Att_12_-_Bidder's_Questions_and_Answers_REV_1.docx

N00024-16-R-2211 Work Boat Medium Questions and Answers April 20, 2016

1. Question: We would like to request clarification to item number 582-2 of the N00024-16-R-2211 specification. Is the intent to install 6 H bitts sized appropriately for max bollard? One forward, one aft, and one on each quarter? This boat is too small to accommodate. Please advise what exactly is the desired shoulder and quarter Bitt configuration.

Answer: The requirement contained in specification sections 582-1 and 582-2 will result in a total of six bitts. The two centerline bitts (forward and aft) described in section 582-1 are not required to be H-Bitts. The four shoulder and quarter bitts described in Section 582-2 are required to be H-Bitts. Please note that the required factor of safety differs between the centerline bitts and the shoulder/quarter H-bitts.

2. Question: Are you looking for service manual paper copies with each engine, or do you want editable soft copies that the Prime or Navy can cut and paste into vessel service manuals?

Answer: In accordance with Specification Sections 085-4 and 085-10, one hard copy plus electronic version of the engine Operation and Maintenance Manual and Parts Catalog is required for each boat. In addition to the boat copies, one additional electronic version is required for delivery to the Combatant Craft Division (CCD). The electronic version does not have to be editable.

3. Question: This is a push boat and you are asking for heat exchanger cooling but then dry exhaust. Though this has been done it is not a standard practice; please confirm that this is what you want.

Answer: A dry exhaust system is required. The engine cooling system may use raw water cooling or closed loop cooling with keel coolers.

4. Question: Please clarify that the power steering pump can be driven by either the engine or the gear.

Answer: Yes, each power steering pump may be driven by the engine or the gear. Please note that Specification Section 561-1 requires one hydraulic steering pump for each engine/gear combination.

5. Question: The spec calls for an intake air silencer on the engine. The QSL9 commercial rating has been released with only the disposable Donaldson Air Filter. Please confirm that this is acceptable.

Answer: The Donaldson air filter is acceptable.

6. Question: 070 GENERAL REQUIREMENTS FOR DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION Item(s) referenced/impacted by the question proposed:

· 070-1 VESSEL CHARACTERISTICS: Vessel to have a Full Load Freeboard Aft of Maximum 24-inches

· 070-4 CONFIGURATION MANAGEMENT: Unless otherwise specified in the applicable delivery order, all subsequent boats on this contract shall be identical in configuration to the initial hull.

BIDDER COMMENT: Research shows Workboat Medium is a legacy program with a successful proven design currently in operation throughout CNIC. Workboat mediums currently in operation have a displacement of approximately 52,000 LBS with current freeboard measurement greater than 24 inches which has allowed the vessel to exceed stability and performance requirements. Preliminary calculations indicate in order to achieve a maximum 24-inch full load freeboard aft requirement while considering other specified vessel particulars; that the vessel displacement would ultimately need to be in the 72,000-LB range.

Would the Navy accept bids with a Maximum Freeboard Aft greater than 24 inches to preserve craft commonality, retain integrity of existing hull designs as well as other existing vessel dimensional characteristics?

Answer: Yes. The Specification Section 070-1 requirement for Full Load Freeboard Aft will be changed to allow aft freeboard up to 36 inches.

7. Question: Attachment 1, Specifications, Pg 15

085-1 TECHNICAL DESIGN ANALYSIS

Item includes the requirement to conduct an Electrical Load Analysis (ELA) in accordance with ABYC E-11 paragraph 11.8.1 to demonstrate the design of the charging system meets the "required criteria".

ABYC E-11 paragraph cited is not specific relative to system criteria, it is a methodology for calculating load requirements to determine minimum system sizes of key system components.

Does the Government have specific "required criteria" with regards to the electrical system?

Answer: The ELA shall demonstrate that the engine alternators meet the load determined by the ELA, including 20% margin as required by Specification Section 313-2. The ELA shall be also be used to ensure that the house battery bank reserve capacity meets the requirement of Specification Section 313-1. Finally, the ELA shall be used to size electrical components as described in ABYC E-11.8.1.

8. Question: Attachment 9, Cell F3 and F4 have no formulas. What data gets entered in these cells?

Answer: No data is required and the totals will be reflected at the time of delivery order award. Updated Attachment 9 has been incorporated to indicate as such.

9. Question: Does the Government want contractors to Track Changes directly to Attachment 1 at all OR just use Attachment 2 (Response Matrix) to itemize our changes/list our proposed?

Answer: Attachment 2 shall be used to identify all exceptions to Attachment 1.

10. Question: In HQ C-2-0040 PLANT PROTECTION (NAVSEA) (APR 2015), the solicitation call out a reference to Navy Standard Item. Please confirm what Fiscal Year (FY) should be used, FY 16 or FY 17.

Answer: HQ C-2-0040 was deleted in Amendment 0001.

11. Question: Will crane service be provided by the Navy to offload and reassemble the boats at their delivery points?

Answer: Per Section F, the delivery locations will be NAVSUPFLC CAX or DDDC. It is anticipated that the cabin will be separated from the boat hull for road transport to the contractual delivery locations. The intent of the Navy is to leave each cabin separated from the boat hull at the delivery locations while arranging transportation to the final end user destinations. Please note that Specification Section 150-1 requires a reusable vented water proof cover to protect the hull interior when the cabin is removed. Crane service for unloading the cabin and boat hull at NAVSUPFLC CAX and DDDC will be provided by the Navy.

12. Question: RFP States “Boats and trailers delivered under Items 0001. and if and to the extent said option is exercised, Item 0009, shall be delivered, with transportation charges prepaid by the Contractor to the location specified above. Transportation charges for boats and trailers are included in Attachment 1, Item No. 100a.”

Question are trailers to be included in pricing to Government? Does each boat delivery include a trailer to be retained by the Government for future use?

Answer: No trailers are required for Government use.

13. Question: Would the Government consider extending the Work Boat Medium proposal due date period for an additional thirty (30) days? This RFP is unique in that there was not a Draft RFP period to allow Offerors time to review the requirements and plan a thorough response to provide a best value proposal to the Government. This RFP is also unique in the requirement of modifying a similar parent craft design to meet the Government RFP requirements. Additionally, Section L requires a number of drawings to be produced to comply with the RFP requirements for the proposed design. Extending the due date should allow the Government to receive a greater number of compliant proposals. Would the Government consider extending the due date on the Work Boat Medium RFP for an additional thirty (30) days?

Answer: The due date has been extended to 2 May 2016, 2:00 pm Eastern Time. The Government has no intention at this time to further extend the due date.

14. Question: As of February 26, 2016, the Small Business Administration increased small business size standards for NAICS Sector 31-33, Manufacturing. The solicitation Page 1 Block 10 references the old standard for NAICS code 336612 as size standard of 500. According to the revised SBA tables, the small business size standard for this NAICS code is now 1,000 as of February 26, 2016. Will the requirements of the solicitation be revised to reflect the current SBA small business size standard for NAICS code 336612?

Answer: The small business size standard for NAICS 336612 has been validated via SBA and the small business size has been updated to 1,000 employees in the RFP.

15. Question: Att 1 - WBM_Specification – Section 084-1 Road Transport Does the Government have a selected manufacturer and model number for the low boy trailer to be used, or is this to be determined by Offeror sufficient for delivery of boat to the delivery locations in Section F?

Answer: No trailers are required for Government use.

16. Question: We would like to request clarification to item number 582-3 of the N00024-16-R-2211 specification. With the size of this craft, it would be difficult to provide 8' between the winch and the roller chock, with the winch located on the FWD deck as described. Can the winches be located port and STBD, alongside the control house, 8' aft of roller chocks? Please provide guidance as to desired deck winch/Roller Chock layout.

Answer: The configuration described in Specification Section 582-3 is the required configuration.

17. Question: I see in the solicitation under proposal content, MS Excel and MS Word documents shall be in 2007 format. Is a newer version acceptable such as MS Excel and Word 2010?

Answer: Yes. Documents using Microsoft Office software up to Word 2010 and Excel 2010 are acceptable.

18. Question: In the solicitation, page 3, should the line for CLIN 1001 be left blank, with pricing only shown in 1001AA and 1001AB?

The CLIN’s in the solicitation call out FOB Destination. Obviously at this time we do not know which destination. Should shipping be included in the price line submitted in the solicitation, or only in Attachment 9?

Answer: The requirement to fill out pricing in the CLINs on Pages 3 – 8 of the solicitation was deleted in Amendment 0002. Pricing should only be filled out in Attachment 9.

19. Vessel Length

· Reference - Attachment 1, Section 042-1 General Requirements and 070-1 Vessel Characteristics. The nominal vessel length is twenty-nine to thirty (29-30) feet

Question A - Please clarify the meaning of the term "nominal" in this context.

Question B - Is the craft's length limited to a maximum of 30 feet, or may the Offeror provide the most advantageous vessel length to meet the RFP requirements.

Answer: The use of the term "nominal" is intended to describe an approximate length. The length of the vessel is not limited to a maximum of 30 feet.

20. Legacy Craft Data

· Reference - Bidder Question #6 discussed "Research shows Workboat Medium is a legacy program with a successful proven design currently in operation throughout CNIC". The remaining question discussion and subsequent answer continue further to discuss detailed design information of the legacy craft not available to all offerors.

Question - Can the government provide the legacy craft information to all offers as discussed in bidder question #6, as well as other legacy craft pertinent data, such as general arrangement drawings and stability calculations.

Answer: No. The use of the term "legacy" was provided in the question submitted to the Government. The Government does not intend to provide technical information about previous work boat vessels as a wide range of vessels continue to be used. The Attachment 1 Specification provides the current requirement that must be met. Each Offeror is required to submit information about their proposed design in accordance with the requirements of Section L.

21. Price Structure

· Reference - HQ B-2-0022 CONTRACT SUMMARY FOR PAYMENT OFFICE (FIXED PRICE) (FEB 1997) - This entire contract is fixed price.

· Reference - Program calls for procurement of an estimated twenty-one (21) to twenty-four (24) Work Boat Mediums to replace aging equipment over the next five (5) years.

Question - Will the Government consider revising price structure to an Economic Price Adjustment (EPA) based contract pricing to reduce labor and material cost inflation risk to offerors. For example, steel pricing fluctuates based on market conditions and is outside of offeror control.

Answer: The Government will not consider Economic Price Adjustment for this contract.

22. Question:

· Reference - N00024-16-R-2211, Section L, Proposal Requirements, Volume I, 2. Feasibility and Practicability of the Proposed Design, Paragraph e:

· Documentation that the proposed designs are based upon similar craft design(s) which has been built and demonstrated to be safe and suitable in actual service in a comparable mission profile in military or heavy duty commercial applications. Similar craft design documentation to include the following: Example scale weight report for actual parent craft built in the proposed production facility, with Longitudinal Center of Gravity (LCG); example photographs of previous craft; product specification sheet listing vital characteristics for similar craft (providing minimum characteristics listed in Specification Item 070-1); a specific list of modifications to the previous craft design required to achieve the requirements of this solicitation;

The text underlined above requests a scale weight report for the parent craft built in the proposed production facility. Although the example describes a scale weight report, it also implies that the parent craft would have been built by the Offeror. This constraint does appear anywhere else in the solicitation. Is it the Government's intent to require that Offerors have built their parent craft in the proposed production facility for the WBM?

Answer: No. The parent craft may have been built in a different production facility.

23. Question: CREW FAMILIARIZATION- Page 12 of the Solicitation SOW, under Crew Familiarization and Training states in sentence 1:

"If ordered, the contractor shall be required to provide crew familiarization and training at the builder¹s facility and end user locations." In the last sentence in the paragraph it states: "Training (at minimum) shall be three (3) days at Builder or End User¹s location for up to ten (10) students." The various CLINs do not refer to the builder's facility or the end user location, but use the term CONUS and OCONUS. For purposes of correctly pricing the familiarization training sessions, where are the training sessions to be held?

Answer: The boats will be distributed for worldwide service at Naval Installations. For bidding purposes, assume that OCONUS training will be held at the U.S. Naval Facility in Sasebo, Japan and CONUS training will be held at Norfolk, Virginia.

24. Question: PAINT SYSTEM:

In cross reference of the US Navy spec 009-32 (as Contractor specification standard) and in review of all Mil-Spec information, regarding the durability of the system could Government please advise if there is a preference or if there is a requirement to use one of the following systems noted below:

Topside:MIL-PRF-24635 Was not specified to use either a Type III (Single Component Silicone Alkyd) or a Type V (Two Component Polysiloxane)? Please advise.

Exterior Non-Skid: MIL-PRF-24667 Was not specified to use either a Type I (High Durability), a Type II (Standard Durability) or a Type V (Extended Durability)? Please advise.

Answer: For MIL-PRF-24635 paint required by Specification Section 630-2, the preference is for Type III. For the non-skid coating required by Specification Section 630-5, MIL-PRF-24667 non skid coating is not required; if MIL-PRF-24667 non-skid is used, the preference is for Type II.

25. 085-4 Commercial Off The Shelf Manuals

· Reference - Specification section states manuals are to include “The information shall include assembly and disassembly instructions with comprehensive illustrations showing each step, recommended planned maintenance, complete troubleshooting procedures, basic operating characteristics (such as temperatures, pressures, flow rates, etc.), installation criteria and drawings, complete illustrated parts lists, and operating and maintenance instructions.”. Many COTS manuals will not have this amount of detail.

Question – Will the Navy accept COTS manuals if this detail is not provided or should Offerors plan to write manuals to support the requirement as listed.

Answer: The only builder-developed manual required is the Boat Technical Manual required by Specification Section 085-5. COTS manuals and product information sheets shall be provided to the maximum extent that is available from OEMs.

26. 085-5 Boat Technical Manual Question - Will the boat technical manual be required for each delivered vessel and stored onboard? Also, Is the Boat Technical Manual covered under ELIN A006 WB-M TDP Non-recurring Engineering or ELIN A007, B006, C006, D006, & E006 WB-M TDP Updates?

Answer: A Boat Technical Manual is required for each boat. The development and distribution of the Boat Technical Manual and the rest of the TDP should be included in ELIN A006. Reproduction and distribution costs for providing copies of the TDP for follow-on boats shall be included in the TDP Update ELINs.

27. Manual Requirements General questions on both specification sections 085-4 and 085-5 manual formatting:

· Question: Is there guidance for the manual layout and formatting (MIL-STD, etc.)?

Answer: No specific layout or formatting guidance is required for COTS manuals. The Boat Technical Manual shall use ABYC T-24 for guidance as required by Specification Section 085-5.

· Question: What format is the manual to be developed in (XML, Word, etc.)?

Answer: The Boat Technical Manual and COTS manuals may be developed using any software product. However, they are required by Specification Section 085-10 to be provided in hard copy and Adobe PDF format.]

· Question: Who is the target audience (grade level or MOS to write to)?

Answer: No specific level is required. However, the Boat Technical Manual is intended to provide familiarity for boat operators and maintainers and to provide system integration overview that is not available from COTS information.

· Question: What is the level of maintenance that needs to be addressed?

Answer: The Boat Technical Manual is intended to provide familiarity for boat operators and maintainers and to provide system integration overview that is not available from COTS information.

· Question: The specification states that modifications need to be addressed in the manual. What types of modifications need to be addressed?

Answer: The requirement for the Boat Technical Manual to support modification will be removed from Specification Section 085-5.

28. Section 042-3 Builder's Warranty

· Reference - Note to Builders: Boats procured for the Navy may sit in stock (enclosed warehouse) for up to twelve (12) months prior to issue to the Navy end-user.

Question – Should contractors plan to make preparations for long term storage on all delivered vessels. Long term storage of machinery components may require special treatments to lubricated systems or other long term preservation procedures to ensure vessel condition is maintained adequately.

Answer: No. However, the boats will be stored outdoors at the delivery locations in uncovered storage. Please note the Specification Section 150-1 requirement to provide a reusable vented water proof cover. Additionally, boat systems shall be protected from freezing temperatures and batteries shall be disconnected with terminals taped. Specification Sections 042-3 and 080-1 will be adjusted.

29. 084-1 Road Transport

· Reference - Boat with cabin removed shall meet all requirements for road transport (wide load with restrictions) via low-boy trailer on Continental United States (CONUS) Highways.

Question - Is it acceptable to ship the cabin on a separate truck/trailer than the boat hull, if required to comply with DOT interstate highway transportation law?

Answer: Yes.

30. Question – Submittal Due Date Due to additional question and answer submittals, would the Government consider extending the Work Boat Medium proposal due date period so Offerors may include proper scope based on pending Government answers?

Answer: The Government does not intend on extending the proposal due date.