White Paper Questions and Responses Call-3 PFAS Destruction 9Apr25.pdf

DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE

Air Force Installation contracting center.

9 Apr 25

Subject: FA8051-24-S-0001; Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) Call #3, PFAS Destruction (White Paper): Contractor Questions & Answers

The following are questions posed by the contractors in response to the Request for White Papers for BAA Call #3 and the Responses from 772 ESS/PKD and AFCEC/CXAE:

1) What is the anticipated/required GPM of the feed material to be treated?

• Answer: Preferred solutions will be high-throughput technologies.

2) Are there any size restrictions for the mobile/permanent filtration equipment on the proposed site?

• Answer: There are no size restrictions.

3) Are there any overhead hazards at the proposed site that might restrict crane use?

• Answer: No

4) Is there any access to electrical utilities at the proposed site? 3 phase 480V?

• Answer: Required power will be provided.

5) Are there any personnel facilities at the proposed site, or will portable facilities be needed?

• Answer: Personnel facilities will be provided.

6) Is there a clean water source utility at the proposed site?

• Answer: Yes

7) We respectfully request the Government consider revising Section III, Paragraph C.1 (“Foreign Participation”) of the BAA to replace the term “foreign ownership” with “foreign entities.” As a U.S.-incorporated and U.S.-operated company, we are currently excluded from participating solely due to our foreign parent company, despite our participation under prior Air Force and other federal BAAs that did not include this specific restriction. Modifying this language would continue to prohibit foreign entity and foreign national participation, while allowing U.S.-based companies like ours to submit proposals—thereby increasing competition and broadening the field of qualified offerors.

• Answer: 772 ESS/PKD will not adjust this language.

8) Is the site interested in white papers that address both solid and liquid-phase PFAS treatment combined?

• Answer: Yes

9) Will separate white papers for solid phase PFAS and liquid phase PFAS be considered?

• Answer: Yes

10) Is the site interested in addressing neat AFFF destruction?

• Answer: No. The intent is to treat diluted waste streams.

11) For ROM costs, should demonstration location be assumed for Tyndall Air Force Base?

• Answer: Yes

12) For ROM costs, is the site interested in any specific PFAS analytical methods (water, air, solids) for evaluating PFAS destruction technologies or will they rely on recommendations in the white paper?

• Answer: Recommendations within the white paper will be considered.

13) Can you explain what "emphasize scientific benefit" means? What type of projects would this BAA be awarded to? A laboratory research project, a commercial application project, or a technology ready for direct use at the Air Force site?

• Answer: We are exploring methods for both solid and/or liquids that is already at prototype maturity or more advanced.

14) When the white paper mentions "Scientific merit," what does this mean? Does it imply that the technology must be scientifically sound, or does it mean the technology should have potential for future scientific investigation or project establishment?

• Answer: Scientific merit may be interpreted as scientifically sound and supported. We are looking for a mature solution that can be demonstrated to destroy PFAS with verifiable results.

15) Under the "Basis of Award" section, one of the criteria mentioned is “Proposal Risk Assessment”. Is this assessment required only for the proposal submission, or must we include it in the white paper as well?

• Answer: Proposal Risk Assessment is a criteria that will be evaluated in the formal technical proposal.

16) We have a PFAS destruction technology. Do you have any specific PFAS problem or project that needs to be solved? If yes, we can provide a target proposal with associated cost estimate. If no, is a general cost estimate still helpful for this white paper?

• Answer: The requested proposal is for a general use case system or method.

17) What is the anticipated size of this award to the recipient, and what are the next steps and associated schedules for a technology chosen in this BAA submission?

• Answer: Please refer to the full text for Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) FA8051-24-S-0001 for all procedures, ceiling information, formatting, and templates. Ceiling information for individual calls will not be provided. Link:

https://sam.gov/opp/b57dfca74c3c43c99b476344476dfb16/view

18) Is there a limitation on the length and number of words for this white paper?

• Answer: Please refer to the full text for Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) FA8051-24-S-0001 for all procedures, ceiling information, formatting, and templates. Ceiling information for individual calls will not be provided. Link:

https://sam.gov/opp/b57dfca74c3c43c99b476344476dfb16/view

19) In BAA Number FA8051-24-S-0001/Call #3 PFAS Destruction, the Technology Requirements state under B.1. that “specific areas of interest include but are not limited to: v. Production of solid phase end products or liquid effluent with PFAS concentrations below federal/state/local limits.” The concept we are interested in proposing addresses gas-phase effluent PFAS destruction. These gas-phase PFAS compounds are equally harmful and are present in any of the facilities or operations that deal with PFAS-laden waste. Our questions is whether the development of the technology to remediate and destroy gas-phase PFAS compounds that are present in locations with PFAS-laden solids or liquids is within the scope of the PFAS Destruction BAA. Would a proposal submission to address destruction of gas-phase PFAS compounds be considered compliant with the BAA requirements?

• Answer: Yes, we would be interested in solutions for gas phase methods.

20) We are interested in knowing if there is an incumbent for this program, and if so is there a contract number?

• Answer: There is no prior program or incumbent.

21) For the purpose of getting the ROM cost estimate correct, should we budget using the DoD approved PFAS test methods, EPA 533, 537, 537.1, 1633 and DoD Quality Systems Manual Table B-15?

• Answer: Yes

22) For the purpose of identifying/quantifying the reaction products created by our PFAS Destruct System, should we ROM cost estimate / budget for the Total Organic Fluorine methods currently used by DoD, i.e., Combustion Ion Chromatography, (CIC), Adsorbable Organic Fluorine, (AOF), and Extractible Organic Fluorine, (EOF), along with the conventional inorganic methods for fluoride, sulfate, etc., where applicable, in regards to detection limits of these tests?

• Answer: Yes

23) A ceiling is mentioned in the call. Could you please let me know the ceiling for one proposed project?

• Answer: Please refer to the full text for Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) FA8051-24-S-0001 for all procedures, ceiling information, formatting, and templates. Ceiling information for individual calls will not be provided. Link:

https://sam.gov/opp/b57dfca74c3c43c99b476344476dfb16/view

24) A project duration: an estimated award date is listed in the call, but I don’t see the expected duration of the project.

• Answer: This is for industry to provide the proposed duration in their responses.

25) Submission platform: should the white paper and full proposal be submitted to your email address or a platform or portal you have?

• Answer: Proposals and white papers are to be provided to the Contracting POC identified on both the individual calls and the BAA Full Text.

26) What is your preferred page limit, font size, margin, etc. for the white paper?

• Answer: Please refer to the full text for Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) FA8051-24-S-0001 for all procedures, ceiling information, formatting, and templates. Ceiling information for individual calls will not be provided. Link:

https://sam.gov/opp/b57dfca74c3c43c99b476344476dfb16/view

• Note: The Business Section is limited to 15 Pages. "Twenty" pages is a typo on the Full Text BAA FA8051-24-S-0001 and shall be corrected in the near future.

27) Is this BAA for fundamental research?

• Answer: No. The purpose of this funding is for the transition of prototype or existing destruction methods to government applications.

28) Do you consider solid fluorinated polymers (PTFE, Viton, and others) as PFAS?

• Answer: Yes, but they are not a target for this call.

29) Are you mainly looking for a technique that is able to treat large amounts of solid or liquid which is contaminated by PFAS?

• Answer: We are exploring methods for both solid and/or liquids that is already at or easily scalable to large scale and meet the needs of the government.

30) What kind of solid and liquid is? Soil and groundwater? Or organic solvent?

• Answer: Assuming the question should read, “What kind of solid or liquid does AFCEC have interest in remediating?”, all of these would be of interest.

31) “Thermal and other methods of PFAS destruction”. Since this call is under a section “except nanotechnology and biotechnology”, do you like to see technologies that involves some kind of nanomaterials innovation and composting?

• Answer: Unfortunately, per the classification biotechnology and nanotechnology-based solutions are excluded.

32) Any template for White Paper preparation?

• Answer: Please refer to the full text for Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) FA8051-24-S-0001 for all procedures, ceiling information, formatting, and templates. Ceiling information for individual calls will not be provided. Link:

https://sam.gov/opp/b57dfca74c3c43c99b476344476dfb16/view

33) Please note: There have been many questions related to specific research or to request technical clarifications. The purpose of the BAA/CALL #3 is to review all possible research options within the PFAS Destruction topic. We are looking to industry to guide the AFCEC Readiness Directorate (AFCEC/CXA) into research that would be beneficial in our mission. Therefore, we are unable to narrow your research or discuss project objectives/alignment with the program. At this time, we also cannot enter discussions to provide more clarity of the technical aspects of the call. In the event discussions do happen, they will do so after the submittal and review of your formal technical proposals and will occur with all prospective contractors.

TOBY L CARNES

Contracting Officer