K -- Automated Honeycomb Wash Conveyor

1. This is a special notice requesting information concerning the availability of a piece of equipment that could be used to automate the bleach washing, rinsing and drying of pieces of honeycomb, a substrate that is used in the mass rearing of pink bollworm moths. The honeycomb sheets are 16 inches wide by 23 inches long and are ? thick. Each weighs ca 125 grams (ca 1/4 pound). Honeycomb is constructed of Nomex paper which is dipped in a tank of resin, drained and cured in an oven. This equipment will be used to automate the bleach washing, rinsing of bleach and drying of the honey comb sheets by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services (APHIS) PPQ- Pink Bollworm Rearing Facility. The performance requirements for this equipment will be detailed in subsequent paragraphs. General The honeycomb washing system must be bleach constructed of bleach (sodium hypochlorite) resistant materials and must be capable of processing 10 pieces of honeycomb per minute. The system must be designed as a wash conveyor with a belt speed of ca 22 feet per minute. The system must have the following stations in this sequential order: 1) a bleach solution (5% bleach) wash station 2) A high pressure rinse station. 3) A low pressure rinse station and 4)A high pressure air drying station. The three liquid delivering stations must be capable of recycling the liquids and have tank capacities of 100,135 and 135 gallons respectively. The base of the bed that handles the honeycomb substrate must have a height of 41-3/4 inches above the floor surface. The complete conveyor must be fitted with a fiber glass hood with an exhaust fan on one end to remove bleach fumes from the system. This notice is not to be construed as an acquisition Request For Proposal (RFP), nor is any commitment on the part of the Government to award a contract implied, nor does the Government intend to pay for any information submitted as a result of this request. The Government does not intend to award a contract on the basis of this request or to otherwise pay for the information solicited except as an allowable cost under other contracts as provided in subpart 31.205-18, Independent Research and Development and Bid and Proposal Costs, of the Federal Acquisition Regulation. Any responses received will not be used as a proposal. 2. Company responses are to include a name and telephone number of a point of contact having the authority and knowledge to clarify responses with government representatives. Company responses should include a cover letter, a brief narrative summary and an annotated briefing. Companies are not limited to a single response. Submissions are due within 5 days of this request for information and may be provided via e-mail or mailing your response on a compact disk to: Mr. Jos?-Luis Gallagher Contracting Officer USDA, APHIS, MRPBS Contracting Butler Square, 5th Floor 100 North Sixth Street Minneapolis, MN 55403 Email: Jose.l.gallagher@usda.gov Personnel hand-carrying responses should contact the Contracting Officer to arrange a likely arrival time. 3. This notice is part of Government Market Research, a continuous process for obtaining the latest information on the ?art of the possible? from industry with respect to their current and near-term abilities. The information collected may be used by the Government to explore future strategies for the automated honeycomb wash conveyor. Information received as a result of this request will be considered as sensitive and will be protected as such. Any proprietary information received in response to this request will be properly protected from any unauthorized disclosure. The Government will not use any proprietary information submitted to establish the capability, requirements, approach, or solution so as to not inadvertently restrict competition. 4. U.S. and non-U.S. firms are permitted to respond to this request. Responses to questions from interested parties will be promptly answered and provided equally to all interested parties unless some release of proprietary information is involved or the answer addresses a question peculiar to a Company or that Company?s possible solution. Currently one-on-one sessions with respondents are not contemplated. If one-on-one sessions with interested parties are conducted, they will be offered to all to clarify understanding of the submittal and the capability ramifications. 5. Technical point of contact is Ernie Miller, (602) 379- 4828 ext 233. 6. This notice may be updated as additional information becomes available. Please continue to monitor the Federal Business Opportunities Website www.fedbizopps.gov to receive notices of any updates to this announcement.