RFI - Unfired Pressure Vessel Testing

SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE 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 an RFP in the future. Responses will be treated as information only and will not be used as a proposal. Solicitations are not available at this time. Requests for a solicitation will not receive a response. This notice does not constitute a commitment by the United States Government to contract for any supply or service whatsoever. All information submitted in response to this announcement is voluntary; the United States Government will not pay for information requested nor will it compensate any respondent for any cost incurred in developing information provided to the United States Government. All information received in response to this RFI that is marked proprietary will be handled accordingly. Responses to this RFI that indicate that the information therein is proprietary, or represents confidential business information, will be received and held in confidence. Not responding to this RFI does not preclude participation in any future RFP, if any is issued. Please note, if a solicitation or multiple solicitations are posted in the future, they will be issued by a separate solicitation. The Government reserves the right to follow up on a one-on-one basis with RFI respondents to gain additional information or clarity about information submitted. The Army Contracting Command - Aberdeen Proving Grounds (ACC-APG), Tobyhanna Division, is conducting this RFI in order to identify potential businesses that possess the required expertise, capabilities, experience and credentials to perform a number of different inspections and testing functions in support of the Unfired Pressure Vessel (UPV) inspection and maintenance program services at Tobyhanna Army Depot (TYAD). Please refer to Objective and Scope below. A DRAFT copy of the Performance Work Statement (PWS) is also provided as an attachment. Any resultant purchase order/contract will be issued by The Army Contracting Command - Aberdeen Proving Grounds (ACC-APG), Tobyhanna Division, 11 Hap Arnold Boulevard, Tobyhanna PA 18466. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS: The Government is seeking to identify potential business concerns capable of self-performing OR satisfying this requirement at the contractor level under NAICS code 811310, Industrial Equipment and Machinery repair and maintenance services and PSC J035 Maintenance/Repair/Rebuild of Equipment'Service and Trade Equipment. The government is seeking a combination (Fixed Price for inspections and Time and Material for approved repairs) contract to include a base year plus two (2) Option years. The requirements for the Unfired Pressure Vessel (UPV) inspection and maintenance program services are generally identified below. Objective/Scope/Background: The Unfired Pressure Vessel (UPV) inspection and maintenance program services shall be performed ONSITE at Tobyhanna Army Depot (TYAD), Tobyhanna PA 18466. The Period of Performance is for a base year and two (2) additional optional years thereafter. TYAD has a number of operational UPVs throughout the Depot. The total number of devices in this category is approximately fifty (50) and includes both air compressors and air receiver tanks. The objective of this RFI is, as stated above, to identify potential businesses that possess the required expertise, capabilities, experience and credentials to perform a number of different inspections and testing functions in support of the UPV inspection and maintenance program services at TYAD, a Federal Government installation. **The contractor must be a Federal Inspection Agency (FIA) and possess the credentials from The National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors, as set forth in document titled: Accreditation of Federal Inspection Agencies (FIA), NB-390, Revision 9 Approved by BOT: 7/30/2020, and Quality Program for Inspection Organizations, NB-381, Rev. 5 Approved by BOT: 7/30/2020. This document contains requirements for Federal Inspection Agencies to obtain a National Board Certificate of Accreditation for the purpose of employing National Board Commissioned Inspectors to perform in-service inspection activities of items owned/operated by the organization (in this case, TYAD). The contractor shall be responsible for total inspections and testing functions in support of the UPV inspection and maintenance program services. As required for purposes of maintaining the operational integrity and continuous availability of the UPV systems, these services may include any or all of the following inspection and testing methods for purposes indicated: Methods of Pressure Vessel Testing - Pressure vessels need to be structurally sound to maintain their internal pressure and not to allow whatever material is contained inside to leak out. Testing is intended to ensure that pressure vessels do not contain any flaws such as punctures, cracks or loose connections that could compromise their structural integrity. Two primary types of tests that are performed on pressure vessels include hydrostatic and pneumatic tests. The key difference between these two types is that hydrostatic testing uses water as the test medium, and pneumatic testing uses a non-flammable, non-toxic gas such as air or nitrogen. A concern with both pneumatic and hydrostatic testing is that, if a fracture occurs during testing for some reason, it could lead to a vessel rupture. Beyond these basic types of testing, below are identified five non-destructive testing (NDT), also called non-destructive examination (NDE), methods that are widely used on pressure vessels: 1. Visual Test (VT) One type of testing is a visual inspection, which can give a good overview of a vessel's general condition. First making sure the surface of a vessel is clean and well-lit, pressure vessel inspectors will examine any part of the vessel they can observe. They will look at things like any welded seams, such as those around appendages or along the length of the vessel's shell. They may see that the vessel appears to be in good working condition, or they may observe issues like cracking, corrosion, erosion or hydrogen blistering. While a visual inspection can reveal some problems, it can only take you so far. Some other non-destructive testing methods can further reveal whether a pressure vessel's construction and function are sound. 2. Liquid Penetrant Test (PT) A liquid penetrant test is a means of checking for flaws on a pressure vessel that are open to the surface. First, an inspector flows a very thin liquid, known as a penetrant, into the possible flaw. Typically, the penetrant is sprayed on and allowed time to soak in. A tester can add a fluorescent chemical to the penetrant so that it will be even more visible under ultraviolet light. After letting the penetrant dry, the inspector then wipes off the penetrant left on the surface and uses a developer to draw out any penetrant that has seeped into cracks. As the penetrant comes up to the surface, it reveals the magnitude of the problem. This method of testing is most often used on welded seams, but it can also be used on bars, plates, pipes and more. 3. Magnetic Particle Test (MT) In a magnetic particle test, the inspector runs a magnetic current through the pressure vessel, typically using the prod method, where an electric current flows between contact probes. If there are any defects in the shell's material, a - flux leakage field will appear. In other words, these defects will interrupt the flow of the magnetic current, causing magnetism to spread out from them. The flux leakage fields become visible when the inspector spreads ferromagnetic particles on the vessel. In a wet magnetic particle test, these particles consist of a wet suspension in a liquid, and in a dry magnetic particle test, they consist of a dry powder. As with the liquid penetrant test, the particles can be treated, so they fluoresce under black light. As the metal particles are attracted to the magnetic current, they reveal the approximate dimensions of any flaws that have created flux leakage fields. 4. Radiographic Test (RT) Unlike the previous three methods, radiography can detect more than flaws that are near or on the surface - it is a volumetric method, meaning it can detect issues inside the vessel. Radiography uses gamma or X-rays to produce a picture of the vessel. Just as with medical radiography, holes, discontinuities and other differences in density decrease the attenuation of the X-ray, leading to greater exposure on the film. On the negative film, these more exposed areas appear darker. Open voids will appear pretty obvious in a radiographic image, but more minor cracks can be elusive. Ionizing radiation can be dangerous, so these tests should only be conducted by an experienced professional. An inspector must also be experienced to accurately interpret the image that is produced and correctly identify if and where there are any defects in the pressure vessel. 5. Ultrasonic Testing (UT) Ultrasonic testing is another volumetric method. It uses sound waves to measure a material's thickness or detect any defects. An electronic system produces high-voltage electrical pulses, and in return, a transducer creates high-frequency ultrasonic energy. As the ultrasonic sound waves move through the material, if they encounter a discontinuity, the discontinuity will reflect back some of the energy. The transducer converts this reflected wave into an electrical signal, which is then shown on a display. Generally speaking, ultrasonic testing must be read in real-time since it doesn't produce a lasting record like radiography does. However, some modern UT equipment is designed with a means of recording the signals. TYAD requires this function to maintain the operational integrity and continuous availability of the UPVs systems. The contractor shall interact with Government Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) or designated Government POC throughout the period of performance. Personnel performing the necessary tasks shall be United States citizen and speak and read English. Potential business concerns are requested to provide information of their firm's capabilities to perform the services as noted above. Questions regarding this RFI can be e-mailed to: peter.w.deluca.civ@army.mil , Mechanical Engineer justin.m.marino2.civ@army.mil , Contract Specialist Complete written responses to this RFI addressing the General Requirement capabilities are to be submitted to the above referenced e-mail addresses. Respondents should include the following business information with the RFI response: Company name; Company address; Point of Contact; Telephone Number; E-mail address; Company Cage Code; Primary NAICS; Business Size; Current Registration in SAM; Web page address.