SOURCES SOUGHT
68 -- RFI for Cylinder Helium Delivery via FOB Destination versus FOB Origin
- Notice Date
- 5/6/2015
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 325120
— Industrial Gas Manufacturing
- Contracting Office
- Defense Logistics Agency, DLA Acquisition Locations, DLA Energy - Missile Fuels, 1014 Billy Mitchell Blvd, San Antonio, Texas, 78226, United States
- ZIP Code
- 78226
- Solicitation Number
- SPE601-15-I-0305
- Archive Date
- 5/23/2015
- Point of Contact
- Barbara M Peterson, Phone: 210-925-2543, Patricia A. Bocock, Phone: 2109254845
- E-Mail Address
-
barbara.peterson@dla.mil, patricia.bocock@dla.mil
(barbara.peterson@dla.mil, patricia.bocock@dla.mil)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- This is a Request for Information (RFI) only. This RFI is for market research and planning purposes and does not constitute an Invitation for Bid, Request for Proposal (RFP) or Request for Quotes (RFQ). The Government will not reimburse respondents for any cost associated with the submission of information being requested or reimburse expenses incurred to the interested parties for responses. We are conducting this RFI to guage the potential of using Contractor-furnished cylinders and transportation (FOB destination) vice Government-provided cylinders and transportation (FOB Origin) for gaseous Helium cylinder support to multiple locations across the United States and to overseas locations. Currently DLA Energy procures gaseous Helium at two purities (99.995% to 99.9997%) in 213 CF cylinders for delivery to our customers. In past procurements, DLA Energy used Government-furnished cylinders and Government-furnished transport to provide FOB Origin support to our Helium cylinder customers. Where gaseous Helium suppliers prepared and filled each Government-furnished cylinder with the type/grade of Helium requested, and DLA Energy provided the transportation for distributing the filled Government-owned cylinders from the supplier fill point to various customer locations. It is DLA Energy's intent to transition our supply chain strategy to one that utilizes a FOB Destination direct delivery supply strategy using Contractor-furnished cylinders and Contractor-furnished transportation to fill our customer's gaseous Helium cylinder requirements. In order to determine the feasibility of shifting to a FOB Destination acquisition strategy on future Helium cylinder acquisitions and to help identify the impact of such a transition, DLA Energy is seeking industry responses to the following questions: •1. 1) Do you own Helium cylinders that can be used for filling customer Helium orders? 2) If you own cylinders for shipping to customers do you have a large enough fleet of 213 CF cylinders to support filling and distributing approximately 1,000 cylinders per year to multiple customer locations? If not in 213 CF cylinders, please describe what other sizes you may have available for use to support this requirement. 3) Does a mix of purity grade requirements (99.995% to 99.9997% purity) for the above estimated annual cylinder requirements affect your response to above question 2? 4) If DLA Energy needs to augment your cylinder fleet with Government-owned cylinders for a few select locations which support missions that can't return cylinders, will you allow this or would you prefer to provide the cylinders knowing they will not be returned? 5) Can you and how would you provide transportation of Contractor-provided and -filled Helium cylinders to customer locations inside and outside the U.S.? 6) How would you handle returning empties cylinders? If commercial shipment/transportation is required, would you have a POC for conducting the return shipment, or would you require DLA Energy to provide the shipment? 7) Would you require a minimum order quantity to handle transportation or shipment of filled Contactor-provided Helium cylinders to customer locations? A minimum for returning empty cylinders? 8) What would be an estimated required lead time you would need to fill an order for delivery of filled cylinders from time of order to expected time of delivery to a U.S. based customer? For overseas orders? 9) For Contractor provided transportation to customer locations how does the buyer get charged for the transportation? Is transportation part of product unit cost or is transportation a stand-alone fee (separate contract line item number)? If a stand-alone fee is charged for transportation please describe the basis of the fee (i.e. per mile fee per cylinder etc.). 10) How long can customers keep Helium cylinders before accruing a cylinder lease fee? Does industry have a standard amount of free-time for customer possession of Contractor-provided cylinders? Is cylinder lease fee typically a per month fee? If cylinder is going overseas and will be in Customer possession for long term (12-18 months) is there a flat fee or some other process for long term lease so that customers do not pay more lease fee than the cylinder is worth? 11) If cylinder is lost or damaged while in customer possession is it typical to have a pre-negotiated cylinder replacement value or what is the process for customer liability for lost/damaged cylinders? 12) DLA Energy assumes that if you provide cylinders that you own or provided by your subcontractor, that you also retain all cylinder maintenance, marking and labeling responsibilities and costs. Is that an accurate assumption? 13) Do suppliers palletize Contractor-provided cylinders for shipment and if so do pallets need to be returned to the supplier facility? If pallets require returning is there a lease fee for time pallets are in customer possession? 14) Please share any other implications industry may perceive would accompany DLA's transition from using Government-furnished Helium cylinders and transportation to using Contractor-provided Helium cylinders and transportation. RESPONSE DEADLINE AND SUBMISSION: Interested parties may begin submitting responses to this RFI immediately. However, all responses will be due no later than 4:00 CDST, 22 May 2015.
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/DLA/J3/DESC-MK/SPE601-15-I-0305/listing.html)
- Place of Performance
- Address: Various Locationsthroughout CONUS and OCONUS, United States
- Record
- SN03722946-W 20150508/150507000314-9e444d8b9a22fd90db601fcef5ef3e39 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)
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