Portable Special-Purpose High-Purity Nitrogen Generation Systems

1. DISCLAIMER & SPECIAL NOTICES This Request for Information (RFI) is issued solely for market research, planning, and information purposes in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 10.002, FAR Part 12 (as updated under the Revolutionary FAR Overhaul [RFO] model class deviation and E.O. 14275), FAR 15.201(e), and FAR 52.215-3 (Request for Information or Solicitation for Planning Purposes). No Solicitation Exists: This notice does not constitute a Request for Proposals (RFP), an Invitation for Bids (IFB), a Request for Quotations (RFQ), or a promise to issue any solicitation in the future. No Commitment: Responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. The issuance of this RFI does not commit the U.S. Government to contract for any product or service whatsoever, nor does it guarantee that a formal procurement will result. Commerciality & RFO Part 12 Application: Market research obtained via this notice will assist the Contracting Officer in determining whether commercial procedures under rewritten FAR Part 12 apply and whether contemplated items meet the statutory definition of a "Commercial Product" or "Commercial Product with Modifications" pursuant to 10 U.S.C. 3451 3453 and FAR 2.101. No Reimbursement: The Government will not pay for any information, administrative costs, travel, or submissions incurred in responding to this RFI. All submitted materials shall become Government property and will not be returned. Responders are advised that the U.S. Government will not be held liable for any use or disclosure of data provided in response to this notice unless clearly marked with proprietary rights legends. 2. PURPOSE & OBJECTIVES Puget Sound Naval Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility (PSNS & IMF), under contracting activity N4523A, is conducting market research to: Assess Commercial & Modified COTS Availability: Determine whether commercial products currently available in the commercial marketplace or commercial products that can be modified of a type customarily available in the commercial marketplace to meet the Government's requirement satisfy PSNS & IMF's operational parameters pursuant to RFO FAR Part 12. Evaluate Customary Commercial Practices & Customary Modifications: In accordance with RFO FAR Subpart 12.1 (Pre-solicitation), identify commercial practices regarding warranties, maintenance intervals, testing, and delivery terms, and understand the degree of adaptation required to configure commercial industrial nitrogen plants into shipyard-ready, containerized units. Obtain Specification Feedback: Solicit industry input, risk assessments, and recommendations regarding the Government's draft performance requirements to eliminate overly restrictive or non-commercial specifications. Refine Acquisition Strategy: Gauge market maturity, delivery lead times, First Article Test (FAT) feasibility, and cost drivers to structure an optimal commercial IDIQ solicitation under streamlined RFO FAR Part 12 procedures. 3. CONTEMPLATED CONTRACT STRUCTURE & SCOPE The Government is contemplating an Indefinite Delivery / Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract structure utilizing FAR Part 12 (Acquisition of Commercial Products and Commercial Services) streamlined procedures in conjunction with FAR Part 15 (Contracting by Negotiation): Item Categorization: Modified Commercial Product. The baseline generation system must rely on active production commercial products and components with active commercial part-numbers; prototype or unproven "pre-production" components are not authorized. First Article Test (FAT) Unit: Two (2) initial units subject to qualification, Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL) inspection, independent accredited laboratory gas purity verification, and operational verification testing. Production Units: Up to ten (10) production units to be ordered via firm-fixed-price delivery orders across the ordering period based on shipyard operational requirements and subject to availability of funds. Support Services & Spares: Delivery, initial on-site commissioning, operational verification, 24 months of spare consumable parts, standard commercial documentation and manuals, and optional multi-year maintenance service agreements. Contemplated Source Selection Method: Best Value with Tradeoffs in accordance with RFO FAR 12.203 and FAR Part 15, where technical capability, system reliability, delivery schedule, and past performance will be evaluated in relation to total evaluated price. Lowest Price Technically Acceptable in accordance with FAR Part 15, where the lowest price meeting or exceeding the acceptability standards for non-cost factors. 4. SUMMARY OF DRAFT TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS The contemplated system is a ruggedized, portable, special-purpose gaseous nitrogen generation plant packaged for demanding maritime shipyard environments. See attached Draft Statement of Work. 5. REQUESTED INDUSTRY FEEDBACK (RFO FAR PART 12 MARKET RESEARCH) In alignment with RFO FAR Part 12 pre-solicitation policy to minimize barriers to commercial item procurement and identify standard commercial terms, industry partners are requested to provide feedback on the following: Topic A: Commercial Product Availability & Customary Commercial Practice Does your firm currently manufacture, sell, or lease standard commercial nitrogen generation systems that achieve the requested purity? Does your product qualify as a "Commercial Product" or a "Commercial Product with Modifications" under FAR 2.101? What specific modifications would be required to adapt your standard commercial offering to meet the PSNS specifications (e.g., ISO container integration, shipyard color restrictions, specific alarm announcements, acoustic attenuation)? Are these modifications of a type customarily available in the commercial marketplace? What are standard commercial warranty terms, customary commercial maintenance agreements, and commercial service intervals for equipment of this type? Under RFO FAR Part 12, what standard commercial terms and conditions or financing practices should the Government consider incorporating or tailoring? Topic B: Technical Feasibility, Packaging, & Trade-offs Is packaging the complete system within a single ISO container achievable using mature, non-developmental COTS components? If bottle banks or compressors require external placement or a two-container configuration, what are the primary engineering trade-offs (e.g., thermal management, footprint, mobilization time)? What technology type (e.g., multi-stage Pressure Swing Adsorption [PSA], catalytic deoxo purification, hybrid membrane/cryogenic) do you recommend to reliably achieve under fluctuating shipyard demand cycles? Topic C: Operational Profile & Maintenance Cycles Is the requirement for 180 days of continuous operation without scheduled filter/oil/adsorbent servicing commercially standard or viable? If not, what is your standard commercial maintenance schedule? Does the requirement for 7-day autonomous operation present any unforeseen failure modes or safety hazards in an unmanned industrial outdoor yard setting? Topic D: Acquisition Strategy, Lead Times, & Evaluation Factors What is the realistic manufacturing, modification, and FAT lead time for an initial First Article unit following contract award? What lead time is expected for follow-on production delivery orders (e.g., 1 3 units per order)? What are the primary cost and schedule drivers in the draft requirements (e.g., purity verification, acoustic attenuations, marine coating, 180-day continuous run requirement)? Under the contemplated FAR Part 12 / Part 15 Best Value Tradeoff framework, what commercial evaluation factors (e.g., past performance, demonstrated commercial reliability, warranty terms, life-cycle costs) would best enable offerors to propose innovative commercial solutions? 6. CAPABILITY STATEMENT SUBMISSION FORMAT & CONTENT Interested parties capable of providing these systems are requested to submit a Capability Statement addressing the following structure: Section 1: Administrative & Company Information Company Name, Address, Website, and Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) Code. Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) under SAM.gov. Designated Point of Contact (Name, Title, Phone, Email). Business Size Status under primary NAICS Code (e.g., 333912 - Air and Gas Compressor Manufacturing, 336611, or other applicable codes): Large Business, Small Business, SDB, WOSB, VOSB, SDVOSB, HUBZone, or 8(a). Geographic location of manufacturing, integration, and service facilities. Section 2: Commercial Capabilities & Relevant Experience Detailed summary of standard commercial or modified COTS systems manufactured by your firm that demonstrate equivalent purity, flow rate, and delivery pressure. Provide commercial product cut sheets, brochures, or model numbers. Specific description of necessary modifications to adapt your commercial model to the…