U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 26 W. Martin Luther King Dr., Cincinnati, OH 45268

A -- ASPEN PLUS PROCESS SIMULATION SOFTWARE LEASE SOL FA6724KR DUE 043097 POC Kathleen Roe, (513) 366-2144, fax: (513) 366-2107 WEB: Office of Acquisition Management -- Cincinnati Contracts Management Division, This procurement will not appear on the web site. Interested firms, request a copy of the RFQ via fax or e-mail.. E-MAIL: U.S. EPA -- Cincinnati Contracts Management Division, roe.kathleen@epamail.epa.gov. The USEPA plans to negotiate on a sole source basis with Aspen Technology, Inc. for the lease of ASPEN PLUS Process Simulation Software for a single user beginning September 15, 1997. This software is to be used for simulations of industrial-scale chemical processes that gasify biomass or coal with steam, oxygen or natural gas addition for conversion to liquid fuels. The simulations will enable the EPA to conduct comparisons and evaluations of different process options for reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and to identify the optimum configuration of a given process in terms of performance and cost. Specific software requirements for these evaluations include: (1) Incorporation of unit operation models comprising, at minimum, gibbs reactor, stoichiometric reactor, yield reactor, mixer, splitter, heat exchanger, distillation, gas-liquid, gas-solid, and liquid-solid separators, pumps and compressors. (2) Capability to accept solid feeds such as biomass and coal as inputs for the process. (3)Capability to conduct sensitivity analysis of a completed process simulation, including capital cost, operating cost, and profitability analysis. (4) Capability to provide cost and economic evaluation of completed flowsheet simulation. (5) Capability ro conduct optimization of a given process in terms of performance and cost. (6) Capability to produce, as output, a complete report on composition of all streams, material and energy balances on each unit operation, pinch analysis, sensitivity analysis, and cost analysis. (7) Equipment shall be listed and labeled by a third party listing agency approved by the North Carolina Building Code Council. Prior to shipping unlisted equipment to EPA, a field inspection shall be performed by an approved agency. The field inspection shall be performed at the manufacturer's place of business and shall be included in the vendor's quotation. If the equipment fails the field inspection, the vendor shall make the necessary changes to meet the listing agency's approval. (8) See Note 22. EPA source research has indicated other simulators do not contain cost estimation capability for process equipment or produce an economic evaluation of the simulated process or else, they do not have the capability to perform simulations with solid feedstocks. To the best of EPA's knowledge, these specifications are proprietary to Aspen Technology. However, any firm which is capable of meeting these requirements may submit technical documentation to establish that it can comply with the specifications. Only those firms presenting such documentation will be considered. Please request a copy of the Request for Quote via fax or e-mail. Otherwise, USEPA will proceed to negotiate with Aspen Technology. (0093)

Loren Data Corp. http://www.ld.com (SYN# 0007 19970407\A-0007.SOL)