STOREROOM GAS SOW.pdf

1. BACKGROUND

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Storeroom and Warehouse is an 11,500 square foot facility, with a 2,700 square foot sales floor, located in Building 301 on the NIST Campus. The Storeroom is a part of the NIST

Administrative Services Division, Logistics Storeroom Section. Their mission is to service customers better than anyone else could serve them and provide customers the highest quality, variety and convenience at a competitive price.

The Storeroom stocks various commodities for use by NIST personnel. The Storeroom also maintains an on-line catalog to provide NIST personnel with current information on items available.

The Storeroom also provides cylinder gases for the NIST Gaithersburg Campus. This service includes ordering of storeroom gases, ordering of specialty gases, delivery and pick up of cylinders to remote buildings, and management, repair and maintenance of the cylinders.

2. PURPOSE

The purpose of this requirement is to establish a single blanket purchase agreement (BPA) for cylinder gas products and services. This acquisition is not seeking a Contractor to facilitate the operation of the Storeroom, but to deliver the required products and services identified herein.

Work under this BPA shall provide all of the following:

a. Cylinder gases;

b. All maintenance, repair and upgrades to the NIST owned cylinders;

c. Specialty gases in NIST-owned and/or Contractor owned cylinders;

d. A tracking system to manage and track all cylinders on the NIST campus;

e. Upgrades to existing NIST-owned cylinders such that all cylinders will fully meet the Compressed Gas Association (CGA) Standards for cylinder gases and improve the safe handling and use of the cylinders.

3. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

3.1 Placement of Calls

The Contractor shall not perform any service or deliver any product without issuance of a BPA call.

NIST may award BPA calls on-line through the tracking system or via written calls.

Authorized NIST employees will place calls. A list of authorized individuals is identified in ―List of Authorized Callers.‖

The Government will consider a call placed upon issuance of the call or issuance of a call number through the tracking system.

3.2 Electronic Call Confirmation

Contractors must have the ability to provide an electronic call confirmation through the tracking system and an itemized delivery ticket. A delivery ticket must accompany all deliveries.

The call confirmation shall list of the products/services ordered, and delivery date for each product and service ordered in accordance with the BPA requirements and/or, for specialty gases, the delivery time agreed upon between the Contractor and the Government.

3.3 Delivery Ticket

All shipments shall be delivered with an itemized delivery ticket that includes all of the following:

(1) Name of supplier;

(2) BPA number;

(3) Date (of order/call placement);

(4) Call Number;

(5) Name of person placing the call;

(6) Serial number of all cylinders being delivered;

(7) Itemized list of products and/or services purchased including name of gas purchased.

For Storeroom Gases the confirmation must identify the NIST internal stock number and name of gas purchased.

(8) Quantity, unit of issue, unit price, and total amount of each product and/or service;

(9) Delivery date;

(10)Comments and/or special shipping instructions.

If multiple calls are delivered, each call shall be delivered with a delivery ticket specific to the call.

NIST will utilize Contractor-owned cylinder pallets (metal or wooden at the

Contractor‘s discretion) to return empty cylinders for refilling or return the pallets empty not later than 30 days after receipt. The Contractor shall pick up metal pallets when they pick up empty cylinders to be filled. NIST will recycle all wooden pallets at NIST‘s expense.

Partial deliveries must be approved, in advance, by the NIST Contracting Officer‘s

Representative (COR). The products/completed services being delivered and backorders must be updated by the Contractor in the tracking system.

When the balance of a partial shipment is delivered, the Contractor shall identify the partial shipment by putting a suffix on the call number (i.e. call number-1 or

-2) on the delivery ticket.

3.4 Shipment and Delivery of Calls

Delivery terms shall be FOB Destination. Unit prices shall be inclusive of all shipping charges.

Cylinders shall be prepared for shipment and delivered in accordance with

Department of Transportation (DOT) 49 CFR 180.209. All cylinders must be able to be safely used in the condition that they are delivered.

Containers and packaging shall comply with Uniform Freight Classification rules, or regulations of other carriers, as applicable to the mode of transportation.

Products ordered under calls shall be delivered to NIST‘s central shipping and receiving facility located at Building 301, 100 Bureau Drive, Gaithersburg, MD.

Cylinders shall be picked up at the same facility. It is standard practice that

NIST personnel be responsible for distributing the cylinders throughout the campus and returning empty cylinders to the central shipping and receiving location.

The Government reserves the right to require the Contractor to deliver specialty gases to the end user‘s laboratory after cylinders are received in NIST shipping and receiving. This requirement will generally apply to gases that are hazardous and/or poisonous or in excessively large containers (i.e. liquid argon). The COR will identify this need on the request for pricing and the subsequent call. The

Contractor shall not deliver directly to any location or building other than NIST shipping and receiving without the written consent of the COR.

For orders of 10 or more cylinders of compatible gases, the Contractor shall palletize the cylinders on cylinder pallets. Cylinders must be standing upright vertically on steel pallets.

Shipment of fewer than 10 cylinders on other than cylinder pallets and/or not standing upright vertically requires prior approval by the COR and must be confirmed within the context of the call information. This type of shipment may be recommended by the Contractor based on the type of gas being delivered.

Compatible gases refers to transportation requirements of DOT 49 CFR 180.209.

Cylinders must be delivered with a plastic dust cap (Contractor-provided) on the valve.

3.5 Designated Customer Service Representative

The Contractor shall identify two designated customer service representatives for the NIST account to handle questions, issues and problems that may arise on any products and services required under this Blanket Purchase Agreement. Questions, issues and problems may be handled in person, via telephone, or via e-mail at the

Contractor‘s discretion. This/these individual(s) shall be designated as ―Key

Personnel‖ in the Blanket Purchase Agreement.

To the maximum extent practicable, Customer Service Representative(s) shall be responsible to provide a response not later than one business day after a question is initiated.

3.6 Security Requirements

During regular business hours, delivery drivers must produce current, valid photo identification.

3.7 Regular Delivery Schedule

The Contractor shall schedule pick-up of empty cylinders and delivery of cylinders in accordance with the following requirements:

1. IN-HOUSE GASES must be delivered not later than five (5) business days after call is placed;

SPECIALTY GASES: Reference Section 4.2.1;

2. Pick-up and delivery must be Monday, Tuesday and Thursday between the hours of 8:00 AM and 11:00 AM and 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM Eastern

Time and/or Wednesday and Friday between the hours of 1:00 PM and

3:00 PM Eastern Time;

3. MAINTENANCE SERVICES: The Contractor shall complete maintenance and repair of cylinders in accordance with the requirements of

Section 4.3.

The Contractor shall provide written notice to the Contracting Officer‘s

Representative if these timelines cannot be met. Modified delivery timelines must be approved, in advance, by the COR. Excessive requests for delivery extensions shall be directed to the Contracting Officer by the COR. For in-house gases, notice must be provided not later than 24 hours after the call is placed. For specialty gases, notice must be provided within 24 hours of the Contractor‘s identification of a delay.

NIST reserves the right to require expedited delivery as needed. Fees associated with expedited delivery will be negotiated by the Contractor prior to the call being placed.

In the event that NIST is scheduled for closure for any reason on order or delivery days, the following schedule shall apply. Scheduled closures include Federal holidays.

If the closed date falls on an order date, then the order will be placed on the first business day prior to the normal order date.

If the closed date falls on a delivery date, then the delivery will be scheduled for the first business day following the normal delivery date.

In the event that NIST is closed due to national emergency, inclement weather or for any other unscheduled closure on order or delivery days, ordering or delivery shall occur on the following business day. The

Contractor can verify NIST‘s status using telephone number 301-975-8000.

The Government will not be responsible for costs incurred by the Contractor for unsuccessful delivery attempts associated with national emergency, inclement weather or for any other unscheduled closure.

3.8 Return Authorization

The Contractor shall be 100% responsible for return authorizations, the return of overshipments, damaged items, duplicate orders, incorrect shipments, any product that is received in error from the Contractor, and/or any delivery made without a prior authorized BPA call.

To the maximum extent practicable, the Contractor must correct any non-compliance issue and/or provide consideration not later than seven days from the date the issue is identified to the Contractor at no cost to the Government.

Based on the issue identified, the Government may authorize a longer resolution time.

When applicable, the Contractor must facilitate the return process and issue a credit to the Purchase Card or the Government‘s account within 5 days after notification of an issue by the Government.

3.9 Inspection and Acceptance

It shall be the responsibility of the Contractor to ensure that (1) all specifications are met for all deliverables; (2) All cylinders are delivered with working pressure gauges indicating that the tank is full; and (3) Cylinders are delivered with a plastic dust cap (contractor-provided) on the valve.

Upon receipt of a delivery, cylinders will be inspected by the Government to verify items 2 and 3 above are met.

Latent defects (i.e. non-compliance with gas specifications), will be documented in the tracking system (Reference Section 4.5) and communicated in writing to key personnel, via e-mail, through the COR and/or the Contracting Officer.

The Contractor shall be responsible to correct all defects and/or deficiencies for any cylinders that do not meet all requirements above. A replacement cylinder must be delivered not later than 3 business days after the rejected cylinders is/are returned to the Contractor. The tracking system will be updated by the COR to document the return and the reason for the rejection.

The Government reserves the right to negotiate consideration for delays encountered due to rejected cylinders.

3.10 Payment

A purchase card, issued by the United States Government, may be utilized as a means of payment under this Blanket Purchase Agreement. Contractors must have an established merchant account capable of accepting Visa and Mastercard over the phone or through their on-line ordering capability.

Payments for written calls shall be made in accordance with the clause entitled

‗Billing Instructions.‘

The Government does not intend to authorize partial payments. The Government intends to order products and services with comparable delivery timelines on a single call.

3.11 Data Rights

The Government will maintain unlimited data rights to all data produced under this blanket purchase agreement in accordance with FAR 52.227-27 Rights in Data—

General.

4. SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS

4.1 In-House Gases

In-house gases are pure analytical gases that NIST Storeroom stocks in a centralized area on the NIST Gaithersburg Campus. These gases are provided on a recurring need and the most often used. In-house gases may be subject to change as the needs of NIST change, however, changes will be incorporated via modification to the agreement.

Below is a current inventory of in-house gases and cylinder sizes. NIST-owned cylinders must be utilized to maintain the inventory of each of these gases. In-house gases will be ordered by NIST on an as-needed basis via BPA call.

All cylinders must be filled and delivered to NIST with at least 95% fill pressure allowed by DOT based on the size and material of the cylinder.

Historical usage, specifically, the number of cylinders ordered within a one year period is included in Attachment II.

65381 - Acetylene - GAS, ACETYLENE, DISSOLVED, C2H2, TECH GRADE, GRADE B, MINIMUM PURITY 98.0%. 10CU FT

65383 - Acetylene - GAS, ACETYLENE, DISSOLVED, C2H2, TECH GRADE, GRADE B, MINIMUM PURITY 98.0%. 40CU

65385 - Acetylene - GAS, ACETYLENE, DISSOLVED, C2H2, TECH GRADE, GRADE B, MINIMUM PURITY 98.0%. 225CU

65391 - Breathing Air - GAS, BREATHING AIR, 80% NITROGEN / 20% OXYGEN, DEWPOINT 70 DEG F:(OXYGEN CONTENT 19%-23%) 220 CU FT

65398 - Argon - GAS, ARGON, WATER PUMPED, GRADE A, TECH GRADE, PURITY

99.996%. CAPACITY 220 CU.FT.

65402 - P-10 - GAS, P-10, ARGON 90% - METHANE 10%, FOR PROPORTIONAL AND GEIGER

COUNTER UNITS. CAPACITY 220 CU. FT.

65409 - Carbon Dioxide - GAS, CARBON DIOXIDE, CO2, TECHNICAL, LOW

MOISTURE,SIZE #1, FS BB-C-101, GRADE B TYPE II; MINIMUM PURITY 99.5%. 50 LB

CAPACITY.

65419 - Forming Gas - FORMING GAS, WATER PUMPED, NITROGEN 95% - HYDROGEN 5%.

CAPACITY 220 CU.FT.

65441 - Helium - GAS, HELIUM, TECHNICAL, CAPACITY 200 CU. FT, GRADE A, PURITY

99%

65458 – Hydrogen* - GAS, HYDROGEN, H2, TECH. GRADE, MINIMUM PURITY 99.5%, CAPACITY 200 CU. FT.

*Hydrogen is classified as an in-house gas, however, NIST will stock a minimal amount of hydrogen on-site. NIST plans to place calls for hydrogen on an as-needed basis.

65482 - Nitrogen - GAS, NITROGEN, SUPER DRY, 3.53PPM H20 MINIMUM PURITY

99.95%, CAPACITY 220 CU.FT.

65497 - Oxygen - GAS, OXYGEN. 02, PURITY 99.5%, CAPACITY 220 CU. FT

65511 - Propane - GAS, PROPANE, C3H8, COMMERICAL MINIMUM PURITY 95% CAPACITY –

33 LB OR 100 LB.

The following five (5) gases are currently categorized as specialty gases due to the purity level, however, NIST prefers that these gases be provided as in-house gases and in NIST-owned cylinders. As these gases would be new to the Storeroom inventory, no ordering history is available.

100021 - GAS, HELIUM, 99.999% ULTRA-HIGH PURITY, 300 CuFt;

100023 - GAS, HELIUM, 99.9999% RESEARCH PURITY, 300 CuFt;

100024 - GAS, ARGON, 99.999% ULTRA-HIGH PURITY, 300 CuFt;

100025 - GAS, NITROGEN, 99.999% ULTRA-HIGH PURITY, 300 CuFt;

100027 - GAS, METHANE: 5%, ARGON: BALANCE, 300 CuFt.

4.2 Specialty Gases

4.2.1 Specialty gases are those gases that NIST does not have a high demand to stock for research. Specialty gases will be delivered in a Contractor-owned cylinder that meets the safety requirements of

Section 4.4 below.

Specialty gas mixtures that have been ordered in the past two years are included in Attachment I. Attachment I is a sample of the types of mixtures that are considered specialty gases. This is not intended to be a complete list of requirements. The required gases will vary by the lab specific needs and will provide the specific mixture that meets the need of the researcher. Specifics of each mixture will be provided with each request for pricing for specialty gases.

NIST will purchase specialty gases in cylinders ranging in size from a lecture bottle to a 300 cubic foot cylinder. It is anticipated that steel and aluminum cylinders, as well as other cylinder types will be utilized based on the mixture composition being ordered, and as required by the

Compressed Gas Association (CGA).

The Government reserves the right to require a certificate of analysis

(cylinder specific), or a certificate of conformance (lot specific). This requirement will be identified at the time the request for pricing is issued.

It is noted that compressed gas Standard Reference Materials (SRMs) will not be ordered under this blanket purchase agreement.

Individuals authorized to place calls or the NIST Acquisition Management

Division will issue requests for pricing for specialty gases to the

Contractor via fax or e-mail. The Contractor shall confirm receipt of the request for pricing, via e-mail to the sender, not later than one calendar day after receipt of the request.

The Contractor shall provide pricing for the required specialty gas, via fax or e-mail, not later than five calendar days after receipt of the request for pricing. All pricing shall include all of the following information:

-NIST request for pricing identifier (i.e. number;)

-Description provided by NIST;

-Specifications of specialty gas being quoted by the Contractor;

-Quantity;

-Unit of Issue;

-Unit Price;

-Extended total amount;

-Delivery timeline.

It is anticipated that specialty gases will be delivered not later than one month from the date the call is placed, however, the Contractor shall provide the delivery timeline in their response to each request for pricing.

Most delivery timelines will be quoted by the Contractor, however, specific delivery requirements for any given specialty gas will be specified in the request for pricing. Specific delivery requirements will not be negotiable.

The Contractor‘s pricing will be evaluated for compliance with required specifications, including cylinder size, and delivery timeline. Price shall be evaluated for reasonableness.

The Government reserves the right not to place a call if the Contractor‘s submission does not meet all required specifications, cylinder size, and/or if the price quoted cannot be determined to be fair and reasonable.

4.2.2 Contractor-owned cylinders must be demurrage free for the first 30 calendar days. Demurrage charges shall be assessed, at the rate of $_________ (RATE

SHALL BE PROPOSED BY THE CONTRACTOR), for every 30 calendar day period after the initial use period of 30 days. These cylinders must be tracked through the tracking system such that the commencement date for demurrage charges can be clearly discerned.

In accordance with FAR 52.247-66 Returnable Cylinders, the Government will pay demurrage up to the replacement value of the cylinder as provided by the

Contractor. Upon payment of demurrage equivalent to the replacement value of any given cylinder, the Contractor must transfer ownership of the cylinder to the Government. The Contractor must provide written documentation of the transfer of ownership to the Government within 30 days from the date payment of demurrage ends.

If specialty gases are required to be delivered in lecture bottles, the

Government will assume ownership of the lecture bottle upon acceptance of the gas mixture. Lecture bottles must be tracked in the tracking system.

Tracking shall be based on the Contractor‘s commercial method if the lecture bottles do not have serial numbers. If lecture bottles have serial numbers, the serial numbers must be utilized for tracking.

The Contractor must accept any lecture bottles ordered under this agreement for return and disposal during the performance period of this agreement.

The Contractor‘s obligation to dispose of lecture bottles purchased under this agreement expires when the period of performance expires.

The Contractor shall provide to NIST a certificate of destruction for each lecture bottle that the Contractor destroys and subsequently disposes of.

The certification shall include, at a minimum, the appropriate nomenclature for the lecture bottle being destroyed, and the date of destruction.

Prior to shipment of the specialty gas, the Contractor shall affix a bar code label, in accordance with the requirements of Section 5.2, that is the actual serial number of the cylinder and/or lecture bottle (as appropriate) being delivered. This serial number shall be entered into the tracking system by the Contractor prior to the cylinder/lecture bottle being shipped.

The cylinder/lecture bottle can then be tracked by NIST and the Contractor.

4.3 Maintenance and Repair of Cylinders

The maintenance and repair of cylinders shall be performed as required to keep the cylinders to the standards described in Section 4.4. This section assumes that the same gas types will be in the same cylinders. The

Contractor shall not change the gas types in cylinders without the prior approval of the Government.

All maintenance, repairs, and recommended services must be recorded in the tracking system. The Contractor shall not perform maintenance, repairs and/or recommended services without an authorized call number from an authorized individual.

The following maintenance and repair items shall be performed under this

Agreement in accordance with the timelines specified. Deviations from these timelines must be approved in advance by NIST.

i. General Inspection

Before refilling any cylinders, the Contractor shall perform an overall inspection of each cylinder, safety cap or safety yoke, gauge and valve.

If any deficiencies are noted during this inspection and/or during the filling process, the Contractor shall provide recommendations for repair of deficiencies to the COR through the tracking system.

ii. Lettering and Stenciling.

Cylinders shall be clearly and legibly lettered and stenciled as follows:

-―NIST‖ shall be stenciled on the side of each cylinder in all capital letters. Letters must be a minimum height of 2‖;

-United Nations (UN) markings must be stenciled on the side of each cylinder. Marking shall be in accordance with Department of

Transportation/Code of Federal Regulations (DOT/CFR) 49.172.300.

Nomenclature must be a minimum height of 2‖;

-The name of the gas must be stenciled on the side of each cylinder.

Letters must be minimum height of 2‖;

-A National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) hazard diamond, with the appropriate hazard levels filled in, must be affixed to each cylinder.

The hazard diamond must be affixed to the side of the cylinder. The hazard diamond must measure 3‖ x 3‖ at a minimum.

Lettering and stenciling must be completed not later than 30 days after call is placed.

iii. Painting and Stripping

The stripping process must remove all paint down to the metal.

Painting shall include priming, painting the body and shoulder of the bottle, and touch up painting.

The body of each bottle shall be painted gray. The shoulder of each bottle shall be painted a different color based on the Contractor‘s color coding system. Each gas must have a different color.

Paint shall be touched up, as needed, to minimize scratches.

Full cylinder stripping and painting must be completed not later than 30 days after call is placed.

Touch up painting must be completed not later than 7 days after call is placed.

iv. Safety Caps

Safety caps as used in this section means a separate, threaded, cap that is used to cover the valve in transport to protect the valve assembly.

All NIST cylinders currently have safety caps. However, these safety caps will be replaced with safety valve guards during cylinder upgrades. The existing safety caps must be maintained prior to upgrading cylinders and replacing them with safety valve guards.

Safety caps must be properly installed on each cylinder. If a safety cap is damaged by the Contractor, it must be replaced with a functional cap at the Contractor‘s expense. All damaged caps must be returned to NIST.

If the Contractor notes that a cylinder is received from NIST with a damaged safety cap, the Contractor must notify NIST for a replacement.

v. Safety Valve Guard

Safety Valve Guard as used in this section means a threaded, fixed cover that protects the valve assembly and provides access to gauging and valving on both sides of the cylinder.

Safety valve guards are the required replacements for the existing safety caps after cylinder upgrades are completed.

Safety valve guards must be properly installed on each cylinder. If a safety valve guard is damaged by the Contractor, it must be replaced with a functional guard at the Contractor‘s expense. All damaged valve guards must be returned to NIST.

If the Contractor notes that a cylinder is received from NIST with a damaged safety valve guard, the Contractor must notify NIST for a replacement valve guard.

Safety valve guard replacement must be completed not later than 7 days from the date the call is placed.

vi. Valve Assembly Replacement

Valve assemblies (valves) must be replaced as needed. The Contractor must contact NIST for a replacement valve assembly if:

-The valve assembly is damaged or otherwise not functional; and/or

-The cylinder undergoes a change of service requiring a change in the

CGA valve.

Valves will meet required specifications identified in Section 4.4.

Valves will be provided to the Contractor as Government Furnished

Property. NIST will maintain an inventory of valves. The Contractor shall contact the Contracting Officer‘s Representative to obtain the required number of valves. Valves shall be shipped to the Contractor at the Government‘s expense.

If a valve is damaged by the Contractor, it must be replaced with a functional valve at the Contractor‘s expense. All damaged valves must be returned to NIST at the Contractor‘s expense.

Valve replacement must be completed not later than 14 days after the valve(s) is/are received from NIST.

The Contractor must return all removed valves to NIST with the completed cylinders.

The Contractor shall not use Government provided valves for any other purpose than NIST cylinders.

vi. Hydrostatic Testing

Hydrostatic testing shall be performed in accordance with Department of

Transportation (DOT), Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 49 CFR 180.209, Section 201-215. Reference specifications under Section 4.4 for hydrostatic testing. The hydrostatic test date shall be stamped on the shoulder of each cylinder.

Hydrostatic testing must be completed not later than 30 days after call is placed.

vii. Return of Non-Repairable Cylinders

The Contractor shall identify that any given cylinder is non-repairable. Identification shall be documented in the tracking system for cylinders that the Contractor believes are not repairable. NIST shall make the final determination and document that determination through the tracking system. The Contractor shall return non-repairable cylinders to NIST.

Valves and safety caps/valve guards shall be returned to NIST for each corresponding cylinder(s). Valves and safety caps/valve guards shall be labeled as serviceable or out of service.

The cylinder, valve, safety cap and/or safety valve guard shall be returned not later than 30 days after NIST‘s final determination is made.

The cylinder number in the tracking system shall be retired. The tracking system shall identify the cylinder number as ―retired‖.

4.4 Cylinder Service Upgrades

NIST is required to fully meet or exceed the Compressed Gas Association (CGA) and OSHA guidance for the safe use and handling of bottled gases. The complete NIST bottle inventory must be retrofitted in accordance with these safety standards.

NIST‘S total cylinder inventory currently numbers 750. At a minimum 500

Cylinders are currently suitable for retrofit. NIST intends to retrofit the the complete cylinder inventory.

NIST anticipates the following quantities being retrofitted during the following periods:

Base Period: Minimum quantity 200 cylinders;

Maximum quantity 300 cylinders;

Option Period I: Minimum quantity 100 cylinders;

Maximum quantity 150 cylinders;

Option Period II: Minimum quantity 75 cylinders;

Maximum quantity 100 cylinders;

Option Period III: Minimum quantity 75 cylinders;

Maximum quantity 100 cylinders;

Option Period IV: Minimum quantity 50 cylinders;

Maximum quantity 100 cylinders.

Notwithstanding requirements for hydrostatic testing, cylinder upgrades shall include all of the following. Hydrostatic testing shall be performed on cylinders in accordance with Compressed Gas Association (CGA) guidelines.

i. Lettering and Stenciling.

Cylinders shall be clearly and legibly lettered and stenciled as follows:

-―NIST‖ shall be stenciled on the side of each cylinder in all capital letters. Letters must be a minimum height of 2‖;

-United Nations (UN) markings must be stenciled on the side of each cylinder. Marking shall be in accordance with Department of

Transportation/Code of Federal Regulations 49.172.300.

Nomenclature must be a minimum height of 2‖;

-The name of the gas must be stenciled on the side of each cylinder.

Letters must be minimum height of 2‖;

-A National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) hazard diamond, with the appropriate hazard levels filled in, must be affixed to each cylinder.

The hazard diamond must be affixed to the side of the cylinder. The hazard diamond must measure 3‖ x 3‖ at a minimum.

ii. Painting and Stripping

The stripping process must remove all paint down to the metal.

Painting shall include priming, painting the body and shoulder of the bottle, and touch up painting.

The body of each bottle shall be painted gray. The shoulder of each bottle shall be painted a different color based on the Contractor‘s color coding system. Each gas must have a different color.

Paint shall be touched up, as needed, to minimize scratches.

Full cylinder stripping and painting must be completed not later than 30 days after call is placed.

iv. Cleaning including Hydrostatic Testing (as required)

Hydrostatic Pressure test bottle to ASTM pressure vessel testing requirements as required by CGA. This shall include de-valving, indenting new test date, drying the interior and setting new valves;

Dumped. All water should be emptied out of the cylinder;

Drop Light Visual Inspection. View the internal tank of the bottle to determine that there is not any corrosion or damage. If the cylinder is not safe for use, the Contractor shall document that finding in the tracking system and in a written report to NIST.

Dry with Hot Air. The bottle shall be dried with hot air and fit for the purpose of the intended gas.

Valve. A new valve shall be supplied by the Government and applied.

The hydrostatic test date shall be stamped on the shoulder of each

iv. Cylinder Preparation

Pull vacuum to 10mm of mercury.

Purge with intended gas a minimum of three times at a minimum of 50

PSI.

Fill with intended gas.

Apply a fill label.

**First fill after hydrostatic testing; Check for moisture. Moisture must be less than 5 ppm.

v. Valve Replacement

The Contractor shall install new valves on each upgraded cylinder.

Valves will be supplied by the Government as Government Furnished

Property. Valves will meet all of the following specifications:

-Integrated High Pressure Gauge to allow for monitoring of gas pressure in the cylinder;

-Cylinder pressure will be visible on the gauge without affixing a secondary regulator or gauge to the bottle;

-Will have a built-in flow restrictor that prevents rapid release in case the valve is accidentally opened or damaged;

-Will maintain a minimal residual pressure on bottle to insure quality of gas by avoiding the intrusion from atmospheric contaminants. For the purpose of this solicitation, ―minimal‖ means 20-40 pounds per square inch gauge (PSIG);

-Gauge will be calibrated to manufacturer‘s specifications;

-Will contain a CGA approved pressure relief safety;

-Each valve will accommodate the Compressed Gas Association (CGA) fittings as set forth below:

Breathing Air – CGA 346 fitting;

Argon – CGA 580 fitting;

P-10 - GAS, P-10, ARGON 90% - METHANE 10% CGA 350 fitting;

Forming Gas – CGA 350 fitting;

Helium – CGA 580 fitting;

Hydrogen - CGA 350 fitting;

Nitrogen – CGA 580 fitting;

Oxygen – CGA 540 fitting.

-On/Off Indicator on the valve that will provide an obvious and clear visual indication that the valve is in an on or off position.

-Gauge will be positioned on the right side when facing the valve and angled for improved visibility and easy access when mounting regulators.

vi. Safety Valve Guards

The Contractor shall install new fixed open safety valve guards on each upgraded cylinder. Safety valve guards will be supplied by the Government as Government Furnished Property. Valve guards will meet all of the following specifications:

-The safety valve guard will satisfy all Department of

Transportation (DOT) Regulations for compressed gas transport of gas cylinders;

-Safety valve guard will be 100% compatible with the valve;

-Safety valve guard will fix to the cylinder so that the guard cannot be removed or fall off during transport, fill, and lab use;

-The safety valve guard will allow for:

-Unimpeded access to the CGA valve fitting;

-Unimpeded access to the on/off operation of the valve; and

-The unimpeded ability to attach a regulator, using a properly sized wrench as necessary, to attach the regulator on the CGA valve fitting.

-The safety valve guard will protect the valve from rupture, shock, drops and rough handling;

-The top of the cap will allow for safe handling when moving the

vii. Purge and clean bottle for new intended service per color code listed above.

Upgrades must be completed not later than 90 days after call is executed by the

Government.

4.5 Tracking System

The Contractor shall provide and maintain a tracking system to track all NIST-owned cylinders, dewars, and lecture bottles as well as Contractor-owned

(Specialty Gas) cylinders. This may include cylinders currently at NIST, not owned by NIST or the current Contractor.

The tracking system shall, at a minimum:

-Track location of cylinders, dewars and/or lecture bottles;

-Track maintenance activity for each cylinder;

-Track BPA calls;

-Provide reports.

All tracking system functionality and capabilities must be directly accessible by authorized NIST personnel.

4.5.1 Required Fields

All of the following fields shall be available in the tracking system.

Unless otherwise required by this statement of work, the Contractor shall determine the length of the field.

*NIST User ID

Name, Division, Building, E-mail address, Phone Extension

(4 characters)

*Blanket Purchase Agreement Number

*Call Number (Field must have 15 characters)

*Purchase Order Number (Field must have 20 characters)

*Description

*Quantity

*Unit of Issue

*Unit Price

*Total Amount

*NIST Internal Barcode Number (Limit field to six numerical characters);

*Type of Container (Cylinder, Dewar, Lecture Bottle)

*Size of Container

*Serial Number of Container

*Date Last Hydrostatic Test

*Date Next Hydrostatic Test Due

*Date Taken Out of Service

*Transfer of Ownership Date

*Date of Destruction

*Certificate of Analysis

*Certificate of Conformance

*Date Demurrage Charges Commence (30 days from date of delivery);

*Date Demurrage Charges Cease

*Cylinder Value

*Comments.

4.5.2 Functionality of Tracking System

i. AdHoc Report Capabilities:

a. All fields must be available to define reports based on changing needs.

Date ranges, cylinder serial number, call number, gas etc;

b. All fields must be available for query;

c. System must save reports in a PDF or other appropriate format as approved by NIST;

d. System must print reports;

e. System must have the ability to export reports to Microsoft Excel.

ii. Upload External File

NIST utilizes the Maximo system for inventory control. The file format utilized by Maximo is comma separated value (CSV). The tracking system must have the capability to upload CSV files that will be available via the web on a daily basis.

The Government will upload a CSV file daily. The file will contain the Maximo order number, NIST internal stock number, short description, quantity ordered, unit of issue, delivery location (building number), and

NIST customer name. The Contractor is responsible for converting the file to the proper format to load into the tracking system.

The file must be put into a pending delivery file that can be accessed by

NIST to create a delivery route against available cylinders.

iii. Cylinder/Dewar/Lecture Bottle Tracking

The tracking system must have the capability to track the current location and status of all NIST-owned and Contractor-owned cylinders/dewars/lecture bottles that are on the NIST campus or off-site being repaired, serviced, or refilled. In addition, the tracking system must record cylinders that are not currently in-service, records of transfer of ownership and dates of destruction.

The Contractor shall be responsible for populating and updating the tracking system for each NIST-owned cylinder, commencing upon the initial upgrade of cylinders and continuing based on all actions taken by the Contractor pertinent to each cylinder. All fields in Section 4.5.1 shall be updated by the Contractor based on actions taken for each cylinder over the life of the

Blanket Purchase Agreement.

The tracking system shall maintain the complete maintenance history of any given cylinder/dewar/lecture bottle for the life of each unit for the life of the BPA.

iv. Web-Based Ordering Capabilities

The tracking system must have web-ordering capabilities. The Contractor shall establish an on-line ordering capability for NIST that includes all products and services authorized under this Blanket Purchase Agreement, and their associated prices. NIST must be able to place calls on-line.

Products, services and prices must be updated by the Contractor should the agreement be modified.

The web-based ordering capability must print a call confirmation which includes all of the following for each call placed:

(1) Name of supplier;

(2) BPA number;

(3) Date (of order/call placement);

(4) Call Number or Purchase Order Number;

(5) Name of person placing the call;

(6) Itemized list of products and/or services purchased including name of gas purchased.

For Storeroom Gases the confirmation must identify the NIST internal stock number and name of gas purchased.

(7) Quantity, unit of issue, unit price, and total amount of each product and/or service;

(8) Required delivery date;

(9) Comments and/or special shipping instructions.

For repairs and maintenance performed, an attachment shall be provided with the delivery ticket with an itemized list of services that have been ordered. For NIST-owned cylinders, the Contractor must identify the NIST cylinder number and serial number for each cylinder, and each maintenance and/or repair item authorized by the blanket purchase agreement.

v. Web-Based Order Tracking Capabilities

The tracking system must track calls and/or purchase orders on-line by call number or purchase order number. This capability must summarize the order and order history including information from all required fields.

vi. E-mail Alerts

The tracking system must send e-mail alerts to the Contracting Officer‘s

Representative and end user at NIST at least 7 days prior to the start of demurrage charges for all Contractor owned cylinders. The e-mail must identify the cylinder serial number and date demurrage charges commence.

-The tracking system must send e-mail alerts to the Contracting Officer‘s

Representative and the end user at NIST when demurrage charges commence for all Contractor owned cylinders. The e-mail must identify the cylinder serial number and date demurrage charges commence.

-E-mail alert to the end user upon delivery of the cylinder to the user‘s loading dock. NIST will load the required e-mail addresses for users. The tracking system must have the ability to remember e-mail addresses, and build an active e-mail customer list of previously inputted customers to expedite data input.

vii. Reporting Requirements

Weekly reports electronically by User ID at NIST for all cylinders being assessed demurrage charges. Reports shall be sent via e-mail to a pre-determined list of NIST customers for a specified period.

Weekly reports electronically to NIST user for all cylinders that have arrived at the NIST loading dock.

Upload External File - Reference Section 4.5.2, paragraph ii.

viii. Flat File

The tracking system must not be proprietary to the Contractor with respect to NIST‘s data access. Upon expiration of the period of performance, the

Contractor shall provide a flat file, in CSV or Excel format, which includes all data described below. This flat file will be provided to the subsequent Contractor so that records are maintained and not lost.

Data shall include, at a minimum:

-List of cylinders, dewars, lecture bottles by serial number;

-Maintenance history of each cylinder;

-Current status of each cylinder and dewar; and

-List of cylinders taken out of service and returned to NIST;

-List of lecture bottles purchased and destroyed.

ix. Maintain a Print File to Print Thermal Labels

NIST will maintain an in-house supply of thermal labels that will be utilized by NIST personnel when delivering cylinders internally to NIST customers.

The print file for thermal labels must include the date of delivery, name of requestor, division, location (building or loading dock), BPA Call number, NIST Internal Stock Number.

x. Security of Tracking System

The tracking system shall be password protected. NIST requires at least three user IDs and passwords to access the tracking system. The system must have the capability to accept additional user IDs.

The system must comply with NIST password policies which include all of the following, at a minimum:

-Passwords of user accounts, including privileged-user accounts (e.g.

root, supervisor, or administrator), must have at least twelve non-blank characters;

-Passwords must contain characters from at least three of the following four categories:

*English upper case characters (A…Z);

*English lower case characters (a…z);

*Base 10 digits (0…9); and

*Non-alphanumeric (for example, !,$#%).

-Passwords must not be stored in clear text or in any easily reversible form;

-Passwords must not be distributed through non-encrypted electronic mail, voice-mail, or left on answering machines;

-The display and printing of passwords must be masked, suppressed, or otherwise obscured so that unauthorized parties will not be able to observe or subsequently recover them;

-If sent by regular mail or similar physical distribution system, passwords and user IDs must be sent separately;

-Passwords must be changed as follows:

*At least every sixty (60) days;

*Immediately if discovered or suspected to have been compromised;

*Immediately if discovered to be out of compliance with this standard;

*On direction from management.

-Users must not reuse any password that would be identical to any of the last 24 prior passwords or passwords used in the past four (4) years for a specific account;

-If a determination is made that a password has been compromised or is not in compliance with this standard, but the password cannot be immediately changed, the account must be temporarily suspended until the password is changed.

The Contractor must provide a point of contact for security questions and to work with the NIST Security Officer in developing a system security plan that will be maintained on-site at NIST and reported to the Department of

Commerce. The security plan must document all aspects of system security associated with the Contractor‘s tracking system to include, at a minimum, access controls, password protection and physical controls. Reference

Attachment III, Special Publication 800-53 entitled ―Recommended Security

Controls for Federal Information Systems and Organizations.‖

xi. Maintenance of Tracking System

The Contractor shall maintain the tracking system. The tracking system shall be upgraded by the Contractor at their discretion, as required at no additional cost to the Government. To the maximum extent practicable, upgrades shall be performed outside of regular business hours. The Contractor shall notify the Government within two business days that an upgrade has occurred.

Upgrades must not impede the functionality of the system in a negative manner or otherwise cause data to be lost, compromised, or skewed.

The Contractor shall exert their best effort to minimize down time. At no time can down time exceed three consecutive calendar days.

xii. The Contractor must provide documentation of the security controls utilized by the tracking system, e.g. access controls, physical controls. While the system is owned by the Contractor, NIST is required to perform an annual security assessment of the system.

5. TASKS

5.1 Scanners and Scanning

5.1.1 Scanners

The Contractor shall provide all of the following equipment for use by NIST in-house at NIST Gaithersburg over the life of the Agreement. Equipment must be compatible with the Contractor‘s tracking system.

a. Qty 7 hand-held laser reader scanners. The equipment provided must be sufficient to scan, maintain, record and print data for tracking system.

Scanners must include memory capacity sufficient to store data should the tracking system be down;

b. Docking station for scanners that sends data from the scanner to the tracking system;

c. Chargers. Qty 1 each per scanner;

d. Printers. Qty 2. Printers must have the capability to print self-adhesive thermal label via the tracking system that can be affixed to gas cylinder bottles. The size of the thermal label shall not exceed 6.0‖ in length x 4.5‖ in width. Printers shall not be portable.

As this equipment will remain property of the Contractor, the Contractor shall be responsible to maintain all equipment such that the equipment functions to manufacturer‘s specifications at all times. In the event of a malfunction, the Contractor shall provide replacement equipment within five days of the date of the malfunction. All repairs shall be done at the Contractor‘s expense. The Contractor must maintain a sufficient inventory of equipment to ensure replacement equipment is available.

Repairs shall be completed at no cost to the Government.

5.1.2 The Contractor shall be responsible for scanning all containers when the Contractor picks up the container from the NIST loading dock to return to the Contractor‘s site. An authorized NIST employee will provide an electronic signature via the scanner at NIST‘s dock.

When the container arrives on NIST‘s loading dock, NIST will be responsible to scan each container. The Contractor‘s delivery representative shall provide an electronic signature via the scanner.

The cylinder serial number must be scanned.

5.2 Bar Coding of Cylinders/Dewars/Lecture Bottles

5.2.1 Bar Coding of NIST-Owned Cylinders

Each NIST-owned cylinder shall be maintained with a bar code that represents the cylinder serial number.

The Contractor must affix and maintain a label with a bar code for the cylinder serial number. Each bar code label must be ¾‖ high by 2‖ wide, must be suitable for exterior use, must suitable for use in all weather conditions, laboratory conditions, and must be paint resistant. The size of the bar code on the label shall utilize available label space to the maximum extent practicable.

Labels must be white in color and be pre-printed with ―PROPERTY OF NIST‖ in black bold text.

During the life of the cylinder, the Contractor must ensure that the bar codes are legible and scannable, replacing the bar codes as needed.

Bar codes do not currently exist on any NIST-owned cylinders. Bar codes shall be applied by the Contractor to each cylinder during the cylinder upgrade.

5.2.2 Bar Coding of Contractor-Owned Cylinders

Each Contractor-owned cylinder and lecture bottle shipped to NIST shall be maintained with a bar code of the serial number.

The Contractor must affix and maintain a label with a bar code for the serial number. Each bar code label must be ¾‖ high by 2‖ wide, must be suitable for exterior use, must suitable for use in all weather conditions, laboratory conditions, and must be paint resistant. The size of the bar code on the label shall utilize available label space to the maximum extent practicable.

The Contractor must ensure that the bar codes are legible and scannable, replacing the bar codes as needed.

5.3 Completion of BPA

The Contractor shall, not later than 3 days after the expiration date of the period of performance, return all cylinders to NIST that have been stored at their site. In accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 52.245-

1 Government Furnished Property, the Government will inspect all cylinders and verify functionality.

The Contractor shall, not later than 3 business days after the expiration of the period of performance, provide the flat file described in Section 4.5.2, paragraph viii.

The Government will, not later than 3 business days after the expiration of the period of performance, return all Contractor-owned hand held laser reader scanners, docking stations, chargers and printers to the Contractor.

5.4 Storage of Cylinders

Throughout the period of performance of the BPA, the Contractor may store quantities of NIST-owned cylinders at the Contractor‘s site to assist the

Contractor in meeting delivery requirements for in-house gases. The

Government will, at the Contractor‘s discretion, subject to quantity limitations below, provide the following quantities of cylinders. Cylinders stored at the Contractor‘s site shall be Government Furnished Property in accordance FAR 52.245-1. Cylinders stored at the Contractor‘s site shall not be used for any other purpose than to provide gas for NIST. The Contractor shall be responsible to document the location of all cylinders via the tracking system.

If at any time, the Contractor‘s on-site quantity of NIST-owned cylinders exceeds the numbers below, the Contractor shall be responsible to return all quantities in excess of those identified below.

It is at the Contractor‘s discretion whether to stock the cylinders empty or full, however, the Contractor shall not be paid for the product unless a call is placed.

65381 - Acetylene – 10CU – Maximum of 1;

65383 – Acetylene - 40CU – Maximum of 5;

65385 - Acetylene - 225CU – Maximum of 1;

65391 - Breathing Air - 220 CU FT - Maximum of 5;

65398 - Argon - 220 CU FT – Maximum of 15;

65402 - P-10 - GAS, P-10, ARGON 90% - METHANE 10 - 220 CU. FT.

Maximum of 10;

65409 - Carbon Dioxide - 50 LB – Maximum of 15;

65419 - Forming Gas - 220 CU.FT – Maximum of 10;

65441 - Helium - 200 CU. FT - Maximum of 40;

65458 – Hydrogen - 200 CU.