SOURCES SOUGHT
A -- Research and Development Sources Sought for Autonomous or Tele-operated Remediation of Ship's Tanks
- Notice Date
- 5/23/2012
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 541330
— Engineering Services
- Contracting Office
- N00167 NAVAL SURFACE WARFARE CENTER, MARYLAND 9500 MacArthur Blvd West Bethesda, MD
- ZIP Code
- 00000
- Solicitation Number
- N0016712SS030
- Response Due
- 7/31/2012
- Archive Date
- 8/31/2012
- Point of Contact
- Peter Thomas (301) 227-8503
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division (NSWCCD) in support of the Naval Systems Engineering Directorate Technology Transition Office (NAVSEA 05T1) is seeking information on how an interested contractor could autonomously or remotely perform the tasks of inspecting, cleaning, de-rusting, de-coating, and painting ship ™s tanks. The intent is to eliminate or minimize the need for human presence in the tank during equipment set-up and operation. The contractor may respond with an approach to all the tasks, any single task, or a combination of tasks. The contractor may respond with an approach that is specific to certain tanks, by shape or content. The contractor may also respond specifically to the problems of sensing, mobility, navigation, or reach. THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY. This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes “ it does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP) or a promise to issue an RFP in the future. This request for information does not commit the Government to contract for any supply or service whatsoever. Further, the Navy is not at this time seeking proposals and will not accept unsolicited proposals. Respondees are advised that the U.S. Government will not pay for any information or administrative costs incurred in response to this RFI; all costs associated with responding to this RFI will be solely at the interested party ™s expense. Not responding to this RFI does not preclude participation in any future RFP, if any is issued. If a solicitation is released, it will be synopsized on the Federal Business Opportunities (FedBizOpps) website. It is the responsibility of the potential offerors to monitor these sites for additional information pertaining to this requirement. Description The U.S. Navy spends considerable resources on the inspection and remediation of ships ™ tanks. Currently, humans are required to enter the tanks to perform all phases of inspection and remediation. These tanks are spaces of all shapes and sizes, often have very limited access, and may have contained hazardous materials such as kerosene. These tanks may present slipping hazards due to slick surfaces. To allow human entry, tanks must first undergo time-consuming analysis for the presence of dangerous gasses, and then be thoroughly ventilated. In all respects, these tanks present a challenging environment to humans and present safety concerns. Periodically, tanks are opened and operations such as inspecting, cleaning, de-rusting, de-coating, and painting are performed within. NSWCCD and NAVSEA are interested in approaches to conducting these operations in ways that do not involve human entry to the tanks. Ship tanks are constructed of steel, typically HY80 in surface ships or HY100 in submarines. They may range in size from 100 ft3 to 8000 ft3 but have no standard dimensions. Tanks may extend horizontally or vertically as much as 40 feet, and have curved surfaces. Internally, tanks are likely to contain ship structural members such as frames, bulkheads, longitudinals, piping, pipe hangers, cabling, ladders, and other features. The density of these features may vary such that access to some surfaces may be as small as two inches. Access is typically through a hatch at the top or side of the tank, usually 18 inches x 15 inches. A top hatch is usually in a ship passageway several decks below the main deck. A side hatch is usually cut from outside the skin of the ship. The passageway may be as narrow as 30 inches. Remediation support equipment must fit in and be able to pass through the passageway. In some cases with the ship in drydock, holes 30 inches in diameter are cut through the bottom of the ship and into the tank. To facilitate the contractor ™s approach to the tasks, the tank may either be empty or full of water. Details of surface treatment standards, requirements, and materials can be found at the Naval Surface Treatment Center website http://www.nstcenter.biz/. Responses Interested parties are requested to respond to this RFI with a white paper. White papers in Microsoft Word for Office 2000 compatible format are due no later than 31 JULY 2012, 17:00 EDT. Responses shall be limited to 10 pages and submitted via e-mail only to peter.c.thomas@navy.mil. Proprietary information, if any, should be minimized and MUST BE CLEARLY MARKED. To aid the Government, please segregate proprietary information. Please be advised that all submissions become Government property and will not be returned. Industry Discussions NSWCCD representatives may or may not choose to meet with potential offerors. Such discussions would only be intended to get further clarification of potential capability to meet the requirements. Summary THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY to identify sources that can provide Autonomous or Tele-operated Remediation of Ship ™s Tanks. The information provided in the RFI is subject to change and is not binding on the Government. The Navy has not made a commitment to procure any of the items discussed, and release of this RFI should not be construed as such a commitment or as authorization to incur cost for which reimbursement would be required or sought. All submissions become Government property and will not be returned.
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/DON/NAVSEA/N00167/N0016712SS030/listing.html)
- Record
- SN02756114-W 20120525/120523235747-f49b127ba74dd488fb07913b863527b2 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)
| FSG Index | This Issue's Index | Today's FBO Daily Index Page |