Purchase of Strontium-82 (Sr-82)

SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE THIS SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE IS NOT A PRE-SOLICITATION NOTICE, REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP), OR AN INVITATION FOR BID PURSUANT TO FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION (FAR) PART 5, BUT A MARKET SURVEY TO IDENTIFY POTENTIAL PARTICIPANTS. This notice is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government. The Government will not reimburse contractors for any costs incurred as a result of their participation in this survey. The purpose of this Sources Sought Notice is to assist the Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Science (SC) in conducting Market Research to make appropriate acquisition decisions including determining the method of acquisition best suitable to acquire strontium-82 (Sr-82) material; contract type; and also to gain knowledge of potential businesses that are capable of providing Sr-82 to the Department of Energy's (DOE) Isotope Development and Production for Research and Applications Program (Isotope Program) managed by the Office of Science. It is anticipated that DOE will need to acquire decreasing quantities of Sr-82 as customers begin to purchase Sr-82 directly from commercial producers which is expected to occur in 2018. Statement of Work 1.0 Title Purchase of Strontium-82 (Sr-82) Material. Indefinite Delivery-Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) Contract, with the use of Firm Fixed Unit Price Delivery Orders. 2.0 Background The primary goal of the Department of Energy's (DOE) Isotope Development and Production for Research and Applications Program (Isotope Program) managed by the Office of Nuclear Physics is to support research, development, and production of research and commercial isotopes that are of critical importance to the Nation and in short supply. For over 50 years the Isotope Program and its predecessors have been at the forefront of the development and production of stable and radioactive isotope products that are used worldwide and have a profound impact on the Nation's economy and on health care. As the range of available isotopes and the recognized uses for them have increased, new or improved isotope products have become essential for progress in medical research and practice, new industrial processes, and scientific investigation. Isotope Program demand and supply are made in the context of a worldwide market for stable and radioactive isotopes. The Isotope Program currently requires additional supply to supplement the production of strontium-82 from its two linear accelerators at Brookhaven and Los Alamos National Laboratories (BNL and LANL). Since the DOE's accelerators do not operate year-round and their production capacity is insufficient to continuously meet market demand, acquisition of additional Sr-82 from commercial producers will enable the DOE to deliver adequate quantities of this important medical isotope on a year-round basis. It is anticipated that DOE will need to acquire decreasing quantities of Sr-82 as customers begin to purchase Sr-82 directly from commercial producers. Currently, commercial producers cannot sell Sr-82 directly to customers because their product is not qualified for use in U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved (FDA) medical applications. Sr-82 commercial producers are currently working to qualify their product so the customers can purchase Sr-82 directly from them. Qualification of the commercial producers' product is expected to occur in 2018, with customers' purchases also anticipated to begin in 2018. It is expected that as the customers' direct purchase of Sr-82 from commercial producers increase, the amount of Sr-82 DOE will need to purchase as supplement will decrease. 3.0 Scope The Contractor shall furnish Sr-82 material to BNL or LANL. The Contractor will provide the Sr-82 in the form of unprocessed, irradiated rubidium metal or salt targets, partially processed, or fully processed Sr-82 in solution, as agreed by DOE and the Contractor. The DOE shall place a Delivery Order with the Contractor for each shipment required. Delivery Orders shall specify form, total millicurie (mCi) quantity of Sr-82, calibration date, and shipment date. Delivery Orders for Sr-82 will be placed 6-8 weeks prior to shipment date from the Contractor's facility. 3.1 Price The firm-fixed unit price for Sr-82 material is $ __ per mCi. The mCi is determined at calibration date by DOE. All Contractor packaging and handling fees are included in the above price. Targets, all other materials, supplies, and electricity are supplied by the Contractor. 3.2 Delivery Terms Delivery will be F.O.B. Destination. Transportation and shipping charges of the Sr-82 to the delivery location (BNL or LANL, to be specified in the individual Delivery Orders) will be reimbursed to the Contractor at actual cost, subject to the Not-To-Exceed transportation price and conditions to be agreed to and specified in the master IDIQ contract. Shipping containers will be provided by the Contractor at no additional charge to DOE. DOE will be responsible for the return of empty shipping containers to the Contractor's facility at no charge to the Contractor. 3.3 Invoicing The Contractor shall issue an invoice to DOE after DOE's notification of the DOE National Laboratory Contractor's assay on the final processed Sr-82 on the date of calibration. DOE shall pay for the quantity of processed Sr-82 recovered plus any processing losses not to exceed 5% of the Delivery Order quantity. DOE shall pay the invoice within 30 days or within fifteen (15) days if the Contractor qualifies as a small business. A copy of the invoice shall be provided electronically to the Contracting Officer's Representative. 4.0 Objectives and Measures The objective is to provide a reliable supply of quality products based on DOE requirements. The Contractor will ensure 98% of Delivery Orders meet the terms (e.g., specific activity, enrichment, etc.) of the contract. 5.0 Quality Assurance Inspection and Acceptance of the material will occur at the DOE National Laboratory and at the time of calibration. The unprocessed, irradiated rubidium metal or salt targets, partially processed, or fully processed Sr-82 in solution, will be transferred into the Hot Cell facility for further inspection. The inspection, to be performed by the DOE National Laboratory Contractor, will identify any damage to the material containment, i.e. damage to the enclosure of the irradiated target material or leaked solution that can result in external contamination and loss of material. Special focus will be placed on rubidium metal targets due to the instability of rubidium metal in air. The DOE National Laboratory Contractor will report any damage to the target material enclosure to the DOE Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) and the Contractor. 6.0 Specific Work/Objectives Requirements Material that has been recovered from an irradiated rubidium chloride or rubidium metal target and partially purified to remove rubidium isotopes must have a Certificate of Analysis (CofA) showing that the material meets the following specifications as of the reference date stated on the CofA. A chelex resin must be used for pre-purification during processing. Quality Characteristic Specification Sr-82 activity concentration > 1 mCi/mL Sr-82 specific activity > 100 mCi/mg Identified through the major photoelectric peak at 776.5 keV and the 511 keV peak from the Rb-82 daughter Conforms Radionuclidic purity Sr-85/Sr-82 < 1.5 Sr-83/Sr-82 < 0.01 Ba-131/Sr-82 < 0.002 All other gamma impurities/Sr-82 < 0.1* Stable element content < 500 ppm** * Does not include Rb gamma emitters ** Does not include Sr or Rb 7.0 Place of Performance Sr-82 will be produced at the Contractor's facility to fulfill the requirements as specified in individual Delivery Orders to be issued under the master contract. 8.0 Period of Performance The period of performance for the master contract will be for a one (1) year base period plus three (3) one-year option periods. Delivery Orders may be issued at any time during the contract period. Performance periods shall be identified in the Delivery Orders to be issued under the master contract. 9.0 Milestones and Deliverable/Delivery Schedule Delivery is to be made according to the delivery schedule specified in the individual Delivery Orders issued under the master contract. 10.0 Security Not applicable. Work will be performed at the Contractor's facility. 10.1 Physical Security Not applicable. Work will be performed at the Contractor's facility. 11.0 Conservation of Utilities Not applicable. This Statement of Work is not for the acquisition and supply of utility services for a Federal agency. This Statement of Work is to supply Sr-82. 12.0 Government Furnished Equipment (GFE)/Government Furnished Information (GFI) Not applicable. 13.0 Inspection and Acceptance Criteria The Contractor shall comply with the terms and conditions as cited in the master contract. 14.0 Funds Availability The funds for the purchase of Sr-82 are subject to the annual appropriations by Congress, revenues realized by the revolving fund and advance payments collected. The estimates are based on the Isotope Program's current understanding of future funding and projected revenues. 15.0 Other Pertinent Information or Special Considerations None. REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) The Government requests responses from all interested Vendors that may be able to meet the technical requirements, including Small Businesses that may be able to meet the technical requirements and are, or can be, certified as a Small Business in the suggested NAICS code of 325412. Submission requirements: 1. Page limit - Ten (10) 8 ½ x 11 pages 2. 1 inch margins (top, bottom and sides) 3. Times New Roman font - 12 point or larger 4. Page limitation does not include (1 cover page or 1 letter of introduction page) 5. Do not include promotional materials 6. To be received no later than 04:30 PM, CDT, on February 16, 2018. Capability statements will not be returned and will not be accepted after the due date. 7. Submissions can be e-mailed to [email protected] and [email protected]. Capability Statement: The Government requests that no proprietary or confidential business data be submitted in a response to this notice. However, responses that indicate the information therein is proprietary will be properly safeguarded for Government use only. Capability Statements must include the following information: • Company Name • Company Address • DUNS, TIN, CAGE code • Type of Company (i.e. large business, small business, HUBZone small businesses; service-disabled, veteran-owned small businesses; 8(a) small businesses; women-owned small businesses; small disadvantaged businesses, foreign-owned, etc.) as validated via the SAM https://www.sam.gov/portal/public/SAM/#1 • Company Point of Contact, Phone and Email address. In addition, please provide answers to the following questions in your Capability statement: 1. Is your facility capable of producing Sr-82? Describe the capability of proposed facility resources (e.g. accelerator energy and beam intensity; hot cell processing). 2. Describe in what form (unprocessed, irradiated rubidium metal or salt targets, irradiated spallation targets, or partially processed or fully processed Sr-82 in solution) you can provide Sr-82. Provide technical specifications and drawings for the Sr-82 to be produced and supplied in response to any future solicitation. (E.g., irradiated target specifications should include geometry, materials content, Quality Assurance elements, etc.; partially processed material specifications should include radionuclide purity, specific activity, etc.; and fully finished product specifications should include radionuclide purity, stable element content, overall concentration, etc.) 3. For new vendors, three sample batches (each 100 mCi at calibration time) of strontium may be required to be delivered to BNL and/or LANL for validation prior to award of a contract. If you are a new vendor, would you be willing to provide samples for validation purposes? 4. If a solicitation for an Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) master contract is issued to provide Sr-82 material to DOE, would you respond? If so, what is the number of days you would need to respond to the solicitation? 5. Describe the maximum quantity of Sr-82 that you would be able to provide to DOE per month and per year. If not year-around, provide what months you could provide Sr-82 to DOE. 6. Based on your knowledge of the requirement in the Statement of Work, do you believe that the determination of using FAR Part 12, Acquisition of Commercial Items, procedures as applicable in FAR 12.102 is appropriate? 7. Based on your knowledge of the requirement in the Statement of Work, what contract type does your organization recommend as the most appropriate, efficient and effective contract vehicle in meeting the Government's needs? 8. What is your experience in providing Sr-82 to the Government and the commercial market? 9. Describe your capability and demonstrated past experiences in performing a scope similar to that of this requirement. 10. Please advise if it is your intent to obtain Sr-82 from a third party. If so, describe your experience in successfully teaming with a third party to obtain Sr-82. 11. Describe your manpower and management capabilities and capacity, organization, accounting and operations controls. Does your organization have a Government approved accounting system? If so, please identify the agency that approved the system. 12. Do you have adequate financial resources or the ability to obtain adequate financial resources in accordance with FAR Part 9.104-3? 13. Do you currently have any GSA Schedule contracts appropriate to meet the requirements of this Sources Sought? If yes, please provide the contract number and expiration date. ==================================================================== Disclaimer and Important Notes. This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in response. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine the organization's qualifications to perform the work. Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted. After a review of the responses received, a presolicitation synopsis and solicitation may be published in Federal Business Opportunities. However, responses to this notice will not be considered adequate responses to a solicitation. Confidentiality. No proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included in your response. The Government reserves the right to use any non-proprietary technical information in any resultant solicitation(s).