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. BACKGROUND The primary goal of the Department of Energy's (DOE) Isotope Development and Production for Research and Applications Program (Isotope Program) within the Office of Science 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 evaluations are made in the context of a worldwide market for stable and radioactive isotopes. The Isotope Program requires additional supply to supplement the production of Sr-82 from two linear accelerators at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) and Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). Since the DOE's accelerators do not operate year round and are incapable of production to meet current demand, acquisition of additional Sr-82 will enable the DOE to deliver adequate quantities of important medical isotopes on a year-round basis. DRAFT SCOPE The Contractor(s) shall furnish Sr-82 material to LANL or BNL. The firm fixed price for Sr-82 material shall be $ (To Be Determined) per millicurie (mCi). The mCi is determined at calibration date by DOE. All Contractor packaging and handling fees are included in the above price. Shipping containers will be provided by LANL or BNL free of lease fees and demurrage charges, or will be provided by the Contactor(s) at no charge to DOE. DOE will pay for material freight charges and empty cask return to the Contractor's facility. The Contractor(s) may provide the Sr-82 in the form of unprocessed, irradiated rubidium metal or salt targets, irradiated spallation targets, or partially processed or fully processed Sr-82 in solution as agreed by DOE, the national laboratory and the Contractor. The DOE shall place a delivery order with the Contractor for each shipment required. Delivery orders shall specify total quantity (mCi) 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 for amounts up to 4400 mCi per shipment. Targets, all other materials, supplies, and electricity are supplied by the Contractor. Rubidium (Rb) metal or chloride used to provide irradiated targets and/or fully or partially processed material shall have a purity of 99.9% Rb and shall have no more than 25 parts per million (ppm) calcium , 400 ppm caesium or 25 ppm barium impurities. The national laboratory which receives the targets and/or solution will perform an assay on the final processed targets and/or solution on the date of calibration to determine specification and recovered quantity of targets and/or solution plus any processing losses. The Government is considering soliciting this requirement under FAR Part 12 as an acquisition for commercial items or under Part 15 using full and open competition. Responses to the information requested will assist the Government in determining the appropriate acquisition method and contract type. The Government anticipates award of a contract with a one -year Base period of performance with multiple one year option periods to follow, starting on or around October 1, 2016. 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 June, 17, 2016. 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. Provide documentation that your Sr-82 meets standards specified in this document and is approved for use in the U.S. medical field. 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 this type of requirement, 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 this type of requirement, 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).