Amendment 00002 (12/05/14): SEE ATTACHED Q&A; The response date for submissions has closed. This Amendment is issued to resolve questions included in the submissions. Late responses and questions may not be considered by the Agency. Amendment 00001 (11/24/14): SEE ATTACHED Q&A Request for Information (RFI) for 47-foot Motor Lifeboat (MLB) Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) Acquisition Strategy: The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) is a multi-mission organization tasked with maritime search and rescue, law enforcement, and environmental protection. One of the components for providing this capability in the coastal zone is the 47' MLB, which is self-righting and is capable of operating in up to 20 foot surf and 30 foot open ocean waves. The 47' MLB is constructed of marine grade aluminum and has twin-diesel engine propulsion with fixed-pitch propellers that provide a top speed of 25 knots. The first production 47' MLB entered service in 1997, and the last was delivered in 2003. Please see attachment for an overview of the 47' MLB. The 47' MLB are in need of a major renovation to extend their service life primarily due to system obsolesce and reliability issues. The major tasks include: - Propulsion System Replacement (Diesel Engine, Reversing Reduction Gear, and Prop only; rest of components to be retained) - Ship's Service Alternator Replacement - Crew Seating Replacement - Steering Gear Replacement - Tow Reel Replacement - Fender System Replacement - Removable Deck Plate Replacement - UHF/VHF Direction Finder Replacement - Navigation System Replacement - Remote Control Spotlight - Machinery Space CO2 System Replacement - Auxiliary Machinery Space Fan Replacement - Rudder Replacement - HVAC Chiller & Raw Water Pump Replacement - Window Wiper Replacement - Quick Acting Watertight Hatch Replacement None of these modifications are intended to increase the operational capability of the boats, but will primarily consist of one-for-one replacement of existing systems and equipment. These modifications should not negatively affect the operational characteristics of the boat. The USCG has initiated a Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) to execute these upgrades. There are a total of 117 of the 47' MLB's currently in the Coast Guard fleet, of which, up to 114 could be inducted into the SLEP. This notice is an RFI to gauge industry's capabilities and interest as well as a market research effort to identify the proper procurement strategy to minimize risk for both parties and to maximize efficiency in fulfilling this requirement. The USCG is looking to award a fixed price, Requirements contract to a single Contractor to provide the major pieces of equipment necessary to complete the SLEP along with the associated engineering, on-site technical support, and logistics support, including drawing updates. The largest modification will be the replacement of the main diesel engines. The NAICS code for this requirement is 336611, and the small business size standard is 1,000 employees. The USCG intends to provide a Performance Work Statement (PWS) outlining the requirements for all boat modifications. The USCG may also develop a point design to prove the feasibility of the modifications and confirm that multiple equipment vendors are available. If provided, the point design will not identify equipment by name/model. From this PWS, potential bidders will provide technical proposals that identify specific pieces of equipment that will meet the performance requirements, arrangement drawings that show how all new equipment will be fit onto the boat, a notional weight and moment report showing that the proposed package will not impact weight limitations, a trim & stability analysis showing that the new/relocated equipment will not affect the boats self-righting capability, and an electric power and load analysis showing overall power impacts. The Government will provide drawings and existing technical data as GFI. The Government intends to use a best value, trade-off analysis to evaluate the proposals and award a FFP contract with multiple option years, not to exceed five (5) years. After award, the Contractor would perform detailed engineering and design to incorporate the proposed equipment. Engineering changes would likely be a part of this design process, but these would be negotiated on a case-by-case basis. The deliverables at this phase would be work packages consisting of work specifications, modification drawings, and production cost estimates. This information would be used to award a production contract to have a shipyard execute the modifications and install all equipment provided by the Contractor. The Contractor will also provide all technical documentation (including a list of all Original Equipment Manufacturer part numbers) and prepare lifecycle documents for the post-SLEP 47' MLB. The USCG intends to perform the SLEP on one 47' MLB at the Coast Guard Yard as a prototype to verify & validate the Contractor's work packages and proposed system modifications. Under the contract, the Contractor would be responsible for providing all major pieces of equipment for the prototype availability, and technical oversight during the availability period to ensure proper installation of all systems. The contract will include a prototype evaluation period for Coast Guard evaluation. The Government's intent is for the base period of the contract to include the design of all systems, the corresponding modification work packages, all technical support documentation, and the delivery of equipment to the USCG Yard for the prototype availability. After successful completion of the prototype evaluation, the contract will be structured to have the Contractor provide complete equipment packages delivered on an "as-needed" basis in the form of delivery/task orders issued against an Indefinite Delivery, Requirements Contract for an estimated qty. of 114 boats as well as spare components for life-cycle support. The work packages developed by the Contractor will be used by the USCG to award shipyard availability contracts to the USCG Yard or commercial boat/shipyards for execution of the upgrades. The Contractor would be responsible for timely delivery of all equipment and engineering support during boat/shipyard availabilities for the remainder of the contract. To summarize, the intended scope of supply would be: a) Base Period (firm fixed price): a. One ship set of equipment identified in the proposal b. Engineering calculations for all designs (propulsion, electrical, structural , etc) c. Detailed design work packages (modification drawings, work instruction, and production estimates) d. Equipment technical documentation e. On-site technical support/oversight f. Pre-production modifications based on the results of Operational Testing & Evaluation b) Option Periods (firm fixed price); one per boat for up to 114 boats: a. One ship set of equipment b. On-site technical support/oversight This is not a Solicitation, and proposals are not being requested at this time. Furthermore, there is not an anticipated date for release of a Solicitation at this point. This RFI does not constitute a commitment, implied or otherwise, that a procurement action will be issued. No entitlement to payment of direct or indirect costs or charges by the Government will arise as a result of the submission of Contractor's information. The Government will not pay for any information that is submitted. Questions for Response: 1) If the USCG was to provide the point design as Government Furnished Information, how would this impact industry's ability to develop a technical proposal? Alternatively, if it was not provided, how would that affect industry's capability to provide a proposal? 2) Would the scope and structure of the proposed approach be feasible in the assessment of industry? What are the perceived risks, and how could the USCG modify or improve this approach to limit risk for both parties? 3) The offerors would need to perform some level of engineering design and analysis in order to develop their proposal since the equipment identified in the proposal would become part of the fixed price contract. Would the level of design required to specify all pieces of equipment be feasible to offerors, given the potential scope of this requirement? 4) Would offerors feel a high level of confidence in providing a firm, fixed price for the Base Period described above? What changes to the approach or level of information would be necessary to increase confidence and establish firm, fixed prices? 5) Would offerors feel a high level of confidence in providing a firm, fixed price for follow-on Option periods to provide equipment packages in support of boat/shipyard availabilities? What changes to the approach or level of information would be necessary to increase offeror's confidence? 6) Respondents interested in pursuing this work for the USCG should submit information which clearly describes the company's business size with respect to NAICS code 336611 and the following: (a) technical capabilities to perform the required services and provide the proper equipment, (b) standard, commercial product lines available in the marketplace or modified to meet the USCG's needs, (c) customary practices including commercial warranty, (d) major customers for similar work, and (e) any other information that is pertinent to the acquisition strategy. Questions are also welcome in the responses. Relevant answers will be posted via an amendemnt to this notice. All responses shall be in writing and directed to the Contracting Officer, Ashley Fetherman, at
contact@example.gov and the Contracting Officer's Representative (COR), Ben Bell, at
contact@example.gov.
