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In accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 15.201(e), this Request for Information (RFI) is being issued solely for information, planning, and market research purposes only. This RFI is not a solicitation and does not commit the Government to issue any solicitation. Any costs incurred by respondents in preparation of any submission are the responsibility of the respective respondents. The Government will not reimburse any respondents for any costs. The information listed below in this RFI is not binding and is subject to change. All submissions become the property of Government and will not be returned.

1. BACKGROUND

The Transportation Security Laboratory (TSL) is a United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Federal Laboratory located at the William J. Hughes Technical Center, Atlantic City International Airport, New Jersey, and is a part of the Directorate of Science and Technology (S&T) Office of National Laboratories (ONL). The core mission of TSL is to enhance homeland security by performing research, development and validation of solutions to detect and mitigate the threat of improvised explosive devices.

TSL helps protect our nation’s civilian air transportation systems. By virtue of its accomplished experts, cutting-edge facilities and partnerships, TSL offers the homeland security community and transportation security partners the ability to advance detection technology from conception to deployment through applied research, test and evaluation, assessment, certification and qualification testing.

The Energetic Materials Research Laboratory (EMRL) at TSL uses comprehensive and optimized safety characterization, through applied research to characterize improvised explosive devices and their effects on structures. EMRL has a Q2000 Differential Scanning Calorimeter (DSC) manufactured by TA Instruments – Waters L.L.C, serial number 2000-3321, that has been in continuous use and is expected to remain in continuous use for planned testing activities for the next two years. This highly sensitive DSC measures the amount of energy absorbed or released by a sample when the sample heated. EMRL scientists use the DSC in their quality control for explosives materials, Small Scale Safety Testing (SSST), and extensive safety testing processes. Therefore, it is important that this mission critical instrument remains functioning, uninterrupted, at a high level.

2. DESCRIPTION OF THE REQUIREMENT

EMRL requires a roughly two-year service and maintenance agreement, consisting of a 12-month base period and an 11-month option period, to conduct preventive maintenance and, when necessary, repairs to this Q2000 DSC. The ultimate end date of any period of performance is anticipated to be December 31, 2024.

The scope of this service and maintenance agreement shall encompass:

• Unlimited telephone support during normal business hours;

• Unlimited service visits;

• All service and preventive maintenance visits to be performed by manufacturer trained personnel;

• New or factory approved refurbished parts as needed;

• All on-site labor and travel expenses are included;

• Include one annual preventive maintenance visit; and

• Coverage will start upon contract award OR after covered instruments are determined to be in good operating condition. If pre-inspection is required, it will be performed at no cost to the Government.

The performance objectives or tasks for the both the base period and option period (if exercised) are as follows:

• The Contractor shall perform service and maintenance in accordance with the terms defined in the appliable service and maintenance agreement and/or preventative maintenance agreement;

• Services shall be performed by the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) or OEM-trained and authorized personnel;

• The instrument to be covered under this purchase order is identified as a TA Instruments-manufactured Q2000 DSC with serial number 2000-3321;

• Coverage shall begin upon contract award per the terms specified in the corresponding agreement OR after the covered instrument(s) are determined to be in good operating condition: If pre-inspection is required, it will be performed at no cost to the Government;

• Services shall include, but not limited to, the following:

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  • The Contractor shall provide one annual Preventative Maintenance (PM) visit. The annual PM visit shall include one standard PM kit per OEM Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and guidelines per instrument per year. All on-site labor and repair, including necessary repair parts for one (1) PM service visit per year shall be included. The PM visit shall be scheduled at approximately the same time each year: Brand new, genuine OEM parts/consumables are required for all PM and service visits; no third-party substitutes will be allowed.
  
  
  
  

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  • Any repairs, calibrations, or adjustments performed shall be to the OEM specifications and tolerances;
  
  
  
  

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  • If applicable, the agreement shall include the calibration of any units undergoing service;
  
  
  
  

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  • During the course of a PM visit(s) and/or service calls, the Contractor shall inspect the system and note any concerns; and
  
  
  
  

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  • A service report shall be generated by the technician and provided to the TSL detailing everything that was inspected, any service that was performed, and noting any concerns;
  
  
  
  

• Priority status for technical support inquiries with a targeted immediate (meaning within 24 hours) response time Monday to Friday during normal business hours except Government holidays. Routine status for technical support inquiries with a targeted normal (meaning within three (3) business days or less) response time Monday to Friday during normal business hours except Government holidays. An OEM or OEM trained individual will be available conduct diagnosis and service procedures using the latest digital remote support tools.

Contractor shall provide telephone support at no additional cost in order to isolate and resolve any covered issues.

Performance of this service and maintenance agreement will fact the following operating constraints:

• Field service engineers coming to the TSL for any service will be required to bring their own Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) such as but not limited to safety glasses, laboratory coat, gloves, etc.;

• On-site service technician(s) shall meet all eligibility requirements in order to perform services at a United States Federal Government facility:

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  • In response to any national or local emergency (e.g., pandemic, natural disaster, etc.), additional site restrictions or requirements may be required to allow for entry to the TSL to ensure the safety of laboratory staff and the Contractor; and
  
  
  
  

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  • All PM and service visits shall be conducted by U.S. citizens only. Dual citizens and/or foreign nationals are not permitted to visit or service instrumentation at the TSL;
  
  
  
  

• Preventive and corrective maintenance shall be limited to normal business hours (8:00 AM Eastern Time 4:00 PM Eastern Time, Monday through Friday, except Government holidays or other times when TSL may be closed;

• All PM visits and service calls shall be scheduled at a time mutually agreed upon by the Contractor, the TSL Security Office, and the TSL Point of Contact (POC) to be determined (TBD) or designated POC(s). At least 24 hours’ notice is required prior to arriving at TSL for a service visit to ensure site requirements are met;

• Remote diagnostics (i.e., remote connections to TSL Personal Computers (PCs)) shall not be permitted;

• Shipping:

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  • If shipment is required for any parts, replacement modules, or PM kits, the package(s) shall be addressed to the TSL POC; and
  
  
  
  

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  • An e-mail also shall be sent to the TSL POC with the corresponding tracking information for any parts being delivered to the TSL.
  
  
  
  

• Priority support scheduling shall be available.

This service and maintenance agreement is considered to be a commercial item.

Furthermore, this service and maintenance agreement not a classified requirement.

3. INSTRUCTIONS FOR RESPONDING TO THIS RFI

Sources who are interested in and capable of fulfilling the requirements outlined above are invited to submit via e-mail to DHS Office of Procurement Operations (OPO) Contracting Officer Robert Marosz at Robert.Marosz@hq.dhs.gov responses to this RFI including their capability statements and/or descriptions of their service offerings in a Microsoft Word document or Adobe *.pdf document that is five (5) page or less in length, which includes any cover letter, using no less than a 10-point font (12-point font preferred) on standard 8 ½’ x 11” pages with margins no less ½” (1” margins preferred). No telephone inquiries will be accepted.

In addition to your capabilities or service offerings, please provide the following information:

• Company name and physical/mailing address (headquarters or main office and/or local office proximal to TSL in New Jersey);


• Company’s North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes applicable to this requirement and corresponding socioeconomic statuses;


• System of Award Management (SAM.gov) registration status (active registration or not);


• Company’s Unique Entity Identifier assigned as part of SAM.gov registration;


• CAGE (Commercial and Government Entity) Code;


• Company website address;


• Company POC name and title; and


• Company POC contact information (e-mail address and telephone number)

Please include a brief history of your work on this specific piece of equipment, the TA Instruments-manufactured Q2000 DSC, within the past five years including the company name of the owner of the equipment and location.

Furthermore, please include, as a reference, the RFI number, 70RSAT23RFI000009, in your document and the subject of any e-mail correspondence.

The due date and time for any questions regarding this requirement and RFI is Monday, February 6, 2023, on or before 1:00 PM Eastern Time via e-mail to Robert.Marosz@hq.dhs.gov.

The due date and time for final RFI submissions is Thursday, February 9, 2023, on or before 11:00 AM Eastern Time via e-mail to Robert.Marosz@hq.dhs.gov.

Any unsolicited proposals or quotes in response to this RFI will not be considered.

Thank you for your interest, consideration, and hopefully your participation.

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