AQUEOUS FILM FORMING FLUID(AFFF) STORAGE

This constitutes Amendment 01 to the Sources Sought Notice N3220526Q7001. 

THIS IS A SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE ONLY. This is not a solicitation or request for proposal and no contract or purchase order will be awarded from this notice. There is no solicitation available at this time. Military Sealift Command (MSC), Norfolk, is seeking eligible businesses to provide storage for a hazardous material, Aqueous Film Forming Fluid (AFFF) in Norfolk, Virginia. 

The contractor is required to provide lawful CONUS storage of government-owned Aqueous Film Forming Fluid (AFFF), as defined below, to support installed foam systems aboard vessels. In addition, the contractor must handle the packing and preparation for shipment of the AFFF owned by the Military Sealift Command (MSC). 

1. 1. General Requirements: 

MSC requires the lawful CONUS storage of government owned Aqueous Film Forming Fluid (AFFF), as more fully defined below, to support installed foam systems aboard its vessels. MSC also requires the packing or preparation for shipment of the AFFF it owns.

1. Compliance with Hazardous Materials and Waste Handling Regulations:

The Contractor shall comply with the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), 42 U.S.C. §§ 6901- 6991i, the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Recovery Act (CERCLA) of 1980, 42 U.S.C. §§ 9601-9675, the Clean Water Act (CWA), 33 U.S.C. §§1251-1387, the Clean Air Act (CAA), 42 U.S.C. §§ 7401-7671, the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, 7 U.S.C. §§ 136-136y, and all other Federal, State, and local laws, codes, ordinances and regulations that govern the handling, transportation, storage, recycling, or disposal of hazardous materials and/or hazardous waste.

As applicable, the Contractor shall also comply with all laws, codes, regulations, and ordinances of foreign states that govern the handling, transportation, storage, recycling, or disposal of hazardous materials and/or hazardous waste.

Offerors shall provide their facility's rcrapublic.epa.gov Site ID, or intent to establish upon contract award.

AFFF disposal must be carried out following the latest DoD or EPA directive. Contractor shall provide proof of disposal via latest DoD or EPA directive to MSC Environmental and Contracting Officer Representative for record keeping purposes.

In the event that the Contractor is charged with, or cited for, violating any of the authorities set forth in Paragraph 2 while performing under this Contract, the Contractor shall notify the MSC Contracting Officer within 10 calendar days of the issuance of the charge/citation. This notice shall set forth the facts and circumstances giving rise to the charge/citation. A copy of the citation shall be included with the notice. The Contractor shall be responsible for any and all violations thereof and thereto.

1. Packing and Marking

The Contractor shall prepare all GFM requested for removal from the storage facility under this contract in accordance with ASTM-D-3951-98 (October 4th, 2023) "Standard Practice for Commercial Packaging." Preservation, packaging, packing, and marking of all deliverable contract line items must ensure the material is received in a serviceable, ready for issue condition when received at the ultimate destination.

The Contractor shall prepare, GFM containers for anticipated shipping as directed by all regulated hazardous material in accordance with the requirements of 49 CFR (Code of Federal Regulations) or the applicable modal transport regulation. In addition, compliance with FED- STD 313 (As amended) is mandatory when applicable.

1. GFM Storage

1. 1. GFM for Storage:

The government will provide GFM to the contractor for the contractor to store, with GFM being defined as the below AFFF products provided to the contractor by the government:

National Foam Universal CG-6% AR-AFFF

National Foam Universal Gold 1%/3% AR-AFFF

National Foam AER-O-Foam XL-3 Fluoroprotein

Ansul Ansulite 3x3 Low Viscosity AR-AFFF

Solberg ARCTIC™ 3x3% ATC™ AR-AFFF

MIL-F-24385 AFFF, in 3% and 6% concentrations

The maximum quantity for storage is 268,480 gallons. The packaging distribution will be in totes, drums and pails. The contract structure is Firm Fixed Price.

4.2 Storage Facility Requirements:

The contractor shall provide storage of all GFM defined in Section 4.1 on Military Sealift Command, Chemical Division Requirements. The GFM shall be provided to the contractor by the government as per the initial GFM Inventory Report that will be provided to the contractor. GFM will be provided in 208-liter (55 gallon) drums, 19-liter (5 gallon) pails, and 1,040-liters (275 gallon) totes.

Contractor’s Facility shall be within a 50-mile radius from Norfolk, VA.

The contractor’s facility shall be equipped with the equipment necessary to load pallets onto a delivery truck in preparation for shipment.

Storage of the GFM shall be temperature-controlled storage. Temperature controlled storage shall be defined as an indoor storage area in which the temperature is maintained in the range set forth in the GFM Safety Data Sheets, 35-120 degrees Fahrenheit. The GFM will be kept out of direct sunlight. The area shall be segregated from other areas in the same facility. Storage shall be in compliance with Section 2.

The contractor shall be responsible for the security of the storage area containing this GFM.  Security measures shall prevent unauthorized entry to the storage areas. The Contract Officer Representative (COR) shall have access to all GFM storage facilities for the duration of the period of this contract when access to the facility is requested. Access to be granted to the COR or any government personnel specified by the COR within 48 hours of request.

The material shall be stored and handled as to not cause damage to the material, or the material packaging or labeling. Reparations due to damage to the material, material packaging, or labeling will be at the contractor’s expense at the material’s replacement value. Labeling damage is defined as labeling damage to the extent where the original manufacturer’s label can no longer be read and will be determined by the COR. Cleanup of spills of the GFM at the GFM storage facility will be at the cost of the contractor, with handling and cleanup in compliance with Section 2.

Inventory reporting and invoicing for storage is outlined in Section 4.5.

1. 1. Receipt of GFM

The contractor shall inspect the GFM at the time of receipt and verify that the material received is the same as that indicated on the GFM Inventory Report received from the government, and in proper condition for use.  The contractor shall note, describe, and photograph any physical/visible damage or defects to the equipment/packaging and submit to the COR in the first GFM Inventory Report (CDRL-001) described in Section 4.5. If defects are found, the contractor shall immediately notify the COR of the condition.

1. 1. Packing and Handling for Shipment to and from the Storage Area 

Removal of GFM from the storage area will be as per written notification to the contractor from the government. The government will provide the contractor with 12-hour notice of removal of the GFM, to include the type, amount (i.e. drum/pail) and quantity to be removed. The contractor shall acknowledge receipt of notification within 12 hours. The contractor shall prepare the GFM specified by the government for shipment and provide the government with details of the prepared shipment, including but not limited to the shipment’s weight and dimensions. The contractor will provide access to the facility and storage area for personnel, hired at the government’s expense, to remove the GFM that has been prepared for shipment. The government will arrange for and pay for the shipment of the GFM for movements other than the shipment described in Section 4.6.

The contractor’s facility shall be equipped with the equipment necessary to load pallets onto a delivery truck in preparation for shipment and equipped to load shipments onto the government arranged delivery truck.

1. 1. contractor will ensure all material is properly packed to avoid damage during shipment and comply with Sections 2 and 3 of this PWS.

1. 1. contractor will accept additional GFM to the storage area as requested by the government, for example if a vessel has excess foam concentrate to be removed from the ship and stored in the contractor’s GFM storage area. The contractor will be subsidized accordingly via the GFM Inventory Report (CDRL-001) outlined in Section 4.5.

1. 1.  Reports

All reports shall be sent to the COR and/or any government personnel designated by the COR.

The GFM Inventory Report (CDRL-001) shall be submitted to the government monthly. The report shall include the type, size and quantity of the GFM in the contractor’s storage area. The contractor shall include in the report that the storage facility is in compliance with Section 4. The report will note, describe and photograph any and all physical/visible damage or defects to the GFM. The report will note the temperature for each business day that the GFM is stored in the facility, daily temperature to be taken at a time decided by the contractor at generally at the same time each day.

The COR will compare the contractor’s report with conditions found onsite, to ensure the requirements of Section 4 are being met. The COR, or other designated government representative, will complete this inspection on an annual basis. If the COR determines the requirements of Section 4 are not being met and documents the violation(s) in pictures and writing, the COR and Contracting Officer will meet with the contractor to rectify the issue immediately and determine when to continue payment, when the issue is rectified.

1. 1. damage to the GFM, while in custody of the contractor, shall be reported immediately to the COR. The contractor shall prepare a damage report with pictures outlining the damage and conditions that led to the damage. If the government determines that observed damage or condition of the GFM is a result of contractor negligence, the contractor will be responsible for expenses associated with resolution. This includes expenses associated with properly disposing of the material and compensating the government with the original purchase cost.

The Government anticipates a period of performance with a one (1) base year and four (4) 1-year option periods commencing on or about March 2026. 

The appropriate NAICS Code is 493190. Again, THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR QUOTE OR PROPOSAL. This is a market research tool used to determine the availability and adequacy of potential business sources prior to determining the method of acquisition and issuance of an award. The Government is not obligated to and will not pay for any information received from potential sources because of this synopsis.

It is requested that interested businesses submit a brief capabilities package demonstrating the ability to provide the requested services. Submission of a capabilities package is not a prerequisite to any potential future offerings, but participation will assist the Government in tailoring requirement to be consistent with industry. This document shall address, as a minimum, the following: 

1. Company profile to include number of employees, office location(s) and CAGE Code 
2. Point of contact, telephone number, address, and email address (if available) 
3. Small business standing (i.e., large or small business, if small business, the specific category/NAICS of small business
4. Answer and explain the following questions:
   1. Does the company have the storage capacity adequate for the quantity of AFFF MSC plans to provide? And do you have temperature-controlled storage areas?
   2. Does the company have access controlled storage?
   3. Is the company compliant with local, state, and federal regulations?
   4. Is the company within a 50-mile radius of Norfolk, Va? (provide address)
   5. Does the company have the appropriate transportation to deliver the AFFF from the facility to Norfolk Naval Base in case of operational necessity? 
   6. Can you provide any permits or license for storing hazardous material?
   7. Does the company have a designated area for storing AFFF, separate from other materials, especially those incompatible with AFFF?
   8. Provide any expertise or experience to compete for this requirement. Standard company brochures will be reviewed
   9. Provide any past performance efforts with a similar scope to the proposed requirement. Provide contract numbers, dollar values, and period of performance dates for each contract.
   10. Does the company have spill prevention/response plan for hazardous material?
   11. Do you hold an EPA RCRA ID number? (if ,so please provide) or will obtain one?