RFI - Cadmium Zinc Telluride (CZT)

This RFI has been amended to add questions and response, please see attachment for questions and response, posted on 03 November 2022. Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Strategic Materials Request for Information (RFI) 1.0 Description 1.1 The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Strategic Materials Contracting Directorate is seeking information from producers of Cadmium Zinc Telluride (CZT) wafer substrates and how an interested contractor could develop a local stockpile of [211] CZT wafers. 1.2 THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY. This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes; it does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP) or a promise to issue and RFP in the future. This request for information does not commit the Government to contract for any supply or service whatsoever. Further, DLA Strategic Materials is not at this time seeking proposals and will not accept unsolicited proposals. Responders are advised that DLA Strategic Materials will not pay for any information or administrative costs incurred in response to this RFI; all costs associated with response to this RFI will be the sole responsibility of the interested party. Not responding to this RFI does not preclude participation in any future RFP, if any is issued. If a solicitation is released, the contract opportunity will be synopsized on the SAM.gov website. It is the responsibility of the potential offerors to monitor this site for additional information pertaining to this requirement. 2.0 Background DLA Strategic Materials is the operational agent of the Stockpile Manager, Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment charged with implementation of the provisions of the Strategic and Critical Materials Stock Piling Act (50 U.S.C. Section 98 et seq., hereafter referred to as the - Act). Section 2(b) of the Act requires the Stockpile Manager to provide for the acquisition and retention of stocks of certain strategic and critical materials, to decrease and to preclude when possible, a dangerous and costly dependence by the United States upon foreign or single sources of supplies for such materials in times of national emergency. 2.1 Proposed Buy: A maximum of 550 CZT wafers stored in containers approximately 9 X 9 in area. 2.2 Proposed Delivery Period: Five years starting after contract award date. 2.3 Limitations: None 2.4 Security Requirements: - Secret, with additional physical security requirements 3.0 Requested Information 3.1 Inventory - Is your company willing and capable of inventorying a government-owned stockpile of CZT wafer substrates? If so, for how many years? Can your company support on-site inventory verifications by government employees? - Is your company willing and capable of inventorying a government-owned stockpile of specialty coated CZT wafers? If so, for how many years? - What are your companies stockpiling capabilities and infrastructure? If not existent, how long would it take to develop? - Are you capable of storing these wafers in a climate-controlled environment? If so, please provide a brief description of the climate. - The government-owned stockpile of CZT will require qualified staff for detailed record keeping, rotation of inventory, replenishing, and reporting to DLA-SM as well as a dedicated physical security for the prevention of loss or damage of government property. Is your company willing to accept these terms? If not, please describe terms that would be acceptable. And if so, how will the wafers sizes tracked in inventory? - For coated CZT wafers, please describe your company's capabilities in absorbing loss due to degradation. Also describe your company's capabilities in replacing non-conforming wafers (coated or non-coated) to meet SM inventory goals. - Is the company in possession of a SECRET facility clearance? - If requested, is the company able to produce an inventory Program Management Plan that defines the approach for acquiring and maintaining the stockpile? 3.2 Product Quality information - Please provide the material specifications (e.g., chemistry, physical properties, electronic properties, morphology, crystallography, etc.,) for [211] non-coated CZT wafer substrates. - Please provide the material specifications (e.g., chemistry, physical properties, electronic properties, morphology, crystallography, etc.,) for [211] coated CZT wafer substrates. - Are there any impurities or defects that have adverse effect on the performance of the material? What are those impurities and what are the limits of those impurities in the specified products? - What test methods do you use to characterize your non-coated CZT substrates and your coated CZT substrates? What methods do you use to determine impurities or defects (e.g., XRD, ICP-OES; ICP-MS, GDMS, Titration, Spectrophotometric, Turbidity, etc.)? Please specify which method for which element or compound. - Please include any comparable Safety Data Sheet (SDS), or Certificate of Analyses (COA) for CZT products your company uses, sells, or distributes. - If you are a purchaser, do you test the materials you receive to determine whether it meets the material specifications you request? If so, is testing performed in-house or at a commercial laboratory? If analyses are conducted at a commercial laboratory, which lab? - Will you be able to obtain a letter from the producer stating that the material has met or exceeded the manufacturing requirements in the past? 3.3 General Information - Are there frequent changes in the market price for this material? If yes, how do you address those changes? - Do you have provisions for agreements longer than one year? If so, how long term is tolerable? - Do you provide spot deliveries? If so, typically how much could you provide and in what timeframe could you deliver? - What is your company's packaging methods for CZT? Please provide your company's preferred packaging supplier, sizing, pricing, and information about industry standards that relate to how the CZT is packaged. - Would you be willing to use standardized government-supplied packaging designs? If not, please state why and your companies preferred packing specifications and any information (e.g., data, reports, presentations) regarding the quality of the method. - What is your typical delivery time for CZT from the date of receiving a contract/order? Can you deliver half a year's order within 180 days? - Do you have an active iRAPT account for submitting electronic invoices in the Wide Area Workflow System? - Please include the Safety Data Sheet (SDS) for the CZT products your company sells or distributes. - Would you agree to a contract that contains Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) clause 52.216-2-Economic Price Adjustment'Standard Supplies? (Economic Price Adjustment is described in the Supplement of this RFI [STATE SECTION]. - Is your company registered in the System for Award Management (SAM)? (https://www.sam.gov/). - Does your company have a CAGE code? If so, what is your CAGE code? - Do you typically use subcontractors to produce/provide this material or service? - Please submit lessons learned from current or previous contract awards. 4.0 Responses 4.1 Interested parties are requested to respond to this RFI with answers to each question you are capable of answering. 4.2 Responses in Microsoft Word or Office 2010 compatible format are due no later than 29 Nov 2022, 14:00) EST. Responses shall be limited to 20 pages for Section 2 and submitted via e-mail; only to wanda.willis@dla.mil. Proprietary information, if any, MUST BE CLEARLY MARKED. To aid the Government, please segregate proprietary information. Please be advised that all submissions become Government property and will not be returned. 4.3 Section 1 of the responses shall provide administrative information and shall include the following as a minimum: - Name, mailing address, overnight delivery address (if different from mailing address), phone number, fax number, and email of designated point of contact. - Recommended contract strategy. - Either, (1) copies of executed non-disclosure agreement (NDA) with the contractors supporting DLA Strategic Materials in technical evaluations or (2) a statement that the responders will not allow the Government to release its proprietary data to the Government support contractors. In the absence of either of the foregoing, the Government will assume that the responder does NOT agree to the release of its submission to Government support contractors. - Business type (large business, small business, small disadvantaged business, 8(a)-certified small disadvantaged business, HUBZone small business, woman-owned small business, very small business, veteran-owned small business, service-disabled veteran-owned small business) based upon North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) [INSERT NAICS CODE and DESCRIPTION.] - Small business concern means a concern, including its affiliates that is independently owned and operated, not dominant in the field of operation in which it is bidding on Government contracts, and qualified as a small business under the criteria and size standards in 13 CFR part 121. A small business concern for the purposes of this procurement is generally defined as a business, including its affiliates, averaging no more than ____ [fill-in] ____ million dollars in annual receipts. Annual receipts of a concern that has been in business for 3 or more complete fiscal years means the annual average gross revenue of the concern taken for the last 3 fiscal years. Annual receipts of a concern that has been in business for less than 3 complete fiscal years means its total receipts for the period it has been in business, divided by the number of weeks including fractions of a week that it has been in business, and multiplied by 52. Responders are cautioned, however, that this is a general description only. Additional standards and conditions apply. Please refer to Federal Acquisition Regulation FAR 19 for additional detailed information on Small Business Size Standards. The FAR is available at http://www.acquisition.gov. - The facility security clearance of the offeror. The number of pages in Section 1 of the response shall not be included in the 20-page count limitation, i.e., the 20-page limitation applies only to Section 2 of the response. 4.4 Section 2 of the response shall answer the issues addressed in Section 3 of this RFI and shall be limited to 20 pages. 5.0 Industry Discussions DLA Strategic Materials representatives may or may not choose to meet with potential offerors. Such discussions would only be intended to get further clarification of potential capability to meet the requirements, especially any development and certification risks. 6.0 Questions Questions regarding this announcement shall be submitted in writing by email to the Contracting office, email address above. Verbal questions will NOT be accepted. Questions will be answered by posting answers to https://www.sam.gov website; accordingly, questions shall NOT contain proprietary or classified information. The Government does not guarantee that questions received after 29 Nov 2022, (14:00) EST will be answered. 7.0 Summary THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ONLY to identify sources that can provide A local CZT stockpile. The information provided in the RFI is subject to change and is not binding on the Government. DLA Strategic Materials has not made a commitment to procure any of the items discussed, and release of this RFI should NOT be construed as such a commitment or as authorization to incur cost for which reimbursement would be required or sought. All submissions become Government property and will not be returned. IMPORTANT NOTE: Please identify your Government Cage Code, NAISC Code and Business Size reflected in SAM.