R--ENGINEERING SUPPORT

This is a Small business set-a-side combined synopsis/solicitation for a commercial service to provide support to the Team Leader and the Lead Project Engineer Systems Equipment and Engineering Team within The DOD Combat Field Feeding Program with th e format in FAR subpart 12.6 as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation: proposals are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. A Time and Materials contra ct is intended to be used. The applicable NAICS Code for this effort is 541330 with a size standard of $4.5 Million. The duration of the contract will be for one year from the effective date of the award, with four option years. In order to be eligible for award, offerors must be registered in the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) database. The web site to register or check on your status is http://www.ccr.gov/ SCOPE: 1. Provide engineering and management support to design, develop, test, and field refrigeration systems that provide the capability to transport, store and distribute temperature-sensitive cargo such as food, blood and more. This includes identifying and clarifying unique service requirements with the users, developing technical speci fication for use in procurement contracts, supporting contract awards, attending design reviews, managing fabrication and test efforts. The candidate shall be an active participant in the IPT process and develop supporting documentation including; acquisi tion strategies, performance specifications, briefing charts, programs milestones, test plans and reports, etc. The candidate shall research, plan, manage and supervise contractors developmental and manufacturing efforts to make sure the contractor deliv ers quality items to the soldiers, on time and within budget. The candidate shall be responsible for identifying capability gaps and seeking normal and alternative DOD funding sources by developing and submitting proposals for funding to fill these gaps. 2 . The candidate shall have experience using 3D Modeling Software, such as Solid Works to develop conceptual food service equipment models. Once developed, the candidate must demonstrate the capability to perform heat transfer and Finite Element Analysis t o evaluate the design to meet the warfighters functional and operational requirements and to perform mathematical analysis using tools such as MATLAB and MATHCAD. The candidate shall provide full modeling and simulation capabilities to support all of the S ervices Food Service Equipment programs. 3. The candidate shall support the development of a low-cost device to detect and control ethylene produced by fresh fruits and vegetables transported and stored in refrigerated containers. The candidate shall mode l ethylene generation rates in various sized refrigerated containers and environmental control unit cycling (duty) conditions. The candidate shall establish and verify theoretical ethylene decomposition rates that may be achieved through alternative elect ro- and photo-catalytic processes. He/she shall assess power availability for target refrigerated container platforms based on typical and extreme duty rates. He/she shall model ethylene concentration from package level to a full-mixed loaded container w ith respect to various airflow conditions. The candidate shall experimentally measure ethylene concentration to below 10 ppb and validate modeling data. The candidate shall support testing of various low-cost ethylene control units to show shelf life exte nsions of various fresh fruits and vegetables in a refrigerated container. 4.The candidate shall support the Modified Atmosphere Packaging Technologies Program. He/she shall prove engineering, analytical and programmatic support to the Government project officer and shall be able to respond to the Navys day to day program taskers. These tasks include assisting with the development of a Configuration Plan based on the respiration rates, ethylene sensitivity, temperature storage protocols, of various Navy-specific Fresh Fruit and Vegetable (FF&V) items. The candidate shall ensure that the proper number of membrane bags needed for FF&V extensions are minimized. The candidate shall have experience and knowledge in the extension and preservation of FF&V to include how the Navy currently procures, transfers and stores rations aboard ship. The candidate shall have a complete understanding of Modified Atmosphere Pack aging Technologies (MAPS) so he/she can assist in developing the most appropriate case size shipping configurations and utilizations of membrane technology for extended shelf life. The candidate shall conduct shelf life studies and shall support actual she lf life testing to include escalating feasibility and confirmation trials for each FF&V commodity item. The candidate will assist the Project Officer in developing procurement documentation. 5. The contractor will work onsite at SBCCOM, Natick. 6. It is ex pected that travel will be involved. It is anticipated that 6 trips will be required. Three trips to San Diego, CA, One trip to Norfolk, VA, One trip to Philadelphia, Pa. and One trip to Fort Lauderdale Florida. Travel will be coordinated with the Navy , Marine Corp and Air Force for any travel required by each of the services as necessary. It is expected that each service will require a program briefing and the witnessing of operation and developmental testing of the developed items. 7. The qualified i ndividual shall have a minimum Masters Degree in Mechanical Engineering and have worked at the senior engineering level. Hands-on experience with rations preservation equipment, qualitative testing of fresh fruits and vegetables using modified atmosphere packaging and associated technologies is required. Technical writing and PC skills are a must. The ideal candidate will be a senior level mechanical engineer with knowledge of the Military Acquisition process. The qualified individual shall have hands-o n experience and extensive knowledge of electrical, mechanical and refrigeration systems. Technical writing and PC skills are a must including Army program support documentation, acquisitions strategies, test and evaluation master plans and performance sp ecifications. The ideal candidate will have knowledge of Military Acquisition procedures. This ideal candidate shall also have prior experience working in a team-engineering environment, developing DOD engineering support documentation, Service (Navy, U SMC, USAF) program management support and working with logisticians and other DoD customers. This individual shall have direct experience in overseeing Government and contracting prototype design, fabrication and testing of HVAC equipment. 8. GFE/GFP comp uter equipment and an office cubical will be provided. The contractor may be responsible for small amounts of miscellaneous supplies to assist in the completion of the task. 9. Estimated Performance Period: The contractor shall provide support for twelve months with four optional one-year ordering periods, (Approx 1960 man hours per year), 40 hrs per week after task award. This solicitation document incorporates FAR provisions and clauses in affect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2005-06 dated 14 No vember, 2005 as applicable. Clauses that apply: 52.212-1, 52.212-2, 52.212-4, 52.212-5, 52.204-7, 72.247-34, 52.252-2, 512.252-6, 252.204-7004, 252.225-7002, 52.212-5, Specific clauses cited in FAR 52.212-5 that are applicable to this acquisition are 52.203-6, 52.222-3, 52.222-19, 52 .222-21, 52.222-26, 52.222-35, 52.222-36, 52.222-37, 52.225-13, 52.232-33, 252.212-7001, 52.203-3, 252.225-7001, 252.225-7012, 252.232-7003, 252.247-7023. 52.217-8 and 52.217-9. Offerors shall include the full text provision FAR 52.212-3 (Offeror Represent ations and Certifications Commercial services), completely filled out and as well as DFARS 252.212-7000, Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial services). The following evaluation factors shall be used to evaluate offers in descending order of importance: Feasibility of technical approach is considered the most important factor, followed by price and past performance . A written proposal is requested along with resumes of the potential candidates able to fill the statement of work. Contractors shall address all the evaluation criteria in the above factors in detail in their proposals. Following the evaluation of all th e proposals, the Government will select the contractor that provides the best value to the Government. This is a best value acquisition, therefore offerors are cautioned that award may not necessarily be made to the lowest priced offeror. Response time is 12 January 2007, 5:00 P.M. EST. Point of contact is Kathy Wilder. E-Mail address is: contact@example.gov.