Management and Operating Contractor for the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (TJNAF)

THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY. No solicitation is available. This RFI is released pursuant to FAR Part 10 and FAR 15.201, Exchanges with Industry, for the purpose of conducting market research. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is currently in the acquisition planning phase for a contractor to manage and operate the TJNAF located in Newport News, VA. TJNAF is funded primarily by DOE's Office of Science (SC) through the Nuclear Physics (NP) program. Its core technology, SRF, benefits TJNAF and advances research across SC programs in nuclear physics, basic energy sciences, and high energy physics. TJNAF has approximately 850 employees and an annual budget of approximately $236M. TJNAF is located on a federally owned 169-acre site. The Laboratory serves an international user community of approximately 1,900 scientists, primarily from universities. TJNAF is a Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) single-purpose laboratory that is expected to become a multi-purpose laboratory within the next few years with the award and siting of SC's Advanced Scientific Computing Research (ASCR) high performance data facility. TJNAF leads the nation in the construction and operation of world-leading accelerator and detector facilities and in developing the underlying technology for nuclear physics research. TJNAF's primary mission is to deliver breakthrough science and technology in nuclear physics; accelerator science and technology; and large-scale user facilities/advanced instrumentation. TJNAF is a leader in superconducting radiofrequency (SRF) technology and is a resource for researchers nationally and internationally. TJNAF performs leading-edge research in nuclear physics, superconductivity, cryogenics, computer process and control applications, and the physics of particle and light beams. The Laboratory is built around the world's first large-scale superconducting electron accelerator that is used for discovering the fundamental nature of nuclear matter, the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF), a complex assembly of high-tech hardware and electronics stretching through an underground tunnel almost a mile long in circumference. TJNAF's nuclear research increases the understanding of the structure of matter and the forces that hold the nucleus together. TJNAF has a partnership with Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) to design and implement the Electron-Ion Collider, which will likely be the only collider constructed world-wide in the next decade. The purpose of this notice is to request information from interested parties regarding perceived barriers to competition associated with this acquisition. This market research will assist SC with identifying and minimizing barriers to competition, identifying and mitigating risks, developing the acquisition strategy, and identifying appropriate Request for Proposals (RFP) terms and conditions. Due to the preliminary stage of this acquisition, only a draft Statement of Work (SOW) is currently available, which is attached for information. Responses to this notice should include the following information as appropriate and applicable: (1) Business name; business size status (e.g., large, small, 8a, etc.); and a point of contact, including a telephone number and an email address. (2) Identify any major ambiguities, challenges, and risks in performing the scope in the draft SOW. Define targeted information on current performance challenges that are essential to advise an interested party. (3) Describe any concerns you perceive as barriers or significant risks that would prevent qualified parties from submitting a proposal to the subsequent RFP (e.g., a perceived competitive advantage by one or more other prospective offerors, the incentive structure in SC M&O contracts, partnering arrangement, etc.). (4) Based on the concerns identified for item No. 3, describe any suggestions that could help mitigate those perceived barriers or significant risks. Also, describe any perceived barriers or significant risks you might perceive as too difficult to reasonably mitigate (if any). (5) Given the nature of this FFRDC and its international reach, this contract requires substantial interface with international collaborators and entities. Identify any information regarding these challenges and expectations that would be pertinent to provide to interested parties to promote an understanding of the requirements. (6) Identify any challenges associated with modernizing TJNAF's business and operational systems and processes that would be pertinent to provide to interested parties. (7) Describe partnering arrangements (as appropriate) that might facilitate your submission of a proposal or mitigate perceived barriers to formulating a successful proposal. All interested parties are invited to submit a response to this RFI. Responding to all the items above is not mandatory. No specific format is required for submissions, but submissions should not exceed five (5) pages with a font no smaller than size 12. Please submit your response to contact@example.gov with the email subject - Request for Information. Submissions in response to this notice do not commit an interested party to submit a proposal, nor does failure to submit a response preclude an interested party from submitting a proposal. Responses to this notice must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. Central Time on March 6, 2024. DOE reserves the right to use any information submitted by, or obtained from, an interested party in any manner DOE determines appropriate, including, but not limited to, the creation of a competitive solicitation. Interested parties should not include any classified, business confidential, or proprietary information in their responses. DOE personnel may contact parties responding to this notification to clarify responses as part of this market research process. It is the intent of DOE to ensure the solicitation process is transparent and current. If appropriate, future information regarding the solicitation, including questions and answers, will be posted on the competition website at https://science.osti.gov/Acquisition-Management/M-and-O-Competitions. This website will be the primary distribution medium used to disseminate information relating to this competition as it becomes available. Offerors are responsible for frequently monitoring the website for information, notices, and updates regarding the solicitation. DOE looks forward to engaging with the community, industry, and other interested parties in a transparent and collaborative manner throughout the solicitation process for a contractor to manage and operate TJNAF. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS AND SHALL NOT BE CONSTRUED AS A COMMITMENT BY THE GOVERNMENT TO AWARD A CONTRACT AT THIS TIME. Place of Performance: Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility 12000 Jefferson Ave. Newport News, VA 23606 United States