N00033-13-R-2015_QA_Part_Ten.pdf

RFP N00033-13-R-2015

Questions and Answers - Part Ten

This Questions and Answers –Part Ten is a continuation of Questions and Answers – Parts One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, and Nine posted on 21 November 2012, 4 December 2012, 11 December 2012, 18 December 2012, 21 December 2012, 27 December 2012, 8 January 2013, 16 January 2013, and 23 January 2013 respectively. Questions 1 through 13 can be found in Questions and Answers – Part One; Questions 14 through 36 can be found in Questions and Answers – Part Two; Questions 37 through 59 can be found in Questions and Answers – Part Three; Questions 60 through 110 can be found in Questions and Answers – Part Four; Questions 111 through 197 can be found in Questions and Answers – Part Five; Questions 198 through 219 can be found in Questions and Answers – Part Six; Questions 220 through 236 can be found in Questions and Answers – Part Seven; Questions 237 through 251 can be found in Questions and Answers - Part Eight; and Questions 252 through 286 can be found in Questions and Answers – Part Nine.

Note: The following questions and answers are provided for informational purposes only and DO NOT constitute an amendment to the solicitation. Any changes to the solicitation deemed necessary as a result of any questions answered herein will be incorporated via amendment.

Question 287: Section C-3.2.2, Craft Launch/Recovery Systems and Attachment 3:

Please clarify our assumption that the significant small craft launch and recovery requirements set forth in Attachment 3 prevent the use of a crane or single point davit system, as they would not be able to safely launch or recover small craft in up to 22’ seas at speeds up to 10kts as required.

Answer 287: It is the offeror’s responsibility to propose a launch and retrieval system for this evolution. Amendment 0005 updated the speed requirement for the vessel when conducting launch and recovery operations. Amendment 0011 will again update this section, as follows:

“C-3.2.2 Craft Launch/Recovery Systems. The contractor shall provide four (4) launch and recovery systems to launch and or recover two manned 12.5m x 3m craft with a draft of 2m in twenty (20) minutes. The launch and recovery system shall be capable of lifting and supporting 30,000 pounds per craft and shall meet the requirements of the ABS Guide for Certification of Lifting Appliances (latest revision at time of vessel delivery), including the requirements for personnel lifting. The speed for the vessel when conducting launch and recovery is 0-2 knots with a minimum wave height of seven (7) feet.

The contractor shall provide a safe means of controlling the motion of the craft during launch and recovery operations so as to prevent injury to personnel, both embarked and on deck, and damage to the craft.

The contractor shall also provide:

• Two (2) 110v 30A and outlets near the launch and recovery system. Each outlet shall be sealed to prevent salt water intrusion.

• Freshwater supply/hose near the launch and recovery system.

• A minimum of two (2) craft refueling stations in the vicinity of the launch and recovery stations. The fueling stations shall be capable of refueling two boats simultaneously.”

Question 288: Section C-3.3.2.b, Communications/Server Room, states “The contractor shall furnish a dedicated, humidity controlled and lockable communications room (SCIF capable, built to ICD 705 standards) with a separate, attached, lockable storage space for communications equipment. Contractor shall ensure a dedicated stand-alone Air Conditioning (AC) system is installed in the Communications room to ensure adequate cooling for equipment, with a maximum temperature of 80 degrees F.”

In order to meet Air Conditioning requirements, please provide heat load and humidity control of the equipment in this space.

Answer 288: See previously answered Question and Answer 283, contained in Questions and Answers – Part Nine and reproduced below:

“Question 283: In the Communication Server Room (C-3.3.2.b), what is the heat rejection of the GFE to be provided for this space?

Answer 283: The heat rejection rate is estimated to be 25251 BTUs.”

Question 289: Is there a DWCC requirement for the vessel, i.e for passengers / cargo.

i.e. 50% loaded personal cargo, aviation fuel 100% etc.

Answer 289: There is no such requirement included in this RFP.

Question 290: Launch and recover system C – 3.2.2 – is there a specific type of launch and recovery system required? i.e. via lift on/off only or can other suitable options be used.

a) Are tender cradles GFE? wheeled?

b) Are the larger craft suited for a single point overhead pick up or are there specific launching parameters?

Answer 290: It is the offeror’s responsibility to propose the launch and recovery system to be used. There are no tender requirements set forth in this RFP. The small craft will have trailers, to be provided as GFE. Please see GFE List, revised via Amendment 0011.

Question 291: Section C-3.2.7 requires vessel to have a capacity of 150,000 gallons of JP5 fuel capacity. It is also noted 3.2.5 also may require 2 GFE fuel system systems of 4000 gallons each. It is also noted that on the GFE list they will provide 2 bryant diesel fuel systems and 1 Bryant aviation fuel system. It seems repetitive. Please confirm all is required.

What is the min capacity the government requires for JP5 fuel, small craft fuel etc.

Answer 291: Please see Amendment 0005 for the revised number of fuel systems. Section C-

3.2.7 requires JP5 fuel capacity of 150,000 gallons.

Question 292: C-3.2.1 Helicopter Facilities………….The flight deck shall also meet NAVAIR requirements for Level I, Class 4, Special Type 2 vertical replenishment operations (VERTREP) for the H-60 series, CH-53K, H-46, CH-47, and V-22 aircraft.

Has NSWC Carderock performed any analysis regarding the ability of a converted vessel to meet this criteria? Can this requirement be met without a flight deck being constructed integral to the ship?

Answer 292: NAVAIR does not perform analysis for VERTREP stations. The flight deck referenced in the above question must meet ALL of the requirements of the RFP and, specifically, Section C-3.2.1; not only the portion reproduced in the above question.

Question 292: Page 27, C-3.2.5. Is it allowable to use the GFE containers in an internal space (such as ro-ro garage) for an internal fueling/filtering system and if so, can the ballistic protection of the container be omitted?

Answer 293: The systems shall be installed IAW all regulatory requirements. The ballistic protection will be provided by the Sponsor. Section C-3.2.5 will be revised, as follows, via Amendment 0011:

“C-3.2.5 Small Craft / Rotary Wing Fueling. The contractor shall provide four (4) separate internal fueling/filtering systems for MOGAS and four (4) separate fueling/filtering stations for AVFUEL, to include one (1) 100LL. If internal storage is not available, the contractor shall install two (2) GFE Fuel System (USCG approved) containers. Two (2) shall be 20'L x8'W x8'H containers with a 4,000 gallon capacity for craft and rotary wing refueling. The contractor shall provide a shelter for each of the Fuel Systems. Additionally, these fuel systems need to be hardwired into the vessel electrical distribution system. If GFE fuel systems are installed, the contractor shall install GFE provided ballistic protection. The Government will provide the design and/or material for the ballistic protection. The specifications will be provided after award. If GFE fuel systems are installed, the contractor shall provide and install ballistic protection to the exterior of all two (2) GFE provided Fuel Systems. The sides of each fuel container shall be protected with .375 inch thickness steel armor, and the top of the container shall be protected with 1/4 inch thickness steel armor.

All steel armor shall meet the requirements of the MIL-DTL-46100E for Class-I- High-Hardness Steel Armor plate. The contractor shall ensure the supplier(s) of the steel armor provide documentation to verify conformance to MIL-DTL-46100E.

When installed the armor plate shall not interfere with International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 1161 Corner Fittings and/or interfacing connector locks.

The contractor shall ensure features are built into the ballistic protection to accommodate ready access to all the components/equipment requiring manual inspection, operation, monitoring, and maintenance and/or servicing. At a minimum, access shall be provided for the following system components:

• Generator and associated control fittings

• Meters and gauges

• Dispensing hose reel(s)

• Grounding cable(s)

• Emergency shut-off filters

• Fill ports/manholes

• Electrical outlets/receptacles

• Forklift holes

Access through the ballistic protection shall not require the need for hand tools or shall not degrade the overall level of ballistic protection. The contractor shall ensure offset ballistic plates be installed on inboard side of fuel container sized for natural ventilation of the air space surrounding the fuel tank. The fuel tank shall be vented to the exterior of the ballistic protection and away from the other ventilation openings. The contractor shall ensure the armor is prepped, primed and coated for corrosion protection. The coating system shall match that used to protect ferrous steel shipboard structure directly exposed to the weather. The finish and color shall match the surround deck structure.

Question 294: What are the security requirements during the ramp up period? Will anyone during the conversion period require a security clearance for work associated with the conversion?

Answer 294: The contractor shall possess a SECRET facilities clearance at contract award, which shall be documented in Attachment 7 (DD-254). Amendment 0011 will revise Section C- 4.11.1, as follows:

“C-4.11.1 Personnel Clearances. The Master and the entire crew shall hold SECRET clearances. The contractor’s management team attending the ramp-up period, the Port Operations Coordinator (POC) described in Section C-4.8.2, and any other contractor personnel that may have access to classified information shall also hold SECRET clearances.”

Question 295: The RFP states: "C-2.1 Maintenance, Control and Administration of GFE. The Contractor shall maintain all GFE in Attachment 1 unless otherwise directed and or annotated..."

At what point will the government provide the exact specifications for equipment the contractor is expected to maintain? In order for the contractor to adequately plan the right staffing skillset to maintain GFE, it must know the specific make/model of all equipment it is expected to maintain. The GFE list does not adequately describe the equipment expected to be maintained.

As an example - GFE lists eight 50 inch tv screens and mounts. Without knowing the specific tv being provided, the vendor cannot adequately plan the staffing for maintaining it. Another example would be Jet skis. As there are hundreds of Jet ski manufacturers with significantly different engine/waterjet/electronic/seating/steering configurations, how does the contractor plan for the adequate maintenance unless it is told precisely the equipment being provided as GFE?

Answer 295: Please see Amendment 0005 for Revised Section C- 2.1.

Question 296: C-3.2.2 requires four launch and recovery systems to launch and recover two [craft] in twenty minutes. Must all four systems be deployed at the same time adjacent to each other if only two craft must be launched and recovered in twenty minutes? What is the intent of requiring four systems for two craft?

Answer 296: Section C-3.2.4 requires the storage of up to eight (8) craft. The requirement is to launch or recover two (2) boats within 20 minutes.

Question 297: C-3.2.2 - Is the twenty minutes allotted in this section for launching and twenty minutes for recovery, or is it intended to be twenty minutes to “launch and recover” the craft, i.e.

is it correct to revise the wording to “launch or recover” in twenty minutes?

Answer 297: The requirement is for launching two (2) boats in 20 minutes. This section will be revised, as follows, via Amendment 0011:

“C-3.2.2 Craft Launch/Recovery Systems. The contractor shall provide four (4) launch and recovery systems to launch and or recover two manned 12.5m x 3m craft with a draft of 2m in twenty (20) minutes. The launch and recovery system shall be capable of lifting and supporting 30,000 pounds per craft and shall meet the requirements of the ABS Guide for Certification of Lifting Appliances (latest revision at time of vessel delivery), including the requirements for personnel lifting. The speed for the vessel when conducting launch and recovery is 0-2 knots with a minimum wave height of seven (7) feet.

The contractor shall provide a safe means of controlling the motion of the craft during launch and recovery operations so as to prevent injury to personnel, both embarked and on deck, and damage to the craft.

The contractor shall also provide:

• Two (2) 110v 30A and outlets near the launch and recovery system. Each outlet shall be sealed to prevent salt water intrusion.

• Freshwater supply/hose near the launch and recovery system.

• A minimum of two (2) craft refueling stations in the vicinity of the launch and recovery stations. The fueling stations shall be capable of refueling two boats simultaneously.”

Question 298: The RFP states: C-3.3.2.h Staff Work Space. The contractor shall provide a total of five (5) adjacent work rooms connected by a common passageway as outlined below:

Two (2) adjacent rooms, each furnished with a table and four (4) chairs (CFE), with adequate space to fit six (6) personnel comfortably. These adjacent rooms shall also be sound proofed (sufficient to ensure privacy between work spaces).

Is the description intended to describe 4 chairs and enough room for two additional people to stand (six personnel comfortably), or should this read 6 chairs to fit six personnel comfortably?

Answer 298: The requirement stands as written. The spaces require four (4) chairs each, and room for six (6) persons to fit in the space comfortably.

Question 299: Section C-4.12 Crew Transportation Costs states that “All transportation costs for crewmembers shall be reimbursable”. Please confirm that this includes the initial transportation of getting the crew to the vessel either during conversion and/or for the initial sea trials.

Answer 299: This section will be revised, as follows, via Amendment 0011:

“C-4.12 Crew Transportation Costs. All transportation costs for crewmembers shall be reimbursable, except during vessel ramp up period. The Contractor shall be responsible for all crew transportation during the ramp up period.”

Question 300: Regarding the answer to your Question #169 which stated that extra steward department personnel for additional sponsor personnel greater than 50 would not be reimbursable, can you please give us an expected number of days per year, or some similar statistic, when sponsor personnel would be expected to approach the 207 maximum? This would be useful in order to determine how often we would need to add additional crew members to cover the steward functions for those additional sponsor personnel.

Answer 300: There is no set schedule when to expect the sponsor personnel to surge to 209 personnel onboard.

Question 301: During the ramp up period, prior to delivery of the ship, can the contractor procure equipment, parts (i.e. yellow gear, etc.) via the Navy Supply System on “cash sale” basis?

Answer 301: No. The Navy Supply System may not be used when operating within CONUS or Hawaii.

Question 302: Will MSC authorize the contractor to utilize Government sources of supply during the performance period, including the ramp up period?

Answer 302: The Government may consider allowing the contractor to utilize Government sources of supply for reimbursable items during the time charter portion of the contract, on a case-by-case basis. The contractor will not be authorized to use Government sources of supply during the ramp-up period.

Question 303: Page 3-10, Section B Special Time Boxes. Preamble: This Section appears to be based on a standard MSC time charter form, however this form is difficult to apply to this solicitation. The issue is that Boxes 1 through 24 clearly apply to the “RFP Section C” vessel

(the vessel that will be delivered to MSC after the ramp-up/modification period). However Boxes 25 through 64 would not be able to be populated with proper data for the “RFP Section C” vessel until the conversion design is fully completed, which would happen sometime several months after contract award during the ramp-up period and before delivery. Since these boxes cannot be completed for the “RFP Section C” vessel as part of the proposal submission, several Section H warranty clauses would be meaningless at contract award as they reference some of these boxes.

The Section H warranty clauses could only be applied and agreed to at some point before delivery of the vessel when the Section B Boxes 25-64 could be filled in with proper data for the “RFP Section C” vessel.

It is possible to fill in boxes 25-64 for the existing vessel at this time and this could be submitted with the proposal. Of course the existing vessel would clearly not meet the RFP Section C requirements and therefore the Section H warranty clauses would again be meaningless at contract award. However this information on the existing vessel might be useful to the government to set a baseline for the speed and fuel consumption performance.

Question: For the purposes of the proposal submission, for boxes 25 through 64 should the offeror provide the information for the existing vessel before conversion?

Answer 303: The Section H warranty clauses are applicable after delivery of the vessel. The boxes required to be submitted with the offeror’s proposal must be completed for the vessel meeting the requirements of the RFP, after conversion. Section L-4.1.2 (2) will be revised, as follows, via Amendment 0011:

“Completed Specialtime Boxes. Offerors shall provide Specialtime Boxes identifying the vessel and providing the offeror’s DUNS, CAGE, and TIN. Offerors shall complete and provide Boxes 7-12, 18-37, 39-40, 42-53, 55-56, and 64 from Part B of this solicitation.

Offerors shall include in their submission a fuel grade from the list of fuel grades in Section M-2.3.2(c) of the solicitation. Offerors shall include two dates in Box 24; (1) the earliest date on which the offeror could commence performance of the ramp-up period, as outlined in F-1.1, and (2) the estimated date on which the vessel will be ready for delivery, as outlined in F-1.2. Offerors shall include in Box 64 the appropriate fuel grade(s) for the vessel from the list of fuel grades below. The below fuels are the only available fuel grades at DESC/Defense Fuel Stocking Points (DFSPs):

Section C-2.10, Pre-delivery Modifications, will also be revised, as follows, via Amendment 0011:

“C-2.10 Pre-delivery Modifications. During the pre-delivery ramp-up period, the Contractor is required to perform all modifications necessary to meet the requirements of the RFP. As part of the modification process, the Contractor is required to install the

Type IFO 180/RME-180 Open Market IFO 380/RMG-380 Open Market MGO Open Market

GFE referenced in Section C and Attachment 1 without Government support. However, the Government intends to provide technical direction in support of the installation of GFE while the Contractor performs vessel modifications necessary to meet contractual requirements (Note: In accordance with Section G-3, technical direction as described herein shall not constitute any change in price). Installation of GFE included in Section C and Attachment 1 shall be included in the performance schedule documented in accordance with Paragraph F-2. Upon completion of the pre-delivery modifications and prior to delivery of the vessel, the contractor shall complete and submit to the Contracting Officer Specialtime Boxes 54, 57, and 59-63. The contractor shall also submit, upon completion of the pre-delivery modifications and prior to delivery of the vessel, an updated copy of Specialtime Boxes 32-37, 39-40, 42-52, 55-56, and 64, previously submitted with the contractor's proposal, to include any and all revisions necessary to accurately describe the modified vessel.”

Question 304: Looking on www.fedbizopps.com there are 0035 Amendments out, when I follow the link it takes me back to the Procurement website. I seem to be unable to get any further than Amendment 10. Is this an issue on our end (Internet Explorer) or with the MSC website?

Answer 304: There have been eleven (11) Amendments, and ten (10) Q&A Parts posted as of 28 January 2013. The problem with the Amendment numbering on FedBizOpps is an issue with the interface between the MSC Procurement Website, the NECO website, and the FedBizOpps website. The links shown in the RFP posting on the FedBizOpps website should correctly take a potential offeror to the NECO website, which then connects the offeror to the MSC Procurement Website. The Amendment numbering on the MSC Website supersedes that of the FedBizOpps website.

Question 305: The ability of the vendor to establish a valid offer will depend on a thorough review of the testing requirements for the vessel for acceptance.

- Can MSC provide a date when the MSV Sea Trial and Acceptance Test Plan will be posted for review?

- Will the test plan be divided into two phases: inport and underway, or just an underway test phase?

Answer 305: The sea trial agenda and vessel inspection plan will not be available prior to contract award. As described in Section C-2.4.1, the pre-delivery survey and sea trial will be divided into two phases: 1) Government inspection of the vessel modifications, and 2) the sea trial. During the pre-delivery survey and seal trial, the Government reserves the right to inspect the vessel for conformance with all requirements of the contract.

Answer 60 and Answer 96, provided in Questions and Answers – Part Four, which indicated that a draft sea trials agenda would be provided to offerors prior to the close of the RFP, are hereby revised.

Question 306: Could we please get a copy of the conformed RFP in Word format?

Answer 306: A conformed copy of the full RFP will not be provided in Word format. A conformed copy in PDF format will be provided, upon execution of each forthcoming Amendment to the RFP. Additionally, a copy of the Specialtime Boxes will be provided in Word format.