Questions and Answers_FA558725Q0070_Tanks_30Sept25.docx
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- Solicitation number
- FA558725Q0070_Tanks
About this file
The file is a Questions and Answers document for a federal contract opportunity (Solicitation Number FA558725Q0070_Tanks) for Storage Tank Management, Inspection, and Repair Services at RAF Lakenheath, RAF Feltwell, and RAF Mildenhall. The contract is an Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) type solicitation issued by the 48th Contracting Squadron, covering fuel storage tank services including oversight, inspection, testing, and minor repairs. Key details from the Q&A include clarifications on tank inspection requirements, certification standards, repair responsibilities, and operational specifics such as monthly and annual tank inspections primarily at RAF Mildenhall, with potential future expansion to other bases.
The document addresses numerous technical and procedural questions from potential offerors, including tank inspection frequencies, repair cost thresholds, personnel qualifications, and emergency response protocols. Notable points include: certification requirements of OFTEC or STI-SP001 for tank inspectors, minor repairs under $2,500 requiring COR approval, reporting requirements for tank conditions, and operational hours flexible around fuel delivery schedules. The government anticipates approximately 1,500 fuel deliveries annually, totaling around three million US gallons across the three bases, with services focused on maintaining optimal fuel storage tank operations and ensuring uninterrupted fuel supply.
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| 1. | Can you share how many people currently are assigned to the contract to escort the fuel trucks? |
| a. | This is a performance-based contract, and it is expected that offerors quote based on their understanding of the requirement. The Government cannot disclose the number of incumbent employees used to escort fuel deliveries as this may disclose proprietary incumbent information. The Government can provide incumbent vendor contact information to assist with the TUPE process should your company be awarded this requirement. |
| 2. | Can you tell me if the vehicles are company, personal or DOD vehicles? |
| a. | The DoD does not provide vehicles for this requirement. |
| 3. | Can you confirm there will not be an extension? |
| a. | The Government is not considering an extension at this time, however, if the issues with access to the pricing workbook persist past the end of this week an extension to the solicitation will be considered. |
| 4. | Can you confirm there will be no site visits after 9/19? |
| a. | There will be no site visit after 9/19. |
| 5. | We are currently coordinating internal availability and would like to kindly ask whether there is any flexibility to submit our attendee information slightly beyond the stated deadline of Monday, 15 September 2025 at 1600 BST. |
| a. | The Government is willing to extend the deadline and will post an amendment to the solicitation showing the site visit response deadline being moved to Wednesday, 17 Sept 2025 at 16:00 BST. |
| 6. | I am unable to access the Attachment 2 – Tanks Pricing Workbook that is posted on SAM.gov. Can the Government provide a version that is accessible? |
| a. | The Government is currently working on a resolution to external access to the pricing workbook. An update/resolution will be provided as soon as possible. |
| 7. | Is a monthly and annual inspection of the storage tanks required under this contract? |
| a. | Yes, monthly (PWS section 1.3.3.1) and annual inspections (PWS section 1.3.4) of the fuel storage tanks is required under this contract. |
| 8. | Do repairs of the tanks fall under this contract or is that a separate contract? |
| a. | Yes, minor tank repairs fall under this contract. Examples of such repairs are identified in the PWS section 1.3.6. |
| 9. | Does the contractor present the government with a list of repairs required as per the inspection report which would then be funded separately? |
| a. | Yes, it is expected that the contractor presents the government with a list of recommended repairs based on what is identified during routine tank gauging, monthly inspections, and annual inspections. The repairs identified would be funded through a separate contract line item. |
| 10. | In the PWS section 1.4.1 Personnel Qualifications, it mentions a PE and STI inspector. Does the government require both or just the STI certified tank inspector? A PE is typically not required for tank inspections. |
| a. | The certification required for the inspectors of the tanks will be Oil Firing Technical Association Certification (OFTEC) or Steel Tank Institute Specification 001 (STI-SP001) certification. If any work/inspections/decisions under the contract require signing off by a licensed engineer then the need for a Mechanical Engineer, or Professional Engineer (PE) license from any state within the United States or UK equivalent accredited by the Engineering Council is required. |
| 11. | PWS Section 7: Can the Government confirm whether Monthly tank inspections (CLIN0004) are required across each of RAF Mildenhall, RAF Lakenheath and RAF Feltwell? The table in Appendix A currently states ‘No’ against monthly inspection requirements for Lakenheath and Feltwell and indicates that only Annual Inspections are required – contrary to the pricing schedule. |
| a. | This award will be an Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) type contract which guarantees a minimum order amount and a maximum. At the moment, monthly and annual tank inspections are only required for RAF Mildenhall. Monthly and Annual Inspections may be needed for RAF Lakenheath and Feltwell at a later time, depending on their needs and will need to be priced. Section 7 provides an estimated maximum quantity for the overall IDIQ as we will need all types of services provided priced. |
| 12. | PWS Section 7 & Section 1.2.2: Can the government check and confirm the proposed allowance for monthly inspections (CLIN0004, 1700 units) and annual inspections (CLIN0005, 146 units) at RAF Lakenheath / Feltwell as these don’t appear to align with the Tank inventory provided. |
| a. | Currently, RAF Lakenheath and Feltwell don’t require monthly inspections and annual inspections of their tanks. This award will be an IDIQ as their need may change in the future and additional tanks will be added to the inventory list. The Tank Inventory is what is currently being utilized. Section 7 is the estimated maximum total for the overall IDIQ. |
| 13. | PWS Section 1.2.2 (Tank Inventory): No fire suppression tanks are highlighted in this section of the PWS for RAF Lakenheath or Feltwell, but the details Tank Inventory provided in Appendix A suggests that the 199 RAFL tanks includes a range of fire suppression, generator, JP8 and PAS GEN tanks. Can this be checked for completeness? | |
| a. | PWS and Appendix have been updated to align. |
| 14. | Appendix A: Fire suppression tanks, JP-8 tanks, Turbine Oil, Motor Oil and Pas Gen are currently listed for fuel level monitoring, refuelling and annual inspections. Do the Government expect these to be refuelled as part of the contract? Typically fire suppression tanks are not readily accessible (some known to be located at high level, with no delivery areas) for refueling via the fuel tankers delivering Derv/Heating Oil to the bases. In addition, can the Government confirm that all tanks included in the proposed requirement can be safely accessed without any ‘working at height’ restrictions or specialist safety equipment? |
| a. | Appendix A has been updated to remove the tanks in question. The fire suppression, JP8, Turbine Oil, Motor Oil, and PAS GEN have been removed from Appendix A. The Government will provide an answer regarding “working at height” as soon as possible. |
| 15. | Can the Government confirm that the contractor is also expected to be available outside the hours of 0700-1600 when fuel deliveries are made earlier in the morning? We understand fuel deliveries are commonly made at 0600 across all bases currently. |
| a. | 0700-1600 is what is considered the normal duty hours for the base, however, deviation outside these hours may be required to ensure timely completion of work. Please refer to PWS section 4.3.2 for Hours of Operation information. |
16. Can the Government confirm that it is the contractor’s responsibility to determine the frequency of fuel tank gauging required to ensure continuous operation, and that the contractor must decide how much heating fuel is required to be ordered to maintain fuel levels? Is it possible that the number of units for the Tank Gauging CLIN can be edited in contractors’ offers?
a. Yes, it is the contractor’s responsibility to determine the frequency of tank gauging. Ultimately, the goal is for tanks to have adequate fuel supply as to not have a disruption.
b. The number of units on the pricing worksheet represent an estimated maximum quantity. Our expectation is that vendors propose a price based on this estimated maximum amount.
17. Please can the government clarify PWS item 1.3.6. Is the contractor expected to carry out repair works costing less than $2,500 without COR approval? How is it proposed that the fees for such activities, that cannot be predicted in advance (no. units presented as ‘TBD’), are included within this otherwise fixed price tender submission?
a. The purpose of this CLIN is to address minor repair works that are identified during inspection but necessary to return the tank to a satisfactory operating condition. These deficiencies will be communicated to the COR on a regular basis through monthly inspection and annual inspection. The COR may authorize work against this repair CLIN if work is identified to be less than $2500 but will need CO approval if works are expected to exceed this amount. These Government will evaluate the labor and material costs proposed for these repairs as fair and reasonable. The Government will set a Not to Exceed amount for this CLIN based on Government estimated works.
18. Is it envisaged that tank repair works exceeding $2,500 would be managed through contract modifications following COR approval, and therefore not require budgeting for as part of this tender?
a. This line item amount will be estimated by the Government. While not every repair will require a contract modification if we have a need to adjust increase/decrease the repair CLIN value or obligations this would require a contract modification.
19. Can the PWS be any more specific around the contractors’ responsibilities in the event of a loss of containment / fuel spill during supervised refueling by third parties? Will the contractor need to be prepared for initial emergency response / containment and reporting / escalation in the case of an incident?
a. Each installation operates a response plan but there may be slight deviations between the sites. Our mission partner has explained that initial containment responsibility will fall on the party that caused the spill. The base Fire Department would be notified immediately as they provide first response to any spill emergencies. Additionally, the respective site Civil Engineer Environmental Office would need to be notified.
20. Will the expected reporting for RAF Mildenhall include monthly reports on where standing water has been observed to be presented within tank farm bunds?
a. On the Tank Inspection Checklist ST SP001 Monthly Inspection Checklist template provided in the Combined Appendices, Item No. 12 asks, “Is the containment (diking/impound) free of excess liquid, debris, cracks, corrosion, erosion, fire hazards, and other integrity issues?” It would be expected to report excess standing water observed during monthly inspections.
21. Regarding the routine annual tank inspection tasks, will the required frequency/scheduling of these tasks be driven by the previous dates of execution?
a. Section 1.3.4.1 of the PWS states, “This can be scheduled with the COR on a rolling basis throughout the year or by area.” The vendor can work with the COR to determine an appropriate schedule, which could include scheduling inspections based off the previous dates of execution.
22. For tasks not on the intervals requested (monthly and annual) listed in UFC-460-03 App E Checklist, will any of these be required and who is responsible for performing?
a. The scope of this requirement only includes the monthly and annual intervals of the UFC-460-03. Inspection or maintenance requirements beyond this requirement will be decided by the respective Civil Engineer squadron and be executed externally to this contracted effort.
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