Sources Sought Notice
THIS SOURCES SOUGHT IS ISSUED SOLELY FOR MARKET RESEARCH AND PLANNING PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A SOLICITATION.Â
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This is a SOURCES SOUGHT ANNOUNCEMENT only. This is neither a solicitation announcement nor a request for quote (RFQ) and it does not obligate the Government to award a contract. Request for a solicitation will not receive a response. The purpose of this sources sought announcement is for market research to make the appropriate acquisition decision(s) and to gain knowledge of potential qualified sources and their Small Business Administration (SBA) size classification in relation to the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) 238220 Plumbing, Heating, and Air-Conditioning Contractors.
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The Greater Los Angeles VA Health Care System (GLAVAHCS), located at 11301 Wilshire Blvd, in Los Angeles, California 90025, is seeking a potential contractor to provide HVAC Water System purification/softening treatment services. Â Â Â
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The contractor shall provide all manner, means, methods, equipment, expertise, incidentals, labor, materials, parts, supervision, supplies, tools, transportation, and qualified personnel and/or certifications necessary to perform the services in accordance/compliance with current local, state, and federal code(s), directives, laws, regulations, and industry standards at/for the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System. Limitations of Subcontracting provisions shall apply and prior documented experience with performing said services is required. Please see the attached draft statement of work (SOW) for pertinent information which details the Government s needs. Â
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This notice is published to conduct market research to determine if there is a sufficient number of certified Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (SDVOSB) or Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (VOSB), capable of performing the requirements to warrant a socio-economic set-aside or full & open competition. It is strongly recommended that interested parties register in the US Department of Veterans Affairs Vet Biz database and the Small Business Administration (SBA) database. Registration may be accomplished at http://www.vip.vetbiz.gov/ and www.sba.gov/, respectively.Â
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All interested parties who can perform the services shall provide an email response to this notice and include the following: Â
a) Company nameÂ
b) AddressÂ
c) Point of contactÂ
d) Phone, fax, and emailÂ
e) DUNS numberÂ
f) Cage CodeÂ
g) Tax ID NumberÂ
h) Type of small business, e.g. Services Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), Veteran Owned Small Business (VOSB), 8(a), HUBZone, Women Owned Small Business (WOSB), Small Disadvantaged Business, or Small Business [NOTE: If you are a SDVOSB or VOSB, you must submit your certification from the Center for Verification and Evaluation (CVE) (https://www.vip.vetbiz.gov/)]Â
i) Provide a copy of your company s current Representations and Certifications from www.sam.govÂ
j) Provide evidence your firm can provide the requested service, to include past and/or current contracts for the same services, and any other compelling evidence to help the Government determine your company s capabilities. Â
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All responses must be received no later than Friday, July 22, 2022, by 12:00 PM Pacific local time. Please email responses to Jeremy Seaton, Contract Specialist at jeremy.seaton@va.gov. When responding via email, ensure the following title is within the subject line of the email: Sources Sought Notice# 36C26222Q1295: HVAC Water System Purification/Softening Treatment Services GLAVAHCS . Â
Important Information: The Government is not obligated to, nor will it pay for or reimburse, any costs associated with responding to this sources sought synopsis request. This notice shall not be construed as a commitment by the Government to issue a solicitation or ultimately award a contract, nor does it restrict the Government to a particular acquisition approach. Â
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DISCLAIMER Â
No additional information is available other than what is noted herein. All firms are instructed not to call the individual VA Medical Center to obtain additional information. All information received in response to this Sources Sought Notice that is marked as proprietary will be handled accordingly. In accordance with FAR 15.201(e), responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. Responders are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this Sources Sought Notice.Â
B.4 DRAFT STATEMENT OF WORK
(a) DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES
The contractor shall provide testing, treatment, and PM services on boiler plant and chiller plant water systems for the purpose of corrosion and air/water borne pathogen prevention at the Department of Veteran Affairs Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System (VAGLAHS). This requirement shall be completed in accordance with industry and conformance standards, manufacturer s specifications, applicable safety regulations, and Government contract specifications and scope of work.
(c) PLACE OF PERFORMANCE
This requirement shall be performed at the Government s facility located at:
VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System
11301 Wilshire Blvd., Bldg. 295 and 501
Los Angeles, CA 90073
(d) SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS
Contractor must perform weekly site visits/reports that indicate all treatment parameters, inventory quantities, chemical and make up water usages and efficiencies and overall condition of equipment being treated. Contractor shall address findings in the report and make all necessary adjustments / repairs of equipment. Contractor is required to provide and maintain all storage, sampling/testing, monitoring and treatment chemicals and equipment. VA boiler plant personnel are available for afterhours testing and adjusting to maintain the below standards in the boiler plant only (chiller plant is unmanned). Cooling tower testing, treatment and reporting must also comply with VACO Directive 1061 Appendix D and VA Engineering Standard ES-2019-001 Cooling Tower Water Systems
The vendor shall test and treat:
Boilers shall be adjusted and tested (sample from boiler) for the following weekly:
Total Hardness
Total Iron
Molybdenum tracer for scale inhibitor
P Alkalinity
M Alkalinity
OH Alkalinity
Neutralized conductivity
Sulfite residual
Boiler Water quality must be:
Molybdenum tracer for scale inhibitor 0.5-0.8 ppm
OH Alkalinity 200-800 ppm
Neutralized conductivity 3000-3500 umhos
Sulfite residual 20-40 ppm
Condensate Return System shall be tested and treated for the following weekly:
pH
Total Hardness
Conductivity
Iron
Copper
Condensate Return Percentage
Condensate Return quality must be:
pH 7.8-8.5
Total Hardness 0-0.3 ppm
Total Iron 0-0.2 ppm
Total Copper 0-0.05 ppm
Feed water and makeup water shall be tested and treated for the following weekly:
pH
Total Hardness
Conductivity
Iron
Copper
Make up Water Percentage
Feed water and makeup water quality must be:
pH 8.3-10.0
Total Hardness 0-0.3ppm
Total Iron 0-0.2 ppm
Total Copper 0-0.05 ppm
Cooling Tower must be tested and treated for the following weekly:
Dip slides with incubation for bacterial growth
Conductivity
Total Hardness
Calcium Hardness
Total alkalinity
Scale/Corrosion inhibitor level (using handheld flourometer)
Iron
Copper
Azole residual
Active polymer
Water efficiency calculation
Approach temperature calculation
Cooling tower water quality must be:
<1.0 mpy mild steel corrosion rate
<0.2 mpy copper corrosion rate
<10,000 CFU/ml aerobic bacteria counts (based on dip slide)
0 CFU/ml Legionella counts (based on CDC Elite certified lab result obtained by VA)
Establish and maintain baseline condenser approach temperatures
Azole residual >1.5 ppm
Active polymer >8 ppm
4.0-4.5 cycles of concentration
Mild steel and copper corrosion coupons analysis (every 90 days)
Heating and Cooling Closed Loops shall be tested and treated for the following weekly:
Conductivity
Inhibitor
Azole residual
pH
Iron
Copper
Makeup water usage
Cooling Closed Loop Water System performance standards must be:
<1.0 mpy mild steel corrosion rate
<0.2 mpy copper corrosion rate
500-800 ppm sodium nitrite residual
>1.0 ppm azole residual
pH 8.5-10.0
Mild steel and copper corrosion coupons analysis (every 90 days)
Heating Closed Loop Water System performance standards must be:
<2.0 mpy mild steel corrosion rate
<0.2 mpy copper corrosion rate
800-1200 ppm sodium nitrate residual
>1.0 ppm residual azole
pH 8.5-10.0
Mild steel and copper corrosion coupons (every 90 days)
(e) QUALIFICATIONS
The contractor must provide documentation that demonstrates your company meets the following criteria:
A primary representative that will perform all services and communications with the VA. This representative will not be changed unless approved by VA management
The representative must have a degree in engineering or chemistry from an accredited university. The representative must have a minimum of five years experience in the water treatment industry.
A list of five (5) facilities serviced with equivalent/greater steam and cooling capacities as the VA in the Greater LA region for at least five (5) years. Please provide name and contact information
Must possess current certified pesticide applicators license in the State of California
Must have a blending facility that is ISO Quality Certified. Please provide copies of ISO certification.
(f) REPORTING REQUIREMENTS:
Prior to commencement of work to be performed during normal working hours, the Contractor shall report to the COR or designee (Plant Operations Supervisor) at Building 295
On a monthly basis, including in the service report shall include a trend analysis of the following parameters for the cooling and boiler water systems:
Tower conductivity and makeup water conductivity
ORP and dual biocide pump run times
Inhibitor level vs. target range and inhibitor pump run time
Boiler make up water and condensate return efficiency
The Contractor shall provide suitable marking on all documents or reports generated as required in FAR Part 11.106. The Contractor shall provide detailed written service reports emailed to the COR (Plant Operations Supervisor) each week which describes services performed on the equipment after the work is completed. The weekly testing service report must contain the status of the water treatment program, chemical inventories, chemical and make up water usages and efficiencies and system improvement recommendations. On a monthly basis, included in that service report, shall be a trend analysis. This report must be emailed to the VA Plant Operations Supervisor in Engineering Department within 24 hours of the service visit.
(g) CHEMICAL STORAGE AND HANDLING REQUIREMENTS
We are concerned with chemical storage, handling and disposal at our site. To reduce the risk associated with chemical handling, all product deliveries must be made to the point of feed. To eliminate chemical handling by site personnel, all products must be capable of being fed neat (without dilution or contact). All treatment chemicals must be delivered automatically, and no chemical handling is to be performed by government personnel. Empty containers shall be removed and returned to the suppliers recycling facility. Treatment chemicals shall be stored in double walled, self-contained chemical base tanks. Contractor is responsible for safe transfer of chemicals and all hazardous waste cleanup/disposal. All chemical transfers will be made by a DOT and Hazmat trained delivery specialist. Precautions in transfer will be built into the procedure so that no chemical spills occur. If there is any spill, notification of VA personnel will occur immediately. During transfer operations the delivery specialist will wear a full complement of PPE. This includes, but is not limited to, hard hat, safety glasses with side shields, goggles or face mask, long sleeves, butyl rubber gloves, and steel toed work shoes.
(h) HEALTH AND SAFETY
Contractor must provide GHS compliant Safety Data Sheets to ensure a safe work environment for VA personnel and to comply with all laws concerning the handling of hazardous materials. We require that a Safety Data Sheet accompany all first-time orders and that the vendor operate a 24-hour, 7 day per week emergency phone number which can be called for emergency information regarding chemical spills and/or accidents involving your products.