SP8000-Boron_Carbide-RFI.pdf

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI)

Boron Carbide

DLA Strategic Materials

1.0 Description

1.1 The DLA-Strategic Materials (DLA-SM) Contracting Directorate, in support of DoD personnel and aircraft armor program offices, is seeking information on how an interested contractor could provide ceramic grade boron carbide powder. This Request for Information (RFI) is intended to collect information from industry producers, sellers, and consumers of this material.

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-SM is not at this time seeking proposals and will not accept unsolicited proposals. Respondees are advised that DLA-SM will not pay for any information or administrative costs incurred in response to this RFI; all costs associated with responding to this RFI will be solely at the interested party’s expense. Not responding to this RFI does not preclude participation in any future RFP, if any is issued. If a solicitation is released, it will be synopsized on the Federal Business Opportunities (FedBizOpps) website. It is the responsibility of the potential Offerors to monitor this site for additional information pertaining to this requirement.

2.0 Background

DLA-SM is the operational agent of the National Defense Stockpile (NDS) manager, the Under Secretary of Defense, Acquisition, Technology and Logistics (USD-AT&L) 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: Less than One Thousand Metric Tons (1,000 MT)

2.2 Proposed Delivery Period: October 2016 to September 2018

2.3 Limitations: None

2.4 Security Requirements: None

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RFI: BORON CARBIDE

3.0 Requested Information

DLA-SM is seeking grades of ceramic grade boron carbide powder which could be used for multiple applications (body armor, vehicle armor, aircraft armor). DLA-SM is seeking grades of boron carbide powder which would allow the greatest flexibility to meet industrial base requirements. The boron carbide powder may or may not need to be ground to a finer particle or grit size prior to insertion into a manufacturing process.

For producers, sellers, and users of ceramic grade boron carbide powder:

• Please provide specifications of the ceramic grade boron carbide powder 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-SM or the chain of command responsible for the operation of the NDS. Specification information is important as it helps 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.

• How do you normally price the material?

• What testing is usually performed on or other quality assurance undertaken for the material? Are the testing instruments critical, if so which makes and models are best?

• Can you provide informal quotes, for information gathering purposes, on material pricing? Please indicate if that price includes and packaging shipping.

• Please provide a copy of a redacted commercial contract that includes your normal terms and conditions for buying or selling this material.

• Would you define the material you propose to offer as a commercial item based on the definitions contained in FAR 2.101 listed below?

Packaging methods for boron carbide powder:

• Please include any industry standards or commercial best practices that relate to how boron carbide powder is packaged.

Storage conditions for boron carbide powder:

• NDS materials often are stored at a Government depot. It is not uncommon for NDS inventory to be stored for periods of time exceeding twenty-five (25) years. Please include information on:

o Shelf life;

o Environmental impact; (especially humidity) o Material handling, storage, or disposal regulations and any other such regulations you deem relevant;

o Material rotation requirements; and o Any other such factors you deem relevant for the long-term storage of boron carbide powder.

For users of ceramic grade boron carbide powder:

• Could you use ceramic grade boron carbide powder to the below specification without significant changes to your production process? If not, what would you need modified?

B + C + O + N ……………. > 99.50% B ……………. 76.50% < X < 77.20% C ……………. 20.50% < X < 22.50%

Free C ……………. < 1.00%

B2O3 ……………. < 1.00% O ……………. < 1.50% Fe ……………. < 0.15% Si ……………. < 0.10% Al ……………. < 0.025% Ca ……………. < 0.032% N ……………. < 1.00% Ti ……………. < 0.04%

• Could you use ceramic grade boron carbide powder that is a 1250 mesh with a D50 of

4.25 +/-1.25 Microns with less than 0.10% of the material larger than 30 Microns and 95.00% of the material larger than 0.4 microns, without significant changes to your process? If not, what particle size or sizes is/are required? Are there tradeoffs to finer or coarser particle size (e.g., additional material handling / storage requirements, greater propensity to armor failure)?

• How frequently does your specification for this material change?

• Are there any new processes or technologies that are likely to cause a change in your material specification in the next 2-5 years?

• Is the same raw material(s) used in all of your boron carbide powder-based armor systems?

• Is there any other information that you deem critical for a potential ceramic grade boron carbide powder acquisition?

For ceramic grade boron carbide powder producers and sellers:

• Could you produce ceramic grade boron carbide powder to the below specification?

B + C + O + N ……………. > 99.50% B ……………. 76.50% < X < 77.20% C ……………. 20.50% < X < 22.50%

Free C ……………. < 1.00%

B2O3 ……………. < 1.00% O ……………. < 1.50% Fe ……………. < 0.15% Si ……………. < 0.10% Al ……………. < 0.025% Ca ……………. < 0.032% N ……………. < 1.00% Ti ……………. < 0.04%

• Could you produce ceramic grade boron carbide powder that is a 1250 mesh with a D50 of 4.25 +/-1.25 Microns with less than 0.10% of the material larger than 30 Microns and 95.00% of the material larger than 0.4 microns?

• If a larger particle size was requested, which would subsequently be jet-milled to any armor size specification, what size would you recommend?

• Do you have the flexibility to support supply agreements for longer than one year? If so, what is the maximum / minimum period for a long term supply agreement?

• Can you provide spot deliveries? If so, how much do you typically provide, and approximately how much time elapses between placement of a spot order and delivery?

• What is your production rate per year for the past three years? How much to-specification material have you delivered for the past three years?

• What amount of material per year could you supply without disrupting other U.S.

National Defense customers, increasing your workforce, or installing additional production capacity?

• What is the unit of measure (e.g., kilograms, pounds, short tons, tons) that you use to price this material?

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

• Please include the Safety Data Sheet (SDS) for the material you produce / sell.

• Many NDS materials are delivered to a Government depot for storage. Please include information on transportation restrictions and how the material is normally transported to commercial customers.

• If you were requested to provide certified financial statements as part of a proposal, would you comply?

• If you were requested to provide sales data identifying the percentage of material sold to U.S. National Defense customers and the percentage of material sold commercially, would you comply?

• Please review the definition of a commercial item below and advise if you believe that this material is commercial.

• Would you agree to a contract that contains the FAR 52.216-3: Economic Price Adjustment clause listed below?

• What other industries could this boron carbide be used for?

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

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

• Do you expect any significant changes in either your supply capabilities or demand for your material, if so what changes are those?

• Is there any other information that you deem critical for a potential ceramic grade boron carbide powder acquisition?

FAR 2.101 – Definitions:

“Commercial item” means --

(1) Any item, other than real property, that is of a type customarily used by the general public or by non-governmental entities for purposes other than governmental purposes, and--

(i) Has been sold, leased, or licensed to the general public; or,

(ii) Has been offered for sale, lease, or license to the general public;

(2) Any item that evolved from an item described in paragraph (1) of this definition through advances in technology or performance and that is not yet available in the commercial marketplace, but will be available in the commercial marketplace in time to satisfy the delivery requirements under a Government solicitation;

(3) Any item that would satisfy a criterion expressed in paragraphs (1) or (2) of this definition, but for --

(i) Modifications of a type customarily available in the commercial marketplace;

or

(ii) Minor modifications of a type not customarily available in the commercial marketplace made to meet Federal Government requirements. Minor modifications means modifications that do not significantly alter the nongovernmental function or essential physical characteristics of an item or component, or change the purpose of a process. Factors to be considered in determining whether a modification is minor include the value and size of the modification and the comparative value and size of the final product. Dollar values and percentages may be used as guideposts, but are not conclusive evidence that a modification is minor;

(4) Any combination of items meeting the requirements of paragraphs (1), (2), (3), or (5) of this definition that are of a type customarily combined and sold in combination to the general public;

(5) Installation services, maintenance services, repair services, training services, and other services if--

(i) Such services are procured for support of an item referred to in paragraph (1), (2), (3), or (4) of this definition, regardless of whether such services are provided by the same source or at the same time as the item; and

(ii) The source of such services provides similar services contemporaneously to the general public under terms and conditions similar to those offered to the Federal Government;

(6) Services of a type offered and sold competitively in substantial quantities in the commercial marketplace based on established catalog or market prices for specific tasks performed or specific outcomes to be achieved and under standard commercial terms and conditions. For purposes of these services—

(i) “Catalog price” means a price included in a catalog, price list, schedule, or other form that is regularly maintained by the manufacturer or vendor, is either published or otherwise available for inspection by customers, and states prices at which sales are currently, or were last, made to a significant number of buyers constituting the general public; and

(ii) “Market prices” means current prices that are established in the course of ordinary trade between buyers and sellers free to bargain and that can be substantiated through competition or from sources independent of the Offerors.

(7) Any item, combination of items, or service referred to in paragraphs (1) through (6) of this definition, notwithstanding the fact that the item, combination of items, or service is transferred between or among separate divisions, subsidiaries, or affiliates of a contractor; or

(8) A non-developmental item, if the procuring agency determines the item was developed exclusively at private expense and sold in substantial quantities, on a competitive basis, to multiple State and local governments.

“Commercially available off-the-shelf (COTS) item--”

(1) Means any item or supply (including construction material) that is—

(i) A commercial item (as defined in paragraph (1) of the definition in this section);

(ii) Sold in substantial quantities in the commercial marketplace; and

(iii) Offered to the Government, under a contract or subcontract at any tier, without modification, in the same form in which it is sold in the commercial marketplace; and

(2) Does not include bulk cargo, as defined in 46 U.S.C. 40102(4), such as agricultural products and petroleum products.

FAR 52.216-3 Economic Price Adjustment – Semistandard Supplies (Jan 1997)

(a) The Contractor warrants that the supplies identified as line items __________ [Offeror insert Schedule line item number] in the Schedule are, except for modifications required by the contract specifications, supplies for which it has an established price. The term “established price” means a price that

(1) is an established catalog or market price for a commercial item sold in substantial quantities to the general public, and

(2) is the net price after applying any standard trade discounts offered by the Contractor.

The Contractor further warrants that, as of the date of this contract, any difference between the unit prices stated in the contract for these line items and the Contractor’s established prices for like quantities of the nearest commercial equivalents are due to compliance with contract specifications and with any contract requirements for preservation, packaging, and packing beyond standard commercial practice.

(b) The Contractor shall promptly notify the Contracting Officer of the amount and effective date of each decrease in any applicable established price. Each corresponding contract unit price (exclusive of any part of the unit price that reflects modifications resulting from compliance with specifications or with requirements for preservation, packaging, and packing beyond standard commercial practice) shall be decreased by the same percentage that the established price is decreased. The decrease shall apply to those items delivered on and after the effective date of the decrease in the Contractor’s established price, and this contract shall be modified accordingly.

(c) If the Contractor’s applicable established price is increased after the contract date, the corresponding contract unit price (exclusive of any part of the unit price resulting from compliance with specifications or with requirements for preservation, packaging, and packing beyond standard commercial practice) shall be increased, upon the Contractor’s written request to the Contracting Officer, by the same percentage that the established price is increased, and the contract shall be modified accordingly, subject to the following limitations:

(1) The aggregate of the increases in any contract unit price under this clause shall not exceed 10 percent of the original contract unit price.

(2) The increased contract unit price shall be effective --

(i) On the effective date of the increase in the applicable established price if the Contracting Officer receives the Contractor’s written request within 10 days thereafter; or

(ii) If the written request is received later, on the date the Contracting Officer receives the request.

(3) The increased contract unit price shall not apply to quantities scheduled under the contract for delivery before the effective date of the increased contract unit price, unless failure to deliver before that date results from causes beyond the control and without the fault or negligence of the Contractor, within the meaning of the Default clause.

(4) No modification increasing a contract unit price shall be executed under this paragraph (c) until the Contracting Officer verifies the increase in the applicable established price.

(5) Within 30 days after receipt of the Contractor’s written request, the Contracting Officer may cancel, without liability to either party, any undelivered portion of the contract items affected by the requested increase.

(d) During the time allowed for the cancellation provided for in subparagraph (c)(5) of this clause, and thereafter if there is no cancellation, the Contractor shall continue deliveries according to the contract delivery schedule, and the Government shall pay for such deliveries at the contract unit price, increased to the extent provided by paragraph (c) of this clause.

4.0 Responses

4.1 Interested parties are requested to respond to this RFI with a cumulative ten (10) page white paper.

4.2 White papers should be submitted in Microsoft Word Office 2010 (or newer) compatible format; and are due no later than September 15, 2016, 12:00 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 address the following as a minimum (limited to no more than 5 pages):

• Name, mailing address, overnight delivery address (if different from mailing address), phone number, fax number, and e-mail of designated point of contact.

• Recommended contracting strategy.

• Please provide a statement whether you agree that your submission may be provided to

Government support contractors assisting DLA-SM with the development of this acquisition requirement. In the absence of the foregoing, the Government will assume that the responder does NOT agree to the release of its submission to Government support contractors.

• Describe your business type (i.e.: large business or any of the small business size sources stated in FAR 19.202-2).

o “Small business concern” means a concern, including its affiliates that is independently owned and operated, not dominant in the field of operation in which it is bidding on Government contracts, and qualified as a small business under the criteria and size standards in 13 CFR part 121.

o A small business concern for the purposes of this procurement is generally defined as a business, including its affiliates, averaging 750 employees and $7.5 million dollars in average 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 mailto:SMContracting@dla.mil

Regulation FAR 19 for additional detailed information on Small Business Size Standards. The FAR is available at http://farsite.hill.af.mil/vffara.htm.

• Define your business type according to the following North American Industry

Classification System (NAICS) code:

o 325180: This industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in manufacturing basic inorganic chemicals (except industrial gases and synthetic dyes and pigments).

4.4 Section 2 of the white paper shall answer the issues addressed in paragraph 3.0 of this RFI;

and shall be limited to no more than 5 pages. Respondents may include a separate appendix that may only include, Safety Data Sheets, and ceramic grade boron carbide powder specifications. This appendix will not count towards the overall/cumulative10-page limitation of the entire document.

5.0 Industry Discussions

DLA-SM 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 e-mail to the Contracting Office, email address above. Verbal questions will NOT be accepted. Questions will be answered by posting answers to the Federal Business Opportunities (FedBizOpps) website; accordingly, questions shall NOT contain proprietary or classified information. The Government does not guarantee that questions received after 30 days after posting, will be answered.

7.0 Summary

THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ONLY to identify sources that can provide ceramic grade boron carbide powder. The information provided in the RFI is subject to change and is not binding on the Government. DLA-SM 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.

http://farsite.hill.af.mil/vffara.htm http://www.fedbizopps.gov/ http://www.fedbizopps.gov/