Nicalon_RFI__2016-09-01.pdf

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

DLA Strategic Materials

1.0 Description

1.1 The DLA Strategic Materials is seeking information on how an interested contractor could produce, sell or use ceramic grade of NicalonTM and Hi-NicalonTM or equivalent fibers.

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 Strategic Materials is not at this time seeking proposals and will not accept unsolicited proposals. Respondees are advised that DLA Strategic Materials 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 Strategic Materials is the operational agent of the Stockpile 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: 875 lbs. per year for 3 years

2.2 Proposed Delivery Period: October 2017 to September 2021

2.3 Limitations: None

2.4 Security Requirements: None

3.0 Requested Information

DLA Strategic Materials is seeking ceramic grades of NicalonTM and Hi-NicalonTM which could be used for multiple applications.

http://www.fedbizopps.gov/ http://www.fedbizopps.gov/

For producers, sellers, and users of ceramic grade NicalonTM and Hi-NicalonTM:

• Please provide specifications of NicalonTM and Hi-NicalonTM 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. 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.

• How do you normally price the material?

• What testing is usually performed on the material?

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

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

• Please include any industry standards that relate to how NicalonTM and Hi-NicalonTM is packaged.

• The material could be stored at a Government depot for over twenty-five years. Please provide the information of the material on:

o Shelf life o Environmental impact o Regulations o Material rotation requirements.

For users of NicalonTM and Hi-NicalonTM:

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

• What sizing do you use on your NicalonTM?

• What is the current ratio of NicalonTM to Hi-NicalonTM you are currently running and do you expect this to change? If so how?

• If there were another sizing on the fiber, would you still be able to use the fiber?

• Are there alternatives to NicalonTM or Hi-NicalonTM?

• Is there any other information that you deem critical for a potential NicalonTM and Hi- NicalonTM acquisition?

For producers and sellers of NicalonTM and Hi-NicalonTM:

• Can you do an agreement/contract for longer than one year? If so, how long term is tolerable?

• What is your production / delivery capacity per year?

• What amount of material per year can you supply without disrupting your other customers, or increasing your personnel or facilities?

• What is your current production mix ratio of NicalonTM and Hi-NicalonTM and what is the sizing being used?

• What is your forecast of NicalonTM and Hi-NicalonTM on price, grade, production capacity, or others?

• What is the unit of measure that you use to price this material?

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

• What are your normal delivery methods?

• What is your typical delivery time for this (material) from the date of receiving a contract/order?

• Can you provide spot deliveries? If so, typically how much could you provide and how fast could you deliver?

• Do you offer prompt payment discounts?

• Do you have an active iRAPT account for submitting electronic invoices in the Wide Area Workflow system?

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

• 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 the Government and the percentage of material sold to the general public, would you comply?

• Would you agree to a contract that contains FAR clause 52.216-2 -- Economic Price Adjustment -- Standard Supplies? (Economic Price Adjustment is described in the Supplement of this RFI (Section 8.1).)

• Would you define the material you propose to offer as a commercial item? (“Commercial Item” is defined in the Supplement of this RFI (Section 8.2).)

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

(https://www.sam.gov/)

• Does your company have a cage code?

• Do you typically use subcontractors to produce/provide this material or service?

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

• Is there any other information that you deem critical for a potential NicalonTM and Hi- NicalonTM acquisition?

http://www.sam.gov/) http://www.sam.gov/)

4.0 Responses

4.1 Interested parties are requested to respond to this RFI with a white paper.

4.2 White papers in Microsoft Word for Office 2010 compatible format are due no later than September 29, 2016, 12:00 EST (14 days after posting). Responses shall be limited to 5 pages for Section 2 and 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 include the following as a minimum:

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

4.3.2 Recommended contracting strategy.

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

Government support contractors assisting DLA Strategic Materials 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

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

Government support contractors assisting DLA Strategic Materials 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

4.3.5 Business type (large business, small business, small disadvantaged business, 8(a)- certified small disadvantaged business, HUBZone small business, woman-owned small business, very small business, veteran-owned small business, service-disabled veteran-owned small business) based upon North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) 325220 Artificial and Synthetic Fibers and Filaments Manufacturing. “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. A small business concern for the purposes of this procurement is generally defined as a business, including its affiliates, averaging no more than 15 million dollars in 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. Respondees are cautioned, however, that this is a general description only. Additional standards and conditions apply. Please refer to Federal Acquisition Regulation FAR 19 for additional detailed information on Small Business Size Standards. The FAR is available at http://farsite.hill.af.mil/vffara.htm.

The number of pages in Section 1 of the white paper shall not be included in the 5-page mailto:SMContracting@dla.mil http://www.arnet.gov/far/current/html/FARTOCP19.html http://farsite.hill.af.mil/vffara.htm limitation, i.e., the 5-page limitation applies only to Section 2 of the white paper.

Section 2 of the white paper shall answer the issues addressed in Section 3.0 of this RFI and shall be limited to 5 pages. Respondents may include a separate appendix that only may include Safety Data Sheets, and NicalonTM and Hi-NicalonTM specifications. This appendix will not count towards the 5-page limitation.

5.0 Industry Discussions

DLA Strategic Materials 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 Federal Business Opportunities (FedBizOpps) website; accordingly, questions shall NOT contain proprietary or classified information. The Government does not guarantee that questions received after (14 days after posting) will be answered.

7.0 Summary

THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ONLY to identify sources that can provide NicalonTM and Hi-NicalonTM. The information provided in the RFI is subject to change and is not binding on the Government. DLA Strategic Materials 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.

8.0 Supplement

8.1 FAR 52.216-2 Economic Price Adjustment – Standard 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.

8.2 FAR 2.101 “Commercial Item” Definition

(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 mean 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.