Contractor B Questions and Answers 10-16-26.pdf

Ques ons and Answers.

Please note that this Request for Informa on (RFI) is strictly for market research purposes to iden fy available resources, and does not commit the government to any future contract ac on.

Addi onally, the government does not intend to conduct any conference calls or individual brie ngs at this me.

The government reserves the right to answer all, some or none of the ques ons posed.

Q1. Es mated Contract Value

Is there an es mated total contract value or an cipated budget range for the program, encompassing both the Base and Op on CLINs?

A1. The Government does not disclose es mated budget ranges or internal Independent Government Es mate (IGE).

LWT 042-001, Paragraph 3.1 and Note 4.1), the contractor is required to procure an exis ng Standard Welding Procedure Speci ca on for Naval Applica ons (SWPS-N)—speci cally AWS- NAVSEA B2.1-1-302:2015 (Shielded Metal Arc Welding of Carbon Steel (S-1), 1/8" through 1- 1/2" Thick, MIL-7018-M). This SWPS-N is an established naval publica on available directly for o -the-shelf commercial purchase from the American Welding Society (AWS) Bookstore (pubs.aws.org).

The Base CLIN (Quali ca on Phase):

• SWPS-N Document: Direct commercial purchase of AWS-NAVSEA B2.1-1-302:2015 from AWS.

• Cer ed Test Materials: Procurement of cer ed ABS Grade A carbon steel plate and 10 lbs of AWS A5.5 E7018-A1 electrodes (LWT 042-001, Para 3.5).

• Fabrica on & Demonstra on Labor: Machining two plates into one test assembly (prepped to MIL-STD-22D B2V.1 design) and welder labor to weld one coupon in the 3G ver cal posi on under Government observa on (LWT 042-001, Para 3.6–3.8).

• Tes ng & Administra on: Visual (VT), Radiographic (RT), and Magne c Par cle (MT) inspec on by cer ed NDT personnel, along with compiling the nal Procedure Quali ca on Record (PQR) and TIVS package.

Q2. Period of Performance

What is the an cipated period of performance for the program, including its overall dura on?

A2. In accordance with Sec on 4.C of the RFI, the POP for the Base CLIN is contractor-proposed.

O erors should propose a realis c, feasible schedule/ meline to complete Tasks 1, 2, and 3 from award to nal PQR delivery.

For the Op on CLIN, the Government envisions an availability ordering period (e.g., 12 months with poten al op on periods), which will be formally de ned in the actual solicita on.

Q3. An cipated Workload and Execu on Schedule

Is there an an cipated frequency, volume, or schedule of work under the Base work?

Addi onally, is there any preliminary indica on of the poten al demand for ship repair work under the Op on CLIN?

A3. The Base CLIN is a single quali ca on e ort per contractor. The Op on CLIN serves as an on-call surge mechanism for emergent structural voyage repairs, ba le-damage readiness, and minor voyage altera ons on U.S. Navy warships opera ng in the 7th Fleet theater. Successful quali ca on under the Base CLIN establishes the contractor as an approved, cer ed procedure capable of performing voyage repair task orders.

Q4. Expected Contractor Pro le and Quali ca ons

Does the Government an cipate any par cular contractor pro le in terms of company size, relevant experience, or past performance? If applicable, any minimum quali ca on criteria or speci c experience requirements for prospec ve par cipants would also be helpful.

A4. O erors must be an ac ve holder of a Master Ship Repair Agreement (MSRA) or an Agreement for Boat Repair (ABR) with the U.S. Navy. Past performance - demonstrable corporate experience (within the past 5 years) in commercial mari me repair, naval surface ship repair, or heavy pressure-vessel/structural fabrica on under recognized marine classi ca on socie es or defense standards (e.g., NAVSEA, ABS, AWS, Lloyd’s Register, ASME).

Q5. Base CLIN – Welding Procedure Quali ca on and Tes ng

Could you please clarify the an cipated scope of work under the Base CLIN, par cularly with regard to welding procedure quali ca on, required tes ng and inspec on, and the prepara on and submission of technical documenta on? It would also be helpful to understand whether exis ng quali ed welding procedures may be u lized, where applicable.

A5. The Base CLIN is a single, one- me quali ca on event, not ongoing produc on. The contractor purchases o -the-shelf procedure AWS-NAVSEA B2.1-1-302:2015 directly from the AWS Bookstore (~$300–$350), prepares and welds one (1) test plate assembly at their own facility in accordance with LWT 042-001, passes Class 1 NDT (VT, RT, MT), and submits the cer ed Procedure Quali ca on Record (PQR) package and a dra business plan.

Commercial welding procedures (such as commercial AWS D1.1 or ABS commercial rules) cannot subs tute for NAVSEA naval combatant standards. However, if your company already holds a fully approved Procedure Quali ca on Record under NAVSEA S9074-AQ-GIB-010/248 for this exact standard, please iden fy that in your RFI capability statement.

Q6. Op on CLIN – An cipated Workload and Personnel Deployment

For the Op on CLIN, is the Government able to provide any preliminary indica on of the an cipated number of welders, frequency of task orders, or typical dura on of each assignment? Addi onally, would the exercise of the Op on CLIN depend on speci c opera onal requirements, without any minimum workload guaranteed to the contractor?

A6. The Government is u lizing this RFI to re-evaluate the overall strategy for downstream ship repair execu on. While the RFI presented a conceptual Op on CLIN, the Government is assessing whether an Op on CLIN, a separate contract vehicle, or exis ng MSRA/ABR task order mechanisms represent the most e ec ve vehicle for follow-on repair work.

The formal requirements, task ordering mechanics, workload expecta ons, and deployment details for actual ship repair work will be de ned in the subsequent RFP. There is currently no guaranteed workload, volume of work, or deployment schedule established at this RFI stage.

Q7. Performance Condi ons and Cost Responsibili es

Could you provide any preliminary guidance on how travel, accommoda on, local transporta on, mobiliza on, standby me, and poten al retes ng or rework costs are expected to be addressed under the contemplated contract structure? This informa on would be par cularly helpful in evalua ng the feasibility of performing the work under a rm- xed-price arrangement.

A7. Work takes place en rely at your own facility u lizing your exis ng equipment and personnel. There are no Government-funded travel or lodging expenses associated with the ini al quali ca on demonstra on. Under a Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP) structure, normal tes ng, inspec on, and rework/re-test expenses are contractor responsibili es.

Q8. Poten al Long-Term Rela onship with Surface Ship MRO Ac vi es

From a longer-term business perspec ve, we would also be interested to understand whether this program might poten ally have any connec on with, or serve as a founda on for, future surface warship maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) ac vi es within the 7th Fleet area of responsibility. We fully recognize that the primary purpose of this program may be limited to welder quali ca on and sustained capability, and we do not wish to make any assump ons regarding future requirements. Nevertheless, any general insight the Government may be able to share regarding the program’s broader, long-term context would be greatly appreciated.

A8. The primary objec ve of this market research and capability development is to ensure that regional commercial yards hold ac ve, NAVSEA-approved welding procedures. Comple ng this quali ca on establishes the prerequisite corporate creden als needed to perform structural repairs and emergent altera ons on U.S. Navy warships opera ng across the 7th Fleet.

Q9. Previous Contracts with Similar Scope of Work or Contract Structure

During our preliminary review, we have searched SAM.gov and other publicly available sources for previous U.S. Navy contracts with a scope of work or contract structure similar to this program. However, we have not been able to iden fy any closely comparable contracts. Could you please advise whether the Government has previously awarded or executed any contracts involving similar requirements, par cularly with respect to welder quali ca on, sustained capability, and the combina on of Base and Op on CLINs? If such contracts exist, we would greatly appreciate any references, contract numbers, or other publicly available informa on that could assist us in be er understanding the an cipated scope, contract structure, and poten al scale of this program.

A9. This ini a ve was speci cally developed to bridge an overseas lack industrial capability mee ng . The historical lack of commercial adherence to strict U.S. Navy welding technical requirements, and the resul ng inability to e ect rapid, emergent repairs on warships when casual es occur. There are no iden cal previous contract precedents on SAM.gov.