RFI Process control system plumbing and programming

SYNOPSIS: This Sources Sought Announcement is to assist the US Army DEVCOM Soldier Center to identify potential sources to provide expert engineering support to trouble shoot process control system providing steam water and air.  Must have expertise in process control plumbing and control valves for steam systems.  Must have expertise in Allen Bradley PLC programming.

The Government requests that responses be submitted electronically to mary.k.prebensen.civ@army.mil and Wesley.s.shaw.civ@army.mil by November 26th, 2026 by 5pm EST.

Background: The Government (DEVCOM Soldier Center) is in need of expert engineering support to diagnose current PLC and piping system which support multiple hydraulic press systems.  The existing system controls water, steam and air to molding tooling, and the PLC operates on custom Allen-Bradley control software.  As it stands, the system is physically installed, however does not provide necessary temperature control in either manual or automatic modes.  Issues may be traced to the original system design, pipe rack installation, PLC programming or some combination of the three.

Description:

Expert engineering services are sought to diagnose newly installed PLC control system to ensure that it can meet system design requirements, can be operated safely and reliably, and is adaptable for future operation and changing requirements.  A new PLC system has been designed and installed per a list of system requirements, however is not able to control temperature per design requirements either due to control logic, poor valve selection or related piping design/installation.  SC requires a 3rd party engineering service to validate as-built drawings against the installed system, verify/update PLC programming, provide necessary hardware changes to bring the system up to full operability.

Specific System Specifications: 

Electric steam boiler provides 125psi dry steam as primary heat source for molding tooling.  Standalone chiller provides chilled water at ~60 psi, and house air provides air for purge and mist functions.  The Allen-Bradley PLC system controls the various media through a series of modulating valves to heat or cool the tooling.  The PLC is intended to have recipe writing and management for automated control.  Basic recipe for our process includes steam heat via pressure control to desired temperature setpoint, hold for ~1 hr while controlling temperature.  The tooling is then cooled with chilled water at a controlled cooling rate.  Our standard tooling includes an upper and lower platen, and the PLC has capability to control these independently.  Additional system requirements will be included if there is a future RFP.

Current known system issues:  System will not maintain equivalent temperature for upper and lower platens during heat up or hold.  System will not control cooling rate based on system feedback loop.  System trend screen not displaying data correctly.  System alarms remain untested.  Mist function does not function without vibration of piping rack.

Unique Vendor qualifications:

• Potential vendor must be US based and employ US citizens identified to work on the PLC system due to sensitivity of materials and products produced by the installation laboratory.
• Potential vendor must be licensed in process system design with specific expertise in steam controls.
• Potential vendor must be able to read modify and update Allen Bradly system code.

Deliverables:

• Full system walkdown and comparison to As-built drawings.
• Analysis of system design, layout, valve selection, PLC operability as compared to provided list of system requirements.
• List of proposed design changes to meet system requirements and cost of implementation.
• Install required hardware and make required changes to system software.  May subcontract for implementation of hardware changes.
• Provide updated As-built drawings for plumbing systems, electrical systems, PLC controls systems.
• System demonstration and verification to the As-built drawings provided
• Modified code in digital and hardcopy.
• Verified system manual.
• Full system demonstration and minimum 1 day training on system operation.

Delivery Date: Government estimates work will be completed within 6 months of date of contract award. 

Government Furnished Property (Equipment/Materials/Information/Computer Utilization): All work to be performed on site at SC with access to existing PLC and piping rack.

Interested parties are invited to submit a response to this Sources Sought Announcement. THIS IS A SOURCES SOUGHT ANNOUNCEMENT ONLY

This Sources Sought Announcement is issued solely for information and planning purposes and to identify interested sources. THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION. No contract will be awarded from this announcement. This Sources Sought does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP) or a promise to issue an RFP in the future. It is subject to change and is not binding on the Government. Further, unsolicited proposals will not be accepted. Funding is not available at this time. The United States Army has not made a commitment to procure any of the items/services discussed, and release of this Sources Sought Announcement should not be construed as such a commitment or as authorization to incur cost for which reimbursement would be required or sought. Response to this Sources Sought Announcement is voluntary and no reimbursement will be made for any costs associated with providing information in response to this and any follow-on information requests. All submissions become Government property and will not be returned.

Not responding to this Sources Sought Announcement does not preclude participation in any future RFP if any is issued. If a solicitation is released, it will be synopsized in the SAM.gov website. It is the responsibility of the potential responders to monitor this site for additional information pertaining to this subject.

RESPONSES:
Interested parties may identify their interest and capability by sending responses regarding this requirement to DEVCOM Soldier Center via e-mail  to mary.k.prebensen.civ@army.mil and Wesley.s.shaw@army.mil  no later than November 26th, 2026 by 5:00 p.m. EST. The U.S. Government will not pay for any information or administrative cost incurred in response to this Notice. All costs associated with responding to this Notice will be solely at the expense of the interested party.

Please provide business size (indicate your socioeconomic status), applicable NAICS code, and CAGE code. If you hold a GSA Federal Supply Schedule contract, please identify your contract number.

QUESTIONS:
Any questions for clarification may be emailed to mary.k.prebensen.civ@army.mil and  Wesley.s.shaw@army.mil  no later than November 20th, 2026 by 5:00 p.m. EST. Verbal questions will NOT be accepted. Questions shall NOT contain proprietary or classified information. An unattributed list of questions and answers will be published at the same web location of this Sources Sought Announcement.