Answers_to_Contractors_Questions.pdf

463L Cargo Pallet

Questions and Answers

1. Will the government allow 3 past performance contracts from Prime as well as 3 past performance contracts from the subcontractor?

Per DRAFT Section L&M ~ each offeror/joint venture partner shall address its three (3) most recent and relevant contracts. For each critical subcontractor included in the offeror's proposal, a FACTS Sheet for three (3) of their most recent and relevant contracts shall also be included.

2. Will the government entertain allowing other like products for shipping government equipment other than just 463L Pallets for relevance?

Per the DRAFT Section L&M ~ the following relevancy criteria apply for Present/Past Performance Evaluation:

In the relevancy definitions below, repair is defined as a depot level repair. Depot level repair requires the complete tear down and rebuild of the panels/pallet. The core is replaced with new core material, the rails are replaced as needed, and the skins are replaced as needed, resulting in a good as new condition with no degradation of performance. Additionally, in the relevancy definitions below, continuous flow is defined as “Manufacturing strategy that produces a final product using a variety of materials to convert the goods into outputs, which will serve as inputs for the next stage of production until the end result is reached. The strategy utilizes a physical layout with a fixed sequence of activities that minimizes materials handling and division of labor into repetitive steps with continuous flow of work."

Very Relevant: Present/Past performance effort involved essentially the same scope and magnitude of effort and complexities this solicitation requires.

Efforts shall include: Manufacturing and/or repairing similar size composite-core* or wood-core panels/pallets in a continuous flow process using a heat-curing process to adhesively bond the core to external metal skins. If the effort involved repair, repair of these panels/pallets must have consisted of a total core replacement and remanufacture using the same process as in production.

For either manufacture or repair, effort shall have involved significant testing of the pallets/panels to industry standard or equivalent.

Relevant: Present/Past performance effort involved similar scope and magnitude of effort and complexities this solicitation requires.

Efforts shall include: Manufacturing and/or repairing similar size composite-core* or wood-core panels/pallets in a continuous flow process using a heat-curing process to adhesively bond the core to external metal skins. If the effort involved repair, repair of these panels/pallets must have consisted of a partial core replacement and adhering the core to skins using the same process as in production.

Somewhat relevant: Present/past performance effort involved some of the scope and

Efforts shall include: Manufacturing and/or repairing smaller size composite-core* or wood-core panels/pallets with adhesively bonded core to external metal skins. If the effort involved repair, repair of panels/pallets consisting of a partial core replacement and adhering the core to skins.

Not relevant: Present/past performance effort involved little or none of the scope and

* Composite-core panels are defined as “adhesively bonded metal skins to metal or non-metal core”;

these include, but are not limited to, aircraft flooring panels and aircraft interior panels.

3. If a subcontractor of a prime has done repair in the past will this subcontractor be exempt from First Article Test?

Section L-409 First Article Applicability and /or Conditions for Waiver will state the first article testing is a requirement of this contract. This requirement may be waived by the Contracting Officer if the bidder/offeror meets any one of these conditions for waiver: previously furnished to prime contractor for delivery to the Air Force, previously furnished to the Air Force, or currently in production or depot level overhaul for the Air Force and in the instance of a prior contract no more than 60 months have elapsed since the completion of that contract.

4. If the incumbent or the unknown have multiple facilities where pallets will be repaired or built, will the government require a FAT at each location?

Traditionally, FAT is required at all facilities because there can be differences in production, equipment, management, etc.

5. Please define the dimension on drawing 7133042 Zone C-1. (the dimension is on the rail where the top skin mates with the rail).

0.072" is the dimension that is difficult to read.

6. Engineering Order drawing 7031843 dated 2-6-12 allows the top skin material to be

0.056 to 0.070. (low and high side of tolerance) Is it the intent of the government to allow the top skin + scrim tape and adhesive to be higher than the extrusion if the top skin is at the high end of the tolerance?

That is not the intent. At most, the skin should not rise above the rail more than about 0.003", and this would only be if the skin was at the high end of the tolerance.

7. Can you provide attachments: FACTS sheet, Sample Client Authorization Letter, Present/Past Performance Questionnaire, Transmittal Letter, and Sample Subcontractor/Teaming Partner Consent Form?

DRAFT documents listed above are provided with this Q&A.

8. Is thickwall hollow plastic dunnage specified in this contract?

Hollow plastic dunnage is not specified in the contract.

9. Will there be a Earned Value Management (EVM) Requirement associated with the 463L Air Cargo Pallet solicitation/contract?

No. Per DFARS 234.201, for Firm-Fixed-Price contracts and subcontracts of any dollar value the application of earned value management is discouraged.

10. Do we know where the Repairs and New Construction pallets will be shipped to?

The Item Manager will issue shipping instructions on each order. For planning purposes, pallets are most often shipped to New Cumberland, PA, Dover, DL, Charleston, SC, and/or Travis AFB, CA.

11. Will the requirement still be to clean to table 3 or table 4 of ASTM E864?

YES the requirement is still to clean to Table 3 or 4 of ASTM E864.

12. When will the RFP be issued?

Estimated RFP release is early November 2012.

13. Would it be possible to get a 463L pallet on bailment or loan?

If you desire to examine a pallet, contact the program office at 478-222-2303 or 478-222-1754 for the possibility of arranging a time to look at a 463L pallet at the closest AMC base. The Department of Defense does not have extra pallet inventory for distribution.

14. What percentage of the pallets repaired would get a Top skin and Bottom skin replacement?

98%

15. On Engineering Order dated 20120206 on DWG NO. 7031843, on the second to the last sentence; it appears the words were cut off. Can you verify?

The remainder of that sentence should say "...when a straight line is drawn perpendicular to any skin edge." The purpose of the statement is allowing some freedom to place the rivets in other locations on the skin/rail for repaired pallets. This is to prevent placing rivets in the same predrilled holes after a rail has been reclaimed several times.

16. Is it the intent of the government to conduct the FAT testing that requires conveyers or is it the responsibility of the contractor to locate a facility that has that capability?

Page 9 of the PWS paragraph 4.9.2 list a Transversable capabilities test (4.5.6). This test is performed with respect to MIL-DTL-27443 paragraph 4.5.6 which requires the pallet to be tested on conveyors.

In the past, our labs at Robins have conducted this test on some pallet designs. You can contact Duane Kelly (duane.kelly@robins.af.mil) and he will provide an estimate of the cost for this to be conducted here. I believe Wyle Labs and Dayton T. Brown, Inc. have performed testing on some pallet designs as well, so they could provide an estimate.

Any or all of the first article tests can be conducted by a third party, as long as the Government approves the procedures for the test, witnesses the test, and approves the report written up after the test has been conducted. This ensures the Government and Contractor's interpretation of the test is the same.

17. I understand you manage the DoD pallet program. Does that include pallets for NAVAIR, Army special ops (160th SOAR), etc - or AF only? Does all purchasing go through you?

USTRANSCOM is the designated lead for the pallet program for the DoD; the DTR assigns operational management to AMC/A4. AMC/A4 consolidates and passes requirements for all Services and DoD agencies to Robins. We manage the repair and buy contracts to support these requirements. IAW the Defense Transportation Regulation, Part VI, "pallets and nets may be authorized to, and in the custody of any Service, DOD or Federal Agency, they are Air Force property, funded and procured by AFMC."

18. Regarding the 2 RFI's that are out - why did you change the RFI? The last statement seems to leave an opening for new configurations in the future. Am I reading this correctly?

The statement in the second RFI says " The possibility of new configuration is continuing to be explored for FUTURE acquisitions." New configurations will not be considered for the current acquisition. Additionally, RFIs are only for data gathering. As we obtain more information from industry, as well as our user, our requirement becomes more defined. The information shared during an RFI is not binding on either the Government or contractors and terms, conditions, or requirements for either party are not finalized until the RFP/contract is issued.

19. In MIL-DTL-27443F paragraph 4.3.2 for samples No. 1-3 the last test states "Destruction Analysis (4.5.8) 4.5.8 is the environmental test. Is this a typographical error?

If so should this read 4.5.9 for the Destruction Analysis?

Yes, that is a typo. It should be 4.5.9. Also, in paragraph 4.4.1 where it calls out 4.5.1.1, it should be 4.5.2 instead of 4.5.1.1.

20. Would you please clarify flag note 22 on drawing 7031843. Are the three arrows on this flag note indicating where the scrim tape gets applied?

The note reads: Scrim tape impregnated with adhesive shall be applied to the bond seat area of the assembled rails prior to assembling skins -required for assembling both top and bottom skins.

Is the bond seat area the metal to metal contact between the rail and the skin or the three areas the arrows indicate?

The bond seats would be the 1" section of the rail where the top skin sits on top of the rail and the rail sits on top of the bottom skin. Refer to drawing 7133042 for a much better view of this.

The bond seats are the only 1.000" dimensions.

21. In MIL-DTL-27443F paragraph 4.3.2 it states: "The preproduction tests shall consist of all tests described under 4.5 and shall be conducted on each sample in the follow sequence:" The table then states which samples to perform what tests on, however, I do not see 4.5.6.2, 4.5.10, or 4.5.11 listed in the table under paragraph

4.3.2. Do I test ALL of 4.5 or just the items called out in the table?

Specific testing requirements will be outlined in the PWS upon solicitation of RFP. This will address all of your concerns in this area.

22. We would like to recommend that the RFP be restricted to HUBZone.

Once the acquisition process is approved, the competition requirements will be released in the synopsis on FedBizOps.

23. How are the rings and the corner brackets attached? ( rivet, screwed)

Rivets

24. Unserviceable or missing parts, ( if not available has to be replace with no additional cost) what is the minimum time frame that we can lock our price in for?

I don’t understand this question. I’m not sure what this is referencing, but it sounds like a statement that means repair costs have to fall in 1 of the 20 or so CLINs and no additional costs can be added in. A contractor places a fixed bid that is good for 5 years, and parts suppliers/subcontractors time frames are part of the contractor’s responsibility.

25. 18000 pound lift test. Pallet designed for 10,000 pound. Is there any more data available on how this test is to be conducted/accomplished?

Information on how the test is to be conducted can be found in MIL-DTL-27443.

26. What type of adhesive is required?

Cytec FM-47

27. How and from who can we receive copies of the following: - IAW FAR 52-246-11 /

T.O. 25D33-2-2-2 / MIL-DTL-27443 / TO.35D33-2-2-2 / SAE AMS-P-38336 - IAW

3.4.4.3 and 4.5.5.3 of MIL-DTL-27443 / IAW DD-DI-NDTI-80603 / CDRL A015 - Plus the standards called out in the repair manual.

MIL-DTL-27443 was posted on an earlier RFI. IAW stands for “in accordance with” and is not part of a spec name. The FAR, MIL-DTL, and DD-DI documents are public documents that can be found at the link below. The CDRLs and TO will be part of the final solicitation.

https://assist.daps.dla.mil/quicksearch/