This is a Sources Sought Notice that is issued for information and planning purposes only and is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government, implied or otherwise, to issue a solicitation or ultimately award a contract. An award will not be made on offers received in response to this notice. This notice is not an Invitation for Bid (IFB); it is a market research tool being utilized to determine availability of sources prior to issuing an IFB and/or to determine availability of sources for equipment specified under a construction solicitation. The VA Medical Center, Chillicothe, Ohio is planning a project to install continuous water equipment on several buildings within the facility in accordance with Department of Veterans Affairs VHA Directive 1061 dated August 13, 2014. Equipment must meet the following criteria: Continuous Water Quality Monitoring Potable water entering each building subject to this Directive shall be continuously monitored for incoming water pressure and the following characteristics: temperature, pH, dissolved solids, and oxidant residual. Minimum locations: incoming water supply to the building, and hot water discharge at the hot water source equipment Continuous Temperature Monitoring Hot and cold potable water distribution systems shall be monitored Minimum locations: incoming water supply to the building, water storage tanks, hot water discharge at the hot water source equipment, hot water return proximal to the hot water source equipment, water at the return of circulation loops, and water supplied to representative outlets (e.g., loop or branch, hydraulic remoteness, flow). Statement of Work: The contractor shall have the ability to provide technical support to VA technicians or Construction Contractor during installation of the equipment. The contractor shall provide a web-based data management system to collect and report all of the data monitored by the PWA Advanced Monitoring Systems. 1. Potable Water (WMS) Continuous Water Monitoring System Panel mounted system for automatic monitoring of free or total chlorine residuals, pH, temperature, pressure and dissolved solids. The system must continuously monitor these sensors and make the data available securely using any Internet connected device. The chlorine monitor must meet the following minimum requirements: - Measure free residual oxidant (FRO) or total residual oxidant (TRO) in potable water systems using the EPA accepted DPD colorimetric test method for measuring chlorine. - Measure chlorine residuals at configurable frequencies as short as 110 seconds. -Support water sample temperatures directly of up to 131°F, and up to 150°F using a sample cooler. - Measurement accuracy of 5% or less for readings of 0-6 mg/L as FRO or TRO - Comply with US EPA regulation 40 CFR 140.74, Standard Method 4500-CLG, and US EPA Method 334.0 Determination of Residual Chlorine in Drinking Water Using an Online Chlorine Analyzer. - Support both a Modbus and 4 20 mA signals. - NEMA 4X rating or equivalent. Water Temperature Sensors - Compact and Programmable temperature sensor with built-in transmitter - Must be programmable by a computer - 4 to 20 mA signal output - 13 and 24 mm probe length - The body must be stainless steel AISI 316L - Temperature range of -58 to 248 0F - Provide cables for hard wiring to PWA system - Sensor accuracy class A in accordance to IEC751 - Configuration kit required for programming is M12TX-CONFIG The data logging device must meet the following minimum criteria: -The system must be properly calibrated and maintained to ensure accurate and reliable performance on an ongoing basis. - Automatically collect and log data at user selected intervals. - Log device data date/time stamps and store in non-volatile memory. - Store interval data locally until the next scheduled upload. Support a Modbus interface plus fifteen additional analog or pulse input signals. - Capable of receiving data from up to 32 additional sensor systems which support Modbus. -Capable of transporting data securely to servers owned and operated by the equipment over cellular and Ethernet Wide Area Networks (WANs). - Capable of providing secure data access and analysis using any Internet connected device. -NEMA 4X rating -Capable of future connection to a building automation system via a local area network (LAN) The total system must be pre-wired and pre-plumbed on a rugged single skid to ensure high quality and a simple installation. Installation must require only one tap from the main water line to provide a continuous sample stream of water to the monitoring system. The system must be fully powered by a single 110V power supply. 2. Maintenance Services The system must be properly calibrated and maintained to ensure accurate and reliable performance on an ongoing basis. The Flat Monthly Fee for each system must include: - Training - Monthly calibration and supply of calibration solution for ORP probe - Monthly refreshment of test reagents for the chlorine analyzer - All consumable parts for system components Chlorine Analyzer reagents, tubing/cuvette kits, replacement cuvettes, check valve sets and check valve flushing kits Replacement probes for ORP - Labor, travel and expenses 3. Web-based Data Management System The software platform must meet the following minimum criteria: - Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) enterprise-class platform specialized for building water systems. - Capable of monitoring all sensor data from the potable water quality monitoring system. - Tables and graphs that can be plotted based on user selected time intervals and system parameters -Supports manual data entry via computer and mobile devices, automatic uploading of all water and microbiological test results, documentation of water management plans and activities, and automated sensor monitoring, as specified in VA directive 1061 - Administrative functionality to control user access rights, and automated alert notifications - Data storage for a minimum of five years. - Exportable data to excel and other formats The software platform must meet the following Infrastructure Reliability and Information Security Management requirements: - The web application host will provide a service level agreement ( SLA ) with a service commitment to a monthly uptime percentage of at least 99.95%. Provide Host Documentation. - The web application will be hosted at a datacenter compliant with FedRAMP requirements at the moderate impact level and in accordance with the Federal Cloud Computing Strategy. Provide Host Documentation. - The database will be securely backed up hourly for disaster recovery purposes and provide a minimum durability of 99.999% and uptime of 99.999%. Provide Host Documentation. - The web applications will be hosted as a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) data delivery model. This will enable easy access to all data in a highly secure environment via the Internet using any internet connected device including personal computers and mobile devices. - The web application will employ at a minimum TLS 1.2 with 128-bit AES encryption and authentication. - The web application will be delivered by way of a secure login-protected environment with registered HTTPS security provisions. The software platform must meet the following minimum Application-Level Security requirements: - A user account and password of adequate complexity will be required for each individual user who accesses the system. New user accounts may only be created by administrators with the appropriate level of authorization. - Administrators shall have the ability to easily remove access from users no longer authorized to use the application. - All edits, deletions, or changes to existing data will be logged with the date and time, user committing the change, and all original data will be preserved. This audit trail will be available to users with the appropriate level of access. - The web application shall have varying levels of access for data collectors, operators, site managers, water management team members, and administrators. - Users can be restricted by region or facility. A user restricted to a specific facility shall only be able to view data and information pertaining to that facility. The software platform must meet the following minimum Data Collection requirements: - Administrators will be able to add, edit, or remove sample points in the system as needed. - A web page will be available in the application for data collectors to enter test results. - The required testing frequency of each sample point can be configured as daily, weekly, or monthly. Alerts can be issued if required sample is missing. - The system will allow data to easily be exported to a suitable format for offline use. - Time-series charts will be provided in real-time for all data recorded in the system. Charts will show alert limits and can be easily customized based on predefined specifications. - A daily summary report will be generated in real-time by the web application, indicating total number of samples tested by region and facility, total number of samples out of specification for chlorine and temperature, as well as chlorine range and average temperature for each facility. - The web application will allow for the storage of electronic documents online. The storage capability will include automated document versioning and all versions of all documents will be retained. - The web application data will be time-stamped with the time it was entered as well as the time the user records it. Edits or changes to the data are logged so the original values can always be recovered. - The web application will have the ability to track customer service requests. Requests can be entered by plant personnel or by authorized contractors/vendors and tracked through the system until they are completed which makes it easy to marry equipment operations with equipment repair and maintenance. - Viewer rights will be determined based on the direction set forth by the client so those who have access can only see or do what they are authorized to see or do, and no one will have a view into areas that are outside the scope of their roles and responsibilities. - The client may reclassify any properties, as and when required, from high risk to low risk or vice versa. The software platform must meet the following minimum Mobile requirements: - A mobile application will be available for data entry on modern smartphones, including Apple IOS, Google Android, and Windows Phone operating systems. - Data can be entered, viewed, and edited on the mobile application by users with the appropriate level of access. - To enable resilient operation in the field, the mobile application will operate with or without an active internet connection. In the absence of an internet connection, data will be stored on the local device and synchronized with the remote server upon restoration of internet access. - The mobile application will be capable of reading QR codes (barcoding) affixed to sample points to identify the sample and minimize data input errors. The web application will be capable of printing QR codes for the associated sample points. The software platform must meet the following minimum Alerts requirements: - Alert levels can be set for each individual parameter at every sample point in the system. Alert levels can be easily adjusted at any time by users with the appropriate authorization. - Alerts shall be issued electronically, by email, upon entry of any data exceeding predefined alert limits. - Each user account can be configured to receive alert emails by region or facility. - Alerts will be clearly indicated when viewing data in the web application. - The web application will incorporate a work order system that will allow alerts to be prioritized and corrective actions to be logged. Users will be able to view the alert and work order history by region or facility for which they are authorized, down to the individual sample points. The software platform must meet the following minimum Remote Data Acquisition requirements: - A system will be provided to allow rapid deployment of remote sensors throughout the facility. The sensors will upload data at regular intervals to the remote servers and the data will be easily accessible in the web application. - The system will be capable of acquiring data from sensors with the following outputs types; current, voltage, resistance, and pulse. - The data acquisition system will be capable of both Ethernet and 3G cellular connectivity. - The data acquisition system will issue alerts electronically, by email, when a sensor reading exceeds predefined alert limits. Responses to this notice shall be e-mailed to Beverly Jones at
[email protected]. Telephone responses will not be accepted. Responses must be received in writing not later than 5:00 p.m. Friday May 5, 2017. This notice is to assist the VA in determining sources only. A solicitation is not currently available. All information is to be provided on a voluntary basis at no charge to the Government.