PWS_SPE60015R0509.pdf

PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT (PWS)

SOLICITATION SP0600-15-R-0509

BACKGROUND: The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Energy experiences a number of fuel and related products quality problems whose causes cannot be identified through routine specification testing. Most of these problems are suspected to be related to changes in the petroleum industry and the development of alternative fuel technologies. New crude sources and feedstocks, heavier crudes and feedstocks, increased severity of refining conditions, the widespread use of hydro and catalytic cracking systems, and environmental regulation compliance are among those reasons thought to be underlying these new quality problems.

Problems can also be attributed to contamination of products from other sources. With DLA Energy’s increasing role within the alternative fuels arena, there is a need to have a laboratory to test for first and second generation biofuels. Specific examples of significant problems that DLA Energy encounters include filtration time, long-term storage stability, and thermal stability.

Until such time as research efforts yield specification requirements that reflect these changes, the need exists for laboratory testing services that provide the capability to perform detailed investigations and analyses of the chemical properties of specific fuel samples. The goal of this program is to have laboratory testing facilities contracted to identify the cause(s) of problems as indicated above with the outcome determining methods of correction, the product's suitability for use and/or possible disposition.

LOCATIONS(S): Testing samples from various locations will be sent to the contract lab at no cost to the contractor.

SCOPE OF WORK: The purpose of the analysis should be to identify the specific chemical and/or physical components of the product responsible for the fuel related problem in question and, if possible, recommend workable solutions. Based on previous experience, DLA Energy has compiled a list of services that might be needed to respond to a fuel related requirement.

Additional control, assessment, or remediation techniques recommended by the contractor may be approved for use on a specific response if the contractor can satisfactorily demonstrate to DLA Energy that the techniques are viable for controlling fuel contamination, cost effective, and are acceptable to state and federal authorities.

1. DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES

A. Conduct fuel investigations and analysis on petroleum and related products per applicable

U.S. Government, Federal, and commercial specifications/standards.

• Aviation Turbine Fuels

• Gasolines

• Middle Distillates (Diesel Fuel, Marine Fuel, Kerosene, Fuel Oils)

• Residual Fuel Oils

• Lubricating Oils/Engine Oils

• Additives (Examples: Corrosion Inhibitors, Lubricity Improvers, Anti-static Additives, Antioxidants, Metal Deactivators, Fuel System Icing Inhibitors, Detergents, Cetane Improvers, Pour Point Depressants and Flow Improvers)

• Biofuels, Synthetic fuels, blends of petroleum fuel and biofuel/synthetic at different ratios.

Appendix I provides a the list of specifications for petroleum products DLA Energy routinely procures

B. Laboratories shall be capable of performing and providing qualitative and quantitative compositional analyses of fuels and related materials to include but not limited to the following:

• Gas Chromatography/ Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS)

• Thin-layer liquid Chromatography (TLC)

• High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC)

• Atomic Absorption Analysis (AA)

• X-Ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy

• X-Ray Spectroscopy / X-Ray Diffraction (XRD)

• Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (NMR)

• Infrared Spectroscopy

• UV-Visible Spectroscopy

• Scanning Electronic Microscope (SEM)

• Inductively Coupled Plasma –Atomic Emission Spectrometry (ICP-AES)

• Hazardous Materials analysis per the Environmental Protection Agency's SW-846: Test Methods for Evaluating Solid Waste

C. LONG TERM PROJECTS:

Laboratories shall be able to conduct fuel related long term projects to investigate DLA Energy operation related petroleum fuel quality problems, to support alternative fuel solicitations, and to evaluate new test methods and new equipment. Contract laboratories shall have the necessary equipment and experienced personnel in fuel related testing and research.

If deemed necessary, representatives of DLA Energy and laboratory personnel performing specific work will have discussions to review and if necessary revise the scope of the work being performed for DLA Energy. Such discussions may take place through actual meetings at either the laboratory's facilities or at DLA Energy; or via telephone conferences coordinated through the CO or COR.

2. METHODOLOGY

As a testing requirements reoccur the contractor should adhere to turn around timeframes.

Requirements will be categorized under three calls as shown below.

RESPONSE TIME REQUIREMENTS

CLIN 0001

Fuel Investigation 5 business days

CLIN 0002

EMERGENCY Fuel Investigation

1 business day after notification

CLIN 0003 Long Term Projects 10 business days

The following guidance is to be used for each new fuel investigation request or Long Term Project and the contractor is expected to negotiate requirements, time, and estimated costs with each new request.

A. CLIN 0001 FUEL INVESTIGATION REQUEST: The laboratory shall respond to request within 5 business days to communicate course of action according to DLA Energy needs.

Contractor shall prepare and submit a written proposal on their approach to working investigation, to include initial assessments, proposed analyses, approximate completion time and firm fixed price, which includes the contracted hourly rates for the individuals conducting the investigation. Other than certified cost and pricing data will be required for each task order which states a breakdown of the number of hours required by each category for both Chemist/Technicians and Program Manager. DLA Energy will not pay for materials separately.

Initial contact (telephonic or electronic mail) will establish the type and amount of samples required. The laboratory may be asked to make changes in their proposals by DLA Energy before final selection is made. The laboratory shall develop its proposal into a formal work plan if necessary for DLA Energy to refer to throughout the course of the work performed. In the aforementioned cases written confirmation of the final testing plan will be provided by DLA Energy-FEQ. The agreed upon testing program may be modified during the course of analysis, based on test results. Assistance may be required by DLA Energy with collecting samples and performing on-site investigation. A finalized work plan after approval by the Contracting Officer and Technical Advisor should be submitted prior to beginning of work. One draft of the plan should be electronically submitted to the Contracting Officer. No additional work will be performed without the consent of the Contracting Officer.

B. CLIN 0002 EMERGENCY FUEL INVESTIGATION REQUEST: In case of an emergency turn-around situations for which a 5 business day turnaround on a proposal will not be sufficient, the DLA Energy Contract Officer (CO) will contact the laboratory and authorize the laboratory to begin work immediately if such a situation arises. In a determined timeline following authorization the contractor shall prepare and submit a written proposal on their approach to working investigation, to include initial assessments, proposed analyses, approximate completion time and total cost. Total costs should include fixed hourly rates for the individuals conducting the investigation with materials costs included in the rates. DLA Energy will not pay for materials separately.

It is understood that in much of the work to be performed under this program, time is a critical factor. DLA Energy will identify those samples that require immediate analysis because of operational or economic impact and time standards will be established for these selected samples. On samples so identified, results shall be provided to DLA Energy according to the time standards. If the laboratory has any delayed / unperformed work due to lack of manpower / equipment, DLA Energy has the right to reduce the amount of payment to the contractor. No additional work will be performed without the consent of the Contracting Officer.

C. CLIN 0003 Long Term Projects: The laboratory shall respond to requests within 10 business days with a written proposal which includes methods, work schedule, deliverables and costs to achieve the stated goals of the projects. Estimated costs should include fixed hourly rates for the individuals conducting the investigation with materials costs included in the rates. DLA Energy will not pay for materials not initially agreed on or provided to contractor as part of the project separately.

To initiate a new investigation request or Long Term Project, DLA Energy will notify the contractor with a written description of requirements. Upon notification the contractor shall develop a work plan listing the required tasks for completion of the request or project as described below. Upon approval of the work plan by the Contracting Officer the contractor will implement the work plan. A finalized work plan after approval by the Contracting Officer & Technical Advisor should be submitted prior to beginning of work. One draft of the plan should be electronically submitted to the Contracting Officer. No additional work will be performed without the consent of the Contracting Officer.

Initial contact (telephonic or electronic mail) will establish the type and amount of samples required. The laboratory may be asked to make changes in their proposals by DLA Energy before final selection is made. The laboratory shall develop its proposal into a formal task order.

D. CLINs 0001 and 0002 together shall be considered together as a single award and CLIN 0003 as a separate single award. Contractors should use the following guidance:

1. Contractors may bid on CLIN 0001 and CLIN 0002 for consideration of an award.

2. Contractors may bid on CLIN 0003 for consideration of an award.

3. Contractors may bid on CLIN 0001 and CLIN 0002 as well as CLIN 0003 for consideration of both awards.

As part of the offer submission, Contractors bidding on CLIN 0001 and CLIN 0002 should include a response to Scenario A in Appendix II for fuel investigations. The response should include but is not limited to a preliminary hypothesis regarding the problem with the fuel, acceptance/concurrence with testing methods DLA Energy has proposed to complete the investigation, suggestions for further testing that may be needed to successfully complete the investigation, and a timeline for completion.

As part of the offer submission, Contractors bidding on CLIN 0003 should include a response to Scenario B in Appendix II for Long Term Projects. The response should include but is not limited to acceptance/concurrence with research plan for the project DLA Energy has proposed, suggestions for way to improve the plan if necessary to complete the project successfully, and a timeline for completion.

3. PERFORMANCE STANDARDS AND REQUIREMENTS

A. REQUIREMENTS

1. Laboratory shall maintain ISO 17025 certifications. Laboratories remain in compliance with ISO standards and provide documentation of certification at time of submission.

2. Laboratory shall have documented quality management system in place at the time of submission.

B. PERSONNEL - The laboratories shall have fuels related expertise, personnel/manpower and equipment to perform and complete the tests within the time period as stated in the contract orders. Personnel shall consist of the following:

1. Program Manager (PM) or equivalent (Senior Scientist, Senior Researcher, Principal Investigator, etc.) (1) with 10 years minimum experience with petroleum products and an advanced technical degree beyond a bachelor’s degree. PM should have a complete understanding of the terms and conditions of contract; and has experience in investigative analysis and problem solving of petroleum fuel.

PM shall assure continuity between the sites, the Contractor’s home office, and DLA Energy.

2. Bench level Chemists/technicians (1-2) with at least 1-5 years’ experience performing the techniques required by the scope of work.

C. Contractor shall be in compliance with the approved standards as established by each individual task order for Fuel Investigation, Emergency Fuel Investigation, and Long Term Projects. The contractor shall be measured on submitting reports and completion of work that satisfies deadlines contained within the PWS and implemented by task orders.

Methods of measurement include customer comments, observation, reviews of reports/records, and the submission of Contract Deficiency Reports (CDRs). Contract performance will be reflected on the Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS).

4. REPORTS AND DELIVERABLES

Test results and a complete written report of the findings shall be provided to DLA Energy electronically following completion of analysis within the established timeline developed in an approved task order. If the task is expected to take one month or longer to complete, written weekly updates will be provided as required in each delivery order and agreed upon in an approved task order.

For long term tasks or testing programs that are expected to be several months in duration, a report detailing direction and status of ongoing work shall be provided to DLA Energy on a monthly basis. The report shall include the previous month’s expenditures for each task, total expenditures to date, and anticipated additional funding needs with justification.

5. GUIDANCE ON CONTRACTOR MANPOWER REPORTING FOR PERFORMANCE

OF SERVICES

The contractor shall report all contractor labor hours (including subcontractor labor hours) required for performance of services provided under this contract for the Defense Logistics Agency via a secure data collection site. The contractor is required to completely fill in all required data fields using the following web address: http://www.ecmra.mil/.

APPENDIX I. LIST OF PETROLEUM PRODUCTS SPECIFICATION DLA ENERGY

ROUTINELY PROCURES

This list gives the examples of the petroleum products specifications, and comprised of US military, commercial, international and foreign national standards. It does not necessarily cover all the petroleum products that DLA Energy has been procured in the past and present. The details of the US Military specifications can be found in the following web address;

https://assist.dla.mil/online/start/, the ASTM standards / specifications can be found at http://www.astm.org, other commercial standards / specifications can be found at https://www.ihs.com/

1. MIL-DTL-83133 (JP8)

2. MIL-DTL-5624 (JP5)

3. MIL-DTL-25524 (JPTS)

4. British MOD Def Stan 91-91

5. ASTM D1655 (Jet A and A-1)

6. ASTM D7566

7. GOST 10227 (TS1)

8. CAN/CGSB-3.22

9. CAN/CGSB-3.23

10. ASTM D910 (AVGAS)

11. MIL-DTL-16884 (F76)

12. ISO 8217 (Bunker fuel)

13. ASTM D975 (Diesel)

14. ASTM D7467 (B20)

15. ASTM D396 (Fuel oil)

16. EN590 (EU Diesel) https://assist.dla.mil/online/start/ https://www.ihs.com/

17. CAN/CGSB-3.6

18. ASTM D4814 (Gasoline)

19. ASTM D 5798 (E85)

20. EN 228 (EU Gasoline)

21. CAN/CGSB-3.5

22. JIS K 2202

23. JIS K 2204

24. JIS K 2203

25. ASTM D3699 (Kerosene)

26. Tupras 350

27. SAE J 1899

28. SAE J 1966

29. MIL-PRF-9000

30. MIL-PRF-6081

31. MIL-DTL-85470

APPENDIX II. SCENARIOS FROM DLA ENERGY FUEL INVESTIGATIONS AND

LONG TERM PROJECTS

Scenario A: Examination of Diesel Fuels and Insoluble Gums In Retain Samples.

Objectives

1) Determine if the gums observed in glass bottle retain samples from DFSP Bay Ridge and USNS Clipper Ship contain constituents that are a) not characteristic of diesel fuel adherent gums and/or b) the result of unexpected interactions between approved additives and other normally found constituents in Naval distillate (to include downgraded jet fuel).

2) Determine any abnormal and foreign objects in the filter pads and sediments collected during the investigation.

3) Determine if there are any compositional artifacts in the retain fuel samples that produced high gums and/or particulates that are unique to those fuel samples that could be correlated to the reported poor storage stability issues in the fleet

Background

There have been a number of incidents where significant amounts of gum have been observed in the bottoms of glass bottles used to store retain samples that appears after 6 weeks of storage. A cursory survey conducted by command center showed out of a random sampling of 50 retain fuels, 40 had visible gum in the bottoms. No pattern has emerged yet, but it is common opinion that it is not normal for diesel fuels to produce these levels of gums and sediment in storage under controlled temperatures.

In addition, one sample of a line retain sample during the refueling of USNS Clipper Ship tested after 6 weeks of storage was reported to have 35 mg/L particulates. When the sample was originally taken, the fuel was clear and bright.

This proposed test plan is intended to determine if there are any compositional artifacts that could be identified as a probable cause of the observed gum formation.

Experimental Approach Fuel samples associated with high insoluble / particulates will be compared to stable fuel samples. Gum samples will be extracted from retain glass containers and characterized. If the gum can be dissolved in a suitable organic solvent, they will be analyzed by GC-MS and GCxGC-MS. If the gums cannot be dissolved other methods will be used. The goal of these laboratory tests is to detect and characterize atypical constituents in the fuels and gums that may be correlated with the unstable fuels. The purpose of looking at USNS Clipper Ship samples are to see what differences there are in these fuels since in theory all product originated from the same tank at DFSP Inlet Point.

Test Samples DFSP Cambridge, DFSP Bay Ridge, and DFSP Inlet Point are reporting rings in retain samples between 1 month and 6 months in age. These three DFSPs are all supplied by Quick Oil refinery. This fuel meets MIL-DTL-16884 rev M requirements, with a waiver for the addition of cetane improver (CeProv max 2259 ppm) and lubricity improver (LuProv @ 269 ppm max – this lubricity improver contains static dissipater additive). A minimum sample volume of 400 mL, preferably 600 mL per sample is required. The fuel sample volume may or may not adequate for all the testing listed below. Sample labels shall identify the date the sample was taken, location of sample, and type of sample (in-line, bottom, all-level, etc.). The following list of samples shall be collected for testing and provided to the contractor:

Baseline Sample

• One retain sample from Quick Oil shipment. (1 Liter) DFSP Bay Ridge

• One retain sample with a ring visible in the bottom of the bottle (2 bottles, 1 testing Sample)

USNS Clipper Ship

• Tank 4 sample (1 Liter)

• Three Milipore Filter Pads which used for filtering Naval distillate

• One 100ml bottle of sediments found during the Clipper Ship fuel tank cleaning

Proposed Tests Fuels, insolubles and sediments will be analyzed as follows:

• ASTM D2274, accelerated oxidation stability test modified to age for 40 hours. Each of the fuel samples will be tested. The total insolubles will be measured. The aged fuel, adherent insolubles, and filterable insolubles will be saved for additional chemical analyses if needed.

• ASTM D6468, thermal stability at 150°C, 90 and 180 minutes. Each of the fuel samples will be tested. Aged fuel, filterable insolubles, and adherent insolubles will be saved for possible analysis.

• ASTM D7545, oxidation stability. Each of the fuel samples will be tested. Previous D7545 tests with fuels from a previous study, showed very long induction periods accompanied by formation of deposits in the instrument. Test fuels and deposits will be saved for possible analysis.

• Infrared Analysis, FTIR (down as far at 400 nm to detect for inorganics as well or to 700 nm), of all fuels, particles, insolubles and sediment.

• GC-MS analysis of fuels and dissolved residues.

• Silica gel extraction of each fuel sample followed by solvent extraction of the silica gel to collect residues. GC-MS analysis of the solvent-extracted residue.

• Rotary evaporation of each fuel to collect heavy residues. The residues will be dissolved in an appropriate solvent and analyzed by GC-MS.

• ASTM D3237, copper content, on each fuel sample and analyses for all metals (ICP).

• GCxGC-MS, at this time we would propose to use the GC-MS results as a screening tool to determine if any samples require more detailed analysis using GCxGS-MS.

• Complete elemental analyses of the insolubles/sediment itself (XRF, emission spect, and/or SEM/EDS, depending upon the nature of the material).

Schedule: Please provide a timeline for testing to be completed.

Reporting: Interim test results will be reported when available. A final report will be submitted at the conclusion of all tests.

Scenario B: Evaluation of Portable Fatty Acid Methyl Ester (FAME) Detection Equipment

Purpose / Problem: The ability to accurately detect and quantify FAME levels in different grades of fuel is vital for DLA Energy and our military service customers. Due to government environmental regulations on greenhouse gas emissions reduction and increased use of alternative fuels commercial production of FAME continues to increase as well as the potential for contamination of aviation and marine fuel in the distribution system. Currently, suppliers in the United States may blend up to 5% FAME into conventional diesel fuel while suppliers in the European Union can blend up to 7% FAME and in various other countries FAME is blended with conventional diesel as well. In all of these cases the supplier has no obligation to report if FAME has been blended into their diesel fuel or not. As a consequence, when this fuel is transported through pipelines or by tanker, barge, tank truck etc. residual FAME can remain in the mode of transportation used and contaminate a subsequent batch of fuel. Trace levels of FAME contamination in aviation or marine diesel fuel can cause serious quality and operational issues due to its poor stability and low temperature characteristics and its propensity to promote microbiological growth. Aviation specifications currently limit FAME contamination to a maximum of 5 parts per million and marine diesel specification limit contamination to 1000 parts per million. It should be noted there is a project underway to increase the aviation fuel contamination limit of FAME to 100 parts per million. The ability to detect level of FAME contamination can greatly assist is quality surveillance on fuel throughout the distribution system.

Additionally, DLA Energy procures B20 (a 20% blend of FAME with diesel fuel) for the services in order to obtain credits in accordance with the Energy Policy Act of 2005. The ability to verify the FAME content of the B20 fuel DLA Energy procures would enable the agency to ensure the correct product is being delivered.

Scope: This project aims to evaluate (or assist in developing) commercially available biodiesel analyzers in terms of cost, portability, accuracy, ease of use and sample requirement for field use. Analyzers with varying detection ranges and limits appropriate to each application will be evaluated to determine their viability in field operations.

Expected Outcome / Benefits: Benefits of this project include quantifying FAME contamination levels in the field in an expedient and cost efficient manner to ensure fuel quality throughout the distribution system; verifying FAME content of B20 product purchased by DLA Energy to ensure we are receiving the product we paid and solicited for; and avoiding expensive costs associated with the shipment of fuel samples for FAME testing.

Technical Approach for Evaluation and Development of Portable (FAME) Detection Equipment: Evaluate portable and field deployable biodiesel analyzers with detection limits and ranges for each of the most critical applications for DLA Energy. The three ranges of instrumentation will include a range for aviation fuel contamination (<5 parts per million through hundreds of parts per million), a range for marine fuel contamination (a couple hundred parts per million through a couple thousand parts per million) and a range for B20 compliance (thousands of parts per million through 20% and higher).

An initial literature research and discussion with Service Control Points (SCP) shall be performed to identify instruments which may be appropriate for DLA Energy’s needs. Also identified from the literature research and discussion with SCPs will be previous work performed and field testing results pertaining to the evaluation of such instruments in order to eliminate duplicate work.

The evaluation and assessment for each instrument shall include but not be limited to:

1. Comparison of the accuracy and precision of each instrument to existing laboratory equipment qualified to an international standards test method (ASTM, EN, IP)

a. Analysis of the effect of FAME types on instrument accuracy and precision (for example soy derived FAME vs. rapeseed derived FAME vs. mixed FAME etc.)

b. Analysis of the effect of various additives on instrument accuracy and precision

2. Technical, training and workload requirements for instrument operation and maintenance

3. Portability of the instrument to include size, weight, setup/installation requirements (time and additional equipment) and any unique storage conditions

4. Sampling requirements of the instrument to include size of sample and any unique sampling conditions which must be observed, to include how long it takes to perform test.

5. Cost of the instrument to include initial unit purchase, upkeep & maintenance, need for additional reagents and evaluation of average instrument life before a replacement is required

Instruments: The following instruments will be included in the test plan for the project.

a. Fiji FAME in jet instrument developed by Stanhope Seta

b. Kam Controls Inc. in-line FAME detector

c. Additional instruments will be identified by the contractor.

The contractor shall first explore the option to lease any required instrument for test and evaluation as opposed to purchase.

Deliverables:

• Detailed Test Plan Development

• Monthly In-Progress Reports

• Quarterly Teleconferences

• After evaluation of the instruments a final report shall be completed for use by DLA Energy and the Military Services to compare the various instruments and assess their value for use in the supply chain.