SOURCES SOUGHT SYNOPSIS - BGNDRF Portable Media Filter for PFAS Removal_1.docx

NOTICE: THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION, BUT RATHER A SOURCES SOUGHT SYNOPSIS TO DETERMINE POTENTIAL SOURCES FOR INFORMATION AND PLANNING PURPOSES ONLY. NO FORMAL SOLICITATION FOR THIS WORK EXISTS AT THIS TIME.

The Brackish Groundwater National Desalination Research Facility (BGNDRF) in Alamogordo, New Mexico (NM) has a need for a portable media filtration system. Per- and poly-fluorinated substances (PFAS) were discovered in two of the four brackish groundwater wells in the beginning of 2019 as part of a probing exercise initiated by the New Mexico Department of Health. PFAS are a class of persistent and toxic compounds used in many consumer and industrial products, and are now ubiquitous in the environment. Although there are no federal regulations on PFAS discharges, many states such as NM, are imposing their own discharge limits.

At the same time PFAS was discovered at BGNDRF, the facility’s discharge permit was expiring and, the ultimate outcome as determined by the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED), was that the new permit would regulate PFAS discharges to the City of Alamogordo (the City).

Historically, BGNDRF was able to discharge water from the facility to the City as long as it met certain pH and salinity criteria. However, through various discussions with the City and NMED, it was determined that the new discharge permit will only allow discharges to the City with nondetectable levels of PFAS in the water.

The on-site brackish groundwater wells at BGNDRF provide water for research and development only: wells are not used for drinking water. Typically, clients at the facility will use the well water as the feed stream into their technology, treat the water, then recombine their flows and send their effluents to the City. However, with the new discharge regulations, this is no longer allowed if using wells that contain PFAS. This presents a challenge because, although the facility has on-site disposal options via evaporation ponds, the discharges to the ponds will far exceed their capacity. BGNDRF’s solution to this is to obtain and maintain a portable filtration unit that can be used to pre-treat PFAS (waste) waters prior to a client using it. Once treated, the combined client effluents can be discharged to the City, who has agreed to take these discharges if there is no PFAS present. Our preliminary, longer term pilot testing has demonstrated this is feasible.

All qualified offerors may submit capability statements to design and deliver a portable, pilot-scale, media filter treatment unit that can be used to remove PFAS below the detection limit from brackish groundwater at BGNDRF. Capability statements received will be reviewed to determine the technical, administrative, management, and financial capability of such offerors to perform this type of work. The capability statements will be used to determine the appropriate procurement strategy, in particular whether a set-aside or an alternate procurement strategy is warranted.

A draft Statement of Objectives is included with this Sources Sought Synopsis which indicates the requirements of the portable media filtration system.

GOALS

The media filtration system’s performance objectives are listed below:

1. Completely remove total PFAS concentrations below the analytical detection limit. As a rough measure, the detection limit is ~ 5 to 7 parts per trillion (ppt).

2. Treat a minimum flow rate of 10 gallons per minute (gpm) and a maximum of 30 gpm of permeate from a saline water source, such as brackish groundwater.

3. System configuration shall provide redundancy in case of premature breakthrough, such as a lead-lag configuration or something similar.

4. Media provided shall not suffer from chemical scaling (such as scaling from calcium sulfate and/or calcium carbonate) at the operational temperature ranges.

5. Utilize a media that can achieve at least an 7,000 bed volume (BV) treatment lifetime before breakthrough of any individual PFAS compound.

6. Utilize a media that does not alter the TDS of the feed water by more than 2%.

7. Footprint should be less than 6’ x 10’ and no part of the system shall be taller than 12’.

Smaller footprints and heights are favorable.

8. The system shall be portable via forklift or movable by one person. Individual components (for example, a contactor) to be moved with equipment/forklift shall be less than 3,400 lbs, when drained.

9. System shall be on casters so it can be moved easily within the indoor test bay.

10. Media replacement shall be easily accomplished and user friendly, which also minimizes spills of spent GAC.

11. Unit shall come with a minimum of a 1-year warranty for supplies and materials.

12. Materials (non-media) that are used shall be corrosion-resistant and/or appropriately coated.

13. Supporting structures shall be painted blue (exact shade to be pre-approved by Reclamation).

14. Inlet and Outlet ports shall be male 2” NPT fittings.

15. The system shall not leak or drip water.

Capability statements are to be submitted no later than November 30, 2020. The capabilities package should demonstrate the firm's experience and capability to supply the principal components of the item listed above.

Packages should include the following information:

1. Business Name and Address

2. Point of Contact to include E-Mail Address and Telephone Number

3. DUNS

4. NAICS code(s) applicable to this requirement

5. Business Size and Type: 8(a), HUBZone, Women-owned, Service Disabled Veteran-Owned, Small Business, Large Businesses, etc.

6. Demonstrate the firm's experience by providing a list of at least three relevant past projects completed within the past five years on similar work.

All businesses are encouraged to limit responses to no more than 10 pages in length. The purpose of this notice is to gain knowledge of interest, capabilities and qualifications of potential contractors for solicitation planning purposes only. This is NOT a request for proposals and is NOT to be construed as a commitment by the Government. Responses to this sources sought notice will be used by the Government to make appropriate acquisition decisions. All interested sources must respond to future solicitation announcements separately from responses to this sources sought notice. No reimbursement will be made for any costs associated with providing information in response to this notice.

When it is determined that a formal solicitation will be issued, a Pre-Solicitation Notice will be posted on Beta.SAM.gov at https://beta.sam.gov.

All responses to this Sources Sought Notice shall be emailed to Tina Villegas at tvillegas@usbr.gov by 5:00 PM (MST) on Monday, November 30, 2020. Again, Offerors shall not provide a proposal in response to this Sources Sought Notice.

If you have questions or concerns regarding this Sources Sought Notice, please email the Contract Specialist, Tina Villegas at tvillegas@usbr.gov.