Attachment 1 - Specifications.pdf

Specifications Project: Specialty Gas Contract for the USDA Madison Location

GENERAL INFORMATION

Purpose:

This document outlines the requirements for the rental of compressed gases and associated cylinders for use in research, laboratory, greenhouse, and field operations. The objective is to ensure a reliable supply of high-purity gases in appropriate quantities, with the necessary equipment and support services for safe and efficient use. This contract will be a firm-fixed price contract with a base plus four option years period of performance.

1. Scope of Work:

The Vendor shall provide high-quality gas cylinders, specified gases, associated equipment (if applicable), and all necessary services including delivery, pickup, maintenance, and certification, as detailed in this document.

• Rental of gas cylinders.

• Supply of specified high-purity gases.

• Delivery to designated locations.

• Pickup of empty/used cylinders.

• Cylinder maintenance and safety inspections.

• Emergency services (if required).

• Technical support.

2. Background:

The mission of the USDA-Madison Location in Wisconsin is to provide dairy, cereal, and vegetable crop industries solutions for food security, environmental sustainability, and economic viability. We build uniquely valuable, science-based research initiatives focused on improving dairy production systems, soil ecology, forage production, vegetable and cereal crop germplasm preservation, characterization, and enhancement, investigations of crop genetics, disease and pest resistance, postharvest storage physiology, abiotic stress resilience, flavor and nutritional quality. To achieve this mission, analytical instrumentation is utilized that requires specialty gases for their operation. High quality gas is critical to support our research mission. Additionally, critical equipment in the analytical lab requires constant inflow of gases to remain operational and for the life expectancy of the equipment to sustain.

The USDA research locations are at a variety of locations, including Federal facilities and University of Wisconsin research laboratories.

3. Objectives:

High quality gas is critical to support our research mission. The Contractor shall provide all specialty gases necessary, as detailed within this specification document, to accomplish the tasks and deliverables described in this document. The contractor shall make deliveries within three (3) working days after the receipt of an order by an authorized Government employee. Contractor shall deliver gases up to two (2) times/week. It is anticipated that the Government will rent the cylinders and dewars from the contractor.

4. Technical Requirements/Tasks:

Contractor shall provide all specialty gases necessary to accomplish the tasks and deliverables described in this document. The contractor shall make deliveries within three (3) working days after the receipt of an order by an authorized Government employee.

Contractor will deliver gases two (2) times/week. Government will rent the cylinders and dewars from the contractor.

Contractor will supply USDA/ARS Madison Location with the following gases at purities specified later in this document:

• Compressed gas cylinders of 23 varieties of air, argon, carbon dioxide, helium, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, and methane.

• Liquid dewars of nitrogen.

• All cylinders and dewars shall be rented from contractor.

Compressed Gases Specifications: Please see attached Spreadsheet

Liquid Dewar Specifications:

Type Pressure Size Qty Purity Nitrogen, liquid Bulk (self-fill)

High Pressure 230 psi

50L 4 dewars 99.995%

Regulatory Compliance

• All cylinders and gases must comply with applicable federal, state, and local regulations (e.g., DOT, OSHA, EPA, NFPA, CGA standards).

• Vendor must demonstrate a robust safety program.

Quality Assurance

• Vendor's quality control processes for gas filling and cylinder maintenance.

• Traceability of gas batches and cylinder history.

• Vendor's ability to provide calibration gas certifications (if applicable).

5. Government Furnished:

A loading dock and/or access to the inside dock for tank delivery, pick-up of empties.

Admission into the inside dock is restricted to authorized people. Visitors will be granted supervised access through a secure door during business hours Monday – Friday 8:00 AM-

4:00 PM CST.

6. Deliverables/Schedule:

Pick-up and delivery shall not be made on Federal Holidays or Observances of Federal Holidays. Once contract is in effect, gases and liquids shall be delivered within three (3) business days of order placement by authorized USDA personnel. A delivery ticket must accompany each order to allow for the signature of person receiving the delivery.

After delivery, each tank’s purity will be tested within the analytical equipment utilized. Based on the results of this testing, if the tank does not meet the minimum specifications, it will be subject to rejection in whole or in part.

Key Deliverables Item No.

Deliverable Objective Due

1 Specialty gases as outlined above delivered within 3 working days of order.

Consistent high-quality gases provided at the purities outlined above.

Delivery within 3 working days of order

High-Quality Gas Cylinders

• Cylinders meeting all specified safety and regulatory standards (e.g., DOT, OSHA, ISO).

• Cylinders in good working order, free from damage, and with current hydrostatic test dates.

• Appropriate valve types for the specified gases.

Specified Gases

• Gases meeting the exact purity specifications (e.g., 99.999% purity for [Gas A], medical grade for [Gas B]).

• Certificates of Analysis (COA) or Certificates of Conformance (COC) for each gas batch/cylinder, verifying purity and composition.

• Safety Data Sheets (SDS) for all supplied gases.

Delivery and Pickup Services

• Timely delivery of full cylinders.

• Timely pickup of empty cylinders.

• Proper handling and transportation of hazardous materials.

Documentation

• Rental agreements/invoices.

• Usage reports (if applicable).

• Safety documentation.

7. Travel:

N/A

8. Technical Point of Contact:

Available upon award.

9. Period of Performance:

The period of performance shall be a:

Base Year: 05-01-2026 to 04-30-2027 Option Year One: 05-01-2027 to 04-30-2028 Option Year Two: 05-01-2028 to 04-30-2029 Option Year Three: 05-01-2029 to 04-30-2030 Option Year Four: 05-01-2030 to 04-30-2031

Contractor Requirements

9.1 Compressed Gas Supply

• Provide high-purity gases suitable for laboratory and scientific use.

• Gases must meet or exceed purity specifications requested by the USDA-

ARS.

• All cylinders must be clearly labeled and color-coded in compliance with applicable regulations.

9.2 Equipment Rental/Lease

• Provide rental cylinders and liquid Dewars in good condition.

• All containers must be regularly inspected, certified, and complaint with

DOT, OSHA, and industry standards.

• Include appropriate regulators or accessories as required for specific gases.

9.3 Delivery and Pickup

• Provide routine delivery and pickup of gases and cylinders to specified locations, as indicated in section 10.

• Emergency or expedited delivery must be available with prior notice.

• Vendor must be located within 200 miles of delivery locations.

• Maintain logs of all cylinder exchanges and track usage per location.

9.4 Inventory and Management

• Maintain an updated inventory of all leased/rented cylinders.

• Provide monthly or quarterly usage and demurrage reports.

• Supports the Federal Government’s effort to reduce redundant inventory or optimize usage.

10. Places of Delivery:

• 2615 Yellowstone Drive, Marshfield WI 54449 (EIDMRU)

• 502 Walnut Street, Madison WI 53726 (CCRU)

• 1575 Linden Drive, Madison WI 53706 (VCRU 1)

• 1605 Linden Drive, Madison WI 53706 (VCRU 2)

• 1925 Linden Drive, Madison WI 53706 (DFRU & CWBURU)