Utilities Privatization of the Electrical Distribution System at Fort Campbell, KY

The Defense Logistics Agency Energy (DLA Energy) seeks to identify and obtain information from responsible sources in connection with the acquisition of utility services subsequent to the privatization of the Electrical Distribution System (EDS) (NAICS 221122) at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. Utilities Privatization (UP) is defined as the conveyance of a utility system to a municipal, private, regional, district, or cooperative utility company or other entity. The conveyance may consist of all right, title, and interest of the United States in the utility system(s). UP will be accomplished in accordance with 10 U.S.C. - 2688 - Utility Systems: Conveyance Authority. It is intended that privatization will reduce the Government's life cycle costs. Privatization of the utility system will include the ownership interest, operation, and maintenance of the system. The new system owner shall operate and maintain the system and provide utility services to the Government. As the Utility Services Contractor, the new system owner shall furnish all management, supervision, permits, equipment, supplies, materials, transportation, and any other incidental items or services required for the complete ownership and provision of utility services, including operation, maintenance, repair, upgrades, and improvements to the utility system being privatized. All responsibility for maintaining reliable service, including such items as environmental compliance, maintenance costs, major system renovations, construction, equipment, manpower, and overhead costs shall become the new utility system owner's responsibility. This is a Sources Sought Notice (hereinafter "Notice"). This Notice is an essential step in determining market interest and feasibility in accordance with FAR Part 10 and is for information and planning purposes only. This Notice is solely for the Government's use as a market research tool. This Notice does not constitute a request for proposals, a solicitation, or a request for quotes. If determined appropriate, then both a synopsis and a solicitation may be anticipated in the October - November 2014 timeframe. All responsible sources are encouraged to submit a response to this Notice. All information received will be considered. Failure to respond to this Notice does not preclude a firm from offering on any resultant solicitation; however, a lack of interest in this requirement may keep this effort from moving forward competitively. This Notice shall not be construed as a commitment or authorization to incur costs in anticipation of an award. The Government is not bound to make any awards under this Notice. Interested parties should provide a statement of interest on company letterhead no later than 4:00 pm (ET) on September 2, 2014. Responses are strongly preferred via email, but hard copies will also be accepted If the statement of interest will be provided via hard copy, please notify the primary and secondary points of contact in advance. At a minimum, the statement of interest shall address the following criteria: (1) capability and experience in the ownership and/or leasing, operation, and maintenance of Electrical Distribution Systems; (2) financial capacity with regard to leasing or ownership interest, expansion, and operation of a utility system; (3) understanding of any applicable state or local utility law or franchise requirements, and capability of complying with such requirements; (4) understanding of the federal, state, and local environmental laws and regulations and any familiarity and/or experience with environmental compliance procedures and regulations for the state in which the utility is located; (5) a primary point of contact, including phone number and email address; and (6) business size (other-than-small, small, or an subcategory of small business) relative to the NAICS code 221122. The potential opportunity for set-asides for small businesses and small disadvantaged businesses will be considered on the basis of the responses received. Installation Description: Fort Campbell, located ten miles northwest of Clarksville, Tennessee and ten miles south of Hopkinsville, Kentucky, straddles the Kentucky-Tennessee border. Fort Campbell is home to the 101st Airborne Division, the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, and the 5th Special Forces Group. Fort Campbell is housed on approximately 104,630 acres and has approximately 4,412 buildings. Named in honor of Union Army Brigadier General William Bowen Campbell, construction of Camp Campbell began in January 1942. By April 1950, the post had evolved from a wartime training camp to a permanent installation and was renamed Fort Campbell. The post currently accommodates one armored division and various support troops with a total size of 102,414 acres and billets for 2,422 officers and 45,198 enlisted personnel. Additional installation information may be located at: http://www.campbell.army.mil/Pages/CampHome.aspx Secure Documents: If sufficient interest is identified and this requirement proceeds in a competitive action, several of the solicitation documents will be posted as "secured" on the Federal Business Opportunity ("FedBizOpps" or "FBO") website. In order to view those documents, vendors will need to obtain special access. The process of obtaining access is somewhat lengthy, therefore all interested vendors are encouraged to begin that process as soon as possible. Instructions for obtaining access are provided below. Instructions for access to the FBO Secure Site: To access the secured, but unclassified, documents in the FBO system, vendors must follow these instructions: 1. Register in the System for Award Management (SAM) database at https://www.sam.gov/portal/public/SAM/. For assistance with SAM, please contact the SAM help desk. Contact information is available at https://www.fsd.gov/. 2. Once registered in SAM, go to the FBO website at https://www.fbo.gov/ and log in. Verify your SAM registration within the FBO system. For assistance with FBO, please consult the FBO Vendor Guide, which is available at https://www.fbo.gov/downloads/FBO_Vendor_Guide.pdf. 3. After your SAM registration is verified in the FBO system, please follow the steps as outlined below: a) Begin by clicking on the secured document link, which should then provide you with the corresponding link for the DD Form 2345, Military Critical Technical Data Agreement. The DD2345 is also available at http://www.dlis.dla.mil/JCP/forms/DD2345Form.pdf. b) Fill out the DD 2345 and submit a hard copy of the original form, together with all required documentation, to the Defense Logistics Information Service (DLIS), U.S./Canada Joint Certification Program (JCP), at the address listed on the form. c) JCP will return an approved and signed certified form, which will include your certification and expiration date. Please note that delays may be incurred if forms and/or required documentation are incomplete or incorrect. d) For assistance with the DD2345, or to inquire about the acceptability of electronic provision of documentation, please contact the U.S./Canada Joint Certification Office, DLIS. Contact information is available at http://www.dlis.dla.mil/jcp/team.aspx. DLA Energy is not involved in the approval process and cannot provide assistance with processing. e) Once approval is received, it can take up to 24 hours for the JCP information to reach all systems. 4. Once you receive the approved DD2345 from JCP, and have verified your status on the JCP website, enter the FBO system and click on the secure document link. The FBO system will require you to enter your MPIN. If you are not prompted to enter a MPIN, please contact the FBO help desk. Contact information can be found at https://www.fsd.gov/. a) The MPIN is a mandatory data element created by the SAM registrant which must have nine characters [consisting of at least one letter (upper or lower case) and one number, with no spaces or special characters permitted] b) The MPIN allows access to related acquisition systems (i.e. ORCA and PPIRS). It also validates access to sensitive, but unclassified, documents associated with a notice posted to FBO. 5. Following verification of the MPIN in FBO, vendors must then submit a request for explicit access to the secure documents through the FBO system by clicking on the secure document line, then clicking the "Request Explicit Access" button. Upon requesting explicit access in the FBO system, vendors should send an email notification to the DLA Energy personnel assigned to the procurement, so that they can approve the request in the FBO system. Vendors will receive an email once the access request has been approved by DLA Energy. Once the MPIN has been verified in the FBO system, and explicit access has been granted, vendors will be able to enter the system and view the secure documents.