Cobalt questions and answers.xlsx
XLSX spreadsheet 16 KB Posted
- Attached to
- CANCELLED Cobalt Cut Cathode / Rounds
- Solicitation number
- SP8000-25-R-0015
- Issued by
-
Defense Logistics Agency
About this file
This document is a Questions and Answers (Q&A) spreadsheet for a Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) solicitation for Cobalt Cut Cathode / Rounds, Solicitation Number SP8000-25-R-0015. The solicitation is an Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract with a five-year duration, seeking to purchase cobalt cut cathode/rounds with a minimum guaranteed purchase of $2 million and a maximum potential purchase of $500 million. Key details include a preference to award to a single bidder, proposals due by 12:00 p.m. EST on September 11, 2025, and submission requirements involving specific technical specifications for cobalt material.
The Q&A document addresses vendor questions regarding technical requirements, sampling procedures, testing locations, packaging specifications, and labeling. Critical requirements include material testing within CONUS, specific chemical composition standards, mandatory impurity level testing, and compliance with detailed manufacturing and sampling protocols. The government emphasizes strict adherence to the Statement of Work (SOW) requirements, with non-compliant materials subject to rejection. The solicitation is not set aside for small businesses and uses NAICS code 331410 with a size standard of 1,000 employees.
View the file
Other files
| File | Type | Posted |
|---|---|---|
| Attachment 2 - SOW (003).docx | DOCX document | |
| Attachment 1 - Section B- Clin Structure 080425.docx | DOCX document | |
| Attachment 2 - SOW.docx | DOCX document | |
| Attachment 2 - SOW.docx | DOCX document | |
| Attachment 3 - Clauses and Provisions Cobalt 8-7-25_DC Comments corrected.docx | DOCX document | |
| Attachment 1 - Section B- Clin Structure 080425.docx | DOCX document |
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Sheet1
| COBALT SP8000-25-R-0015 Questions and Answers | ||||
| SOW section/document | Questions | Answers | ||
| 1 | Technical Requirements | |||
| 2 | 4.1.3. | Can you kindly advice how the impurity levels were determined? Cadmium level seems rather low for one of the brands. Further U and Th are not tested by the producers, but can be done by external laboratory. Kindly confirm this is acceptable. | Table 2 - Chemical requirementsk, by mass, were determined from input by obtained from the RFI. These specifications can be amended upon request with supporting documentation. (Div) Material must be tested for U and Th, it is a government requirement. (Div) Any material not meeting the requirements in Section 4 - Technical Requirements of the SOW are non-compliant and will be rejected. (Nancy) | |
| 3 | 4.1.4 | Tender limits each lot to 19,000 kg. Nikkelverk produces 13 mt lots; Vale produces 20 mt lots. Please confirm if lots up to 20 mt are acceptable. | Multiple lots per truck is acceptable. Trucks should be maxed out when possible. Maximum truck capacity is typically 20MT, or 44,100 lbs. | |
| 4 | 4.1.6 | Manufacturer is outside CONUS. Depending on the lab, some of the 4 samples may not remain within CONUS. Please confirm if this is acceptable. | Material manufactured outside of CONUS is acceptable and expected as cobalt is not produced within the US. However, testing and sampling must be within CONUS. | |
| 5 | Sampling | |||
| 6 | General question for the sampling clauses | The sampling at manufacturing site (Japan, US, Canada) is an ongoing process / automated with packing station and not possible to provide pre info / witness Gov dedicated lots as requested under this paragraph. Pls clarify how this should practically work OR is it meant that sampling shall be performed by independent inspection company when cargo shipped from manufacturer to contractor in US before delivering to DLA? | See amended section 5.1. If the contractor chooses to effect sampling operations that comply with all sections of the PWS, that is permitted.B9D9:D14 | |
| 7 | 5.1 | Government visits to manufacturing site should be generally ok, but sample collection will be ongoing as per production process and not necessarely include only governmental dedicated lots. | Refer to the updated SOW. Sampling operations must comply with all requirements in the SOW. | |
| 8 | 5.3 | None of the offered products are produced within CONUS. Facilities are located in Japan, Norway, and Canada (see clause 4.1). Please advise. | Refer to the updated SOW. Sampling operations must comply with all requirements in the SOW. | |
| 9 | 5.4 / 5.5 | Production is continuous, with daily sampling at manufacturing site. Please advise how the 30/ 20-day advance notice should work or is it meant to have sampling done in the US by indpendent 3 party inspection. (same as 5.1) | Refer to the updated SOW. Sampling operations must comply with all requirements in the SOW. If the contractor chooses to effect sampling operations that comply with all sections of the SOW, that is permitted. | |
| 10 | 5.6 | Manufacturer's most likely won't share sampling process as considered sensitive/confidential business information. Independent 3rd parties will do. Pls comment. | Submission of a sampling plan is required. Sampling operations and the submitted sampling plan must comply with all requirements in the SOW. | |
| 11 | 5.9 | Industry practice is to send samples separately, prior to material arrival, not with the shipment. Samples will be clearly packed and labeled. Is this acceptable? | No, this is not acceptable. All samples being shipped to the governement need to be shipped with the lot(s) of material they correspond to. Please ensure sampling operations comply with all requirements in the SOW. | |
| 12 | Testing | |||
| 13 | 6.3 a) & c) | It is challenging to find a CONUS-based independent lab for full analysis and certification. We propose using LME-approved assayers such as Alfred H. Knight (UK) or SGS Spijkenisse (NL). Is this acceptable? | Testing must occur within the CONUS and must comply with all requirements in the SOW. Independent third-party laboratories must meet all the requirements described in the SOW. | |
| 14 | Packing | |||
| 15 | 9.1 | Cobalt production and packing are automated. Drums/pallets are sourced from reliable suppliers. Some requirements (e.g., UN 1A2) may not be met. Pls advice. | See updated packaging section in the SOW. Specs for drums and for pallets should be forwarded to Strategic Materials/DCSO for review before they are utilized. We need to ensure that packaging is robust enough for long term storage. | |
| 16 | 9.2 | Similar to 9.1, pallets may not fully meet tender specs. We will share details we have/can obtain. Please confirm this is acceptable. | See updated packaging section in the SOW. Specs for drums and for pallets should be forwarded to Strategic Materials/DCSO for review before they are utilized. We need to ensure that packaging is robust enough for long term storage. | |
| 17 | Labeling | |||
| 18 | 10.1 | Most labeling requirements will be met. However, item i) cannot be fulfilled due to automated drum sealing at the production site. | If this applies only to the internal label, we can accept that (see change to SOW). All other labeling must be met. One tag/label shall be attached to the exterior of each drum container in a permanent manner that prevents accidental detachment. A second tag/label shall be attached to the topside of the lid of each drum. | |
| 19 | Contract Line-Item Number (CLIN) Schedule | |||
| 20 | Table #2 | We understand min/max quantities are spread over 5 years. However, the table seems to request pricing for the max quantity in each year. Please clarify. | Offerors are required to propose their own qty range breaks and associated pricing. If the Offeror does not have quantity range pricing then they are to offer pricing for up to the estimated yearly quantity. The schedule B has been updated accordingly. | |
| 21 | Table #3 | Same quantity range question as Table #2. For lot numbers, we suggest indicating a range due to uncertainty in brand/lot size. Please confirm. | Offerors are required to propose their own qty range breaks and associated pricing. If the Offeror does not have quantity range pricing then they are to offer pricing for up to the estimated yearly quantity. The schedule B has been updated accordingly. | |
| 22 | Additional Questions | |||
| 23 | Contract Counterparty | Kindly advice full details (incl. address) of the DLA contracting party to ensure we have the correct set up. Pls reconfirm same party will arrange the payments. | DLA contracting team: information is included in the various solicitation documents. The POC for DLA Strategic materials and payment information will be provided to the awardee at the time of award. | |
| 24 | Cover letter | Do you have a template you can share how the proposal or cover letter should look like? | we do not have a template for the Offeror cover letter - please follow the instructions in the combined synopsis/solcitiation document on page 4 under Cover letter Section 4(a) | |
| 25 | Clauses | Pls advice where we can find the following item parts: | ||
| This is a solicitation for the acquisition of commercial items using FAR Part 12 (Acquisition of Commercial Products and Commercial Services), FAR Part 15 (Contracting by Negotiation), FAR 16.5 (Indefinite-Delivery Contracts). | The FAR Parts 12, 15, and 16.5 are the Federal Acquisition Regualtaions (FAR) which dictate the procurement process. The entire FAR and all Parts can be found on https://www.acquisition.gov/browse/index/far | |||
| 26 | Delivery Period: | Period of performance states 5 years but then delivery period mentions 24 months, can you elaborate? | The IDIQ will have a valid ordering period of 5 years. Delivery orders (DOs) can be placed up until the last day of the IDIQ ordering period. Each delivery oder placed will have a delivery period of 24 months. Therefore if a delivery order is placed on the at the end of the 5 year period, the last DO will be delivered within 24 months even though the IDIQ PoP is completed, the terms and conditions of the IDIQ will still apply to the last delivery order. | |
| 27 | Quantity per year: | Would DLA be ok to receive approx 16.5m lbs material in a shorter time frame than 5 years? Are there any limitations on how much material can be bought on any given year? | DLA would need a proposed delivery schedule to better provide an answer as to is ~16.5m lbs can be accepted in a shorter timeframe. There are no limitations, but DLA-SM will not commit to the full amount of listed in the contract as it is an IDIQ. | |
| 28 | Am I correct in my understanding that the winner of the solicitation would be awarded a $2m guaranteed purchase over the 5 year period only however the DLA would have in their “option” the ability to purchase up to a ceiling of $500m over the 5 years but not the obligation to do so? | The IDIQ awardee will receive the inital DO to satifsty the gauranteed minimum (GM) purchase ($2 million) at the time of IDIQ award. If there are multpile IDIQs awarded then the GM would be evenly distributed between awardees. The Governmnent is only obligated to purchase the GM once, but has the right to place multiple delivery orders over the five year ordering period, not to exceed the $500m ceiling. | ||
| 29 | Additionally the DLA would not have to purchase up to the ceiling amount of $500m and could purchase any total amount between the guaranteed $2m and up to the ceiling of $500m ? | Correct the government is only obligated to purchase the GM amount; and the governement cannot exceed the ceiling amount. | ||
| 30 | I assume preference is to award the solicitation to single party and not part award the solicitation to several parties ? | The preference is to award the solicitation to a single party. | ||
| 31 | My main question was whether you would consider awarding the contract to multiple bidders and therefore consider offers on partial volumes? | No, the preference is to award to one bidder. |
File details come from the government source that posted it. Updated .