Clean PWPS-Mobile RFI_.docx

RFI_PWPS-MFY25_001

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

PLATOON WATER PURIFICATION SYSTEM-MOBILE (PWPS-M)

General Information

This Request for Information (RFI) initiates market research under Federal Acquisition Regulation Part 10.002(b)(2)(iii). This is not a Request for Proposals. No final solicitation documents exist at this time. This RFI does not constitute a commitment, implied or otherwise, that the Government will take procurement action in this matter. The Government will not be responsible for any cost incurred in furnishing this information.

Description:

Product Manager, Engineer Systems, Marine Corps Systems Command (MARCORSYSCOM) is conducting market research for the potential sources of a Platoon Water Purification System-Mobile (PWPS-M) as a replacement to current Portable Water Purification System (PWPS).

The PWPS is extensively utilized for platoon water purification support within the Fleet Marine Forces. This system currently comprises two Pelican cases: one housing the purification unit capable of processing 15 gallons of water per hour, and the other containing Stock List-3 (SL-3) equipment. The PWPS is designed to meet the water needs of a platoon-sized unit.

We envision the PWPS-M to enhance mobility by consolidating the system into a single Pelican case or equivalent ruggedized, hard-sided, impact resistant polymer transit case. Our goal is to create a more compact design that allows one Marine to easily transport, lift, and operate the system independently. The PWPS will be capable of providing potable water from fresh, brackish, and saltwater sources to support platoon operations.

Potential offerors, with the ability to meet the requirements listed below, are requested to provide information on their solution as a Microsoft Word Document or Portable Document Format (PDF) File in memorandum format.

The minimum acceptable performance threshold requirements are indicated with the word “shall” throughout the text. Objective capabilities that are objective rather than mandatory capabilities are noted using the words “desired” or “desirable.”

Key Performance Parameters (KPP) are defined as: The minimum attribute or characteristic considered most essential for an effective military capability; a performance attribute of a system considered critical or essential to the development of an effective military capability.

Key System Attributes (KSA) are defined as: A performance attribute of a system considered important to achieving a balanced solution/approach to a system, but not critical enough to be designated as a KPP.

Additional Performance Attributes (APA) are defined as: A performance attribute of a system not important enough to be considered a KPP or KSA, but still appropriate to include in the Capability Development Document (CDD).

The system must meet the following characteristics:

1. Potable Water Quality and Production.

1.1 Water Quality Standards. Water produced by the PWPS-M shall meet the short-term water quality standard in table 4-2 of TBMED 577.

1.2 Source Water Temperature. The PWPS-M shall be operable and create potable water with source waters at a temperature range of 32 degrees Fahrenheit (ºF) to 100ºF.

1.3 Source Water Turbidity. The PWPS-M shall be operable and create potable water from water sources with turbidity levels up to 50 Nephelometric Turbidity Unit (NTU).

1.4 Desalination. The PWPS-M shall be able to draw and produce potable water from brackish and saltwater sources. The system shall be able to desalinate water with a salinity of up to 40,000 parts per million (ppm). It is a desired capability that the PWPS-M desalinate water with a salinity of up to 45,000 ppm.

2. Flow Rate and Production.

2.1 Seawater Sources. To support the daily requirement of up to 45 personnel, the PWPS-M shall produce potable water at a threshold rate of 15 gallons per hour (gal/hr) and objective of 35 gal/hr from water source of 40,000 mg/L total dissolved solids (TDS) with source water temperature at 60 ºF. It is desirable for the PWPS-M to produce potable water at a minimum rate of 35 gal/hr from a water source of 45,000 mg/L TDS with a source water of 39.2 ºF.

2.2 Freshwater Sources. Fresh water is defined in TBMED 577 as untreated water in or taken from a natural water source such as a lake, stream, river, spring or well that has a TDS concentration of less than 1,500 mg/L. The PWPS-M shall produce potable water as defined in section 1.1 at a minimum rate of 20 gal/hr from fresh water sources of 1000 mg/L TDS. It is a desired capability for the PWPS-M to produce potable water as defined in section 1.1 at a flow rate of 61 gal/hr from freshwater sources of 1500 mg/L TDS.

3. Water Quality Assurance.

3.1 Water Quality Check. The PWPS-M shall include test equipment to test for the following: pH, TDS, turbidity, chlorine, arsenic, and cyanide.

3.2 Operation Time Meter. The PWPS-M shall have a meter that indicates to the operator the number of hours the unit has been operated. Meter shall be non-resettable, so users can determine system life and maintenance intervals.

3.3 Monitoring Instrumentation. The PWPS-M shall include an accessible and readable monitoring instrumentation that can be viewed inside the case. The monitoring instrumentation shall measure product water flowrate. If the system utilizes reverse osmosis (RO), it shall include instrumentation to measure RO feed pressure and inlet/outlet pressures on pretreatment.

4. Intake, Pump Head, Discharge, and Hoses.

4.1 Intake. The PWPS-M shall be capable of drawing water from any water source, including those characterized by loose sand and rocky coasts. The PWPS-M intake suction lift capability shall be according to the pump head requirements in section 4.2. The system shall provide a means to remove sand, silt, seaweed, algae and other larger material contained in the raw water (e.g., floating inlet strainer or submersible pump).

4.2 Pump Head. The PWPS-M shall be able to draw from a water source 15 feet (ft.) vertically, and 15 ft. vertically over a linear distance of 50 ft. It is desired that the PWPS-M be able to draw from a water source 25 ft. vertically, and 25 ft. vertically over a linear distance of 100 ft.

4.3 Waste Discharge. The PWPS-M shall be capable of discharging waste flows at least 15 ft. away from the PWPS-M setup site.

4.4 Hose Connectors. To prevent contamination, the PWPS-M product distribution hose shall not be interchangeable with the waste discharge hose.

5. Manual Portability.

5.1 Carrying Case. The PWPS-M and all its components shall fit into two cases. It is desired for the PWPS-M and all its components to fit into one case. Should the PWPS-M utilize two cases, it must still be compact and lightweight but meet overall weight requirement (see section 5.3).

5.2 Case Characteristics. Case offered with the PWPS-M shall be lockable, ruggedized, include lifting handles (that are non-protruding when not in use), have non-corrosive exterior, and shall be equipped with durable wheels to enable movement across both improved and unimproved terrain with obstacle six (6) inches in height. Cases shall also meet the decontamination requirements as described in section 7.6.

5.3 Weight Restriction. Full case (PWPS-M in storage configuration) shall weigh no more than 80 pounds (lbs.). Storage configuration is defined as the PWPS-M and all its SL-3 components inside the case(s).

5.4 Size Restriction. The overall outer dimensions of the PWPS-M case shall have a footprint no larger than 50 inches in length, 30 inches in width and 30 inches in height. The entire system in storage configuration shall be able to fit and be transported by the Ultra-Light Tactical Vehicle. See section 9 for other Transportability requirements.

6. Power Requirements.

6.1 Input Power. The PWPS-M shall operate using 24VDC not to exceed 30 amps or 800Whrs as the primary power source. Power quality shall meet standards established in MIL-STD-1275 and MIL-STD-1332B. As guidance, it is desired the PWPS-M follow proper grounding practices as cited in MIL-HNBK-419 and MIL-HNBK-1857.

6.2 Seawater Sources. The PWPS-M shall not require more than 700W to power the entire system when operating on seawater sources. It is a desired capability for the PWPS-M to use only 400W.

6.3 Freshwater Sources. The PWPS-M shall not require more than 455W to power the entire system when operating on freshwater sources. It is a desired capability for the PWPS-M to use only 100W.

6.4 AC Power. Electrical power connectors shall be single phase 96 VAC-264 VAC not to exceed 20 amps using a NEMA 5-15P to IEC-320-C13 cord.

6.5 Sources of Power. PWPS-M shall operate off 24 VDC not to exceed 30 amps or 800Whrs.

7. Materials and Workmanship.

7.1 Approved Materials for Potable Water Use. All chemicals that come in contact with the raw water or product water shall conform to ANSI and NSF Standards 14, 60, and 61 (except any Ion Exchange chemicals, if necessary). All materials that come in contact with the raw water or product water shall conform to CFR Title 21, Parts 173-189 or ANSI and NSF Standards 14, 60, and 61.

7.2 Corrosion Resistant Materials. The PWPS-M and all its components shall be resistant to corrosion, moisture, fungus, and oxidation which affect its performance levels or life expectancy. The PWPS-M shall be capable of operating to specified performance standards in various climates when exposed to the elements or following long-term unprotected, outside, or shipboard storage. Use of corrosion resistant materials shall also be maximized for all internal water purification components for use on both freshwater and seawater (or 45,000 ppm if meeting the desired requirement) sources. In a military environment, corrosion resistance preventative maintenance shall be limited to routine cleaning, washing, flushing, spot painting, periodic inspection, spot corrosion inhibitor application, and repair of accidental or incidental damage.

7.3 Design and Materials. Selection of materials, processes, and parts utilized in design and construction of the unit shall meet best commercial practices. Materials shall be of uniform quality and condition, free from any defects that may adversely affect appearance, strength, endurance, wear resistance, and/or serviceability. When dissimilar metals are in contact with each other, they shall be suitably protected against electrolytic corrosion in accordance with MIL-STD-889.

7.4 Environmental Compliance. Design and construction of the PWPS-M shall be in compliance with applicable Federal, State, and local environmental laws and regulations. Use of hazardous and environmentally unacceptable materials shall be eliminated or reduced to an acceptable compliance level.

7.5 Treatment and Painting. Desert Tan 686A, Color Number 33446 or Green 383, Color Number 34094 from SAE AMS-STD-595 shall be the exterior topcoat color. Within the PWPS-M frame, non-metallic parts, along with items that would hinder the maintenance of the PWPS-M if painted (i.e., bolts, nuts, washers, clamps) are not required to be painted.

7.6 Chemical Biological Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Survivability. The PWPS-M will not be used in a CBRN environment, however, the system in storage configuration, shall be hardened against the effects of CBRN contamination and the decontamination processes. The PWPS-M while in storage configuration, shall be able to be decontaminated to negligible risk levels as defined in AR 70-75 Survivability of Army Personnel and Materiel. Appropriate decontamination agents are Decontaminating Solution No. 2 (MIL-D-50030), Super Tropical Bleach (MIL-DTL-12468) and Detergent, general purpose, liquid (MIL-D-16791, Type 1).

8 Environmental Conditions.

8.1 Transit Drop. The PWPS-M (in storage configuration) shall withstand a drop on each corner in accordance with MIL-STD-810H Method 516.8 Procedure IV. The drop test will ensure the PWPS-M is capable to withstand the shocks normally induced by loading and unloading.

8.2 Operating Air Temperature. The PWPS-M shall be capable of being setup, maintained, and operated under air conditions at 32°F to 120°F at sea level. The PWPS-M shall operate at air conditions of 35°F to 95°F at 5,000 feet. It is desirable that this system can operate at higher altitude.

8.3 Storage Temperature. The PWPS-M (in storage configuration) shall withstand storage and transport requirements described in section 10 at air conditions of -30ºF to 160ºF. The PWPS-M shall be able to be purged of all water to be placed in long term storage.

8.4 Blowing Sand and Dust. The PWPS-M shall withstand and operate to the following blowing sand and blowing dust conditions: sand and dust particle concentration of up to 1,400 milligrams per cubic meter (mg/m3) for particle sizes less than 1,000 micrometers in diameter with the bulk of the particles ranging in size from 74 to 350 micrometers; with a steady wind speed of 73 feet per second (fps) and gusts up to 95 fps at a height of 10 feet above ground level.

8.5 Blowing Rain. The PWPS-M shall withstand and operate in blowing rain conditions at 5 inches of rain per hour impinging on the set at angles from the vertical up to 45 degrees. Rainfall shall be at a minimum rate of 5 in/hr with droplets ranging from 0.5 to 4.5 mm in diameter and wind speed of 40 mph (64 km/h) with a minimum duration of 2 hours, 30 minutes per face.

8.6 Icing/Freezing Rain. The PWPS-M shall withstand the accumulations of ice glaze, freezing rain and frost of up to 0.5 inches. The PWPS-M shall be able to be purged of all water in an operational environment to prevent damage during freezing conditions.

8.7 Altitude. The PWPS-M shall be able to withstand and be operable at altitudes up to 5,000 ft. It is desirable that this system can operate at higher altitude.

8.8 Solar Radiation. The PWPS-M shall be to withstand and be operable in solar radiation of 355 British thermal units per square foot (BTU/sq. ft.) per hour.

8.9 Humidity. The PWPS-M shall be able to withstand 3% to 95% relative humidity conditions.

8.10 Salt Fog. The PWPS-M shall be able to withstand a salt fog or sea spray environment.

9 Transportability.

9.1 Transportability Requirements. The PWPS-M (in storage configuration) shall be capable of being transported by strategic or tactical air and land assets; and sea via naval, maritime pre-positioning force (MPF) or commercial shipping as defined in this section below. Transportation requirements are established in the following: MIL-STD-1366E, MIL-HDBK-1791(2), MIL-STD-913A, MIL-STD-705C, Technical Manual (TM) 740.3, and Military Traffic Management Command Transportation Engineering Agency (MTMCTEA) Pamphlet (PAM) 55-19.

9.2 Surface. The PWPS-M shall be able to be transported without damage when on common rail carrier, commercial truck, and tactical vehicles.

9.3 Tactical and Strategic Aircraft. The PWPS-M shall be internally transportable by CH-53E, MV-22, C-130, C-17, and C-5 aircraft.

9.4 Ship. The PWPS-M shall be transportable by U.S. Navy amphibious assault ships, landing craft and landing craft air cushion (LCAC), MPF, and commercial shipping.

10 Logistics and Readiness Requirements.

10.1 Set Up, Tear Down, and Operating Requirements. The PWPS-M shall be able to be set up by one operator and be ready to produce potable water within 30 minutes. Set up time includes time required to unpack, performing all pre-operation checks and services, establishing initial settings, making all mechanical and electrical connections. It is a desired capability for the PWPS-M to take no longer than 10 minutes for setup. Following system set up, routine system operation shall be performed by one operator. Preparing the PWPS-M for recovery to another site by one operator shall take no longer than 20 minutes from the time of notification.

10.2 SL-3 Components. The PWPS-M shall include SL-3 items (i.e., tools, spares) required to operate, support or perform all crew operational and preventative maintenance tasks to support 300 hours of operation.

10.3 Tools. The PWPS-M shall be supportable by the standard military supply and maintenance system. At the unit level, the PWPS-M shall be maintained with common tools and tools in the standard general mechanics tool kit. All tools required for normal operations and routine operator procedures shall be included in the tool storage.

10.4 Spares Parts Kit. A spare parts and consumable kit shall be provided with the unit with spare parts needed to support 300 hours of operation.

11. Reliability, Maintainability, Availability & Mean Time to Repair

11.1 Reliability. PWPS-M shall have a reliability of 300 continuous hours Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF) with a confidence level of 80% when operated 10 hours per day for 30 days.

11.2 Maintainability. PWPS-M shall be designed to permit maintenance and repairs by military personnel utilizing general purpose tools with minimum training requirements. Maintenance for the water purification unit shall not require any special tools to perform the maintenance.

11.3 Intrinsic Availability. The PWPS-M shall maintain an average operational availability rate of 83%. It is desired that the PWPS-M maintain an average operational availability rate of 92%.

11.4 Mean Time to Repair. PWPS-M shall be reparable with a Mean Time to Repair (MTTR) for operator/crew of 60 minutes and for field level maintainers of two hours. It is desirable for the MTTR for operator/crew to be 30 minutes and for field level maintainers to take one hour.

12 Manpower, Personnel and Training.

12.1 Manpower. Following site establishment and system set-up the PWPS-M shall not require more than one Basic Water Support Technicians Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) 1171 to operate and monitor the system during continuous operations.

12.2 Personnel. The PWPS-M shall be operated by a Marine with the Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) 1171, Water Support Technicians or a Test Facility employee.

12.3 Training. PWPS-M training shall take no more than three (3) hours, it is desired that it takes 90 minutes or less. The training shall include system capabilities/characteristics, water quality checks (as defined in section 1.1), set-up procedures, start-up and monitoring, shutdown (standard and emergency), and safety.

13 Human Factors.

13.1 Human Performance and Human Factors Engineering (HFE) Requirements. The contractor shall ensure Human Factors Engineering (HFE) considerations are an integral part of the engineering and design considerations in the PWPS-M. Additional guidance on HFE design considerations in this area may be obtained from MIL-STD-1472. Several HFE functional areas of particular concern include general requirements, control and display integration, visual displays, controls, labeling, anthropometry, design for maintainer, operational ground and shipboard vehicles, hazards and safety, and user-control interface. Spacing of electrical connectors shall meet requirements for an ungloved hand in MIL STD 1472. Human Factors Engineering requirements shall include provisions for effective man-machine interface and preclude any PWPS-M characteristics requiring extensive cognitive, physical, or sensory skills; complex manpower or training intensive tasks; or which result in frequent or critical human performance errors during operation, maintenance, or deployment of the system.

13.2 Human Systems Integration. The PWPS-M shall be operable by the 5th percentile female to the 95th percentile male in the full range of Marine Corps clothing, including cold-weather clothing.

14 Safety.

14.1 Health and Safety. The PWPS-M shall be safe to operate, transport, maintain, and store. A fail-safe design shall be provided for all aspects of the PWPS-M that may result in damage to equipment or injury to personnel. Examples of fail-safe design features include vacuum breakers, pressure relief devices, rupture discs, and high/low pressure switches. Safety and the elimination of Health Hazards shall be given major consideration during the engineering and design process. Hazards which expose personnel or equipment to injury or damage shall be eliminated or controlled. The PWPS-M shall not pose any uncontrolled health or safety hazards to service members. Exposed parts and contact surfaces which are subject to high operating temperatures (defined as 140°F for momentary contact and 120°F for prolonged contact) shall be shielded. Moving or rotating parts hazardous to personnel shall be enclosed or guarded. Warning and cautionary placards shall be affixed to equipment at a prominent location adjacent to identified hazards (e.g., vent outlets, pressure relief outlets, high voltage, heat, toxic vapors, explosion, or radiation). Instructions, training, and TMs shall include clear warnings where appropriate. Protective devices shall not impair operating or maintenance functions. Gauges, warning lights, and control indicators shall use commercially accepted or military standard (reference only MIL-STD-1472, Section 5) safety conventions.

14.2 Hazardous Materials. Use of hazardous materials shall be eliminated where possible. Where alternative materials are not feasible or practical, the variety and quantity of materials and their effects shall be minimized and isolated. Hazardous materials are defined as anything whose chemical, physical, or biological nature causes a safety, public health, or environmental concern that requires an elevated level of effort to manage. Materials that are flammable, corrosive, toxic, carcinogens or suspected carcinogens, systemic poisons, asphyxiants, or respiratory irritants will not be used except as part of the purification process where required.

It is desirable that the PWPS-M does not require the use of chemicals designated as hazardous materials by the U.S. Department of Transportation. The chemicals used by the PWPS-M shall be commercially transportable by land, sea and air for use in and outside the continental United States. Chemicals shall be packaged in accordance with accepted commercial safety practice and environmental regulations. Procedures for adding, mixing, measuring, handling, storage, and disposal of such chemicals shall include detailed safety precautions to ensure minimum exposure, handling, or spillage. Such procedures shall include any cleaning chemical waste disposal, brine disposal, and contaminated filters.

14.3 Noise Limits. Steady state noise levels produced by the PWPS-S shall not exceed 65 decibels (dB). Single hearing protection shall not be required for the system to operate.

15 Service Life

15.1 Service Life. Based on a usage of two 30-day field operations a year, the PWPS-M shall have a seven year Expected Useful Life (EUL) to maximize the return on investment. The PWPS-M shall not require anything above field level maintenance during this seven-year EUL.

The Marine Corps is estimated to procure 300 systems. The contract is expected to be a 5-year Firm Fixed Price (FFP) Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract. As part of the RFP, the Government will be requesting sample systems for evaluation to assist in the selection process.

REQUEST FOR WRITTEN RESPONSES: No industry day is planned. Responses from interested vendors must submit their Microsoft Word document(s) or PDF Document as an attachment via email to CONTRACT SPECIALIST corinne.beadle.civ@usmc.mil no later than XX April 2025, 10:00am Eastern Time Zone, for consideration.

In addition to illustrating the ability to meet the performance requirements, the following questions must also be answered within this RFI:

1. As of the posting of this RFI, are a minimum of two (2) production samples available for evaluation that meet all the requirements of this effort? If not, provide an estimate as of the posting of this RFI on when production samples can be made available.

2. Is the item currently available in the commercial market IAW Federal Acquisition Regulations Subpart 2.101? Is it or will it be available on GSA Schedule?

3. If a commercial item exists, but does not fully meet the above requirements, provide an estimate on when an item would be available to meet the above requirements?

4. Provide an estimated monthly production rate.

5. What is the estimated cost per system? Please provide a cost breakdown to support large quantity purchases.

6. Provide data that your organization qualifies as a Small Business Administration (SBA) 8(a) Program, Historically Underutilized Business Zones (HUBZone) program, Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Businesses, Small Disadvantaged Businesses, Small Business, or participant of the Government Ability One Program as defined by the Small Business Administration if applicable. If so, identify the status.

Cover Page of RFI response should include the following:

1. Business Name

2. Business Size/type

3. Cage Code

4. Point of Contact Name

5. Business Address

6. Phone Number

7. Email Address

Responses received after the suspense date and time, will not be entertained. Telephonic response will not be entertained.

THE SUBMISSION OF THIS INFORMATION IS FOR PLANNING PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED AS A COMMITMENT BY THE GOVERNMENT TO PROCURE ANY ITEMS/SERVICES, NOR FOR THE GOVERNMENT TO PAY FOR THE INFORMATION RECEIVED. NO SOLICITATION DOCUMENT EXISTS AT THIS TIME.

TB MED 577/NAVMED P-5010-10/AFMAN 48-138_IP

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