Appliances for US Air Force and Army Locations in Europe

Sources Sought Notice/Request for Information (RFI) 2 European Washers, Dryers, Refrigerators/Freezers, and Dishwashers for United States (US) Air Force and Army in Europe Introduction The US Air Force and Army in Europe have a recurring requirement to purchase appliances for personnel living and working in Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom. The agencies spend $5M - $7M dollars per year on appliances such as washing machines, dryers, refrigerator/freezers and dishwashers. We are seeking information from industry to help standardize appliances and consolidate purchases resulting in cost savings and reduced purchase cycle time. Disclaimer This RFI is issued for the purpose of market research only. This is not a Request For Quote (RFQ). It is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government to issue a solicitation or ultimately award a contract. Responses will not be considered as proposals, nor will any award be made as a result of this RFI. The Government will not be responsible for any costs incurred by interested parties in responding to this RFI. Purpose This RFI is released to get feedback from the commercial appliances industry. The revised draft requirements listing salient characteristics for washing machines, dryers, refrigerator/freezers and dishwashers are attached. These requirements are for commercially available European-type appliances for use in households on the European economy and in some military housing. Given these requirements, please review the questions below and provide any feedback as applicable. Your feedback is greatly appreciated! Additional/repetitive Questions for Industry as partially not answered/overlooked last time: 1. We are considering either a multiple award Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) or an Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) vehicle. Do you have a preference, and what is your rationale? 2. Can you deliver all the items requested in appendix 1? Please note the addition of dishwashers to the previous list of items. 3. Can you deliver to all locations/countries, i.e. Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom? 4. We are considering an ordering period of either 5 or 10 years. Do you have a preference, and what is your rationale? 5. How long is the industry standard warranty in each country? Previously we received conflicting responses, so what guidance is your response based on. 6. Is an extended warranty free of charge or are there any additional costs associated? 7. Can you comply with and/or provide all European certification requirements (CE Mark, VDE, ETL-EU, SGS SA, S Mark, GS Mark, UL Mark, etc.) For example, TUEV (Technischer Ueberwachungsverein) in Germany, BEAB (British Electrotechnical Approvels Board) in the United Kingdom (U.K.) and the equivalent mark at Italy? 8. Are spare parts available at least 5 years after shipment? Is there an industry standard timeframe for spare parts availability? 9. Which brands are you delivering that meet the specifications? In response to questions received from industry: Compliance with the Trade Agreement Act (TAA), in particular if manufactured in Turkey: DFARS 225.872-1(a) states: "DoD has determined it inconsistent with the public interest to apply restrictions of the Buy American statute or the Balance of Payments Program to the acquisition of qualifying country end products from ... Turkey...". Basically this means that machines manufactured in Turkey (and other countries listed in the reference) are acceptable. Submission Instructions Responses to this RFI should be submitted by close of business 1 Mar 2019, 1630 hrs. All responses under this RFI should be emailed to: barbara.wafzig.de@us.af.mil and maria.kuper.de@us.af.mil. All email submissions should be less than 5MB.