RFI.Iso-Molded Graphite.20210108.pdf

Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Strategic Materials Request for Information (RFI)

Iso-Molded Graphite

1.0 Description

1.1 The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Strategic Materials Contracting Directorate is seeking information on how an interested contractor could provide product for the Iso-Molded Graphite acquisition.

1.2 THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY. This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes; it does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP) or a promise to issue an RFP in the future. This request for information does not commit the Government to contract for any supply or service whatsoever. Further, DLA Strategic Materials is not at this time seeking proposals and will not accept unsolicited proposals.

Responders are advised that DLA Strategic Materials will not pay for any information or administrative costs incurred in response to this RFI; all costs associated with response to this RFI will be the sole responsibility of the interested party. Not responding to this RFI does not preclude participation in any future RFP, if any is issued. If a solicitation is released, the contract opportunity will be synopsized on the beta.SAM.gov website. The potential offeror is responsible for monitoring this site for additional information pertaining to this requirement.

2.0 Background

DLA Strategic Materials is the operational agent of the Stockpile Manager, Under Secretary of Defense, Acquisition & Sustainment(USD-A&S), charged with implementation of the provisions of the Strategic and Critical Materials Stock Piling Act (50 U.S.C. Section 98 et seq., hereafter referred to as the “Act”). Section 2(b) of the Act requires the Stockpile Manager to “…provide for the acquisition and retention of stocks of certain strategic and critical materials…, to decrease and to preclude, when possible, a dangerous and costly dependence by the United States upon foreign or single sources of supplies for such materials in times of national emergency”.

2.1 Proposed Buy: 4,500 metric tons Iso-Molded Graphite.

2.2 Proposed Delivery Period: five years from the date of contract award.

2.3 Limitations: none

2.4 Security Requirements: N/A

3.0 Requested Information

3.1 Iso-Molded Graphite Information

• Specifications of the Iso-Molded Graphite for use in manufacturing that are produced, sold, or required by your company. Specifications can be commercial or company specific. Proprietary specification information submitted to the Government will be held as Business Confidential and not disclosed outside of DLA Strategic Materials or the chain of command responsible for the operation of the National Defense Stockpile (NDS). The provider is responsible for identifying proprietary information. Specification information is important as it helps ensure that the materials potentially acquired for the NDS could be released to industry for the production of end items in the event of a National Emergency.

• What is your annual overall production/throughput of Iso-Molded Graphite?

• What other forms of Iso-Molded Graphite material are sold to industry customers and how does the volume of those sold compare?

• Into which customer market sector(s) (military-aerospace; commercial-automotive) is your Iso-Molded Graphite material sold?

• What is your plant/distribution capacity per year by form/type/market sector?

• How much Iso-Molded Graphite raw material is stockpiled and how often is the inventory replenished?

• How does the time of year effect availability of material?

3.2 Product Quality Information

• Please provide material specifications

• Are there any crucial impurities that have adverse effects on performance and what are the limits of those impurities in products that are specified?

• Which test methods are used to measure impurities (e.g., Inductively Coupled

Plasma-Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES); ICP Mass Spectrometry (ICP- MS), Glow Discharge Mass Spectrometry GDMS, Titration, Spectrophotometric, Turbidity etc.)? Please specify which method for which element or compound.

• Please include any comparable Safety Data Sheet (SDS), or Certificate of Analyses (COA) for Iso-Molded Graphite products your company sells or distributes.

• If you are a purchaser, do you test the material you receive to determine whether it meets the material specifications you request?

• Do you have your own laboratory perform the material testing?

• How is the powder particle size measured and reported and what method is used to measure particle size distribution (PSD)?

• Will you be able to obtain a letter from a producer stating that your material has met or exceeded manufacturing requirements in the past?

3.3 General Information

• How do you typically price the material?

• Are there frequent changes in the market price for this material? If yes, how do you address those changes?

• Please provide a copy of a redacted commercial contract that includes your standard terms and conditions.

• Do you have provisions for agreements longer than one year? If so, how long term is tolerable?

• Do you provide spot deliveries? If so, typically how much could you provide and in what timeframe could you deliver?

• What is your production/delivery capacity per year?

• What unit of measure do you use to price the required material?

• Packaging methods for Iso-Molded Graphite. Please include any industry standards that relate to how the Iso-Molded Graphite is packaged.

• Storage conditions for Iso-Molded Graphite. The material will be stored at a

Government depot. It is not uncommon for NDS inventory to be stored for periods of time exceeding twenty-five years, so please include information on the following:

o Shelf life o Environmental impact o Regulations o Material Rotation Requirements

• Delivery Methods for Iso-Molded Graphite. The material will be delivered to a

Government depot for storage.

• What is your typical delivery time for Iso-Molded Graphite from the date of receiving a contract/order?

• Do you offer prompt payment discounts?

• Do you have an active iRAPT account for submitting electronic invoices in the Wide

Area Workflow System?

• Please include the Material Safety Datasheet (MDS) or Safety Data Sheet (SDS) for

Iso-Molded Graphite products your company sells or distributes.

• If you were requested to provide sales data identifying the percentage of material sold to the Government and the percentage of material sold to the general public, would you comply?

• Would you agree to a contract that contains Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) clause 52.216-2-Economic Price Adjustment—Standard Supplies? (Economic Price Adjustment is described in the Supplement of this RFI.

• Is your company registered in the System for Award Management (SAM)?

(https://www.sam.gov/).

• Does your company have a cage code? If so, what is it?

• Do you typically use subcontractors to produce/provide this material or service?

• Please submit lessons learned from current or previous contract awards.

4.0 Responses

4.1 Interested parties are requested to respond to this RFI with a white paper.

4.2 White papers in Microsoft Word or Office 2010 compatible format are due no later than 1

March 2021, 5:00) EST. Responses shall be submitted via e-mail; only to SMContracting@dla.mil. Proprietary information, if any, MUST BE CLEARLY MARKED.

To aid the Government, please segregate proprietary information. Please be advised that all submissions become Government property and will not be returned.

4.3 Section 1 of the white paper shall provide administrative information and shall include the following as a minimum:

4.3.1 Name, mailing address, overnight delivery address (if different from mailing address), phone number, fax number, and email of designated point of contact.

4.3.2 Recommended contract strategy.

4.3.3 Either, (1) copies of executed non-disclosure agreement (NDA) with the contractors supporting DLA Strategic Materials in technical evaluations or (2) a statement that the responders will not allow the Government to release its proprietary data to the Government support contractors. In the absence of either of the foregoing, the Government will assume that the responder does NOT agree to the release of its submission to Government support contractors.

4.3.4 Business type (large business, small business, small disadvantaged business, 8(a)-certified small disadvantaged business, HUBZone small business, woman-owned small business, very small business, veteran-owned small business, service-disabled veteran-owned small business) based upon North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) 212399-Grahamite mining and/or beneficiating.

“Small business concern” means a concern, including its affiliates that is independently owned and operated, not dominant in the field of operation in https://www.sam.gov/ mailto:SMContracting@dla.mil which it is bidding on Government contracts, and qualified as a small business under the criteria and size standards in 13 CFR part 121. A small business concern for the purposes of this procurement is generally defined as a business, including its affiliates, averaging no more than three million dollars in annual receipts.

Annual receipts of a concern that has been in business for 3 or more complete fiscal years means the annual average gross revenue of the concern taken for the last 3 fiscal years. Annual receipts of a concern that has been in business for less than 3 complete fiscal years means its total receipts for the period it has been in business, divided by the number of weeks including fractions of a week that it has been in business, and multiplied by 52. Responders are cautioned, however, that this is a general description only. Additional standards and conditions apply.

Please refer to Federal Acquisition Regulation FAR 19 for additional detailed information on Small Business Size Standards. The FAR is available at https://www.acquisition.gov/

4.3.5 The facility security clearance of the offeror.

5.0 Industry Discussions

DLA Strategic Materials representatives may or may not choose to meet with potential offerors.

Such discussions would only be intended to get further clarification of potential capability to meet the requirements, especially any development and certification risks.

6.0 Questions

Questions regarding this announcement shall be submitted in writing by email to the Contracting office, email address above. Verbal questions will NOT be accepted. Questions will be answered by posting answers to the beta.SAM.gov website; accordingly, questions shall NOT contain proprietary or classified information. The Government does not guarantee that questions received after 22 February 2021 will be answered.

7.0 Summary

THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ONLY to identify sources that can provide Iso- Molded Graphite for a potential future acquisition. The information provided in the RFI is subject to change and is not binding on the Government. DLA Strategic Materials has not made a commitment to procure any of the items discussed, and release of this RFI should NOT be construed as such a commitment or as authorization to incur cost for which reimbursement would be required or sought. All submissions become Government property and will not be returned.

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