NOTICE OF RELEASE OF A RFI IN REPLY DISC-WP April 16, 1998 REFER TO: MaryEllen Dobbins Dear Valued Suppliers: This Request for Information (RFI) is not a formal Request for Proposal and the Government will not pay for any information received under, or associated with this RFI. The Defense Industrial Supply Center is issuing this Request For Information (RFI) as a vehicle for industry to provide recommendation/comment on the Lumber Products Initiative for the Pacific Region as well as Alaska and Hawaii. The main purpose of this RFI is to determine customary practices for commercial sales within your industry. The strategy is to find a single source of supply, a "Prime Vendor," who can support the non-facilities maintenance requirements for lumber, millwork, and plywood/veneer within a geographical region, utilizing best commercial practices. The Government intends to establish a Prime Vendor program throughout the Pacific Theatre which, for purposes of this RFI, is defined as Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, Korea, Mainland Japan and Okinawa. These regions may be divided into independent zones or consolidated into a single zone. We are interested in your comments and concerns regarding this strategy. Specific questions are included and any comments or suggestions would be appreciated. We request that you complete the RFI and return it to us as quickly as possible, expending only minimal amounts of time and expense. Your response will be maintained in secrecy and will not bind you in any way. If a Request for Proposals (RFP) results, Best Value Source Selection procedures will be utilized for evaluation purposes. DISC will select the successful awardee(s) based on an integrated assessment of both a technical and business proposal, where technical factors will be more important than pricing factors. All proposals will be required to demonstrate a complete understanding of the requirements and provide a detailed plan of execution. A long-term arrangement is anticipated and contracts will be firm-fixed price, indefinite quantity. At this time, the annual estimated dollar value for this program is $8,000,000. This acquisition will require direct customer/contractor interface using commercially acceptable electronic media. A fill rate of 90% will be required. At this point there are a number of operational scenarios which are being considered as alternatives as follows: 1. CONUS prime vendor delivery to government contracted-commercially operated Consolidated Freight Station (CFS) for government contracted transportation. 2. CONUS prime vendor source stuffed container delivery for government contracted transportation. 3. CONUS prime vendor direct delivery to OCONUS activities utilizing commercial transportation and distribution systems. 4. CONUS prime vendor partnership with OCONUS commercial distribution network. 5. OCONUS prime vendor utilizing commercial distribution networks. The Government will entertain other methodologies so you are encouraged to submit any/all other alternatives which you are currently utilizing. Please respond to the following questions and forward any other comments/suggestions you may have regarding the above mentioned scenarios. Points of Contact for this initiative are MaryEllen Dobbins, (215)697-3679, Beth McMaster, (215)697-3668, or Jeff Kochanowicz, (215)697-5509. Please provide written responses, suggestions, comments and ideas regarding the Pacific Prime Vendor Acquisition by COB Thursday, May 14. Responses can be faxed to (215)697-1099 or (215)697-1276 or mailed to the following address: Ms. Mary Ellen Dobbins Defense Industrial Supply Center (DISC) 700 Robbins Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19111 1. Do the regions identified in paragraph 1 fit logically into your commercial distribution network? What type of lumber and related products do you normally distribute, i.e., dimensional lumber, plywood, poles, pilings, treated and fire retardant products, doors, etc? 2. How are these regions currently being supported? Please briefly describe your distribution strategy. 3. Are there are any particular issues, such as tariffs, customs, laws, and/or regulations, which impact distribution of materials to any of the above mentioned regions? 4. CONUS prime vendors require routine delivery within 7 days. Is this possible within your commercial practices? 5. What are the current average delivery times to each of these zones? 6. Are you currently utilizing or intend to utilize electronic media for receipt of orders, order confirmation, customer service, material tracking and visibility, etc? If yes, what type of electronic media are you using? 7. Do you currently use barcoding technologies for lumber products? 8. Military customers, in certain instances, require large amounts of material which will constitute a substantial surge in demands. How do your current business strategies and relationships provide for support of unforecasted demand surges? 9. Do you offer quantity or volume discounts to your most favored customers? 10. How is pricing of material handled in your current practices? Do you currently have any long term arrangements/contracts? 11. What is the probability that you would be interested in participating in this initiative?

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