Graphite - Request for Information.pdf

“Iso-Molded Graphite”

The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Contracting Services Office – Fort Belvoir (F2) in support of DLA Strategic Materials is posting a request for information (RFI) seeking capability statements from contractors capable of providing “Iso-Molded Graphite”. Attachment A provides further description of the requirement detailing what is expected of vendors capable of providing “Iso-Molded Graphite”. Attachment A is not final and subject to changes between issuance of this notice and issuance of the solicitation and is not binding to the Government.

The Government is not at this time seeking proposals or quotes and will not accept any unsolicited proposals or quotes. This is not a solicitation for proposals and there is no solicitation available currently. The Government will not pay for any information received in response to the RFI, nor will the Government compensate any respondent for any cost incurred in developing the information provided to the Government. This RFI does not constitute a commitment from the Government and any information provided in response to the RFI will be used for informational purposes only. It is the submitting party's responsibility to ensure any questions or comments do not contain propriety information. Any proprietary information submitted will be protected if appropriately marked. Participation in this market research is not a promise for future business with the Government. Interested parties shall email the information below to DCSO-F2Contracting@dla.mil and matthew.fox@dla.mil by Friday, May 7, 2021 at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.

All contractors are required to address each of the below assessment questions:

(1) Company Name

(2) Are you registered in the System for Award Management?

(3) Is your business small or other than small?

(4) CAGE Code

(5) Point of Contact

(6) Email Address

(7) Specifications of the “Iso-Molded Graphite” for use in manufacturing that are produced, sold, or required by your company. Specifications can be commercial or company specific.

Proprietary specification information submitted to the Government will be held as Business Confidential and not disclosed outside of DLA Strategic Materials or the chain of command responsible for the operation of the National Defense Stockpile (NDS). The provider is responsible for identifying proprietary information. Specification information is important as it helps ensure that the materials potentially acquired for the NDS could be released to industry for the production of end items in the event of a National Emergency.

(8) What is your annual overall production/throughput of “Iso-Molded Graphite”?

(9) What other forms of “Iso-Molded Graphite” material are sold to industry customers and how does the volume of those sold compare?

mailto:DCSO-F2Contracting@dla.mil mailto:matthew.fox@dla.mil

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

(11) What is your plant/distribution capacity per year by form/type/market sector?

(12) How much “Iso-Molded Graphite” raw material is stockpiled and how often is the inventory replenished?

(13) How does the time of year effect availability of material?

(14) Please provide material specifications.

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

(16) Which test methods are used to measure impurities (e.g., Inductively Coupled Plasma- Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES); ICP Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS), Glow Discharge Mass Spectrometry GDMS, Titration, Spectrophotometric, Turbidity etc.)? Please specify which method for which element or compound.

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

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

(19) Do you have your own laboratory perform the material testing? If not, who does your testing?

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

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

(22) How do you typically price the material?

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

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

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

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

(27) What is your production/delivery capacity per year?

(28) What unit of measure do you use to price the required material?

(29) Packaging methods for “Iso-Molded Graphite”. Please include any industry standards that relate to how the “Iso-Molded Graphite” is packaged.

(30) Storage conditions for “Iso-Molded Graphite”. The material will be stored at a Government depot. It is not uncommon for NDS inventory to be stored for periods of time exceeding twenty-five years, so please include information on the following:

• Shelf life

• Environmental impact

• Regulations

• Material Rotation Requirements

(31) Delivery Methods for “Iso-Molded Graphite”. The material will be delivered to a Government depot for storage.

(32) What is your typical delivery time for “Iso-Molded Graphite” from the date of receiving a contract/order?

(33) Do you offer prompt payment discounts?

(34) Do you have an active iRAPT account for submitting electronic invoices in the Wide Area Workflow System?

(35) Please include the Material Safety Datasheet (MSD) or Safety Data Sheet (SDS) for “Iso- Molded Graphite” products your company sells or distributes.

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

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

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

(https://www.sam.gov/). If not please register in SAM so that you will be eligible to work with the government.

(39) Does your company have a cage code? If so, what is it?

(40) Do you typically use subcontractors to produce/provide this material or service?

(41) Please submit lessons learned from current or previous contract awards.

https://www.sam.gov/