FA9101-20-Q-0026 Final answers to RFI.2.docx

FA9101-20-Q-0026 ANSWER TO RFI:

RFI-3/13/2020

The single wall construction and minimum of 300 cubic feet of volume will work best with a 60” OD shell. The vessel will have hemispherical heads and the overall length will remain the same as the original.

The original vessel is shown as 58.715” OD.

Will your existing cradle accept this size or should I include support legs?

· The vessel’s means of support shall be designed by the contractor

· The government is lifting the requirement for the vessel to fit in the existing support structure/cradle.

· The supplied self-supporting vessel shall be capable of being mounted on the existing concrete foundation found on drawing VCT1619.01

· The contractor shall provide a self-supporting vessel and shall not deliver a vessel for use in conjunction with the existing cradle/ support structure

· This causes 3.9 in the statement of work to be reworded to “The vessel shall have hemispherical heads and be self-supporting within the footprint of the existing foundation as shown in drawing VCT01619.01.” Ignore the sketch (SKU6479) in the original statement of work- refer to drawing VCT1619.01.

RFI- 3/16/2020, 1:07pm Reference provided statement of work 15027-20-001A, Specification section 3-10. Vessel will be designed to be suitable for wind and seismic loads per ASCE-7.

If Vendors are reading the request for quote and provided sketches correctly, the "vessel support structure" shown on Appendix A sketch IS NOT supplied or designed by the vessel fabricator. Please confirm.

· The vessel’s means of support shall be designed by the contractor

· The government is lifting the requirement for the vessel to fit in the existing support structure/cradle.

· The supplied self-supporting vessel shall be capable of being mounted on the existing concrete foundation found on drawing VCT1619.01

· The contractor shall provide a self-supporting vessel and shall not deliver a vessel for use in conjunction with the existing cradle/ support structure

· This causes 3.9 in the statement of work to be reworded to “The vessel shall have hemispherical heads and be self-supporting within the footprint of the existing foundation as shown in drawing VCT01619.01.” Ignore the sketch (SKU6479) in the original statement of work- refer to drawing VCT1619.01.

If the above statement is correct, then the vessel fabricator should not be required to provide or perform wind and/or seismic calculations. Please confirm.

· The contractor shall provide wind and seismic calculations in accordance with the statement of work- 3.10.

See previous comment pertaining to existing cradle RFI-3/16/2020, 2:39pm

· Per 3.3, Type HB LWN flange connections- Are the connections acceptable?

· The Vessel and Nozzels shall comply with the construction guidelines outlined in ASME Section VIII Div 1- Statement of Work- 1.1, 3.1, 3.3, & 3.13

· Per 3.4 & 3.5, the total length was given as 283” – this length is not adequate to provide the required volume of 300 CuFt which is 2244 gallons – the OAL has been modified to approx 345” resulting in a volume of 2255 gallons- Are these modifications acceptable?

· – Yes, It is preferred that the vessel be 283”, but the Spec allows deviation from this length if the volume in reference to SOW 3.5 cannot be met inside the envelope of 283”.

· Per 3.7 / 3.8 – the vessel is being figured as SA-350-LF2 forged cylinder with SA-516-70 hemi heads- Is this acceptable?

· The Vessel and Nozzels shall comply with the construction guidelines outlined in ASME Section VIII Div 1- Statement of Work- 1.1, 3.1, 3.3, & 3.13

· Per 3.9, it is our feeling that the proposed support design is not a good design – we have included a ring girder type support welded to the vessel cylinder OD and then supported from the ground by beams – the support system design can be discussed as needed

· The Contractor shall perform seismic calculation per 3.10 of the SOW on their proposed support.

· The government is lifting the requirement for the vessel to fit in the existing support structure/cradle.

· The supplied self-supporting vessel shall be capable of being mounted on the existing concrete foundation found on drawing VCT1619.01

· The contractor shall provide a self-supporting vessel and shall not deliver a vessel for use in conjunction with the existing cradle/ support structure

· This causes 3.9 in the statement of work to be reworded to “The vessel shall have hemispherical heads and be self-supporting within the footprint of the existing foundation as shown in drawing VCT01619.01.” Ignore the sketch (SKU6479) in the original statement of work- refer to drawing VCT1619.01.

· Per 3.12, specify the paint system required for outdoor exposure

· Vessel will be in service outdoors and required an exterior treatment that will withstand weather exposure

· The nozzle sizes indicated, potentially, are not large enough for vendors to have access to the ID and properly weld the ID of the head-to-shell seams. Is it acceptable to use internal backing bars for making the head-to-shell closing seams?

· The Vessel and Nozzels shall comply with the construction guidelines outlined in ASME Section VIII Div 1- Statement of Work- 1.1, 3.1, 3.3, & 3.13

RFI- 3/16/2020, 4:55pm

1. Per DFARS 252.225.7002, are we using the base, alternative 1, or alternative 2?

· The base will be used.

1. As far as my purchasing materials, where can I get them? Do they need to be domestic? Does this include mining?

· The material can be acquired in the U.S. or the qualifying countries noted in the clause above, DFARS 252.225-7002. This also applies to mining.

1. What portion of the labor can be performed in Canada?

· As long as the awardee is in the U.S., there are restrictions (see question 4 & FAR 52.219-14 (Class Deviation 2019-O0003) on the portion of labor that can be performed in Canada & qualifying countries noted in DFARS 252.225-7002.

1. What portion of the labor can be performed by what size companies?

· According to FAR 52.219-14 (Class Deviation 2019-O0003) as noted in the solicitation, for supplies: “Supplies (other than procurement from a nonmanufacturer of such supplies), it will not pay more than 50 percent of the amount paid by the Government for contract performance, excluding the cost of materials, to subcontractors that are not similarly situated entities. Any work that a similarly situated entity further subcontracts will count toward the 50 percent subcontract amount that cannot be exceeded”

1) Per ASME Section VIII, Division 1 – UG46 requires a manway. This is not shown on the included sketch. Please either show location or explain why it is not required.

- Dew point is below -50 degrees: ASME Section VIII, Div 1 UG46(a) paragraph 2: “Compressed air as used in this paragraph is not intended to include air that has had moisture removed to provide an atmospheric dew point of −50°F (−46°C) or less”

2) Specifications call out for the interior of the vessel to be painted with shop coat. This shop coat must be installed after both PWHT and the hydrostatic testing. With only an 8” and a 6” flange at the ends, please explain means and methods for sand blasting and painting the interior.

- Internal coating is not required.

RFI- 3/18/2020, 2:18pm

1. In the Statement of Work (SOW NO. 15027-20-001A) Section 3.3 states “Nozzles shall not project beyond the vessel inside surface, and the use of “paste-on” type neck-to-head connections are prohibited for the 6” NPS and 8” NPS nozzles”.

* Can you clarify what a “Paste-On” type neck-to-head nozzle is?

- Per section 1.1, 3.1, 3.3, & 3.13 of the SOW:

- "Vessel design, construction, fabrication, inspection and testing shall be in accordance with ASME BPVC Section VIII Division 1, ASME BPVC Section IX."

* Are Long Weld Necks acceptable?

- Per section 1.1, 3.1, 3.3, & 3.13 of the SOW:

- "Vessel design, construction, fabrication, inspection and testing shall be in accordance with ASME BPVC Section VIII Division 1, ASME BPVC Section IX."

2. Are there any required internals required for this vessel?

- Not inside the scope of work being performed by the vessel manufacturer. Pending delivery to AEDC the vessel will be filled with Activated Alumina Desiccant. The contractor must take this extra weight into account when designing their support structure/"legs".

3. Do you have an Approved Material List (No China, No India, No Communist Bloc.)?

- Refer to DFARS 252.225-7002

- The government requires mill test reports from the steel being used for heat treat and material properly documentation.

RFI- 3/18/2020, 2:30pm

1. Can you please provide accessibility for the placement of this vessel?

· Refer to SOW 3/16 B- The buyer will unload the vessel. The buyer will provide required crane, support, and rigger crew to unload the vessel in the VKF Plant Yard for installation.

2. How close will a truck and a crane be able to get to the placement?

· Refer to SOW 3/16 B- The buyer will unload the vessel. The buyer will provide required crane, support, and rigger crew to unload the vessel in the VKF Plant Yard for installation.

RFI accepted past RFI Cut off date-

3. Is the mandatory delivery date provided by you or determined by us? I can not seem to find in scope.

· 320 Days after receipt of award

RFI accepted past RFI Cut off date- We would like to confirm whether the structural support frame is apart of this scope or is it just the vessel. . In the 1.2 Background section, the vessel itself is mentioned only.

Is the frame included in the scope? Attached is our sketch of what the vessel would look like.

· The vessel’s means of support shall be designed by the contractor

· The government is lifting the requirement for the vessel to fit in the existing support structure/cradle.

· The supplied self-supporting vessel shall be capable of being mounted on the existing concrete foundation found on drawing VCT1619.01

· The contractor shall provide a self-supporting vessel and shall not deliver a vessel for use in conjunction with the existing cradle/ support structure

· This causes 3.9 in the statement of work to be reworded to “The vessel shall have hemispherical heads and be self-supporting within the footprint of the existing foundation as shown in drawing VCT01619.01.” Ignore the sketch (SKU6479) in the original statement of work- refer to drawing VCT1619.01.