Sources_Sought_Notice.doc

USM-HQ-14-0015

SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE

MANUFACTURING ONE-CENT COPPER PLATED ZINC PLANCHETS

The United States Mint, Manufacturing Procurement, Washington, DC is issuing this sources sought synopsis as a means of conducting market research to identify parties having an interest in and the resources to support this requirement for Copper Plated Zinc (CPZ) (electro-plated over a zinc substrate) metal blanks to be used to produce United States one-cent coins to support Circulating commerce, as well as Un-circulated and Proof numismatic sets. Circulating and Un-circulated CPZ one-cent planchets to be delivered to the Philadelphia and Denver Mints; the Proof CPZ one-cent planchets will be delivered to the San Francisco Mint. A complete solicitation containing the specifications, requirements, and delivery terms will be available to the identified sources.

The raw material acquired must produce coins that can co-exist with coinage presently in circulation within the banking industry and the general public. The current one-cent alloy is composed of 2.5% Copper (Cu) and 97.5% zinc (Zn). Prior to the early 1980’s the one-cent coins were composed of 95% copper and 5% zinc and weighed more than 3 grams.

The general specifications for United States Mint one-cent circulating planchets are listed below:

Plated Blank Dimensions of STANDARD CPZ PLANCHETS

Weight (individual blank)

2.50 grams ± 0.16 grams

Plated Diameter

18.75 mm ± 0.05 mm

Plated Gauge

1.255 mm ± 0.043 mm

(Preferred tolerance ± 0.030 mm)

Plating Thickness

0.008 mm + 0.017 mm/-0.003 mm

Upset Edge Thickness

1.461 mm ± 0.076 mm

Overall Thickness

1.626 mm maximum

“A” Dimension on Upset

0.64 mm ± 0.05 mm

“B” Dimension on Upset

1.27 mm + 0.13 mm/-0.00 mm

Estimated volume requirements:

Denomination

Range In Pieces \Kilograms Range In Pieces \Kilograms

1-cent Circulating

In addition, the United States Mint generates scrap. The contractor must be able to melt and recycle the returned scrap from the coining process as feed stock for future one-cent blanks.

The result of this market research will contribute to determining the method of procurement. The applicable North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code assigned to this procurement is 332999.

THERE IS NO SOLICITATION AT THIS TIME. This request for capability information does not constitute a request for proposals; submission of any information in response to this market survey is purely voluntary; the government assumes no financial responsibility for any costs incurred.

If your organization has the potential capacity to perform these contract services, please provide the following information:

1) Organization name, address, e-mail address, Web site address, telephone number, and size and type of ownership for the organization; and 2) Tailored capability statements addressing the particulars of this effort, with appropriate documentation supporting claims of organizational and staff capability. If significant subcontracting or teaming is anticipated in order to deliver technical capability, organizations should address the administrative and management structure of such arrangements.

The government will evaluate market information to ascertain potential market capacity to provide services consistent in scope and scale with those described in this notice and otherwise anticipated.

Telephone inquiries will not be accepted or acknowledged, and no feedback or evaluations will be provided to companies regarding their submissions.

Submission Instructions: Interested parties who consider themselves qualified to perform the above-listed services are invited to submit a response to this Sources Sought Notice by May 14, 2014. All responses under this Sources Sought Notice must be emailed to LIrizarry@usmint.treas.gov.