Market Research Survey

DLA TS, Pamela Tull, (215) 737-4775 SUBJECT: Market Research for IQC12352009024 Item Name: Panel, Revetment NSN: 5450-01-535-7952; 5450-01-554-1401; 5450-01-554-1398; 5450-01-554-1392; 5450-01-554-1249; 5450-01-554-1256; 5450-01-535-7955; 5450-01-537-7061 DLA Troop Support (Troop Support), Construction & Equipment is conducting market research on the above items to determine an acquisition strategy that will enhance worldwide military customers support as well as to determine your industry capability for providing these required items. Therefore, Troop Support would appreciate your firm sharing your expertise and insight into how these items can be most efficiently procured. Troop Support anticipates issuing a solicitation for the referenced items under an Indefinite Quantity Contract. The contract will be for two (2) base years. Further, it may contain an option to extend the term of the contract. If an option to extend the term of the contract provision is included in the solicitation, each option term would be for one year. However, the total contract term will not exceed five years. The answer to the questions concerning pricing will be one of the factors that will help the Government to determine the term of the contract. It should be noted that this inquiry, in no way, should be interpreted as a solicitation for offers. No information provided in response to this inquiry will be considered binding between the vendor and the Government. With these facts in mind, it is requested that you review the items listed above and answer the questions on the attached pages. The answers you provide will remain confidential. Please return this survey to Pamela Tull, by January 14, 2013 by email at Pamela.Tull@dla.mil. Thank you for your time and consideration. Sincerely, Darrell Moresi Contracting Officer Request for Market Research Information Panel, Revetment: DLA Troop Support plans to group many items covered on a similar specification(s) under a possible Long Term Contract Solicitation. These items are fully competitive Panel Revetments national stock numbers (NSNs): 5450-01-535-7952; 5450-01-554-1401; 5450-01-554-1398; 5450-01-554-1392; 5450-01554-1249; 5450-01-554-1256; 5450-01-535-7955; 5450-01-537-7061 Please review the following questions and respond by COB January 14, 2013, to Pamela Tull via email to Pamela.Tull@dla.mil or if there are any questions, please call me at 215-737-4775. 1. Commerciality: (a) Is the item(s) commercial or modified commercial in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 2.101? For example: is the item of a type used by the general public; sold or offered for sale to the general public? Is the modification of a type available in the commercial marketplace? Please reference the FAR when answering this question. (b) If the answer to (a) is no, does your firm deal in commercial products that would be comparable to the item(s) required and/or can they be used in lieu of these items? If so, could you provide examples? 2. Item(s) Required: (a) Is the item(s) made of any type of material that is a major cost driver? For example, is item made of steel, or a petroleum based product? (b) Does any part of the item(s) consist of foreign material? (c) Does your firm normally stock this item(s)? (1) If yes, how many are on hand at any given time? (2) If no, would your firm be willing to stock this item(s)? (3) If your firm is willing to stock this item(s), would you need a stocking-up period? If so, how many days would be required to stock-up? (d) If you are a manufacturer, what is the production rate for these item(s)? How many item(s) can be produced at a time? Is the manufacturing process a batch process or a continuous process? 3. Delivery: (a) Can you deliver item(s) to military customers throughout the US (direct vendor delivery) as well as to stock points (generally Mechanicsburg, PA and Tracy, CA)? Are there any pricing differences based on delivery locations? For example, delivery to an east coast location would cost less than delivery to a west coast location due to the bulk nature of the product. (b) Can you deliver item(s) on an FOB Destination basis? (c) We anticipate the solicitation stating a required delivery of 90 days. Is this acceptable? If not, please provide the standard delivery time your firm experiences for this item(s). (d) The Government anticipates an annual demand quantity of 5 ea. Can you meet this demand? (e) Would your firm be able to ship item(s) in two (2) days for an urgent requirement? Please provide additional information, such as quickest delivery possible, extra costs associated with 2 day shipping, etc. 4. Pricing: (a) The Government anticipates an annual demand quantity of 5 ea. Can you provide a "ballpark" price? (b) Is pricing on item(s) stable or volatile? (c) If the Government wishes to use an option to extend the term of the contract, a pricing mechanism for the option year(s) needs to be included in any resultant contract. (1) Would you be able to provide pricing on the item(s) for the base contract year (1 year), and any option year(s)? That is, could you price items out 2 years or 3 years? If no, please state why. (2) If the answer to (c)(1) above is no and your firm can only provide pricing for one year, would you be willing to accept an Economic Price Adjustment (EPA), which would allow the Government to adjust the base contract price to achieve a revised contract unit price for an option year(s)? The EPA is based on a formula that is generally tied to the Producer Price Index and is limited to a 10% annual increase. (d) Do you have a minimum ordering quantity and/or dollar value that you require for an individual order and if so what would that quantity and/or dollar value be? (e) Do you have a maximum ordering quantity and/or dollar value that you require for an individual order and if so what would that quantity and/or dollar value be? (f) Are there price breaks for this item(s)? If so, what are the quantity break points? (g) How do you set prices for your customers? Do you have volume discounts or valued customer discounts? How would pricing be set for this item(s)? 5. Quality/Warranty/Returns: (a) Do you have any commercial warranties? If not, please explain what your standard warranty plan is for the items that you sell. (b) What is your commercial practice for returns (items damaged upon delivery, incorrect orders, etc.)? (c) Do you use/have industry standards for product quality or safety? If yes, please list. (d) Do you inspect products for resale at time of receipt? If yes, who performs the inspections (i.e., individual, department)? 6. Company Description: (a) Are you a large or small business? (Small business is being defined as a firm that employs less than 500 people)? (b) Are you a manufacturer? If so, would you be willing to provide an offer? If not, do you have an authorized dealer/distributor? (c) If you are a dealer/distributor, would you be willing to provide an offer? Who is/are your manufacturer(s)? Are they large or small businesses? (d) Who are your major customers, e.g. retailers, industrial accounts, commercial accounts? (e) Do you have any long-term contracts (up to 5 years) with your customers and/or suppliers? If yes, please describe. If no, please explain why, e.g., pricing too volatile, no interest. 7. Miscellaneous: (a) Can your company accommodate a Surge Requirement in which your company would be required to satisfy requirements for emergency situations (i.e., ramp up to meet early requirements (surge) and/or requirements that may exceed estimated annual quantities)? (b) Delivery orders issued under any resultant contract will be communicated to your company by Electronic Data Interchange (EDI). Does your firm have EDI capabilities? If no, do you plan on establishing EDI capabilities in the near future? (c) Do you have access to the Defense Logistics Agency's Procurement Gateway (at http://progate.daps.dla.mil)? (d) If item is commercial, any anticipated Request for Proposal (RFP) may only allow two weeks between issue date and closing/due date. Can you respond to an RFP in this timeframe?