Loren Data's SAM Daily™

FBO DAILY ISSUE OF OCTOBER 14, 2006 FBO #1783
SOURCES SOUGHT

39 -- The Bureau of Reclamation, Yakima Field Office, Yakima WA is seeking information on small manufacturers / suppliers of belting material. As per NAICS 326220 Rubber and Plastics Hoses and Belting Manufacturing, SBA size Standard of 500 employees

Notice Date

10/12/2006
 

Notice Type

Sources Sought
 

Contracting Office

Bureau of Reclamation - Upper Columbia Area Office 1917 Marsh Road Yakima WA 98901
 

ZIP Code

98901
 

Solicitation Number

07SQ1U0080
 

Response Due

11/12/2006
 

Archive Date

10/12/2007
 

Small Business Set-Aside

Total Small Business
 

Description

The Bureau of Reclamation, Yakima Field Office, Yakima WA is seeking information on small manufacturers / suppliers of belting material. As per NAICS 326220 Rubber and Plastics Hoses and Belting Manufacturing, SBA size Standard of 500 employees. The Bureau of Reclamation, Upper Columbia Area Office procured the Series S1800 belting material from Intralox Corp in 2003 based on Intralox Corp, being the only acceptable manufacturer at that time. In no way is the US Bureau of Reclamation, Upper Columbia Area Office endorsing the Intralox S1800 belting for use in fish screening devices. This announcement / Request for Information is for the sole purpose of seeking vendors that may be capable of supplying an acceptable material on a competitive market. Based on the following information, if you feel you can provide a suitable product, or have any questions regarding the technical use of the product, please contact the Contracting Officer before close of business Wednesday November 12, 2006. Connie Morgan, Contracting Officer US Bureau of reclamation, UCAO Yakima WA 98901 509-575-5848 ext 241 cmorgan@pn.usbr.gov You may be asked to provide a sample of your product upon the request of the Contracting Officer Background information Fish screening devices are used to prevent fish from being flushed into and through irrigation diversions, suction pumps and hydropower turbines. National Marines Fisheries / NOAA sets the criteria as to how these systems are to be engineered, constructed and maintained. State Programs (Idaho, Oregon, California, and Washington) as well as Federal Agencies throughout the Pacific Northwest are held to these criteria when impact is apparent on anadromous and salmonid species within a stream that is listed as endangered or threatened. Reclamation maintains three different types of fish screens. They are: Rotary drum Fixed Plate Traveling Belt Although rotary type screens are most prevalent throughout the Northwest, there are situations where the performance of fixed plate and traveling belt screens are used. When pumps are installed for 'pumping plant' situations the most often used screening device is the traveling belt screen. A traveling belt screen is similar to the conveyer belt type operation used in shipping plants, warehouses and food processing plants. In these applications the conveyor belt operates on a horizontal plane whereas, a traveling belt screen operates on a vertical plane. The screen travels around a frame, therefore blocking the path of fish that may be sucked into the pumping equipment. Due to the geographical nature of Central Washington State, many sites pose numerous problems to the use of screens due to the silt problem associated with the approach velocity as well as the materials that are carried through the stream. Constant silt moving through out the system builds up at the intake of the screen ( a normal problem since this is where water is being pumped from, thus creating a velocity that draws these particles into the system). The abrasive effect of silt on mechanical components creates problems of deterioration and components wear out frequently, making maintenance not only frequent but costly. The silt problem presides on numerous sites not only in the Yakima Basin but in all areas of the Pacific Northwest. Screen programs have been in search of a material that would withstand this abuse for the past 10-15 years. Even though fish screen / passage is not a new concept with salmonid / anadromous species, it was not until NMFS / NOAA set specific standards in the 1980's that gave way for the commercial market to experiment with materials that would meet this criteria. This research has made available stainless steel fabrics and coverings that are the most commonly used material, but due to silt and abrasive factors there was a need for a better product. The only known manufacturer in 2001 to the present date has been Intralox Corp., New Orleans LA that have created a product that meets the demands and criteria of vertical screen belting material. Intralox Corp. has demonstrated why a plastic / resin type of material as well as a sprocket system to move the belting is the preferred material and method for traveling belt screens in the Pacific Northwest. In the past the mechanics on traveling belt screens was the basic frame with motor driven sprockets that carried the belting around the frame. Due to debris and high water velocity the belting would dislodge itself from the frame and sprockets causing the screen to non functional down time could be from several hours to several days depending on the damage to the belting. The Intralox product is a system of interlocking belting with numerous sprockets. Each sprocket includes 'tracking' teeth located around the perimeter of a drive sprocket, as well as a plurality of recesses for receiving the tooth members located on the modules so as to provide the necessary force to drive the belt. This particular drive technique of the heavy duty conveyor belt is what makes this system popular among Screen programs. The positioning of the sprockets is important with this system as well. It is, more often than not, that a belt should track; it should not slide from side to side such that the edges of the belt rub or wear against the conveyor belt support structure. The configurations of the sprocket teeth on the Intralox system prevent this sliding effect, thus resulting in less wear and less repair / replacement of components and material. Like most, if not all modular conveyer systems, the units of the belting are held together by pivot rods. To keep the pivot rods from coming out, enlarged areas or 'heads' are usually formed on each end of the rod which extends across the width of the belt. Consequently when a broken module has to be replaced or other changes to the belt, a 'head' on one end of the rod must be cut off and the rod removed. After the repair is completed, a new rod is then inserted to hold the modules together and 'heads' are then formed on both ends. The Intralox system uses a single headed rod between interlocking pieces of belting, therefore it is not necessary to include a head on the other end of the pivot rod to prevent the rod from coming out of the linked ends. In field maintenance and repair situations this system configuration would be a valuable labor cost reducing strategy. In 2001 Intralox introduced a product that met NMFS criteria. Not to say that other companies didn't produce the same type of product but only Intralox at that time met the flow guidelines. The actual configuration /opening of the material met criteria in regards to salmonid emergent size as well as appropriate CFS flow. However, the overall percent of open surface (32%), to meet appropriate CFS flow did not meet criteria for water users. The following Fish Screen criteria is provide so that a proposed manufacturer / supplier is made aware of the circumstance and nature of the product required to meet NMFS guidelines, only the portion of the NMFS requirements needed in this proposed acquisition is listed below. JUVENILE FISH SCREEN CRITERIA Developed by National Marine Fisheries Service Environmental & Technical Services Division Portland, Oregon Revised February 16, 1995 GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS: This document provides guidelines and criteria to be utilized in the development of functional designs of downstream migrant fish passage facilities for hydroelectric, irrigation, and other water withdrawal projects. This material has been prepared by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) as a direct result of responsibilities for prescribing fish ways (including fish screen and bypass systems) under Section 18 of the Federal Power Act, administered by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). This material is also applicable for projects that are undergoing consultation with the NMFS, pursuant to responsibilities for protecting fish under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Since these guidelines and criteria are general in nature, there may be cases where site constraints or extenuating circumstances dictate that certain criteria be waived or modified. Conversely, where there is a need to provide additional protection for fish, site-specific criteria may be added. These circumstances will be considered by NMFS on a project-by-project basis. In designing an effective fish screen facility, the swimming ability of the fish is a primary consideration. Research has shown that swimming ability of various fish may depend upon a number of factors relating to the physiology of the fish , including species, size, duration of swimming time required, behavioral aspects, migrational stage, physical condition and others, in addition to water quality parameters such as dissolved oxygen concentrations, water temperature, lighting conditions, and others. For this reason, screen criteria must be expressed in general terms. To minimize risks to anadromous fish at some locations, the NMFS may require investigation (by the project sponsors) of important and poorly defined site-specific variables that are deemed critical to development of the screen and bypass design. This investigation may include factors such as fish behavioral response to hydraulic conditions, weather conditions (ice, wind, flooding, etc.), river stage-discharge relationships, seasonal operational variability, potential for sediment and debris problems, resident fish populations, potential for creating predation opportunity, and other information. The size of salmonids present at a potential screen site usually is not known, and can change from year to year based on flow and temperature conditions. Thus, adequate data to describe the size-time relationship requires substantial sampling efforts over a number of years. The NMFS will assume that fry-sized salmonids and low water temperatures are present at all sites and apply the appropriate criteria listed below, unless adequate biological investigation proves otherwise. The burden-of-proof is the responsibility of the owner of the screen facility. Screen Face Material Fry criteria: a. Perforated plate: screen openings shall not exceed 3/32 or 0.0938 inches (2.38 mm). b. Profile bar screen : The narrowest dimension in the screen openings shall not exceed 0.0689 inches (1.75 mm) in the narrow direction. c. Woven wire screen: screen openings shall not exceed 3/32 or 0.0938 inches (2.38 mm) in the narrow direction (example: 6-14 mesh). d. Screen material shall provide a minimum of 27% open area. e.. The screen material shall be corrosion resistant and sufficiently durable to maintain a smooth Operations and Maintenance a. Fish screens shall be automatically cleaned as frequently as necessary to prevent accumulation of debris. The cleaning system and protocol must be effective, reliable, and satisfactory to the NMFS. Proven cleaning technologies are preferred. b. Open channel intakes shall include a trash rack in the screen facility design which shall be kept free of debris. In certain cases, a satisfactory profile bar screen design can substitute for a trash rack. c. The head differential to trigger screen cleaning for intermittent type cleaning systems shall be a maximum of 0.1 feet (0.03 m) or as agreed to by the NMFS. Based on the above criteria from NMFS and 20 years of 'in field' maintenance, Reclamation has determined that the needed material must have the following characteristics: 1. Profile type bar screen: The narrowest dimension in the screen openings shall not exceed 0.0689 inches (1.75 mm) in the narrow direction. 2. Material shall be manufactured to withstand extreme temperature differences of -20? through 110? Fahrenheit. 3. Material openings shall be configured such that the material, once applied to the vertical structure is 'self cleaning' by way of the hydrologic force. 4. Material shall be dense in nature to withstand the hydrologic force velocities. 5. Material shall be dense in nature / impact and corrosion resistant, to withstand silts, sands, small aggregates and debris. 6. Material shall contain a UV protection to ensure longevity in continuous day light conditions. 7. Belting shall be configured in such a way to eliminate dismantle of the entire belt or structure for any type of repair. 8. Belting shall be configured in such a way that maintenance costs are kept to a minimum. If you feel you can provide a suitable product, or have any questions regarding the technical use of the product, please contact the Contracting Officer before close of business Wednesday November 12, 2006. Connie Morgan, Contracting Officer US Bureau of reclamation, UCAO Yakima WA 98901 509-575-5848 ext 241 cmorgan@pn.usbr.gov In no way is the US Bureau of Reclamation, Upper Columbia Area Office endorsing the Intralox S1800 belting for use in fish screening devices.
 

Web Link

Please click here to view more details.
(http://ideasec.nbc.gov/j2ee/announcementdetail.jsp?serverId=BR14251U&objId=21599)
 

Place of Performance

Address: Yakima WA

Zip Code: 989012058

Country: USA
 

Record

SN01164675-W 20061014/061012220643 (fbodaily.com)
 

Source

FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)

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