TRHS RFI Market Research.docx

This is a Request for Information (RFI). The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Troop Support Philadelphia Food Service Equipment and Field Feeding Office is interested in your feedback regarding The Tray Ration Heating System (TRHS) & components (See attached component list at end of document).

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 this notice, 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 this notice will be used for informational purposes only. Any proprietary information submitted will be protected if appropriately marked. Vendor participation is not a promise for future business with the Government. The sole purpose of this notice is to conduct Market Research.

Please respond to the following:

1. Commerciality:

a. Are the items commercial or modified commercial in accordance with the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 2.101? for example, is the item of a type used by the general public; sold or offered for sale to the general public? Is the modification of a type available in the commercial marketplace? Please reference the FAR when answering this question.

b. If the answer to (a) is not, does your firm deal in commercial products that would be comparable to the item(s) required and/or can they be used in lieu of these items? If so, could you provide examples?

2. Items Required:

a. Are the items made of any type of material that is a major cost driver? For example, is the item made of steel, or a petroleum based product?

b. Do any parts contain foreign material?

c. Does your firm normally stock these items?

i. If yes, how many are on hand at any given time.

ii. If not, would your firm be willing to stock these items.

iii. If your firm is willing to stock these items, would you need a stocking-up period? If so, how many days would be required to replenish that stock.

d. If you are a manufacturer, what is the production rate for these items? How many items can be produced at a time? If the manufacturing process a batch process or a continuous process?

3. Delivery:

a. Can you deliver items to military customers throughout the US (direct vendor delivery) as well as to stock points? Are there any pricing differences based on delivery locations? For example, delivery to an east coast location would cost less than delivery to a west coast location due to the bulk nature of the product.

b. Can you deliver items on an FOB Destination Basis?

c. We anticipate the solicitation stating a required delivery date of 30 days. Is this acceptable? If not, please provide the standard delivery time your firm experiences for these items.

d. Can you company accommodate surge requirements? Your company may be required to satisfy requirements for emergency situations (i.e., ramp up to meet early requirements (surge) and/or requirements that may exceed estimated annual quantities).

4. Pricing:

a. Is pricing on these items stable or volatile?

b. The Government intends to enter a 5-year contract. Will your firm be able to provide pricing on each item for each year?

c. If the answer to (b) is no, and your firm can only provide pricing for one year, would you be willing to accept an Economic Price Adjustment (EPA), which would allow the Government to adjust the base price each year? The EPA formula is generally tied to the Producer Price index (PPI) and lower the price, or increase the price to a maximum of 10% annually.

d. Would there be minimum or maximum order requirements on any item for an individual order?

e. Are there volume discounts for any items?

5. Quality/Warranty/Returns:

a. Do you provide any warranties for any items listed?

b. What is your commercial practice for returns? (damaged items upon delivery, incorrect orders, etc.)?

c. Do you use/have industry standards for product quality and safety? If yes, please list.

d. Do you inspect products for resale at time of receipt?

6. Company Description:

a. Are you a large or small business? (Small business being defined as a firm that employs less than 500 people).

b. Are you a manufacturer? If so, are you willing to deal directly with the Government when providing an offer, or do you deal through dealer/distributors?

c. If you are a dealer/distributor, who are tour manufacturer? Are them large or small businesses?

d. Who are your major customers?

e. What items do you currently supply to the Government, if any?

Additional Comments/Concerns:

We encourage, appreciate, and would like to thank you in advance for your participation. Please respond via e-mail to Matthew.Conroy@dla.mil or Joseph.Liberi@dla.mil.