POC information: Robert C. Gable, Contracting Officer (email is preferred method of communication)
[email protected]; COMM 850-283-6605; FAX 850-283-6466 AETC CONS/LGCT , AFCESA Support Flight, 136 Barnes Avenue, Building 856 Annex, Tyndall AFB, FL 32403 is soliciting competitive offers for Air Force Utilties Privatization - Robins AFB, GA Water Distribution System. Anticipated release of RFP for this effort is on/around 20 Mar 2009. Privatization is defined as the conveyance of a utility system to a municipal, private, regional, district, or cooperative utility company or other entity. The conveyance may consist of all right, title, and interest of the United States in the utility system. Utility Privatization (UP) will be accomplished in accordance with 10 U.S.C. 2688 Utility Systems: Conveyance Authority. Contract term is anticipated at 50 years. The following is a description of the system to be privatized: The Robins AFB water distribution system supplies water for residential, commercial and industrial use on Base. Construction of the water distribution system infrastructure began in the early 1940s and continues today as the installation grows. The system includes water wells, storage tanks, water treatment, distribution piping, valves, and other ancillary infrastructure. Robins AFB does not receive water from any off-base sources. The Base produces its own water from wells drilled into the Bluffton Aquifer. Six wells (Wells 1, 5, 8, 16, 17, and 18 ) provide water to the distribution system for use on Robins AFB. All the wells, except Well 18, have an emergency generator for backup power in the event of a power outage. In addition to meeting Robins AFB?s drinking water requirements, the system supplies water to industrial facilities in support of Robins AFB?s depot maintenance mission. The water wells and associated water uses will remain property of the U.S. Air Force. The water well is the actual drilled hole in the ground and the contents that cannot be removed without damage. This includes the well casing, well screen, gravel pack, and concrete grout. The pump, pump column, and all associated equipment beyond the point of demarcation for the water wells are included with the system to be privatized. The point of demarcation shall be the inside surface of the steel casing of each well. A separate service contract will be awarded to maintain the water wells. Robins AFB?s ability to pump its own water is essential to its mission and security. A high emphasis is placed on Robins AFB?s ability to operate its water distribution system without interruption, and in the event of an outage, to return the system to service quickly. Degraded or interrupted water supplies will negatively impact the ability of the Base to meet its mission and productivity requirements. The level of water in the elevated tower (Building 175) controls the well pumps. A Microcat Class 9508 Smart RTU system connected to a Westinghouse PC 1100 programmable controller (NUMA LOGIC) controls the well pump motors. A new supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system is programmed to replace current control system. The water control system is programmed to pump from different wells depending on the system demand. The system alternates the lead pump every 24 hours. This arrangement distributes the workload to minimize the wear and tear on motors, as well as to allow the aquifer time to recover. Well 18 is on a stand-alone system controlled by the water level in Storage Tank 2084 (Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (JSTARS)). When the new SCADA system is installed, Well 18 will no longer operate stand-alone. The SCADA system is not included with the system to be privatized. The water distribution system includes four elevated storage tanks (Tanks 2084, 999, 912, and 175), with a total capacity of 2.25 million gallons (MG). All the storage tanks have cathodic protection and, based on the five-year maintenance schedule, are programmed to be cleaned and inspected in January 2008. Tanks 175 and 999 have lead-based paint coatings that have been painted over. Distribution piping is constructed of cast iron (CI), ductile iron (DI), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), high-density polyethylene (HDPE), and asbestos cement (AC). The most prominent pipe types are CI and DI; however, PVC is also present, but to a lesser extent. AC pipe is uncommon. CI pipe was used when the system was originally installed. In the early 1960s, DI pipe began to be used at the Installation. The use of PVC pipe began in the mid to late 1970s. Standard installation practices are to install tracer wire or tape with plastic piping; however, it is not known if all plastic piping was installed with tracer wire or tape. The Contractor should not include any projects to install tracer wire on piping in their proposal. Any requirements for tracer wire will be addressed after contract award. The average burial depth of piping is approximately 4 feet below grade. Approximately 28 percent of the buried piping is beneath paved surfaces. Robins AFB has excavation restrictions in portions of the Industrial Area due to contamination of subsurface soils and groundwater from spills, leaks, and other releases that predate regulatory restrictions. This restricted excavation area houses machine shops, metal finishing, the industrial waste treatment plant and associated underground piping, industrial materials storage, and drummed-waste storage facilities. Implementation of the remedy selected in the Excavation Plan for the Industrial Area is required in order to ensure the protection of personnel coming into contact with the site and to eliminate or minimize risk associated with the contamination. This area of the Base is 84 percent paved, behind security fencing, under building foundations or beneath streets. There is very limited potential for exposure to workers or visitors in the area. The most likely scenario in which exposure to contaminated soils might occur is in the event of maintenance or construction activities requiring excavation of affected soil. Maps of the area and a copy of the Excavation Plan for Industrial Area will be supplied in the Technical Library. As defined in the Section J3.12, Right of Access to the Utility System, the portion of the system subject to privatization extends from the wells to the edge of the building or to the upstream side of the building?s post indicator valves (PIV) or backflow prevention devices. The exception is the golf course, the Steam Plant, and the fire-suppression storage tanks at Facilities 95 and 20091. At the golf course, the point of demarcation is the upstream side of the meter, which is downstream of the backflow device. For the Steam Plant (Building 177), the system subject to privatization stops at the upstream side of the backflow prevention device on the service line to the 100,000-gallon storage tank. For the fire-suppression tanks at Facilities 95 and 20091, the point of demarcation is the upstream side of the altitude valve on the service line to the tanks. Robins AFB treats produced groundwater at each well prior to the water entering the distribution system. Groundwater treatment consists of chlorine gas, fluoride, phosphate, and lime injection. Robins AFB has initiated a program to replace chlorine gas with sodium hypo-chloride treatment systems. Wells 5, 16, 17, and 18 have been converted. Wells 1 and 8 are not currently programmed for conversion. This synopsis shall not be construed as a commitment or authorization to incur costs in anticipation of an award. The Government is not bound to make any awards under this notice.