HSAAP QA - 29SEP22.pdf

No. Question Answer

1 Does the Government intend to evaluate contractor investment?

Contractor investment will not be evaluated. Refer to the final RFP for evaluation criteria.

Will the Government require some form of backup documentation for each offeror’s pricing build‐up. For example, how was the pricing developed? Is there any additional information for what the Government would require for adequate analysis?

In accordance with FAR 15.404‐1(b), the Government will use Price Analysis to determine price reasonableness. Additional analysis techniques may be used as determined necessary by the Contracting Officer. These methods of evaluation may include the use of information/input from sources such as, but not limited to, other Government agencies and personnel. Certified cost or pricing data is not required to be submitted with the proposal. However, in the event the Contracting Officer determines that adequate competition does not exist, the Government reserves the right to require certified cost or pricing data to be submitted. Additionally, the Government reserves the right to request data other than certified cost or pricing data in the event such data is necessary to establish a fair and reasonable price.

Reference draft RFP, Section L, B Volume 1 Subfactor 2 ‐ Program Management, does the Government desire that the IMP comply with the "DoD Integrated Master Plan and Integrated Master Schedule Preparation and User Guide, version 0.9, October 21, 2005"? If not, is Contractor‐format acceptable? Does the Government intend to place the proposal IMP on contract?

Contractor format for the IMP is acceptable. The successful offeror's proposal in response to this solicitation may be incorporated into the resultant contract in whole or in part at the time of the award. If incorporated, the offeror's proposal will therefore be a material term of the contract and failure to fully implement it could result in termination.

Reference draft RFP, Section L, D Volume 3 Past Performance and Section L, F Volume 5 Small Business Participation Factor, please confirm that Past Performance and Small Business information submitted for this proposal should be from our bidding CAGE/DUNS.

Past performance information may include information from the bidding CAGE/DUNS or other entities. Small Business Participation shall be from the bidding CAGE/DUNS.

Reference draft RFP, Section A, narrative A0001, is the Subcontracting Plan required by "(k) A Small Business (SB) Subcontracting Plan is required at the time of proposal submission; see FAR 52.219‐9, Small Business Subcontracting Plan ‐‐ Alternate II (Deviation 2018‐O0018), for details." included in the current page count specified in the RFP? If so, in what Volume/Subfactor does the Government desire we include this Plan?

The RFP has been updated to require the Small Business Subcontracting Plan to be submitted in Volume 5 and Volume 7.

Historically, the Government has provided multiple ingredients as Government Furnished Material (GFM). Should we assume the draft RFP will be updated to include these materials or will they need to be procured?

The RFP will be updated to confirm all GFM that will be provided to support the HSAAP production mission.

HSAAP Competition Q&A 29 September 2022

PWS does not include a definition of mission critical assets (MCA). If there is no definition then different offerors will make different assumptions, which will create disparity in what gets addressed as a MCA. This will add risk to the Government and also impact cost.

PWS 8 ‐ Maintenance of Facilities has been updated to include a definition of critical assets.

The ARMS PWS gives the ability for offerors to generate commercial revenue for commercial share with Government. There are cost benefits and intangible benefits to the Government by allowing offerors to pursue commercial production on‐site. Does the Government intend to reconsider evaluation of commercial utilization?

Commercial utilization is not being evaluated; however, the Government does support commercial use of the facility.

9 Will the Government evaluate R&D activities as part of the competition? No.

10 Will the Government require a Property Management Plan? A property management plan will not be required with proposal submission.

Is the Government going to provide a contract to the incumbent to support phase‐in activities in the event there is a change in operators?

Yes.

PWS 8 ‐ Maintenance of Facilities – section 2.6.1 CDRL AA‐0‐2 – requires reporting metrics to be submitted. When will new contract data submittal start?

The timing of this CDRL submittal shall be initiated once the successful offeror assumes operational control of the facility.

PWS 13 ‐ Facility Operations and Production Reporting – we are requesting the ability to see the devices for data collection with metering devices. Is there a way we can do that?

Information regarding metering devices at HSAAP has been provided in the virtual library.

14 Is the surge volume going to be provided as part of the RFP?

Capacity retention requirements are identified in Narrative B0002 ‐ Industrial Capacity.

In terms of existing production volume capability and what requirements are, could there be a difference between capability and what requirements are?

Capacity expansion efforts are ongoing and the Government will control orders to ensure they are within current capacity.

Past performance – would Government be amenable to modifying/adding criteria to consider degree to which relevant references are comparable to production of explosives for safety and environmental?

Refer to the past performance section of the final RFP for the definition of relevancy as it relates to supply and service contract references.

Will the army consider modifying the 10 year firm‐fixed‐price (FFP)? Perhaps 5‐ year FFP and other 5‐year be negotiated after contract award.

No.

Can Government confirm all equipment to manufacture products will maintain on facility for winning bidder? Or would the Government provide a detailed list of critical equipment that will depart with the incumbent?

The Government provided a list of Government Furnished Property (GFP) along with the RFP. A list of additional property that is currently at the facility but is not included in the GFP listing has also been provided in the virtual library; that list is being provided for informational purposes only, and the Government expressly makes no representations as to the accuracy or completeness of that additional list, nor the availability, condition, serviceability, functionality, or usefulness of said property. Offerors are responsible for independently verifying or assessing the information provided in that additional property list. In preparing their proposals, Offerors should assume that only the property specifically noted in the GFP list will be furnished by the Government for contract performance.

19 Will Government provide a list of critical suppliers for Holston? A list of critical suppliers for HSAAP will not be provided.

In the latest Q&A it mentioned that the level of required liability insurance will be provided with the final RFP. Is there any way that can be provided earlier given the market conditions?

Insurance requirements will be provided with the final RFP.

21 When will the successful offeror be required to begin CDRL submission? CDRLs shall be submitted in accordance with their prescription.

How will the Government evaluate commercial contractors since they do not have CPARS?

Offerors shall refer to the past performance volume of Section L and M of the final RFP for information on how commercial contractors will be evaluated.

23 What is the definition of a commercial customers?

A commercial customer is a customer where the Government is not the ultimate end user.

24 Is there a security requirement for the company to have a security clearance? A Secret Facility Security Clearance is required prior to contract award.

Will the Government consider removing key personnel requirements from the evaluation criteria?

Key personnel have been removed from the evaluation criteria.

26 Can the Government further define relevancy as it relates to production?

Offerors shall refer to the past performance volume of Section L and M of the final RFP for the definition of relevancy as it relates to production (supply).

During Industry Day #3 we did not see NAC/SAC as an ongoing modernization project. Has it been completed and is this facility available to support production requirements?

The NAC/SAC is complete and available to support production requirements, if needed.

If a company wins a third party modernization contract and needs support from the prime contractor, does that third party contract have to fund that support, or does that support come directly from the Army/operating contractor?

The method of funding support for 3rd party modernization efforts will be handled on a case‐by‐case basis and may be provided under the prime or via the third party contract.

Is there a plan to put out another version of the environmental and safety assessments or updates on those? Anything that would show violations or issues with any regulators (BFA/BECA)

An update to the BFA/BECA will be provided in the virtual library.

30 Can utilization of excess production capacity be an evaluation factor? The Government will not evaluate use of excess facility capacity.

31 What’s the timing of establishing the PWS clause in the incumbent’s contract?

The Government is working with incumbent to finalize this effort. When complete, the Government intends to share as much information as it can on the agreement.

Can the Government provide any information on historical shift arrangements?

The facility is capable of running 24/7; however, information regarding historical shift arrangements will not be provided.

33 Will the Government participate on the transition IPT? Yes.

34 Why is cost reporting being requested as a PWS requirement?

Cost reporting is necessary to help the Government to better understand costs across the plant and inform decision making in the future.

What are your surge requirements per major explosive type, both now and after modernization?

Current capacities by explosive type are RDX: 9,000,000 pounds, HMX: 2,000,000 pounds, IMX: 5,000,000 pounds. Post‐modernization capacities by explosive type are RDX: 15,000,000 pounds, HMX: 2,000,000 pounds, IMX: 6,000,000 pounds

In reference to the example order, do offerors have the option to include additional orders to workload the plant?

The Government will only evaluate the example order based on the criteria identified in Section M.

Does the Government own major/minor maintenance spare parts that will be provided to the successful offeror? If so, will the Government provide a listing?

Attachment 0018 has been updated to include all Government furnished property and spare parts.

Will additional documents be posted to the virtual library, such as quality procedures, gauge procedures, etc.?

The Government may upload additional documents to the virtual library throughout the pre‐solicitation/solicitation phase. It is the contractor's responsibility to review the site to obtain the most recent information available.

39 Is the natural gas fired steam plant operational? The plant is fully operational.

What is the annual hazardous waste volume from the labs and how much is treated?

Annual hazardous waste volume from the labs is proprietary and will not be provided.

On what conditions will the Government award modernization project to the prime contractor or 3rd party?

The decision to award modernization projects to a 3rd party will be made on a case‐by‐case basis and will consider factors including, but not limited to, the project scope/complexity, proximity to production capabilities, need for specialization, and urgency.

In reference to PWS 8 requirements for maintaining bridges and railroads, will Government require contractor to take railroads/bridges not in operation back to full specifications and operations, or is the level they are currently operating at the baseline?

The Government does not intend to bring bridges and railroads up to a higher level of performance. The current operating level is the baseline.

Does the successful awardee need to have staff available to support and commission the energetic burn facility?

The operating contractor will be required to support these efforts. Support will be direct funded, as necessary.

Has the waste packaging been determined for the new energetic burn facility?

What about the EDC?

Different types of containers will be used depending on the material being disposed of. Containers that can be used are cage like and can be loaded into the bottom of the furnace. A strong box for temperature treatment. Large items would be put directly to car bottom, unless it produces ash and then it is put on a pan.

45 Is there an alternate plan should EDC not come on line? The Government will continue to use the legacy processes.

46 With a spill, who is responsible for corrective action?

The operating contractor is responsible for all spills from the date of operational control.

Does the existing operating contractor have a requirement to have staff present through the completion of modernization efforts?

The incumbent will be responsible for completing all ongoing modernization projects. This may require having staff present throughout the completion of each effort.

Are offerors able to receive an e‐copy of the new Army Ammunition Plant Modernization Plan as the Government recently mentioned at the 7 April 2022 Munitions Executive Summit and also reported here on 18 April 2022: US Army document details plan to update WWII‐era ammo plants and depots (defensenews.com) https://www.defensenews.com/land/2022/04/18/us‐ army‐document‐details‐plan‐to‐update‐wwii‐era‐ammo‐plants‐and‐ depots/?utm_source=sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dfn‐ dnr > ?

No.

For the purpose of pricing, should the Example Order be used or the current rates of production stated in the RFP?

The example order is included in the RFP for evaluation purposes only under the production factor and should not be used to develop prices.

Please provide a definition of "offeror" for the adverse past performance section.

The final RFP has been updated to clarify adverse past performance requirements.

Will the Government consider making PWS 11 ‐ Contract Start‐Up direct funded in order to facilitate transition to a new incoming contractor.

No.

At the recent munitions executive summit, leaders spoke about taking human out of the loop of manufacturing explosives. Would you consider artificial intelligence, robotics, etc. part of your vision for the future at HSAAP?

These are part of the vision for the future, but there are safety requirements at HSAAP that limit how they can incorporated.

53 Will a proposal without investment be considered non‐compliant? No, contractor investment is not included in the evaluation criteria.

What is the transition period for the incumbent and new operating contractor? How much time is the Government allowing for these activities?

The transition period will allow for the incumbent operating contractor to complete production orders and modernization projects, as well as conduct phase‐ in/phase‐out activities. The transition period is 12 months from 01 January 2024 to 31 December 2024.

The RFP states a 10‐year overall period of performance; however, considering that there is a one‐year Transition Period, followed by 10 one‐year Ordering Periods, we would like you to clarify to contractors if the overall period is actually 10 years or 11 years.

The base award will consist of 10 one‐year ordering periods, followed by a one year transition period after completion of the final ordering period (assuming no additional options are exercised). In this scenario, the effective period of performance is 11 years; however, the contractor will only receive orders for 10 years and will only have operational control of the plant for 10 years (the incumbent will maintain operational control of the facility during the first year).

Can the Government provide copies of all existing ARMS agreements for review prior to release of the RFP?

ARMS agreements extending beyond the current contract's period of performance will be provided with the final RFP.

Can the Government provide an update of ongoing and planned modernization projects and schedule?

Updates to the status of ongoing modernization projects will be provided in the virtual library.

There has been many changes to the CDRL reference numbers in the Draft 2 PWS files. Can the Government please provide an updated Exhibit B: Contract Data Requirements List – PWS that aligns with these changes made to the CDRL references numbers?

Please refer to the final RFP for updated PWS and CDRL requirements.

During the tour we observed many incumbent property stickers on laboratory equipment critical to support the manufacture of directed products. Please confirm and provide a listing of all critical lab equipment that will transfer.

The Government provided a list of Government Furnished Property (GFP) along with the RFP. A list of additional property that is currently at the facility but is not included in the GFP listing has also been provided in the virtual library; that list is being provided for informational purposes only, and the Government expressly makes no representations as to the accuracy or completeness of that additional list, nor the availability, condition, serviceability, functionality, or usefulness of said property. Offerors are responsible for independently verifying or assessing the information provided in that additional property list. In preparing their proposals, Offerors should assume that only the property specifically noted in the GFP list will be furnished by the Government for contract performance.

Quality Management System (QMS) ‐ Does HSAAP have their own specific QMS and if so, will the Government please provide it?

QMS is specific to the operating contractor. The current QMS will not be provided.

In reference to Attachment 0010 PWS 10 ‐Occupational Health Program 20 May 22; Onsite Health Clinic, will the Government clarify if an onsite Health Clinic is required and if so, please provide more detailed requirements?

An onsite health clinic is not required. Offerors can decide how to best meet the requirements of the PWS.

Can the Government provide a list of IT systems currently being used for production and maintenance?

Examples of IT systems being used at HSAAP include LIMS, PCS‐7, Forth Shift, and Matlink. A separate list will not be provided.

Reference Attachment 007 PWS 7 Fire – 5.3 A designated Operational Medical Director (OMD) and Attachment 010 PWS 10 Occupational Health – Section

4.1 4.1, the Program that delivers health care shall have a Medical Director with the degree of M.D. or D.O., who is currently licensed to practice medicine in the State and has at least 5 years of experience in an occupational medicine physician position or training in Occupational Medicine equivalent to phase 1 and 2 of the Fundamentals of Occupational Medicine Course, 6H‐F20. Is it the Government’s intent that the Medical Director is an onsite full‐time position?

The Government is not dictating whether this position is full‐time or not.

Who is responsible for purchasing the raw material, the Government or offeror? If it is the offeror, will the Government provide purchase agreements/contracts the incumbent holds and historical purchasing data or raw materials? Will the Government release purchase specifications for purchased raw materials?

Offeror is responsible for purchasing raw materials. The Government will not provide purchase agreements/contracts or historical purchasing data. Purchase specification are provided in the virtual library.

Will past performance of affiliate entities of special purpose entity (JV) members be acceptable if a meaningful relationship is shown between the affiliate and the JV member entity?

Refer to the past performance section of the final RFP for information on how affiliate entities will be evaluated.

Will the US Army consider allowing 70 total oversized pages that the offeror can distribute between Volume 1 and Volume 2 as they see fit? No. Refer to the final RFP for page limitations.

67 Will the Site Plan for HSAAP that includes Quantity Distance Arcs be provided? No

What is the required/requested levels of unusually hazardous liability insurance coverages?

Minimum insurance requirements will be identified in the RFP. The Government will not dictate additional insurance requirements beyond the identified minimums.

Request that copies or a summary of the utility (electricity, natural gas, purchased water if any) consumption reports for each of the past 18 months be provided.

This data will not be provided.

Please provide the design basis requirement for direct labor, utility consumption, and known impacts to PWS scope/cost (positive or negative) for all incumbent executed modernization projects with anticipated completion schedules so bidders can properly include available estimated costs into their best value price proposal.

Modernization efforts are independent of PWS scopes of work. Design basis requirement for direct labor and utility consumption for modernization projects is proprietary to the Operating Contractor. For projects not completed prior to the end of the facility contract period of performance, and if the incumbent is not the selected awardee, the incumbent will coordinate directly with the new operating contractor for support needed to complete the modernization projects.

In the majority of all the US Army tour scripts for a particular building, detail was provided about where the material came from (input) or where it would go (output to next operation). Can you provide the building numbers (and brief description of the operation) used the manufacture for TATB after G‐10?

This information is in the BFA posted to the VTL.

72 Please confirm ownership of the LOTO training skid in building 102 The Government does not own the LOTO training skid in Building 102.

Please provide current disposal method and US Army perceived future risk of ANSOL generated from the neutralization of spent acid from the production of NTO and DNAN since the NAC/SAC is not in operation but these explosives are currently in production.

ANSol is not generated from the neutralization of spent acid from the production of NTO and DNAN. ANSol is a byproduct of RDX and HMX production. The spent acid generated from the production of NTO and DNAN can either be processed/recycled via the NAC/SAC or disposed of as hazardous waste. This is a cost/risk decision of the operating contractor.

What preventative maintenance activities are in place for system piping containing hazardous materials and/or hazardous waste? At what frequency are they performed?

Preventative maintenance activities performed by the incumbent are proprietary.

The operating contractor must abide by OSHA and environmental requirements for hazardous materials and wastes. Activities and requirements to ensure compliance (per PWS requirements) are the responsibility of the operating contractor.

Will the Government please provide documentation for hazardous material or hazardous waste spills over the past 5 years?

Refer to the BECA posted in the virtual library.

How many permitted waste storage areas are on onsite? What are their locations? Refer to the BECA posted in the virtual library.

How many hazardous waste accumulation areas are onsite? What are their locations? Refer to the BECA posted in the virtual library.

There were almost no calibration stickers seen during the Industry Day Tours on conductivity meters, flow meters, pressure gages, temperatures probes, etc. Will the Government please provide a list of all gages and instruments that require calibration and confirm that calibration is up to date on all these items?

Refer to the GFP listing for gages and instruments. The Government does not have calibration data to provide.

There were no Process Control data sheets in the documents supplied by the Government in the virtual library. These are necessary to understand the scope of the existing Process Control Systems. Please provide these Process Control sheets.

Process control data sheets are not available to be provided.

80 What issues exist that make the NAC/SAC inoperable? There are no issues with NAC/SAC associated with operability.

81 What is the current operation schedule and production in Bldg. 372?

Building 372 is the NAC/SAC Electric/Control Bldg. Operation schedules will not be provided.

Can the Government please provide the latest RCRA projects and Solid Waste Management Units at HAAP, or provide direction on how to find this information?

Refer to the BECA posted in the virtual library.

83 Are the Maintenance Support Buildings a 3‐shift operation? Current shift information will not be provided.

How many active / inhabited maintenance support buildings are in operation at HAAP and will the Government identify them on an HSAAP map?

The building list that was previously provided indicates the maintenance facilities and their current status. A map will not be provided.

Table 2 of the BFA lists 13 buildings for planned demolition in FY 20 (Excess Building List, 2020). What is the status of these buildings? Is the demolition complete?

The FY 20 demo project is complete.

What is the status of all projects that will be executed prior to contract award and start‐up?

An update to the status of ongoing modernization projects is available in the virtual library.

87 What is the square footage of the new Lab Building being constructed? 40,000 square feet

Will any equipment currently located in processing buildings be relocated to the new laboratory facility being constructed?

No, "processing" currently done in other areas (other than existing lab) is not the intent of the new lab

Does HSAAP utilize a Computerized Maintenance Management System, and if so, which system is used?

The current CMMS system is a contractor designed application.

Can the Government provide the employee turnover rate and root cause of turnover? This information will not be provided.

What are the products and quantities of explosives that are anticipated to be provided to the DoE and DoD customers based on the FYDP and Presidents Budget?

Out‐year projections will not be provided.

Is the Coal Fired Generation Plant being maintained as a back‐up system, and should its maintenance be included in this proposal? For what period of time?

The Coal Fired Generation Plant is not being maintained as there are no plans to use it as a back‐up

In the documents listed in the virtual library, there are not documents related to the production of DMDNB. Can the Government provide work instructions or manufacturing instructions for the production of DMDNB?

The Government does not have any documents to provide related to the production of DMDNB.

There were no Process Control data sheets in the documents supplied by the Government in the virtual library. These are necessary to understand the scope of the existing Process Control Systems and what key Parameters are used to control the process. Please provide these Process Control sheets.

This information will not be provided.

Does every building have a Building Inspection Checklist? None were identified in the virtual library. Please provide.

No, all information to build checklists can be found in the SOPs.

Are all eyewash stations identified in the Safety Program including their location? Is their inspection conducted on a regular basis as identified in the Safety Program? This information was not contained in the virtual library.

Please provide additional information.

Additional information will not be provided as each offeror shall address eye wash stations in their written safety plan.

The NAC/SAC facility is not in operation and looks like it has not been operated. Please provide information on the expected performance of the facility, actual performance of the facility, and information on what is currently being done to dispose the explosively contaminated weak acids that were originally meant to be processes in the NAC/SAC facility.

Product mix ordered by the Government determines the need and feasibility of operating the NAC/SAC. Operating the facility is a business decision of the operating contractor.

Is it the Government’s expectation for the winning contractor to make use of the NAC/SAC facility for its originally intended purpose?

Whether or not to operate the NAC/SAC facility is a business decision of the operating contractor.

Does the Government own the tracking system for explosives throughout the facility?

The Government has right to the LIMS inventory control system and PCS‐7 for building D‐5, E‐6, G‐6, G‐7, L‐4, M‐5, M‐6, N‐4 and calibration settings.

The Cisco equipment in the walkways is not labeled as either incumbent property or Government property. However, these devices are not included in the Government Furnished Property List. Please provide additional information as to what these are, what they are used for, and who owns them.

The equipment in question is unlabeled BAE IT equipment.

The Government Furnished Property list is an extremely long list or items. Can the Government provide this list in either MS Word or MS Excel to allow the bidders to sort this document?

Excel files will be provided.

In the Government provided document containing the Product Lines by Building, analysis of the provided WI/SOP documents do not correlate to this document. For instance, this document shows Building G‐5 is shown to be a location for processing NTO, however none of the SOPs/WIs show any work being done on for NTO manufacturing in Building G‐5. Please provide either an updated List of Products by Building or the SOPs/WI that show what is being done to manufacture the listed explosives in each building.

Additional clarification on the reference document is required in order to address this question. All IP provided in the virtual library is provided for informational performance and the Government does not certify that following them will guarantee successful performance.

Does all the PLC programming belong to the Government or is this owned by the incumbent? Will it be transferred to the successful offeror? If Government owned, please clarify the words blacked out in SOPs/WIs when referencing to the PLC screen titles (for instance, MI 1123‐1101, pg. 17, A.1.e).

The Government has right to the LIMS inventory control system and PCS‐7 for building D‐5, E‐6, G‐6, G‐7, L‐4, M‐5, M‐6, N‐4 and calibration settings. These will transfer to the successful awardee.

Are the process check lists incumbent or Government property? Will they be provided to bidders? If not, will they be provided to the successful offeror during transition?

Process check lists will not be provided. Information to generate checklists can be found in the SOPs.

Many of the SOPs/WIs refer to batch recipes, but these are not provided. At the batch recipes Government owned? If so, will they be provided to the bidders?

Batch recipes are proprietary to the incumbent.

In many of the SOPs/WIs, batch sizes and capacities are not provided. Will the Government provide typical batch sizes for all operations to the bidders?

This information is proprietary to the incumbent.

In MI 1133‐1201, pg. 17 of 32, Step 7.4.1.4.g – What does “ML” stand for? Are there supposed to be units associated with the “52±2”? Also, what is the size of the graduated cylinder in 7.4.1.4.c?

Milliliter. Graduated cylinder size is not directed.

Does PSM data exist for all operations and processes, including Process Safety Information, Process Hazards Analysis, Training Requirements, and Mechanical Integrity documents, Process Flow Diagrams, Piping and Instrument Diagrams, and Piping and Valve Tagging? Will the Government provide these documents to bidders?

The Government will not provide PHAs to prospective bidders.

There are no SOPs/WIs for packaging the TATB in the document library.

Please provide these SOPs/WIs for packaging the TATB.

SOP/WIs for packaging TATB are not available to be provided.

Section 6.8.1 of the Government Property Management, PWS 2, reads as follows: Contractor is responsible to fully implement IUID requirements IAW DFARS 252.211‐7003 and DFARS 252.211‐7007 for the legacy GP provided to the contractor and new GP acquisitions, as applicable. Has the existing equipment at Holston above the $5,000 threshold been tagged as required in the PWS, or will the incoming contractor need to plan for that activity to be accomplished?

The IUID program has been fully implemented. All equipment currently in the inventory with an acquisition cost of $5,000 and greater (as well as sensitive, pilferable, and serially managed) have IUID compliant tags and have been recorded into the registry.

Presently, HSAAP uses a Facility Bank to fund Major Maintenance type projects. The draft RFP indicates that the U.S. Army seeks to discontinue the use of a Facility Bank at Holston and incorporate $4M of major maintenance funds per year in the bidders’ offers. Does the U.S. Army anticipate a balance to remain in the Facility Bank, and will any residual balance be available for major maintenance projects?

No, the Facility Bank will be discontinued.

Other than items manufactured at the Holston facility, is there Government‐ owned stock in storage areas in Holston that require Care, Maintenance, and Surveillance from the contractor, and what are the items and quantities stored there?

Current items and quantities in storage are anticipated to be dispositioned before the potential new operating contractor assumes operational control of the facility.

However, regardless of if there is Government owned stock in the storage area, maintenance is required in each of the storage areas.

Legacy waste material disposal has the potential to significantly drive costs.

Please provide guidance on the quantities, hazard classifications, current method of disposal and intended ownership of residual scrap and waste materials including ANSOL that will need to be disposed of upon contract award?

The current operating contractor is required to dispose of legacy waste material prior to the new operating contractor assuming operational control.

With ongoing Modernization projects that will have a potential impact on manufacturing process steps and therefore can impact pricing, can the Government provide the new process flow information for any modernization projects that will impact production process steps to enable the process and then the cost/price impact to be understood during pricing development. This should include detailed specifications to enable understanding the process improvement from current process to determine cost/price impacts.

Information on ongoing modernization projects is provided in the virtual library.

To enable prospective bidders to understand if there will be any missing critical equipment to have uninterrupted production, can the Government provide a line layout for all the production lines showing the Government owned equipment in each of the lines and note if any equipment required for production will be missing?

The Government does not have this information to provide.

The SAM.gov release of the original solicitation on 19 Nov 21 included 32 files.

The 2nd draft of the solicitation posted on 20 May 22 included 17 files. Will the Government please clarify if any of the 15 files not re‐posted on 20 May 22 are obsolete and do not require further consideration? Or alternatively, if they were not posted because they were not changed since the original submission?

Documents uploaded with the second draft RFP only included those that were revised from the initial draft. The final RFP will supersede all postings.

The list of attachments in Section J show Attachment 0011 PWS 11 ‐ CONTRACT START‐UP 20‐MAY‐2022 and Attachment 0012 PWS 12 ‐ CONTRACT TRANSITION 20‐MAY‐2022; however, it appears these PWSs have been combined into a single PWS 11 Transition and Startup PWS. Will the Government please clarify if Attachment 0011 ‐PWS 11 Transition and Start‐up supersedes PWS 11 and PWS 12 included in 19 Nov 21 draft solicitation?

PWS 11 and PWS 12 have been updated and will be included in the final RFP

In reference to Section I‐176 and Section B(e): (a) This is a requirements contract for the supplies or services specified, and effective for the period stated, in the Schedule. The quantities of supplies or services specified in the Schedule are estimates only and are not purchased by this contract. Except as this contract may otherwise provide, if the Government's requirements do not result in orders in the quantities described as "estimated" or "maximum" in the Schedule, that fact shall not constitute the basis for an equitable price adjustment."

What is Government’s plan for covering facility costs should the workload on HSAAP be insufficient to generate the revenue required to pay for HSAAP’s routine expenses? Additionally, will the Government consider making plant wide volume range 1 more reasonable and realistic for bidding purposes, such as 1,000,000 to 4,500,000 lb.?

Offerors are responsible for ensuring that all costs to operate the facility are included in the price of product based on the facility volume ranges provided in the final RFP.

In reference to section L.C.1, Sentence 1 "Offeror shall detail its plan for executing a robust ($50‐200M/year depending on requirements and funding availability) Modernization program for new and improved infrastructure and facilities to support process sustainment, process and safety improvement, and environmental compliance for the explosive production mission at

HSAAP."

Discussion of an Offeror's capabilities related to support process sustainment, process and safety improvement enables the Government to determine the likelihood of an offeror to meet the HSAAP Mission. However, "support process sustainment and process… improvement" requires discussion of a CUI or classified nature. This is because the Offeror must weigh an existing capability, discuss its current status to specification, long range plans for new variants, and describe a new capability end state. So that all Offerors have a common understanding of security boundaries, all offerors require a security classification guide.

Will the Government provide a security classification guide so that the compilation of CUI does not spill into a higher classification level?

Offerors shall include their approach to executing these requirements, not the results of an analysis or data specific to vulnerabilities currently at HSAAP.

Therefore, no CUI or information of a classified nature shall be discussed.

In reference to section L.C.1, Sentence 2: "The Offerors plan shall address project development/acquisition strategies, cost estimating, project management, facility/infrastructure design, process engineering, construction, commissioning, and transition to production."

Discussion of an Offeror's capabilities related to process engineering enables the Government to determine the likelihood of an offeror to meet the HSAAP mission. However, "process engineering" requires discussion of a CUI or classified nature. This is because the Offeror must weigh an existing capability, discuss its current status to specification, long range plans for new variants, and describe a new capability end state. So that all Offerors have a common understanding of security boundaries, all offerors require a security classification guide.

Will the Government provide a security classification guide so that the compilation of CUI does not spill into a higher classification level?

Offerors shall include their approach to executing these requirements, not the results of an analysis or data specific to vulnerabilities currently at HSAAP.

Therefore, no CUI or information of a classified nature shall be discussed.

In reference to section L.C.1, Sentence 3: "The plan shall also include the Offerors approach to developing a modernization strategy that includes multiple independent projects time phase and prioritized to achieve longer term capability, sustainment, and compliance goals for the facility, as well as their plan for technology insertion and plan for executing and integrating modernization projects while maintaining production continuity."

Discussion of an Offeror's capabilities related to prioritization and technology insertion enables the Government to determine the likelihood of an offeror to meet the HSAAP Mission. However, "prioritization" requires discussion of a CUI or classified nature. This is because the Offeror must weigh an existing capability, discuss its current status to specification, long range plans for new variants, and describe a new capability end state. So that all Offerors have a common understanding of security boundaries, all offerors require a security classification guide.

Will the Government provide a security classification guide so that the compilation of CUI does not spill into a higher classification level?

Offerors shall include their approach to executing these requirements, not the results of an analysis or data specific to vulnerabilities currently at HSAAP.

Therefore, no CUI or information of a classified nature shall be discussed.

The Government has cited both FAR 52.245‐1 and 52.245‐1 Alt 1; will the Government please confirm that only FAR 52.245‐1 applies to this solicitation and resulting contract?

The RFP has been updated to remove reference to FAR 52.245‐1 Alt 1. Only FAR 52.245‐1 applies to this solicitation and resulting contract.

In response to Question #67 from the draft RFP, the Government indicated it would update PWS 14 to identify expected staffing requirements for PWS 14, Section 2.1.1 and 2.1.2; however, this update was not made with the second draft RFP. Has the Government changed its intention with respect minimum personnel requirements?

PWS 14 has been updated for the final RFP to identify minimum personnel requirements.

In response to Question #77 from the draft RFP, the Government indicated it would updated the RFP to require letters of commitment for all proposed team member in Section L, A, Volume 1; however, this was not updated for the second Draft RFP. Has the Government changed its intention with respect to requiring letters of commitment for proposed team members?

The final RFP has been updated to clarify requirements for letters of commitment.

Only Pricing Attachment 0022 (Price Matrix ‐ Production and 0025 (Price Matrix ‐ Production Indemnified) were re‐issued with 5/20/22 update.

Attachments 0023 (Price Matrix ‐ PWS) and 0024 (Price Matrix ‐ Summary Evaluation Matrix) were not included. Does the Government still intend to make these updates in Attachments 0023 and 0024?

Updated Attachments 0023 and 0024 will be provided with the final RFP.

The Government indicated that it would update the RFP to clarify requirements for signed copies of letter of intent or formal agreements of JVs, major subcontractors, partners, etc. in response to Question #119 form the draft RFP, "Reference draft RFP, section L, item A (7) (a) Volume 1 ("production"), page 115, although inferred, can the Government clarify the requirement to provide signed copies of letters of intent or formal agreements of Joint Ventures, Teaming Agreements, major subcontractors, partners etc. as part of the proposal submission?" Does the Government still intend to clarify this requirement?

The past performance factor has been updated for the final RFP to clarify the requirement for letters of commitment.

L.B.SF2.2.a IMP [last bullet] “How the Offeror will implement new technology (i.e., new explosives, new precursors/ingredients, modernized equipment) or process improvements as a result of Engineering Change Proposals, and producibility solutions that provide technology advancements which result in improving product safety, reliability, or performance."

Discussion of new technology support (i.e., new explosives, new precursors/ingredients, modernized equipment or process improvements) in an Offeror's proposal enables the Government to determine the ability of an Offeror to meet the HSAAP mission. However, "new explosives, new precursors/ingredients, modernized equipment or process improvements" requires discussion of a CUI or classified nature. This is because the Offeror must weigh an existing capability, discuss its current status to specification, long range plans for new variants, and describe a new capability end state. So that all Offerors have a common understanding of security boundaries, all offerors require a security classification guide.

Will the Government provide a security classification guide so that the compilation of CUI does not spill into a higher classification level?

The referenced criteria has been removed from the RFP.

Draft RFP page 2 states period of performance beginning 01 January 2024 and paragraph (i) it states that the “current operating contractor will encumber and maintain the facility through 31 December 2024. Will the Government confirm its intent that the incumbent will maintain responsibility for production of explosives and the operation and modernization of HSAAP through 31 Dec 24?

The incumbent will maintain full operational control of the HSAAP facility through 31 December 2024, to include maintaining responsibility for production of explosives and the operation and modernization of HSAAP. However, the Government intends for any new requirements for production or modernization awarded by the Government during the transition period (01 Jan 2024 ‐ 31 Dec 2024) to be placed under the new contract.

Section B(e) and Attachment 0022 state plant‐wide volume ranges; however, the maximums for ranges 1 and 2 overlap with the minimums for ranges 2 and 3, respectively. If an order were to fall within one of these overlapping quantities, it is unclear which range would apply to its price. For example, a total order amount of 4M lb. would be below the top end of range 1 and above the bottom end of range 2. Will the Government please deconflict the ranges so they don't overlap?

The final RFP has been updated to correct overlapping plant‐wide volume ranges.

Section B, paragraph (e) states retroactive pricing adjustments to be made if actual orders result in different total plant volume than determined at beginning of fiscal year. It also states this will occur with 3rd party prime orders. Will the Government describe how it intends to execute these potential retroactive adjustments with dozens of 3rd party orders across dozens of customers?

The final RFP has been updated to remove the requirement for retroactive price adjustments.

Narrative B0001 discusses combined orders by product type. Can the Government provide an example of which range each product would fall into when this situation occurs? For example, PBXN‐10 Type 1 has a much smaller span of range than all of the other products within the “Selected RDX Based Products” category. Is it the Government’s intent that PBXN‐10 Type 1 would always fall into range 5 if combined with these other products since those have much higher products quantity ranges?

The final RFP has been updated to provide clarifying language and an example of how the combined order mechanism will be executed.

"(h) Non‐Competitive Contract Actions: No profit or fee will be allowed on the actual purchase of Natural Gas and the actual purchase/lease of materials/equipment under non‐competitive contract actions awarded under the contract resulting from this solicitation."

Does this mean that for awarded options beyond the base 10 years and for Modernization programs, fee will be disallowed? Also, when the Government states “actual purchase/lease of materials/equipment,” does this apply to raw materials procured for explosives production, chemicals procured for utilities, subcontracts/materials for Modernization programs, etc.? Additionally, will the Government clarify the extent of "purchase/lease of materials/equipment" that profit will not be paid on? Does this mean any material and any equipment, no matter their intended use/purpose?

This narrative has been revised for the final RFP to state, "No profit or fee will be allowed on the actual purchase of utilities under non‐competitive contract actions awarded under the contract resulting from this solicitation."

To avoid overly restricting an Offeror's ability to conduct research and development, will the Government please reword narrative H0002 as follows:

"Except for DNAN, all explosives and ingredients which HSAAP is capable of producing on demonstrated, qualified production scale shall be produced within the United States or its outlying areas."?

This clause will not apply to R&D efforts as they are executed under separate contracts.

Under PWS 10, it is our understanding that the CAIH certificate has not been available since 2006. If this is true, will the Government accept IH Technician certificate in lieu of the CAIH certificate?

PWS 14 has been updated to allow for acceptance of an IH Technician certificate in lieu of a CAIH certificate.

Will the Government please update the wording of the order limitations clause to clarify that the cited order maximums apply only after transition of all on‐going modernization projects to production?

The RFP has been updated to clarify that the contractor is not obligated to honor any orders that exceed the cumulative family totals for any one ordering period as outlined below:

Prior to modernized facilities being transitioned to production:

RDX: 9,000,000 pounds HMX: 2,000,000 pounds IMX: 5,000,000 pounds

Post modernized facilities being transitioned to production:

RDX: 15,000,000 pounds HMX: 2,000,000 pounds IMX: 6,000,000 pounds

Regarding Narrative B0002, is it the Government's intent that all existing capability and capability provided by ongoing modernization projects be maintained in an active status to support this requirement?

Additionally, will the Government provide clarity regarding…