S -- Little Rock AFB Utility Privatization of Natural Gas Distribution and Wastewater Collection Systems

This is a MODIFICATION to the SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE to determine the availability of potential sources to privatize the natural gas, wastewater and water distribution systems at Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas. The base size is approximately 6,128 acres and includes 1,643 facilities with an approximate population of 190,000 people, most of which are military and their dependents. This notice is a modification to the previous sources sought notice that the Government is adding the water system to the requirement. The water system being privatized is described as follows: Little Rock Air Force Base is located approximately 17 miles northeast of Little Rock, AR in the city of Jacksonville, AR. The base covers about 6,104 acres of land. Little Rock AFB provides operations and maintenance support for approximately 386 separate facilities. The distribution of facility space is approximately 35 percent industrial, 32 percent other (such as MWR, medical facilities, officer/enlisted clubs, VAQ/VOQ, and AAFES facilities), and 33 percent administrative. The Base population exceeds 12,000, including military personnel, civilian employees, and dependents. Peak water demand is approximately 22,800 Kilo gallon (kgal) per month. The annual water consumption is approximately 115,334 kgal. The primary connection to the Jacksonville's water system is from the City's 5-million gallon (MG) storage tank that is located adjacent to the south perimeter of the Base's area. The low-pressure transfer pump station (Facility 2998) pumps water into the Base's main storage reservoir. The Base's main storage reservoir is a 1.28 MG ground-level storage reservoir adjacent to Facility 570 (high-service pump station). The high-service pump station (Facility 570) pumps water into the Base's water distribution. The water distribution system consists of approximately 43.4 miles of buried water main piping (which ranges in size from 6 to 16 inches). Three types of piping material are used for water mains at Little Rock AFB: approximately 80,399 Liner Feet (lf) of cast-iron pipe was installed in the 1950s, and 7,908 lf of ductile iron pipe with cement-mortar lining was installed in the 2000s. The system has about 141,355 lf of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipe in operation; PVC is the material of choice for water-line replacement. In addition to the water mains, the water distribution system consists of approximately 9.6 miles buried service lines (which range in size from 1/2-inch service lines to 4-inch water lines). Three types of material are used for service lines at Little Rock AFB: approximately 1,739 lf of cast-iron piping, 1,923 lf of galvanized steel piping, and 22,703 lf of copper piping installed from the 1950s through the 2000s and are all currently in operation. Three water-storage tanks support water storage requirements for Little Rock AFB. One ground-level storage reservoir with a capacity of 1.28 MG (Tank 578) and two horizontal hydro-pneumatic tanks (Tanks 572 and 574), each with a storage capacity of 30,000 gallons, provide water for daily residential, industrial, and fire-fighting demands. The three main potable water storage tanks (Tanks 572, 574, and 578) are protected with cathodic protection systems. The Contractor(s) shall furnish all facilities, labor, materials, tools, and equipment necessary to own, maintain and operate the utility system(s) in a safe and reliable condition. The Contractor(s) shall manage the maintenance, repairs, replacement, etc., of the system(s) to ensure continuous, adequate, and dependable service for each Government or tenant connection within the service area. Real property interests will be conveyed in the form of a Right of Way as an attachment to the RFP. The utility system(s) will be conveyed via a Bill of Sale upon award of the contract. At this time, no solicitation exists. Therefore, DO NOT REQUEST A COPY OF THE SOLICITATION. HOWEVER, BE ADVISED THAT SOLICITATION ISSUANCE IS ANTICIPATED ON OR ABOUT SEPTEMBER 30, 2008. Vendors having the skills and capabilities necessary to perform the stated requirement are invited to provide information to contribute to this market survey/sources sought including, commercial market information and company information via e-mail or facsimile (703-767-2382) to Lisa Goins-Berntsen or Aleseia Saunders, no later than May 20, 2008. Responses should include the following information: company name, address, point of contact, phone number and e-mail address; business size and disadvantaged, 8(a) or HUBZone status; corporate affiliations; potential joint venture partners, teaming partners, and or major subcontractor or (prime). Please specify which systems you are interested in and direct any questions or concerns to the POC listed for this action.