Outboard Cable Spares, Repairs and Technical Analysis

The Naval Undersea Warfare Center, Division Newport (NUWCDIVNPT) intends to award a indefinite quality indefinite delivery firm fixed price and cost plus fixed fee contract, for Outboard Cable Spares, Repairs and Technical Analysis Services, in accordance with the attached Request for Proposals. The North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) Code 334511 is applicable. The Small Business Size Standard is 1,250 employees. The NUWCDIVNPT Office for Small Business Programs concurs with this full and open competition determination. The anticipated Period of Performance will be 31 DEC 2021 plus 5 years. Deliveries shall be F.O.B. Destination, Newport, RI, USA (02841). The following addenda or additional terms and conditions apply: Defense Priorities and Allocations System (DPAS) rating is DO-C9. Responses to the attached RFP N66604-21-R-0491 must be received by 2:00PM EST on 23 JUL 2021. For questions regarding this acquisition, email Kevin Silva at kevin.e.silva@navy.mil or Alexander Olarte at alexander.olarte@navy.mil. The closing date for questions for this solicitation must be submitted no later than by 2:00PM EST on 07 JUL 2021. Amendment #0001, to address the below questions and answers (7/14/2021) Question #1: The solicitation is indicated as a - Draft document. Will a final - Formal solicitation be released with a new due date or should this be considered a formal solicitation? Answer #1: The RFP was inadvertently posted as a - DRAFT. The attachment is the formal solicitation to include Amendment 0001. Question #2: On pages 12-13, the Step Ladder Pricing Structure is built for four (4) production years but the solicitation indicates five (5) production years. Request clarification. Answer #2: Stepladder pricing revised to five (5) production years, now inclusive of a column for Unit Base Year pricing. See Amendment 0001, specifically Note A. Question #3: On pages 12-13, step ladder pricing tables do not contain all cable numbers contained in the cable assembly drawing. Is it the government's desire to have all cable number variants quoted? Answer #3: Only quote type of cable, under the respective stepladder pricing tables - noting: the addition of CLIN 0004 DWG 8580072-2, referenced below in Question #4. Question #4: On page 12, CLIN 0003 references DWG: 8580072-1 but the step ladder price table for that CLIN contains a 250 cable variant price block. Request clarification of intent. Answer #4: DWG 8580072-2 @ 250 is now captured and accounted for in newly added CLIN (CLIN 0004 now amended and all remaining CLIN numbers have been extended and updated). Question #5: On page 12, production year one (1) for CLINS 0003 and 0004 are denoted with an asterisk. All subsequent CLINS do not contain this denotation for production year one (1). Request clarification for the meaning of the asterisk. Answer #5: Amendment 0001 removes the asterisk on CLINs 0003-0004, for production yr. 1. Question #6: On page 14, section 3.0 Applicable Documents reference drawings that appear to be new revisions and not in our possession. Request the approved referenced drawings be provided for review and pricing efforts. Answer #6: All drawings referenced in the solicitation are included as attachments in Amendment 0001, as follows: Attachment 1: 8580072_F Attachment 2: 8580077_D Attachment 3: 8580080_D Question #7: On page 14, section 4.0 Technical Requirements, the government is asking for proof of certification to MIL-STD-2042B which we are unaware of. Request confirmation that certification to NAVSEA DWG 8477552 is sufficient to satisfy this requirement. Answer #7: Authoritative source for maintenance, installation, and testing of shipboard fiber optic cables on Navy submarines. Any work performed by the Contractor on fiber optic cables onboard Navy submarines requires MIL-STD-2042B, or equivalent certification (i.e. NAVSEA DWG 8477552), training and certification. New language has been included in Amendment 0001. Question #8: Section 4.0 Technical Requirements address applicable drawings 3.1-3.3. Additionally, items 4.1 through 4.3 use references 3.1-3.3. These numbers do not clearly correlate to numbers contained in the reference table above this section. Should these numbers be 3.1.1-3.1.3? Request clarification. Answer #8: Correct: The drawings referenced in 4.0 should mirror those referenced in 4.1-4.3, and have been updated in Amendment 0001. Question #9: On page 34, the government requires delivery 6 months from receipt of order. The government's sole qualified sources of raw material are not capable of providing material expeditiously enough to meet that delivery schedule. Will offers with a proposed delivery schedule exceeding 6 months be considered? Answer #9: Given the climate of production and manufacturing, in the current COVID-19 environment, the Government has conceded an additional 3-months lead time for CLINs 3-10 (retaining the 6-month delivery schedule for CLINs 1 and 2), thereby requiring all other FFP CLINs to be delivered no later than 9-months after receipt of order. Question #10: Request the due date be extended by two weeks after government response to the questions and receipt of referenced drawings in question 6. Answer #10: This solicitation is hereby extended from 23 Jul 2021 to 06 August 2021. Question #11: L-219-H001 invokes the submittal of a Small Business Subcontracting Plan utilizing 5% goal for SD businesses. There is no mention on page 74 (Section L Ref. 1.3) Proposal Format table as to where the SBSP goes. Would like to clarify what section the actual SBSP document goes in? Answer # 11: Section L Ref. 1.3 volume II (Small Business Participation) Question #12: There is one CPFF CLIN to be proposed based on the hours the government provided. There is no mention of a Cost Narrative word document that would provide all the supporting details for the costing of that CLIN. Will the Government please clarify if a complete cost narrative with supporting documentation is required for the CPFF CLIN? Answer #12: No, a complete cost narrative is not required - due to the nominal totality of the hrs. estimated for CLIN 0011 (previously CLIN 0010). Question #13: Will the Government consider an extension of the due date of Proposals from 23 July to 23 August 2021, which is needed to acquire material quotes? Answer #13: No. Although, by way of this Amendment, the Government conceded an additional 2-week extension for proposal submission, we cannot afford any potential offerors an additional month. Question #14: In regards to the encapsulation process, will the six (6) molds, the cavities into which the MIL-M-24041 / PRO-020 approved polyurethane is injected and with which the listed connector assemblies below correspond, be provided as GFE? CLINs 0001, 0007, and 0008: Plug assemblies Item 1 (8580077-8.1-2) and Item 2 (8580077-8.1-1) on sheet 7.0S2 of DWG 53711- 8580077. CLINs 0002 and 0003: Plug assemblies Item 1 (8580072-8.1) and Item 10 (8580072-8.2) on sheet 7.0S2 of DWG 53711-8580072. CLINs 0004, 0005, and 0006: Plug assemblies Item 1 (M24231/2-002 for -1 and -2) or Item 10 (M24231/3-003 for -3) and Item 3 (M24217/7-007) on sheet 7.0S1 of DWG 53711- 8580080. Note that 8580080-1, -2 and -3 mold cavity geometries would be equivalent. Answer #14: The Government does not own any of the six molds required to manufacture to plug ends of the outboard cable assemblies and therefore molds will not be provided as GFE. For this solicitation molds are considered CFE as is the case for the existing spares outboard cable assemblies contract Question #15: If the correlating molds above are not provided, will the drawings or CAD models of the molds be provided for fabrication or modeling and 3-D printing? Answer #15: The Government does not own any of the drawings for the six molds required to manufacture to plug ends of the outboard cable assemblies and therefore drawings will not be provided as GFE. For this solicitation mold drawings are considered CFE as is the case for the existing spares outboard cable assemblies contract. Question #16: Will the MQJs for the Plug assemblies of DWG 53711- 858007 Item 1 (8580077-8.1-2) and Item 2 (8580077-8.1-1), DWG 53711-8580072 Item 1 (8580072-8.1) and Item 10 (8580072-8.2), and DWG 53711- 8580080 Item 1 (M24231/2-002 for -1 and -2) or Item 10 (M24231/3-003 for -3) and Item 3 (M24217/7-007) be provided as GFE? Answer #16: The Government will not provide MQJs as GFE. For this solicitation molds are considered CFE as is the case for the existing spares outboard cable assemblies contract. Question #17: Lead time for the EN-1556 Type I, Amber, polyurethane cartridges is 12 weeks ARO, and the arrival shelf life of the cartridges is seven (7) months. To mitigate a procurement schedule for multiple polyurethane orders vice a mass order, we would like to know if the CLINs 0003 through 0008, each of which are 6 month deliverables, will be assigned sequentially within the FAT CLINs POP. Answer #17: A typical order will be for three or four cable sets per year with most being 150 ft lengths. Understand the shelf life concern of 7 months and that it will take 3 months to procure. Contractor needs to make sure all materials including Polyurethane needed to manufacture cables are on hand at the start of the order. Question #18: Some material source vendors have not provided a quote for the following and we are unsure if they will. Does the Government have an approach to rectify this situation in the case of bidders unable to acquire these items? CLINs 0001, 0007, 0008 DWG 53711-8580077 Section 7.0 Fiber Optic Cable Assembly Item 1 Plug Assembly, 8 fiber 270 8580077-8.1-2 Item 2 Plug Assembly, 8 fiber straight 8580077-8.1-1 CLINs 0002, 0003 DWG 53711-8580072 Section 7.0 Pulse Power Cable Assembly Item 1 Preform molded insert 8580072-8.1 Item 7 Cable, electrical, polyurethane jacketed for outboard use 8580071 Item 10 Connector plug, power, M24217/7-021 (mod) 8580072-8.2 Answer #18: For this solicitation, the Contractor is expected to fabricate and/or procure all of these items from a qualified vendor to manufacture these outboard cable assemblies. Question #19: For companies who fall under 1,250 personnel and are, therefore, small businesses under this solicitation, please confirm that L-2019-H001 does NOT apply, and that Sec. L. 2.3 DOES apply. Answer #19: Confirmed. For those self-represented Small Businesses, under NAICS Code 334511, L-2019-H001 would not apply and Sec. L.2.3 would. Note: No additional questions will be accepted by the Government at this time, as of 07/14/2021.