Collapsible Fabric Tank for Fuel

1. GENERAL INFORMATION. This Request for Information (RFI) initiates market research under Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 10.002(b)(2)(iii) for potential sources of improved Collapsible Fabric Tanks for military specification fuels. The Government does not intend to award a contract on the basis of this RFI or to otherwise pay for the information requested. Although the term "offeror" is used in this RFI, your response will be treated as information only. This RFI is not a Request for Proposal (RFP), and no solicitation document exists at this time. Issuance of this notice does not constitute any obligation on the part of the Government to procure these items or to issue a solicitation. Responses to this notice cannot be accepted as offers. 2. PURPOSE. Program Manager Engineer Systems (PM ES), Marine Corps Systems Command (MARCORSYSCOM) is conducting market research on behalf of the Department of Defense (DoD) to seek potential sources of an improved Collapsible Fabric Tank (CFT) for military specification fuels (JP-8, JP-5, Jet A, and Diesel Fuel). The U.S. military forces require CFTs to receive, store, and provide bulk fuel stocks in support of CONUS and OCONUS operations. The USMC is requesting information on CFTs that offer improvements in the following focus areas: - Tank construction/fabrication techniques - Storage Life - Service Life - Lifespan monitoring techniques. Information gathered in these focus areas would lend to solving problems frequently encountered with the current capability. Problems with current tank assembly include deterioration and leaking due to exposure to fuel and harsh environments. The normal stresses induced by fuel on a weakened tank can result in seam failures and excessive leaking. Due to these factors many of the current tank assemblies do not meet minimum service life requirements. In addition, CFTs held in war reserves may be disposed of because of shelf life expiration prior to use. Improvements in tank fabrication techniques/construction would lend to longer lifetimes. Moreover, improvements in lifespan monitoring techniques are envisioned to provide a means to monitor material properties and life expectancy of the CFT. For example, a Predictive Maintenance Capability (PMC) is envisioned that is capable of detecting and trending material degradation to permit scheduled repair/replacement prior to failure. Such a PMC will allow longer service and shelf lives and potentially reduce the maintenance and redistribution demands on the fleet. This RFI solicits input from potential offerors on improvements in these focus areas so the government can better understand current technology capable of providing a superior CFT. Improvements in the aforementioned area would enable a more affordable material solution by maximizing lifespan and serviceability of CFTs for bulk fuel storage. These improvements provide the framework for a CFT with the Key Characteristics outlined in the next section. In addition to these Key Characteristics, the CFT shall meet all other requirements in the MIL-PRF-32233B (available for download at quicksearch.dla.mil). The USMC is primarily interested in CFTs with fuel capacities of 3 Kilogallons (kgal), 20 kgal, and 50 kgal. 3. KEY CHARACTERISTICS. The Government requests information on a CFT with the below Key Characteristics: 3.1. Service Life. The CFT shall have a minimum continuous service (operation) life of 10 years in environmental conditions with ambient temperatures ranging from -25 to 140'F with continuous exposure to direct sunlight (that may cause tank surface temperature to become elevated above ambient), rain, hail, sleet, snow, wind, blowing sand, and any combination thereof. (The service life is defined as the time from when the tank is wetted with fuel until the tank becomes unserviceable). 3.2. Storage Life. The CFT shall withstand storage at ambient temperatures from -50 to 160'F for a minimum of 15 continuous years, without damage or leakage when subsequently filled with fuel. The tank assembly shall not require any maintenance or preparation such as interior cleaning when taken out of storage prior to being placed in service. (The storage life is defined as the time beginning at the date of manufacture and terminated at the date the tank is wetted with fuel.) 3.3. Predictive Maintenance Capability. The contractor shall possess a Predictive Maintenance Capability (PMC) program or process that monitors the material properties and life expectancy of the CFT throughout its service and storage lives. The PMC shall be capable of detecting and trending material degradation to permit scheduled repair/replacement prior to failure. The PMC should permit, through analysis of collected data, an extendable period to service and/or storage life. 4. FORM OF SUBMISSION. The Government requests a written capabilities document (hereinafter White Paper) from potential offerors capable of addressing the focus areas listed in Section 2 and the feasibility of the Key Characteristics in Section 3, which express the preferred solution for a CFT. If such a solution is impractical, the White Paper should address the specification challenges, alternative solutions (if any), and performance tradeoffs among the key characteristics. White Papers should also address the following: - Methodologies and results of any testing upon the CFT - Monthly production capacity, surge capacity, and production lead time - Maintenance and warranty - Reliability data - Whether the CFT is availalbe on the GSA schedule or under other DOD contract. - Pricing/ROM and availability/schedule for 1 to 300 systems - System Size - Commercial Availability. 5. ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION. Offerors should not submit any competition-sensitive or proprietary information. Offerors that elect to submit competition-sensitive or proprietary information, however, bear sole responsibility for appropriately marking said information to best ensure Government safeguarding. Written responses must be submitted as a Microsoft Word document(s) or .PDF Document via email to Mr. Jamie Fullinwider at Jamie.Fullinwider@usmc.mil no later than 26 July 2018, 10:00 AM EST. 6. SUMMARY. The information provided in the RFI is subject to change and is not binding on the Government. The Government has not made a commitment to procure any of the items discussed, and release of this RFI should not be construed as such commitment or as authorization to incur cost for which reimbursement would be required or sought. All submissions become Government property and will not be returned.