This is a Pre-Solicitation notice for the Department of Veterans Affairs, Network Contracting Office 23, for the procurement of Boiler Safety Device Testing and Inspection Services at the Black Hills VA Health Care System located in Fort Meade, SD and Hot Springs, SD. The NAICS code for this procurement is 811310 Commercial and Industrial Machinery and Equipment (except Automotive and Electronic) Repair and Maintenance with a size standard of $12.5 Million. Potential offerors are responsible for monitoring this site for the release of the solicitation package and any other pertinent information and for downloading their own copy of the solicitation package. Any amendments issued to this solicitation will ONLY be available on this site. Offerors are advised that they are responsible for obtaining all amendments. All questions must be submitted in writing to the Contracting Specialist at
contact@example.gov. No telephone inquiries will be accepted. This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract neither does it obligate the Government to pay for any quotes or proposal preparation costs. The Government is not obligated to issue a solicitation as a result of this notice. No other information is available until issuance of the solicitation. All interested parties must be registered in System for Award Management (SAM) to be eligible for award. Registration information can be found at www.sam.gov. Safety Device Testing Introduction: VHA Directive 1810D mandates a third party tests all boiler safety devices annually. The guidelines on what constitutes a qualified technician are in section 2 The procedures for all safety device testing are outlined in VHA Boiler Plant Safety Device Testing Manual 8th Edition and listed in sub section 3. Reporting requirements are listed in section 10. Scheduling requirements in section 4. Technician Qualifications: Technicians shall have completed at least a one-year trade school and have five years successful experience in this field. The experience shall be largely with institutional and industrial boiler plants similar in design to the VAMC plant. The VAMC facility manager/engineer may define and accept equivalent qualifications. Technicians shall demonstrate familiarity with and ready access to the current versions of the following references: NFPA 85, Boiler and Combustion Systems Hazards Code. VHA Boiler Plant Safety Device Testing Manual 8th Edition. Be able to provide compliant training to Boiler Plant Operators. Has had 3 prior acceptable contracts with VA for Safety device testing per 1810. Technicians shall be equipped with portable electronic flue gas analyzers and other test instruments necessary for the required tests and calibrations, all calibrated within one month of the site visits. At facilities with programmable digital controls, the technicians must be capable of programming the controls and have the appropriate hardware and software for this. Testing Requirements: Tests will follow VHA Boiler Plant Safety Device Testing Manual 8th Edition procedures verbatim. Technicians shall provide all tools and labor necessary to perform inspection, testing, calibrating, and adjustments of burners and boiler and boiler plant controls as specified below. This shall be done every twelve months in accordance with a schedule provided by VAMC. Instrumentation, monitoring and data management systems as listed below shall be calibrated every six months. Provide at least two weeks notice to the Boiler Plant Supervisor prior to performing the work. Work must be conducted when the Boiler Plant Supervisor or his/her designate is available on site to monitor the work. During normal business hours unless approved by the Boiler Plant Supervisor. VAMC will have the boilers that are to be serviced prepared for the technicians upon their scheduled arrival. This includes having the boilers clean of soot and loose scale; fully warmed and at normal steam pressure; steam exhaust silencer system operable; all boiler, burner and fuel train pressure gages and thermometers calibrated; fuel meters in accurate operation boiler steam flow, stack temperature and flue gas oxygen instruments operating. VAMC will comply with any other requirements of the test personnel that are considered reasonable by VAMC and have been presented in writing at least two weeks prior to the scheduled testing. The inspections shall comply with: The recommendations and requirements of VHA Boiler Plant Safety Device Testing Manual 8th Edition. The written recommendations of the equipment manufacturers. The requirements and recommendations of NFPA 85 Boiler and Combustion Systems Hazards Code including applicable appendices. VHA Directive 1810 A summary of the work is as follows: All safety devices referenced in the VHA Boiler Plant Safety Device Testing Manual 8th Edition will be tested and results will be documented. With training for operators for safety and alignment with VHA Boiler Plant Safety Device Testing Manual All of interlocks and safety devices to be inspected and tested on each boiler/burner/equipment, are contained in the VHA Boiler Plant Safety Device Testing Manual 8th Edition, along with testing procedures. VA Lock Out Tag Out requirements will be met on steps requiring. List of instrumentation, controls and safety devices to be inspected and tested: WATER LEVEL CONTROL LOW WATER CUTOFFS LOW WATER ALARM HIGWATER ALARM GAS PREASURE ALARMS OVERFLOW DRAIN SYSTEM PRESSURE CONTAINMENT. STEAM SAFETY VALVES RELIEF VALVES HIGH STEAM PRESSURE LIMIT SWITCHES HYDROSTATIC TESTING FUEL TRAIN SAFETY DEVICES LOW PRESSURE FUEL CUTOFF SWITCH HIGH PRESSURE FUEL CUTOFF SWITCH VENTING BETWEEN AUTOMATIC GAS SHUTOFF VALVES LEAK TEST OF AUTOMATIC FUEL SHUT OFF VALVES OIL ATOMIZING MEDIA SWITCHES AUTOMATIC FUEL SHUTOFF VALVE PROOF OF CLOSURE SWITCH BURNER AND AIR TRAIN SAFETY DEVICES THE FLAME SCANNER LOW FIRE PROVING SWITCH COMBUSTION AIR FLOW SWITCH PURGE AIR FLOW PROVING SWITCH BURNER POSITION SWITCH FORCED DRAFT MOTOR INTERLOCK FURNACE PRESSURE INTERLOCK OUTLET DAMPER POSITION INTERLOCK FORCED DRAFT DAMPER WIDE OPEN PRE-PURGE PROVING SWITCH PRE-PURGE AND POST-PURGE TIMERS IGNITER TIMER AND MAIN FLAME IGNITION TIMER AUTOMATIC FUEL SHUTOFF VALVE CLOSURE TIME AFTER MAIN FLAME FAILURE AUTOMATIC FUEL SHUTOFF VALVE CLOSURE TIME AFTER IGNITION FLAME FAILURE MINIMUM PILOT FLAME TEST CONTROL AIR PRESSURE INTERLOCK FLUE GAS RE-CIRCULATION DAMPER SET FOR PRE-PURGE LOW FLUE GAS OXYGEN LEVEL INTERLOCK Report Requirements: Provide complete written report of the inspection fully describing all tests performed, all findings, and recommendations. Furnish report within two weeks after the completion of testing to each facility by email to the Boiler Plant Supervisor. All safety-related deficiencies shall be immediately reported to the Boiler Plant Supervisor and/or Chief Engineer during the inspection visit.\ National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) - Records Management Obligations Requirements In accordance with 36 CFR 1222.32, all data created for Government use and delivered to, or falling under the legal control of, the Government are Federal records subject to the provisions of 44 U.S.C. chapters 21, 29, 31, and 33, the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (5 U.S.C. 552), as amended, and the Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. 552a), as amended and must be managed and scheduled for disposition only as permitted by statute or regulation. In accordance with 36 CFR 1222.32, the Contractor shall maintain all records created for Government use or created in the course of performing the contract and/or delivered to, or under the legal control of the Government and must be managed in accordance with Federal law. Electronic records and associated metadata must be accompanied by sufficient technical documentation to permit understanding and use of the records and data. The Contractor shall immediately notify the appropriate Contracting Officer upon discovery of any inadvertent or unauthorized disclosures of information, data, documentary materials, records, or equipment. Disclosure of non-public information is limited to authorized personnel with a need-to-know as described in the [contract vehicle]. The Contractor shall ensure that the appropriate personnel, administrative, technical, and physical safeguards are established to ensure the security and confidentiality of this information, data, documentary material, records, and/or equipment is properly protected. The Contractor shall not remove material from Government facilities or systems, or facilities or systems operated or maintained on the Government s behalf, without the express written permission of the Head of the Contracting Activity. When information, data, documentary material, records, and/or equipment is no longer required, it shall be returned to VHA control, or the Contractor must hold it until otherwise directed. Items returned to the Government shall be hand-carried, mailed, emailed, or securely electronically transmitted to the Contracting Officer or address prescribed in the [contract vehicle]. Destruction of records is EXPRESSLY PROHIBITED unless in accordance with Paragraph (4). The Contractor is required to obtain the Contracting Officer's approval prior to engaging in any contractual relationship (sub-contractor) in support of this contract requiring the disclosure of information, documentary material, and/or records generated under, or relating to, contracts. The Contractor (and any sub-contractor) is required to abide by Government and VHA guidance for protecting sensitive, proprietary information, classified, and controlled unclassified information. The VHA owns the rights to all data and records produced as part of this contract. All deliverables under the contract are the property of the U.S. Government for which VHA shall have unlimited rights to use, dispose of, or disclose such data contained therein as it determines to be in the public interest. Any Contractor rights in the data or deliverables must be identified as required by FAR 52.227-11 through FAR 52.227-20.
