Request For Information (RFI) for Silver Reclamation and Account Maintenance Services

The Naval Sea Systems Command, through the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division in Keyport, is conducting market research to inform a future procurement of Silver Reclamation and Account Maintenance Services. The core requirement involves refining silver-bearing material recovered from expended Silver/Zinc and Silver/Chloride batteries to 99.9% purity for use in manufacturing new batteries. The government plans to utilize a Firm-Fixed-Price Indefinite-Delivery Indefinite-Quantity (IDIQ) contract with a five-year ordering period, structured as a total small business set-aside and evaluated using Lowest Price Technically Acceptable (LPTA) source selection procedures. Key contract requirements include processing 4-6 shipments annually (weighing 13,000 to 95,000 pounds), completing silver extraction within 60 days of receipt, maintaining a return rate between 75%-90% of received net weight, obtaining necessary permits and certifications, and submitting detailed status and account balance reports. This Request for Information (RFI) was posted on December 19, 2025, with responses due by January 5, 2026, though this notice does not constitute a commitment to issue a solicitation and the government will not accept formal offers or pay for response costs.

This procurement is designated as a total small business set-aside with no other set-aside categories applied. The estimated annual quantities for services include 328,060 troy ounces of high silver content reclamation, 582,421 troy ounces of low silver content reclamation, 439,108 troy ounces for silver account maintenance, and approximately 9 transaction fees per year, with a minimum guarantee of 91,048 troy ounces of silver annually. No incumbent contractor information or specific award value has been disclosed in this pre-solicitation notice. The government previously canceled solicitation N0025326Q0003 for this same requirement due to changing needs, and the current RFI is being issued to refine the acquisition strategy and gather industry feedback on regulatory requirements, mandatory certifications, cost drivers, and approaches to mitigating precious metals market fluctuations. Interested firms should note that the final solicitation is expected to follow this market research phase.