Page 3 of 3 NOTICE OF INTENT TO SOLE SOURCE TRI-ANNUAL BREAKER TESTING The Veterans Health Affairs, Network Contracting Office 16, is issuing this Notice of Intent to Sole Source to identify any potential sources that have the resources and capabilities to provide Tri-Annual Breaker Testing as described below in the statement of work. The government is contemplating a Firm Fixed Price contract to satisfy this requirement and meet the needs of the patient population at the Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care System. Period of Performance is Date of Award thru 09-30-2022. STATEMENT OF WORK (SOW) Tri-Annual Breaker Testing Statement of Work Tri-Annual Breaker Testing 1. INTRODUCTION: This Statement of Work (SOW) describes the requirements for the maintenance, inspection, testing, and/or calibration of the Electrical Power Distribution System and all its components at the Biloxi VA Medical Center. These work items are referenced as Maintenance and Testing in this document, hereafter. This SOW describes the requirements for the Qualified Electrical Contract Professionals known as Contractors in this document, hereafter. Contractors who are contracted by VA Medical Center to perform maintenance and testing of the Electrical Power Distribution System, and all its components shall meet all requirements stated in Section 3 of this SOW. This SOW describes the requirements to establish maintenance and testing reports. 2. QUALIFICATION OF CONTRACTORS: Contractors shall be licensed Journeyman and/or Master Electricians, having proper training and up-to-date licensing / Certifications to perform the specified work. Electrical Contracting (i.e. the construction, repair, testing and maintenance of industrial and commercial electrical distribution systems) shall be the primary interest/specialty of the Contractor s business. The qualified workers shall have current Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) approved 10-hour construction safety training. Work shall be performed in accordance with ANSI/NETA MTS (American National Standards Institute / International Electrical Testing Association Standard for Maintenance and Testing Specifications) . Contractors shall have technical training and demonstrable track records of working experience in maintenance, inspection, and testing of the Electrical Power Distribution Systems and related components in healthcare, industrial, educational, and commercial facilities for a minimum of ten (10) continuous years. Electrical components on which the Contractors have experience shall include, but not be limited to, switchboards & switchgear (low and medium voltage); low voltage controls; emergency and standby generators; automatic transfer switches, wiring, transformers, meters, and other electrical equipment. Contractors shall have safety trainings either on-the-job or class-room type - in electrical safety outlined in the OSHA Standard 29 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 1910 Subpart S Electrical, and the NFPA 70E Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace. Training certification shall be provided indicating each technician is a Qualified Person as defined by NFPA 70E. Training certifications shall be submitted to the VA Contracting Officer prior to work. If no training certifications are available, the contractor Employer shall certify that he/she has met this requirement in writing and submit it to the VA Contracting Officer prior to work. Contractors shall have ready access to the latest versions of the following references: NFPA 70, National Electrical Code. NFPA 70B, Recommended Practice for Electrical Equipment Maintenance. NFPA 70E, Standard for Electrical Safety for the Workplace. NFPA 110, Standard for Emergency and Standby Power System. OSHA Standard 29 CFR 1910, Subparts I & S. International Electrical Testing Association, Inc. (NETA) MTS Maintenance and Testing Specifications. Operating/Maintenance manuals, and specifications of the electrical equipment to be maintained and tested. These documents may be obtained from the VHA Medical Center, or the equipment manufacturers. VHA Directive 1028, Electrical Power Distribution System Contractors shall have and provide all necessary tools, equipment, and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to perform the work safely, effectively, and timely. Tools, equipment, and PPE shall comply with the requirements of OSHA Standard 29 CFR 1910, Subpart I, and NFPA 70E. Prior to initiating work, Contractor shall provide documentation that all instruments, test equipment, tools and PPE have current calibration. Dated calibration labels shall be visible on all instruments, test equipment, tools, and PPE as appropriate. The Contractor shall have a minimum of ten (10) years of specialized continuous experience in testing, inspection, cleaning, adjusting, and appraising electrical distribution systems and apparatus to assure their reliable operations. Previous Biloxi VAMC Electrical Distribution Testing desirable. 3. MAINTENANCE AND TESTING REQUIREMENTS: In addition to complying with the general codes referenced in 1. B., the contractor shall pay special attention to compliance with VHA Directive 1028 and NFPA 70B. Switchgear Equipment, Medium Voltage Circuit Breakers, and Protective Relays: Record switchgear, breaker, and device nameplate information and compare with facility s one-line diagram, when available. Identify and record discrepancies. Inspect all electrical equipment, including each breaker, and report damaged, or malfunctioning equipment, loose connections or material or any contamination that must be corrected. Clean where appropriate. Check equipment for level, security to foundation, and operation of doors. Report any unfavorable environmental conditions such as excessive moisture. Visually inspect the equipment ground and record the number and size of ground bus and straps, Report deficiencies, and clean where appropriate. Inspect the insulation system on the primary bus and assemblies. Test insulation on each bus, phase-to-phase and phase-to-ground with suitable megohmmeter as applicable. Record values, report deficiencies, and clean where appropriate. Draw or rack each breaker from its cell. Remove arc chutes, clean, inspect, and adjust all contacts as necessary. Measure and record contact resistance in micro-ohms and clean all insulating surfaces. Megger and record phase-to-phase and phase-to-ground. Lubricate as necessary. Electrically close and trip each breaker with control switch. Manually close and trip each breaker. Trip each breaker with each of its protective devices. Tighten all connections. Record any discrepancies. Remove each relay from its case. Clean, inspect, and tighten all connection. Apply three multiples of relay tap current to each relay to verify manufacturers time current characteristics. Test each relay for instantaneous pickup. Test all ground fault relays for proper calibration and operation. Report deficiencies and adjust where appropriate. Primary Disconnects De-energize entire substation where feasible, clean all insulating surfaces, and clean and dress all contacts. Measure contact resistance in micro-ohms, Megger each phase-to-ground. Record any discrepancies. Clean and inspect cubicle, tighten all untapped connections, and lubricate as necessary. Transformer Record transformer nameplate information and compare with the facility s one-line diagram, when available. Record discrepancies. Inspect transformer and accessories and report damage, loose connections or material, shipping blocks, or contaminations that must be corrected. Clean where appropriate, inspect for leaks and tighten all untapped connections. Clean insulating surfaces. Sample all insulating liquids and test dielectric and water content. Add insulating fluid as needed to be Topped Off . Low Voltage Circuit Breakers Record switchgear, breaker, and device nameplate information and compare with the facility s one-line diagram, when available. Record discrepancies. NOTE: Work includes all service equipment and power distribution panel boards but not branch-circuit panel boards that are used on the various floors in the buildings. Inspect equipment and each breaker and report damage, loose connections or material, or contamination that must be corrected. Clean where appropriate. Check equipment for level, security to foundations, and operation of doors. Report any unfavorable environmental conditions such as excessive moisture or conducting dust that must be corrected. Clean where appropriate. Visually inspect the equipment ground and record the number and size of ground bus and straps. Report deficiencies. Inspect the insulation system on the primary bus and assemblies. Test insulation on each bus, phase-to-phase and phase-to-ground with suitable megohmmeter. Record values, report deficiencies and clean where appropriate. Have to Shut everything down on both ends ensuring not to affect critical life support equipment. Clean and inspect each breaker. Megger phase-to-phase, phase-to-ground, and measure contact resistance in micro-ohms. Test each series over current trip device for pickup at 200% and 300% of its rating for instantaneous pickup. Clean and dress all contact surfaces and lubricate as necessary. Infra-Red Scanning/Thermographic Survey shall be performed on all electrical equipment. Use an infra-red scanning camera to detect hot spots in the Electrical Power Distribution System. Objective of this work is to detect any loose, broken, or corroded connections in the system. Problem connections shall be replaced with new connectors, and/or tightened with torque wrench to meet the equipment manufacturers specifications. Note that since this work item must be done while the Electrical Power Distribution System is energized, appropriate safety precautions must be taken before, during, and after scanning the system. Batteries Provide and replace batteries inside each micro-logic, size ½ AA 3.6 volts Schneider Electric part number 33593. Approximately 100 batteries to be used and remaining batteries to be handed over to VA Electrician. REPORTS: Provide two copies of data, testing, and inspection results to the Maintenance and Operations (M&O) Engineer of all devices tested as required by the scope. Report shall be securely bound and in an 8 ½ x 11 format. Provide one electronic copy (CD) of the report as either a PDF file or Word document. At a minimum, the report shall include the following: Summary of project Description of equipment tested Description of tests Test Data Analysis and recommendations Test data records shall include the following minimum requirements: Identification of the testing organization Equipment identification Humidity, temperature, and other conditions that may affect the results of the tests/calibrations Date of inspections, tests, maintenance and/or calibrations Identification of the testing technician Indication of inspections, tests, maintenance and/or calibration to be performed and recorded Indication of expected results when calibrations are to be performed Indication of as-found and as-left results, as applicable Sufficient spaces to allow all results and comments to be indicated Thermography pictures (ALL Acceptable and Unacceptable) to be submitted on all equipment by Building and Location in accordance with previous test data records in a binder and electronically on CD. ELECTRICAL GROUNDING SYSTEM TESTING CRITERIA: Grounding Testing Procedures This section describes grounding system testing procedures. These tests should be performed when the site ground system can be safely disconnected from the power company neutral wire. Overview Testing will be performed using one of the three methods which are described as follows: Three-Point / Fall of Potential Testing This method is the most widely accepted. However, performing the test may require access to areas that may be beyond the site property lines. When testing a grounding electrode system consisting of a multi-bonded/ multi-grounding electrode system, the distance required for testing is directly related to the effective diagonal distance of the buried grounding electrode system. Clamp-on Ohmmeter This method shall be used when access to necessary space needed for the Three-point/Fall of Potential test is not available. However, the clamp-on Ohmmeter test can only be performed after AC utilities have been connected to the site and various feed conductors are accessible. Combined Soil Resistivity Testing with Clamp-on Ohmmeter Testing This method shall only be used in special cases where three-point/fall of potential testing or clamp-on ohmmeter testing cannot directly provide a suitable evaluation. The data obtained from soil resistivity testing and clamp-on ohmmeter testing is then used by an engineering firm specializing in grounding electrode system design to make determinations regarding the grounding electrode system. Limitations to Performance Testing The following conditions must be met in order to perform grounding electrode system testing: Three Point / Fall of Potential Test Procedure The three point/fall of potential test is the most widely accepted and recommended test method. This procedure is described in detail in ANSI/IEEE STD 81.2. In the three point/fall of potential test, two test rods are driven into the soil. These rods are placed in a straight line from an electrode in the grounding electrode system to be tested (referred to here as connection 'X'). One of the test rods (referred to here as rod 'Z') is placed at a known distance from the 'X' connection. The other test rod (referred to here as rod 'Y') is placed at various distances between the 'x' connection and rod 'Z', a potential difference (voltage drop) will exist between the 'x' connection and rod Y. The fall of potential tester measures the voltage drop between the 'X' connection and rod 'Y and converts the measurement to a resistance reading using Ohm's Law (R=E/I). In this manner, the resistance at any point between 'x' connection and rod 'z' can be measured. The multiple readings obtained during this test are entered and plotted as data points on a graph. From the graph, the resistance of the grounding electrode system can be determined. This test requires disconnection of the site grounding electrode system from the power company grounded conductor, and the disconnection of all other grounds that may be connected to the site grounding system, such as telecommunications system grounds. This is required to allow testing that is limited only to the site grounding electrode system. Attempting to perform measurements while the site remains connected to the extensive ground/neutral system of the power company and telecommunications utilities artificially enhances the grounding electrode system reading, resulting in measurement error. Clamp-On Ohmmeter Testing Procedure The clamp-on ohmmeter test can be performed on both single grounding electrode and multi- grounding electrode systems. However, the test can only be accurately performed on a site supplied by commercial power. NOTE: if the electrical service provided by the power company does not contain a neutral wire that is bonded to the extensive power company ground system (such as a three-phase delta service), the clamp-on ohmmeter will not give an accurate reading. In these cases, this is because the neutral wire is locally derived at the transformer and is not part of the extensive power company grounding system; therefore, it cannot provide an effective low resistance return path. The clamp-on ohmmeter works based on injecting a known voltage into the grounding electrode system to create a current flow whose value is a function of the grounding electrode system resistance. The test current flows from the grounding electrode system through the earth, returning to the grounding electrode system via the power company's multi- grounded neutral wire. The meter then measures this current and converts the measurement to a resistance reading using Ohm's Law (R=E/I). As such, the meter displays a resistance of the grounding electrode system in ohms. Since the power company's grounding system is so extensive, the meter considers it to be of negligible value and disregards its effect on the reading. This test requires disconnection of the site utility power. This is required in order to allow testing that is limited only to site grounding system. Attempting to perform measurements while the site remains connected to the utility's extensive grounding/neutral system artificially enhances ground readings that result in measurement error. Combined Soil Resistivity Testing with Clamp-On Ohmmeter Providing site soil resistivity readings along with clamp-on ohmmeter readings is at times the only method available for grounding electrode system resistance verification. This test can be performed in the energized state where the grounding connections are accessible. Once the external grounding electrode system has been verified, the internal system can then be tested. This test will verify only the conductivity to the main ground buss of the commercial power system. This test will not confirm the status to the exterior grounding electrode system or fall of potential. The internal system should be visually inspected and made free of defects prior to testing. Never disconnect any part of the grounding system while in operation. Once visual inspection has been made, a digital low resistance measurement will be made between all bolted/compressed connections and between bolted/compressed connections to enclosures. All bolted connections should be torque to NETA specifications, then retested with a digital low resistance meter. These readings should be documented in a format so that connectivity and conductivity of the grounding electrode system can be demonstrated. External grounding electrode system test procedures are performed in the de-energized state. Internal grounding electrode system test procedures can be performed in the de-energized or energized state. Perform visual inspection for bonding conductor and equipment grounding conductor condition, continuity, and termination. Correct any defects. Perform soil resistivity tests in several locations (if fall-of-potential test method is to be used). After visual inspection and correction of defects is complete, use a digital low resistance meter to measure resistance between all bolted/compressed connections and between bolted/compressed connections to enclosures. All bolted connections will be torqued to NETA specifications, then retested. These readings shall be documented in a format so that connectivity and conductivity can be calculated as to the effectiveness of the grounding electrode system through-out the systems. Ground resistance tests shall be performed using fall-of-potential method or calibrated clamp-on ground resistance tester. Responses must be submitted by 3:00 PM (CST) Wednesday, 2 March 2022. Responses to the information requested above may be submitted via email to
[email protected]. DISCLAIMERS This Notice of Intent to Sole Source does not constitute a solicitation. All information received in response to this notice that is marked proprietary will be handled accordingly in accordance with (IAW) Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 15.201(e). Responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. Responders are solely responsible for all expenses incurred associated with responding to this RFI. This Special Notice of Intent to Sole Source is for planning purposes ONLY. The results of this notice will assist in the development of (1) the requirement, and (2) the acquisition strategy (e.g., small business set-aside, full and open competition, etc.). VA assumes no responsibility for any costs incurred associated with the preparation of responses submitted as a result of this notice.