H20 Market Research Questionnaire.docx

WATER PURIFICATION, DISTRIBUTION & STORAGE MARKET SURVEY

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

LAND AND MARITIME

P.O. BOX 3990

COLUMBUS, OHIO 43218-3990

I. PROGRAM OVERVIEW:

THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION NOTICE. The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Land and Maritime is issuing a Request for Information (RFI).

The Government seeks responses from industry to provide end-to-end logistical support with customer direct vendor deliveries for the weapon systems identified below, which support water purification, distribution, and storage

Pending the results of this market research, DLA L&M intends to construct a Fixed-Price (FP) contract with Performance-Based Logistics (PBL) metrics.

II. DISCLAIMER: In accordance with FAR 15.201(e), responses to this RFI are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. This RFI is issued for information and planning purposes only and does not constitute a solicitation. The Government does not intend to award a contract solely on the basis of this RFI or to otherwise pay for information received in response to this RFI. The purpose of this RFI is to determine suitability of current industry experience and capabilities and to support the possibility of a competitive requirement. DLA Land and Maritime intends to use information resulting from the RFI responses to aid in refining its acquisition strategy, budgeting assumptions, and performance specifications to be included in the RFP. All information received in response to this RFI that is marked Proprietary will be handled accordingly. Responses to the RFI will not be returned.

III. POSSIBLE SCOPE OF SERVICES:

The Government (DLA Land and Maritime -DLA L&M) seeks responses from industry to provide direct support for approximately 2,073 National Stock Numbers (NSNs) for the United States Marine Corps (USMC) and United States Army (Army) Tactical Water Purification, Distribution, and Storage Systems (see II below) employed both in the continental United States (CONUS) and outside the continental United States (OCONUS). Please note that the attached NSN list consists of NSNs supporting multiple water purification, distribution, and storage systems.

DLA L&M requests your responses to this Market Survey by 11:59PM on March 27, 2025.

The partnership between the contractor and DLA under the water purification contract will enable optimum support by leveraging the best commercial practices into the DLA logistics processes. This shall be accomplished by satisfying customer demands on time, providing accurate forecasting through supplier management, eliminating delinquent items, and establishing a reliable warehousing and distribution network. Ultimately, the strategic objective is to improve supply chain performance so as to improve the readiness of the Water Purification customers.

Any resulting contract will be for parts and services required to provide a full supply chain management solution that ensures all parts are available to facilitate the production schedule without delay. Services the contractor will provide may include (but are not limited to) the following:

1 – Forecasting 2 – Order Processing and Fulfillment 3 – Supplier Management 4 – Finance of Integrator Inventory 5 – Inventory Management 6 – Warehouse Management and Operations 7 – Hazardous Material Management 8 – Spot-buy Acquisitions 9 – Shipment Preparation 10 – Shelf-life Management 11 – Obsolescence Management 12 – Dedicated Program Customer Service Representative 13 – Quality Assurance 14 – The Information Technology (IT) system capable of supporting the contract data requirements 15 – Surge and Sustainment Capability 16 – Environmental, Safety and Occupational Health (ESOH) matters relating to the above services

The contractor will be required to provide On Time Delivery (OTD) of conforming parts, in the correct quantity, to the specified destination for each delivery order issued against the basic contract. OTD is defined to be receipt of conforming supplies at a designated address in the requested quantity on or before a required delivery date. The contractor shall forecast demands and optimum stocking level quantities based on customer requirements for the NSNs awarded. The contractor shall manage stock levels to meet the needs of the customer and the Time Definite Delivery (TDD) standards. The contractor will be provided with Government historical data for performing the forecasting requirement. The Government makes no guarantees or warranties that future demands will be reflective of historical data. The contractor shall independently assess the value of data provided in developing forecasts.

(TDD) standards:

IV. BACKGROUND – Please complete sections below:

8(a) HUBZone

VOSB

SDVOSB

WOSB

EDWOSB

1. Is your company interested in participating in this H20 initiative? |_| Yes |_| No

NOTE: If your company’s answer to this question is “No” the survey is complete please return your company’s response to Brandy.Warner@dla.mil). Thank you for participating.

2. Following a review of this Sources Sought Notice and associated attachments, does your company believe it can provide an offer in accordance with the solicitation requirements listed below?

· The contractor will assume total supply chain management for the parts listed in Attachment 1 and supply the required parts in accordance with the requirements of this performance work statement.

|_| Yes |_| No

· The contractor shall designate a dedicated program manager or equivalent, who will be responsible for the communication, coordination, and successful delivery of the supplies ordered on the contract.

|_| Yes |_| No

· All offerors must be compliant with the higher-level quality standard ANSI/ISO/ASQ(E) Q9001 American National Standard, Quality management systems.

|_| Yes |_| No

· Price 100% of NSNs in Attachment 1?

|_| Yes |_| No If no, explain:

· Meet the Time Definite Delivery (TDD) standards indicated above?

· For each NSN, forecast demand and establish an appropriate asset/stocking level and position.

|_| Yes |_| No

· Maintain a 95% On-Time Delivery (OTD) rate.

|_| Yes |_| No (provide OTD that you could maintain and include explanation)

· System for Award Management (SAM) registration at solicitation closure.

|_| Yes |_| No

· Export Control/Joint Certification Program (JCP) registration along with Enhanced Validation (also known as E-JCP) at solicitation closure.

|_| Yes |_| No

· Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) capabilities, including order processing, invoicing, and electronic funds transfer.

|_| Yes |_| No

· Access to cFolders to obtain the solicitation’s Technical Data Packages (TDP) at solicitation closure.

|_| Yes |_| No

· Provide a flat rate fee or mark-up percentage for the cost of Supply Chain Management?

|_| Flat Rate Fee |_| Mark-up Percentage

· Provide traceability for NSNs in Attachment 1, when requested?

· Provide traceability for NSNs in Attachment 1, when requested?

|_| Yes |_| No

· Provide evidence of commercial sales and support needed to help support commercial determination, if needed?

|_| Yes |_| No

Documentation to help support commercial determination:

a. Un-Redacted Commercial sales history (e.g., Invoices showing sales to companies outside of Federal, State or Local Government, etc.). The importance of provided un-redacted invoices is to assist in proving the item(s) have been sold commercially at like prices and for like quantities.

b. Proof of availability or announcement of the Commercial Item to the general public

c. Published Catalogs/Price Lists

3. The Government is considering a four-year base period with a one-year option period. Is a four-year base period with a single option year thereafter agreeable? |_| Yes |_| No

a. If no, please explain.

b. Indicate “ideal” or preferred base period.

|_| 1 |_| 2 |_| 3 |_| 4 |_| 5 |_| No preference (e.g. Number of Base Years does not affect Price)

e. How many option periods (assuming one-year in length) would you quote with a base period?

|_| 1 |_| 2 |_| 3 |_| 4 |_| 5 |_| None

f. Would you prefer to have the pricing adjusted for the subsequent periods by a Fixed Price Annual Adjustment or using an Economic Price Adjustment (EPA) based on Producer Price Indexes (PPIs)?

|_| Annual Price Adjustment |_| Economic Price Adjustment (EPA)

g. If yes to EPA, do you have a recommended index(es) that is applicable to these items/services? If so, please provide the index(es) and please provide an explanation as to why you feel it’s a good fit.

h. What components/raw materials are the primary drivers in the pricing of these items (i.e. steel, rubber, oil, plastics, etc.)?

V. GENERAL BUSINESS INFORMATION - Please complete sections below:

1. Are you a manufacturer or a dealer/distributor or both? |_| Manufacturer |_| Distributor |_| Both

a. If you are a dealer, can you provide all of these items, most of these items or are there only certain items that you can provide (e.g., you are a dealer/distributor for certain approved sources)?

2. If your company is a large business, what opportunities do you foresee for small business participation?

3. Does your company have Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) capabilities, including order processing, invoicing, and electronic funds transfer.

4. Company History: Can you provide any examples of past experience that would warrant the Government’s consideration of your company as a prospective contractor for Water Purification supply and management? Included in the company history should be if the past contracts were as a prime or a subcontractor and the magnitude of each contract referenced.

5. What are the areas of risks associated with this effort? How would you mitigate those risks? What could the Government do to mitigate the risk?

VI. COMMERCIAL/GOVERNMENT BUSINESS PRACTICES:

1. What type of items and/or services do you supply commercially and/or to the Government?

2. What type of inventory do you normally carry?

3. Where is your inventory located?

4. What percentage of sales are the Government vs. commercial customers?

VII. CONTRACTOR RESPONSIBILITIES - Please complete the sections below:

1. Planning

a. The offeror will be required to collaborate with customers and accurately predict future customer requirements, demands, and demand patterns. What data do you need to develop these forecasts?

b. What involvement by DLA would you expect in this process?

2. Supply Chain Management

a. Identify the major cost drivers for a supply chain that includes delivery of parts to a limited customer base?

b. The integrator will be required to meet TDD days depending on the priority of the requisition. Typically, Water Purification has a minimum required On-Time Delivery (OTD) performance of 95% and timely delivery of each order is required. Is this a reasonable on-time delivery rate for this effort?

3. Financial

a. Does your company have the financial resources to invest in inventory levels necessary to ensure a 95% OTD for the NSNs on this project?

VII. Miscellaneous

1. Please provide any additional feedback you feel is relevant to this proposed acquisition.

2. The Government typically establishes a Guaranteed Minimum for each contract range from 1% to 10% of the forecasted Annual Demand Quantity/Value. How would a higher guaranteed minimum percentage impact your pricing?

ATTACHMENT:

1. NSN Listing

2. Draft PWS image1.png