Notice Type: Special Notice Synopsis The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) intends to award a non-competitive, order to Engineering Mechanics Corporation of Columbus, 3518 Riverside Drive, Suite 202 Columbus, OH 43221-1735 for the project entitled “TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE IN SUPPORT OF NRC’s REACTOR LICENSING FOR REVIEW OF AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERS CODE CASE N-871-1 FOR DEGRADED PIPING REPAIR USING CARBON FIBER REINFORCED POLYMER COMPOSITE” The acquisition is conducted under the authority of Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 16.505(b)(2)(i)(B) which provides that contracting officers may solicit from one source if the contracting officer determines that the circumstances of the contract action deem only one source reasonably available (e.g., urgency, exclusive licensing agreements, brand-name or industrial mobilization). The designated North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code is 541690-Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services. The anticipated period of performance is two years. Background The American Society of Mechanical Engineer’s Boiler and Pressure Vessel (ASME) Code is currently developing an ASME Code Case to use carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composite to repair degraded ASME Code Classes 2 and 3 piping at US Nuclear Power Plants. The ASME Code is developing requirements for the use of carbon fiber for the first time for use by the ASME Code for nuclear plant application. The NRC has been receiving relief requests to implement carbon fiber repair since 2016. Additionally, the NRC will review the proposed ASME Code Case on carbon fiber repair for inclusion into the US Code of Federal Regulations. CFRP is non-metallic and non-isotropic material. The ASME Code Case N-871 was for internal repair of degraded buried piping using Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP). Recently, ASME Section XI Task Group has expanded the scope of the ASME Code Case significantly to include repairs of degraded piping using CFRP for (a) external repair of buried piping, (b) internal repair of aboveground piping, and (c) external repair of aboveground piping. This expanded Code Case is draft code case N-871-1. The development of this Code Case is on-going in ASME Task Group as the initial scope of this Code Case has been significantly expanded from buried degraded piping internal repair only to include degraded piping repairs using Carbon Fiber reinforced Polymer (CFRP) composite for (a) external repair of buried degraded piping, (b )internal repair of Above Ground degraded piping, (c) external repair of Above Ground degraded piping. The scope of the Code Case also expanded to address the effects of several issues that came to light due to limited confirmatory testing, such as field curing temperature effect during installation on strength, field curing temperature effect during installation on Glass Transition Temperature, and Adjustment factors for Long Term operation of CFRP repair for structural integrity. Safety Related ASME Class 3 piping systems such as Service Water (SW), Circulating Water (CW, and Essential Cooling Water (ECW) are plagued by Microbiologically Induced Corrosion (MIC), and need repairs. CFRP is a non-metallic non-isotropic strong material resistant to MIC. The licensees have been submitting Relief Requests to use of CFRP material as an Alternative for Carbon Steel material. Objective The objective of this acquisition is to provide technical assistance of the technical adequacy of the code case including the acceptability of Material Adjustment Factors for strength and modulus (tension, flexure, overlap shear, lap shear) at Operating Temperature and under Operating Environmental Conditions (water, salt solution, and/or alkali solution). The review assistance should also include recommendations to the NRC on all of the required adjustment factors including elevated temperature effect on material properties, cure temperature effect on strength and Glass Transition Temperature (Tg), environmental exposure effect, multi ply laminate effect, misalignment angle effect, field application versus laboratory testing effect. Provide Technical assistance in review of Carbon Fiber Code Case until the ASME Code Case N-871-1 development is complete, all issues and comments are resolved and is in a final acceptable form, which is estimated to take six ASME quarterly Code meetings. Tasks: Participate in discussions of the next six quarterly ASME Task group meetings. Review and recommend material Adjustment Factors including the acceptability of Material Adjustment Factors for strength and modulus (tension, flexure, overlap shear, lap shear) at Operating Temperature and under Operating Environmental Conditions (water, salt solution, and/or alkali solution) for Multi-Ply Laminates including factors for strength and modulus affected by the field cure temperature. Review and recommend considerations for cure temperature effect on glass transition temperature. Contact This Notice of Intent is NOT a request for proposal NOR a solicitation of offers; however, if any interested party believes they can meet the above requirements, it may submit a statement of capabilities. The statement of capabilities must be submitted in writing and must contain material in sufficient detail to allow the government to determine if the party can perform the requirements. Additionally, in order to perform work for the NRC potential sources must be free of organizational conflict of interest (OCOI). For information on the NRC COI regulations, visit NRC Acquisition Regulation Subpart 2009.5 (https://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/contracting/48cfr-ch20.html). A determination not to compete this proposed procurement based on responses to the notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. All interested parties must express their interest and capabilities in writing via email to Jeffrey R. Mitchell, Contracting Officer via e-mail at
[email protected] no later than February 26, 2021 by 4:00 P.M. Eastern Time (i.e. 15 calendar days from the date this announcement was posted).