Request for Information; Multi-NSN; FSC 6830s; industrial compressed and liquefied gases to support U. S Military forces conducting operations in United States Central Command (CENTCOM).

DLA-Aviation, Richmond is seeking information in an attempt to determine strategic support options for the industrial gas support program, which aims to provide industrial compressed and liquefied gases to support U.S. Military forces conducting operations in the United States Central Command (CENTCOM). DLA-Aviation's intention is to leverage the commercial industry's best practices and implement a solution which assures readiness, safety, and efficiency. The goal is to effectively reduce lead-times, reduce material and administrative costs, and improve our support to our customer, the warfighter.

Scope of Project

This initiative contains DLA-Aviation managed National Stock Numbers (NSNs) in Federal Supply Class (FSC) 6830.

• 6830 – Gases: Compressed and Liquefied
• See Attachment 1 for a projected list of 6830 NSNs
  • Attachment 1 indicates NSNs associated with filled cylinders.  A filled cylinder is defined as a cylinder complete with valve and filled to a standard capacity with a specified product
• Additions and deletions may occur during the course of a proposed contract.

Contract/Program Background

1. SPE4A6-24-R-0172
2. Unrestricted with full and open competition
3. Inchcape Shipping Services (ISS)
4. DLA Aviation Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) website for previous/existing contract information. This is available at http://www.dla.mil/HQ/GeneralCounsel/FOIA/Privacy-Contacts/

Anticipated Scope

• Supplying various types and grades of compressed and liquefied gases in a variety of cylinder sizes to various customer requesting facilities and other Government designated locations throughout CENTCOM.
  • Areas of CENTCOM with known historical demand include: Bahrain (to include Navy ships offshore), Iraq and Syria (via transshipment), Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, and Djibouti.
  • Additional regions of CENTCOM with potential demand: Egypt, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Yemen.
• Delivering filled cylinders to the customer’s site or Government designated locations.
• Picking up empty cylinders from the customer’s site, ports or other Government designated locations, as required.
• Maintaining and securing a pool of Government Furnished Property (GFP) at the vendor’s site.
• Performing maintenance on empty cylinders, as required.
• Collaboration with DLA and customers on projected and anticipated demands.
• Disposing of unserviceable cylinders, as required.
• Palletizing, packing, marking, labeling of excess cylinders for shipment to other locations as required.
• The government anticipates feedback from industry including pros, cons, and risks.

Request for Information (RFI) Questions: (Please answer in detail)

Please provide you CAGE, Company name, address, and point of contact information:

1. Please indicate your firm's status (manufacturer, dealer/distributor, or other).
2. Briefly describe your firm's experience supporting CENTCOM region compressed gases and cylinder customers to include order fulfillment, supplying compressed gases, transportation, shipment tracking, managing cylinder returns, cylinder refurbishment, and cylinder disposal.
3. Describe your firm's ability to support 100% of the compressed gases shown in the attached NSN list on a CENTCOM basis.
4. If working with subcontractors, how would the work be divided? What percentage of work would the subcontractors be doing?
5. Describe your firm's ability to comply with all CENTCOM regulations for shipping and storing compressed gases and cylinders.
6. Describe your firm’s ability to comply with all US military product marking requirements (i.e. RFID, commercial, & MILSTD) for compressed gases.
7. Describe the higher-level inspection system your firm utilizes (i.e. applicable ISO standard or other system).
8. Describe the commercial terms and conditions that your firm utilizes in its commercial compressed gas contracts (i.e. pricing, incentive provisions, risk mitigation, etc.)
9. Describe the major risk areas that your firm envisions in supporting the Government's requirement and how your firm might mitigate those risks.
10. Describe your firm's ability to provide Certified Cost and Pricing Data (in accordance with FAR 15-403 and 15-406) should the Government's requirement exceed the Truth in Negotiations (TINA) threshold.
11. If your firm is capable of providing Certified Cost and Pricing Data, how many days would it take for your firm to provide this data?
12. Should the Government Contracting Officer insert DLAD provision 52.215-9023, Reverse Auction, in the solicitation, would there be any reason your firm would not participate in the competition?
13. Describe how the Government could leverage commercial market place practices most efficiently?
14. Describe any new technologies in the compressed gas market place that could be leveraged in the execution of this follow-on requirement.
15. Describe your firm's ability to meet Time Definite Delivery (TDD) standards for high-priority or emergent compressed gas requirements.                                                                                                                                                               

      Priority 1  - 3     IPG 1     12 days

      Priority 4 - 8      IPG 2     16 days

      Priority 9 - 12    IPG 3     16 days

       ABO                                45 days

16. Describe how your firm encourages timely returns of gas cylinders in your commercial business.      

Summary Information:

Any other materials, suggestions, and discussions you deem appropriate are encouraged and appreciated.  Submit information outlining acquisition recommendations/strategies as requested above no later than 3/19/2024. 

Please send your responses to the RFI questions to the following point of contact by hardcopy to:
            DLA-Aviation FMCB
            Attention: Jocelyn Gaskins, Contracting Specialist

Building 31L-17
            6090 Strathmore Rd
            Richmond, VA 23237

OR by email to: Jocelyn.Gaskins@dla.mil

Disclaimer:
In accordance with FAR 15.201(e), responses to this RFI are not offers and cannot be accepted by the government to form a binding contract. 

This RFI is issued for information and planning purposes only and does not constitute a solicitation.  The government does not intend to award a contract on the basis of this RFI or to otherwise pay for information received in response to this RFI. 

All information received in response to this RFI that is marked proprietary will be handled accordingly.

Responses to the RFI will not be returned.

Information provided in response to this RFI will used to assess tradeoffs and alternatives available for determine how to proceed in the acquisition process.

Responders are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this RFI. 

Primary Point of Contact:                                           Secondary Point of Contact:
Jocelyn B. Gaskins                                                     Marie M. Harrison

DLA Aviation, Contracting Specialist                        DLA Aviation, Contracting Officer

ATTACHMENT 1

FULL

EXCHANGE

6830-01-558-9658

6830-01-558-9668

6830-01-561-4601

6830-01-558-9849

6830-01-558-9852

6830-01-593-4778

6830-01-561-5056

6830-01-558-9889

6830-01-558-9904

6830-01-558-9916

6830-01-558-9932

6830-01-558-9946

6830-01-558-9953

6830-01-558-9961

6830-01-558-9977

6830-01-559-0021

6830-01-559-0059

6830-01-559-0081

6830-01-559-0095

6830-01-559-0110

6830-01-559-0123

6830-01-559-0132

6830-01-559-0140

6830-01-559-0391

6830-01-559-0393

6830-01-559-0407

6830-01-559-0416

6830-01-559-0425

6830-01-592-6156

6830-01-569-3971

6830-01-569-3975

6830-01-559-0441

6830-01-605-8133

6830-01-559-0462

6830-01-559-0497

6830-01-559-0516

6833-01-559-0524

6830-01-559-0557

6830-01-559-0573

6830-01-559-0764

6830-01-559-0802

6830-01-561-7307

6830-01-559-0817

6830-01-588-9477

6830-01-561-7436

6830-01-561-7449

6830-01-561-7424

6830-01-597-5308