RFP regarding a Vessel Acquisition Manager (VAM) service for the U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration (MARAD) Ready Reserve Fleet (RRF) Recapitalization

*** THIS IS A PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT *** 4/19/2021 - THE PURPOSE OF THIS AMENDMENT 0008 IS TO ALLOW OFFERORS WHO SUBMITTED PROPOSALS TO ENTER INTO DISCUSSIONS. PLEASE SEE LATEST AMENDMENT (0008) FOR RED-LINE CHANGES TO THE SOLICITATION. NO CHANGE IN PROPOSALS DUE DATE, REMAINS: 01/22/2021 (1600 Eastern Time) The purpose of this Amendment (0007) to the original request for proposals (RFP) No.693JF719R000034, is to provide an additional 2 answers to the Q&A and provide an updated J-2 attachment. See documents dated 01/13/2021 for details. Period of Performance: 03/31/2021 to 03/30/2027 Estimated MARAD intends to acquire vessels for service in the Ready Reserve Force through a services contract with a company. The provider is called a Vessel Acquisition Manager (VAM) and has experience procuring, reflagging, re-classifying, modifying, maintaining and operating vessel(s). The overall objective of the VAM contract is for the government acquisition of used ships to fulfill DoD sealift requirements. MARAD will acquire ships, including used U.S. or foreign-built ships as part of the Department of the Navy's plan to recapitalize the organic, Governmentowned sealift fleet in accordance with the Sealift That the Nation Needs report to Congress. 1) The VAM Services include: a) Surveying the used ship market for vessels that most closely meet the ORD requirements and/or are able to be modified to meet the requirements. b) Perform a screening and selection process of the vessels through various stages culminating in an on-site survey. 2) Produce and provide reports supporting the screening, selection and elimination process with a final Business Case Analysis. The Business Case Analysis balances the ORD performance, material condition of the ship, maintainability, acquisition cost and life-cycle cost of the vessel as well as other considerations; use this BCA to make a purchase recommendation; c) Provide ship purchase services and purchase a ship (s) titled to MARAD, d) Re-flag and Re-Class the ship; e) Modify the ship for Baseline readiness and initial operational capability (ORD paragraph 5 a-h; f) Provide additional modifications as the Government requires to meet ORD requirements; g) Maintain and operate the ship during the vessel custodial phase of the acquisition. Operate the Vessel in Reduced Operation Status 5 days (ROS-5), Full Operating Status, and provide Maintenance and Repair as needed until the vessel is at Full Operational Capability (FOC). RFP# 693JF719R000034, Page 18 2) Vessel Screening VAM offerors will identify and propose vessels for procurement from commercial sources that can be classified by the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) and certificated by U.S. Coast Guard (USCG). Vessels will be assessed for their military utility and be documented as government-owned vessels for the National Defense Reserve Fleet (NDRF), Ready Reserve Force (RRF), the U.S. Navy's Military Sealift Command (MSC) or any other Department of Defense (DoD) organization as specified. a) The VAM will consider, as specified by the Government, available commercial vessels suitable for replacement of any of the forty-six (46) Ready Reserve Force vessels, and multiple Military Sealift Command ships, as well as any other DOT or DoD-owned vessels identified for recapitalization through a used vessel purchase. . b) Prior to any purchase through the VAM of either the ship or upgrades, MARAD will provide direction based on VAM recommendations, Government requirements, and resource constraints. c) The resulting task order (s) will include: 1) The purchase of a vessels through a sub-contract, 2) Re-flagging to U.S. Flag, in accordance with the MARAD / USCG MOU dated February 22, 2013 (J-16) and MARAD / ABS MOA dated July 31, 2014 J-17, re-classification (as required), upgrade to military utility and baseline readiness, 3) Provision of integrated logistics support packages, and for the select services required for the agency to perform assessments, including marine surveying, naval architecture (stability analysis, structural analysis, etc.), marine repair, and inventory and lifecycle management that are needed to complete the vessel acquisition. d) The contractor may also be required to provide vessel custodian services. These services include, maintenance, repair, and if required, activation, operation, and deactivation.