSB Contacting Officers to include but not limited to:

Janice R. McCoy, NTSB Contracting Officer

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SECTION H -- SPECIAL CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS

H-1 Proprietary Rights The Parties agree that there will be no source or object code developed within the scope of this contract for the NTSB. Because the NTSB is not purchasing a system from the contractor for its own use, the contractor shall retain all proprietary rights in source code and object code for the scanning system software. Regarding the copyrights to the data acquired from the services, provided by the contractor, the contractor will relinquish all copyrights in the output data generated from the services provided to NTSB by the contractor.

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SECTION J – ATTACHMENTS

J-1 Prices of Computed Tomography (CT) Scans for Sample Task Orders For evaluation purposes only, the NTSB has provided a quantity of Computed Tomography (CT) Scans required in a sample task order for Year 1 (Base) of the contract. For evaluation purposes only, the contractor shall provide the fully burdened price to provide 10 hours of CT scans (including image reconstruction time) for a sample task order during Year 1 (Base).

Option Year Evaluation Only Price will be evaluated by adding together the base year price and all option year prices. The quantity of hours for the option years in the tables below are for evaluation purposes only.

Price will be evaluated but not scored. The actual quantity of hours required during the performance period of the contract will be determined in specific task order(s). In addition to completing the six (6) tables below and the Contract Pricing Form in Section J-2, the contractor shall submit completed solicitation Sections A and K as stated in Section L-5 Part III – Price with the contractor’s price proposal.

Required:

SAMPLE TASK ORDER 1 – YEAR 1 (BASE) PRICE FOR CT SCANS

FOR EVALUATION PURPOSES ONLY

Quantity Unit of Issue Price Per Hour Total Price

10 Hourly

Optional:

SAMPLE TASK ORDER 2 – OPTION YEAR 1 PRICE FOR CT SCANS

Quantity Unit of Issue Price Per Hour Total Price

SAMPLE TASK ORDER 3 – OPTION YEAR 2 PRICE FOR CT SCANS

Quantity Unit of Issue Price Per Hour Total Price

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SAMPLE TASK ORDER 4 – OPTION YEAR 3 PRICE FOR CT SCANS

FOR EVALUATION PURPOSES ONLY

Quantity Unit of Issue Price Per Hour Total Price

SAMPLE TASK ORDER 5 – OPTION YEAR 4 PRICE FOR CT SCANS

Quantity Unit of Issue Price Per Slice Total Price

TOTAL PRICE FOR SAMPLE TASK ORDERS 1 – 5

OF CT SCANS

Description Total Price

Total Base Year Price

Total Option Year 1 Price

Total Option Year 2 Price

Total Option Year 3 Price

Total Option Year 4 Price

Total Price (Base Year + Option Years 1-4)

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J-2 Contract Pricing Form The table below summarizes the fully burdened prices of CT Scans, Volume CT Scans, Digital Radiographs, and Post Processing of Images for each contract period that shall be completed by each contractor. The actual quantity of images and post-processed images will depend on each specific task order.

In addition to completing the Contract Pricing Form below and the Prices Of Computed Tomography (CT) Scans For Sample Task Orders in Section J-1, the contractor shall submit completed solicitation Sections A, and K as stated in Section L-5 Part III – Price. Prices below will be evaluated but not scored. Contractors are required to provided pricing for Year 1 (Base) at a minimum.

Required:

FULLY BURDENED PRICES OF CT SCANS, VOLUME CT SCANS, DIGITAL

RADIOGRAPHS, AND POST PROCESSING OF IMAGES

Task Area 1

CT Scan Price Per Hour

Task Area 1 Volume CT

Scan Price Per Hour

Task Area 2 Digital

Radiograph Price Per Hour

Task Area 3 Post

Processing of Images

Price Per Hour

Year 1 Base

Optional:

FULLY BURDENED PRICES OF CT SCANS, VOLUME CT SCANS, DIGITAL

RADIOGRAPHS, AND POST PROCESSING OF IMAGES

Task Area 1

CT Scan Price Per Hour

Task Area 1 Volume CT

Scan Price Per Hour

Task Area 2 Digital

Radiograph Price Per Hour

Task Area 3 Post

Processing of Images

Price Per Hour

Option Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Year 4

RFP: 9531BM21R0002, Radiological Services 20

SECTION L – PROPOSAL INSTRUCTIONS

L-1 General Information The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) solicits your proposal for radiological services. This Request for Proposal (RFP) will result in the award of one

(1) Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract with firm fixed-price task orders for one (1) year of service. Contractors are not required to propose option years; however, the government will accept proposals with a base year and option years not to exceed four (4) option years.

L-2 Notice and Instruction to Offerors Offerors are required to meet all the requirements of the RFP, including but not limited to instructions, conditions/notices, and requirements in the Statement of Work (SOW). Offerors must above all, show that, if selected for award, they will be able to provide high quality radiological services in accordance with the SOW. Proposals should address each factor(s)/sub factor(s) as described below. Responses that merely repeat the requirements in the SOW or give only assurances without detailing how the contractor can perform the requirements may not be considered as being responsive to the requirements of this RFP. Proposals that fail to address the essential requirements of this RFP or are unreasonable in terms of technical content, schedule commitment, or cost/price will be deemed to have an inherent lack of technical competence or indicative of a failure to comprehend the requirements, or the complexity and risks associated with the requirements. The Government may reject any proposal that is so lacking in competence or in understanding the requirements that without a major reformation of the proposal it is not adequate for evaluation purposes. Alternate/conditional proposals may result in a proposal being rejected as non-responsive. The Government reserves the right to award without discussions. Offerors are cautioned that they must submit a best offer with the initial proposal. To receive an award, a contractor must be determined to be responsible.

In responding to this RFP, contractors shall submit a proposal in three (3) separate parts: Technical, Past Performance, and Price.

1. Part I – Technical Proposal: Include all information requested under “L-3 Part I Technical Proposal”. Exclude any references to price.

2. Part II – Past Performance Information: Include all information requested under “L-4 Part II Past Performance”.

3. Part III – Cost/Price Proposal: Include all information requested under “L-5 Part III Price, as well as completed solicitation Sections A, J, and K.

RFP: 9531BM21R0002, Radiological Services 21

L-3 Part I Technical Proposal The Technical Proposal shall include the following factors and sub-factors:

1. Executive Summary An Executive Summary of the contractor’s proposal is required. This summary will not be evaluated separately but will be used by evaluators to understand the overall proposal contents. Therefore, the information contained in the summary is important. It should identify and highlight significant features of the proposal and include the salient points contained in the various parts. Each contractor should include a General Information section in the Executive Summary that addresses the following: company name, company address, company taxpayer identification number (TIN), Dun and Bradstreet number, and CAGE code.

2. Factor 1 – Technical Approach

This section describes the contractor’s overall understanding of the requirements. A contractor’s technical approach describes the degree to which the contractor’s technical capability satisfies all the requirements in the SOW and demonstrates that the contractor has a clear understanding and knowledge of the SOW requirements and how to achieve them in a logical, feasible, and technically effective manner. This portion of the proposal includes the following sub-factors:

a. Sub-factor 1 – Scan Methodology. The contractor shall describe their methodology in producing scans of mixed material parts that minimize rings, streaks, and other artifacts by describing specialized reconstruction algorithms and describing examples of past success using these methods.

Discuss any work that the contractor is conducting that is anticipated to produce improved image quality. If a contractor proposes using a variety of CT machines (for example, micro-focus vs. standard focus), detectors, or CT image generation processes (for example single slice vs. volume CT), describe the contractor’s experience with the use of these items and describe under what criteria would each item be recommended for use.

b. Sub-factor 2 – Equipment Capabilities and Quality Measures. The NTSB requires that all tasks are conducted on equipment (e.g. X-ray tube and detector) that is maintained and calibrated on a schedule that is in accordance with best industry practices for radiological equipment, using standard quality measures. In general, the contractor is expected to have an image quality monitoring program in place. If so, the results of the latest image quality testing conducted for that program may be used to satisfy the following requirements, with NTSB concurrence. In the absence of such a program, the contractor must demonstrate the following:

i) Scan Conditions/Tests: The contractor shall provide the exact scan conditions for each value/curve presented in the proposal and the

RFP: 9531BM21R0002, Radiological Services 22 details of test phantoms used in these tests. The test procedures used shall be drawn from a recognized source (such as the ASTM).

The contractor shall also provide the test procedures used to compile the values/curves. If more than one piece of equipment is proposed, there should be test results corresponding to each piece presented in the proposal.

ii) Quality Measures: For each piece of proposed equipment, the contractor shall show the following:

a) Modulation Transfer Function (MTF) curve. A curve showing the MTF values as a function of spatial frequency. Spatial frequency should be given in line pairs (lp) per mm.

b) Limiting resolution for the equipment. This is defined as the resolution available at an MTF value of 10%, given in lp/mm.

c) Noise Level. Noise value is expressed as either a percentage or as a standard deviation value (or both). The noise value is computed using scan parameters likely to be used in this project. These parameters include a slice thickness of 0.1 mm (or less) and power settings appropriate for both high-density materials and low-density materials.

The region of interest used for the noise level determinations must include any image artifacts present.

d) Contrast Detail Diagram. A curve showing the minimum diameter of an object that can be resolved as a function of the difference in (delta) Computed Tomography (CT) value.

e) Image Linearity Curve. A curve showing the variation of CT number as a function of linear attenuation.

iii) Available Equipment: Contractor shall have an array of machines available for use ranging from microfocus (approximately 225 kv) up to high energy machines (approximately 1 MeV). The contractor shall provide a detailed description of the equipment to be used through the duration of the requirement.

c. Sub-factor 3 – CT Scan Resolution and Generation Techniques. The contractor must provide a minimum of ten (10) to a maximum of forty (40) sample images that illustrate the following:

i) High resolution CT scans of parts made from dissimilar metals (one slice from each example scan will be adequate);

RFP: 9531BM21R0002, Radiological Services 23

ii) High resolution CT scans of parts made from a composite or plastic material (one slice from each example scan will be adequate);

iii) Example stack(s) of images that can be loaded into VG Studio Max software. If the contractor is proposing to use both single slice CT and volume CT image generation techniques, then image stacks using both techniques shall be submitted. In addition, for the image stack generated using volume CT, the image stack shall be generated using at least two volume “wedges”, and the image stack shall be composed of a continuous stack of images from both “wedges”.

For submitted samples, the contractor should include information on the scan parameters used (focal spot size, detector type, detector materials, detector pixel pitch, kV, mA, etc.) to produce the images. The NTSB may request additional samples for evaluation purposes as determined by the NTSB.

These samples shall be provided

a. From the contractor’s File Transfer Protocol (FTP) website, or,

b. Through other means as agreed to by NTSB.

Samples shall not be returned to the contractor.

In addition, after the evaluation of samples, the NTSB reserves the right to perform a site visit to a contractor’s facility. The purpose of the site visit is to further evaluate the contractor’s process for conducting CT scans. At this site visit, the NTSB may, at the NTSB’s discretion, provide a sample component to the contractor. The contractor will be required to perform a series of CT scans of the component as described in the SOW. The region of interest to be scanned on the component will be approximately 22 mm long.

3. Factor 2– Qualifications of Personnel The contractor must effectively demonstrate the knowledge, understanding, and technical ability to successfully perform the requirements of the SOW through proposed Key Personnel and Other Personnel’s qualifications and relevant experience.

a. Sub-factor 1 - Key Personnel. Each resume shall indicate educational background, recent experience, and specific knowledge and technical accomplishments required by each task in the SOW. Certify that the information on each key personnel submitted is true and complete, and that the individuals named are available for assignment the date the contract is effective. For all key personnel who are not currently members of the contractor’s staff, an original letter of commitment and agreement to serve as planned is required to be submitted with your proposal. The letter

RFP: 9531BM21R0002, Radiological Services 24 must cite this solicitation number. A resume does not meet this requirement.

b. Sub-factor 2 - Non-Key Personnel. Proposals must include information for proposed non-key personnel. Information must include Names and position to be occupied, education, past experience, awards, skills, and training Recent projects/tasks on which the individual has worked by specific dates.

Part I Technical Proposal is limited to 15 pages and no more than 40 samples, excluding Factor 2 – Qualifications of Personnel.

L-4 Part II – Past Performance Proposal

Factor 3 – Past Performance Questionnaire The past performance proposal shall consist of completed past performance questionnaires from no less than three (3) past clients with whom it has done business during the past three (3) years who have used its services for projects that are similar in size, scope and complexity to this effort. Offerors shall ask their references to complete the Past Performance Questionnaire (Attachment 3) and submit it directly to Janice R. McCoy via email at janice.mccoy@ntsb.gov or via fax: (571) 366-9651. It is the contractor’s responsibility to ensure that Past Performance Questionnaires are completed timely and submitted by customer references, and that correct names, addresses and phone numbers are provided in the responses for each reference. A contractor will not be penalized in the evaluation with an unfavorable rating for the failure of its past performance references to complete and submit the Past Performance Questionnaires. The Government may use other references/information available to the Government to verify past performance.

There is no limit on the number of pages for Part II Past Performance.

L-5 Part III – Price Proposal

Factor 4 – Price Offerors shall complete Section “J-1 Prices of Computed Tomography (CT) Scans for Sample Task Orders”. The contractor shall provide the fully burdened price per hour to provide 10 hours of CT scans for a sample task order during the Year 1 (Base), and each option year of the contract as specified in Section J-1 if…