Sources Sought for Procurement of Propellant Barge Dry Docking, Refurbishment, and/or Repair Services

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) John C. Stennis Space Center (SSC) Office of Procurement (OP) is seeking potential sources from all categories of Large and Small Businesses with the capabilities and experience to provide the requirement described herein. The purpose of this Sources Sought Notice, therefore, is to conduct market research to determine potential sources, capabilities of Small Business firms, availability of services, appropriate terms and conditions, lead time of delivery/period of performance, transportation options, etc. necessary to provide the required services to SSC, as well as explore interest in both the immediate requirement and potential arrangements/options for dry-dock for up to the entire fleet. SSC has set a distance restriction for the contractor's location to be no further than 125 nautical miles from SSC. SSC wishes to determine if there are Small Business (SB), Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB), Certified 8(a) Small Business, HUBZone Small Business (HUBZone), Woman-Owned Small Business (WOSB), Veteran-Owned Small Business (VOSB), Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), or (HBCU), firms with the capabilities and experience to meet the Government's requirement, and the appropriate level of competition and/or Small Business subcontracting goals if applicable. The NAICS Code and Size Standard for this requirement are 336611 and 1,250 Employees, respectively. The work to be performed includes the dry-dock, inspection (repair as required), and painting of SSC's fleet of propellant and work barges. The fleet consists of ten (10) barges (six (6) Liquid Oxygen (LOX) barges, three (3) Liquid Hydrogen (LH) barges, and one (1) work barge). SSC has an immediate requirement for dry-dock of one (1) LOX barge and future dry-dock requirements for the entire fleet. SSC is particularly interested in industry's input regarding the following questions: 1. Would the vendor be interested in bidding on a five (5) year Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) with an immediate requirement for dry-dock of one (1) LOX barge? 2. If not, what is inhibiting the vendor's interest? Please be specific. 3. If the vendor is not interested in bidding, can recommendations of other potential vendors that may be interested be provided? 4. In the vendor's experience, what would a typical time between dry-docks be for barge vessels of the type described below? 5. What is the best approach bidding fixed priced elements, i.e. labor rates, structural steel, welding? 6. Describe any industry practices that would need to be included in the requirements. The information gathered from this Sources Sought Notice will be used for market research analysis and to plan future procurements. Based upon information submitted in response to this Sources Sought Notice, NASA will determine the final content of any future solicitation(s). Submissions will also be evaluated for the purpose of determining whether a future procurement may be conducted as a competitive set-aside or issued under full and open competition (unrestricted). The Government reserves the right to consider a Small, 8(a), SDV, or HUBZone small business set-aside based on responses hereto for this requirement. A determination by the Government not to procure this requirement, based upon responses to this notice or other market research, is solely within the discretion of the Government. Although all comments received will be carefully reviewed and considered for inclusion in any possible later action, the initiators of this request make no commitment to include any particular recommendations. Respondents will NOT be notified of the results of the evaluation of submissions received. This notice should not be construed as a formal Request for Quotation (RFQ) or Proposal (RFP) (solicitation). Responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by NASA to form a binding contract. This notice is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government to make a purchase, nor will the Government pay for the information solicited or be held liable for any information obtained. Those companies who wish to express an interest to the notice are asked to submit a written Statement of Capability (SOC) that addresses high-level alternatives; general, market-based approaches; experience in this area; knowledge of the work involved; professional resources; and answers to the specific questions requested above. Submission of any information in response to this notice is completely voluntary. Responses should be based on the material contained in this notice and any other relevant information the contractor thinks is appropriate. Comments or suggestions relevant to this requirement are welcome and may also be included in the response. Contractors are welcome to submit any additional documentation that may support their ability to comply with the Government's requirement. Responses shall include the company's specific area of interest in this requirement as being either a potential prime contractor, subcontractor, or other. Please also state your business size in accordance to the above NAICS code. The SOC shall not include any proprietary or confidential business or financial information relating to specific companies. Any questions shall also be submitted via e-mail to Melissa Wagner at melissa.r.wagner@nasa.gov (cc: Gerald Norris at gerald.l.norris@nasa.gov) no later than December 13, 2016 at 3:00 pm local time (Central). Reference the RFI # NNS17ZDA001L in any response. Faxed or telephone correspondence will not be accepted. The government anticipates that a Request for Proposal (RFP) will be issued under Simplified Acquisition Procedures in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Parts 12 and 13.5 and any resulting award will be made in the form of a Firm Fixed Price (FFP), Indefinite Quantity Indefinite Delivery (IDIQ) contract. No solicitation exists; therefore, do not request a copy of the solicitation. If a solicitation is released, it and any related documents, will only be issued electronically. They would be accessed and downloaded at Federal Business Opportunities (FedBizOpps) website http://www.fbo.gov. It is the responsibility of potential offerors to monitor these sites for the release of any additional information pertaining to this notice and download their own copy of any resulting solicitation and amendments (if any). An ombudsman has been appointed; the installation Ombudsman is Mr. Kenneth R. Human at ken.r.human@nasa.gov. LOX / LH GENERAL DESCRIPTION Length Overall: 135'-0" Breadth, Molded: 45' 0" Depth, Molded: 10'-6" Material: All Welded Carbon Steel Tons, Gross: 825 tons Hull: Single Skin Welded Plate Construction