Federal Emergency Management Agency, Mt. Weather Emergency Assistance Center, 19844 Blue Ridge Mountain Road, Bluemont, VA 20135

46 -- WATER PURIFICATION SYSTEMS W/NBC FILTRATION SYSTEM -- AMENDMENT NO. A001 SOL EMV-1998-RQ-0042 DUE 081898 POC Mrs. Debi Foster, Contract Specialist, 540/542-2687 E-MAIL: EMV-1998-RQ-0042 -- Amendment No. A001, debi.foster@fema.gov. EMV-1998-RQ-0042, previously published in the CBD on July 7, 1998, has been amended. Amendment A001 is issued to the above combined synopsis/solicitation for the purchase of five Goodman Ball Inc. Model 3000 WPS Water Purification Systems or approved equal. This amendment is issued in accordance with FAR Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only amendment to the above solicitation, bids are being requested, and a written amendment will not be issued. This amendment is issued to provide answers to questions received regarding the synopsis/solicitation. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS: (1) QUESTION: What are the weight limitations? ANSWER: Must be airliftable by C5A or C17 USAF aircraft. (2) QUESTION: Can you cite the type of aircraft to be used to airlift this unit, commercial, and type of helicopter? ANSWER: No helicopter, USAF C5A or C17 military aircraft. (3) QUESTION: What type of vehicle do you anticipate using as the prime mover, a semi-trailer truck, or smaller vehicle such as a pick-up or off-road utility vehicle? ANSWER: Smaller vehicle than a semi but more than a pick-up truck, probably a 3 or 4 ton vehicle. (4) QUESTION: Does the Diesel power source have to be on the same trailer as the WPS or can it be on its own trailer? ANSWER: Same trailer, if possible. (5) QUESTION: Upgrading a 3,000 gph WPS to a reverse osmosis technology requires a significant addition of high-pressure pumps and associated higher power requirements. Do you want a Diesel generator capable of handling those future electric power requirements? ANSWER: Yes! (6) QUESTION: Is the requirement to still produce 3,000 gph after the upgrade to Reverse Osmosis (RO)? ANSWER: No! The requirement to produce fresh drinking versus RO capable drinking water will be significantly reduced because of the different filtration and chemical treatment of the water for RO. (7) QUESTION: What is the expected method to obtain raw water? Is this unit expected to draw raw water directly from the source such as river, lake, pond, or ocean? ANSWER: Yes! (8) QUESTION: What is the required suction-lift requirement for this unit if drawing its raw water directly from the source? ANSWER: 10 feet. (9) QUESTION: Over what distance do you anticipate drawing raw water (how long is the suction hose)? ANSWER: Up to 100 feet from the water source. (10) QUESTION: To what do you anticipate distributing the purified water? A bladder? Water trucks? An emergency distribution system? ANSWER: Trucks (potable water) and water buffalos (potable water). (11) QUESTION: Over what distance do you anticipate distributing water and at what pressure? ANSWER: To a potable water tanker 500 foot hose. FEMA's concern is not the pressure, but the stated 3,000 GPH. Refer to answer 19. (12) QUESTION: What are the potable water standards to be met by the WPS? ANSWER: Must be drinkable right from the WPS. (13) QUESTION: What is the anticipated uninterrupted operating hours for this unit? ANSWER: 12 hours. (14) QUESTION: Have any allowances been considered for maintenance, or filter change-out? ANSWER: Yes! It will be user maintenance (FEMA). (15) QUESTION: You cite in the CBD announcement the "Goodman Ball, Inc. Model 3000 WPS or equal" as the item you wish to purchase. Does this imply you are only interested in this type of water purification technology? ANSWER: References in the specifications to equipment, material, articles, or patented processes by trade name, make, or catalog number, shall be regarded as establishing a standard of quality and shall not be construed as limiting competition. The contractor may, at its option, use any equipment, material, article, or process that, in the judgment of the Contracting Officer, is equal to that named in the specifications. (16) QUESTION: Please specify whether the WPS shall be capable of drawing water from any source, and that the raw water intake system shall be capable of 25 feet static suction lift through 100 feet of suction hose (normalized to 77 degrees F and at sea level). ANSWER: Yes, water will drawn from any source. Refer to answers 8, 9, and 11. (17) QUESTION: Please specify whether the WPS Diesel Power Source should be sized for just the current performance requirements, and that any additional Diesel Power Source required for the RO/Desalination upgrade will be provided at a later date. ANSWER: Must be capable of adding modules as spelled out in the synopsis/ solicitation. (18) QUESTION: Please specify whether the WPS Product Water Requirement on fresh water sources shall be 3000 GPH, and that when upgraded to add-on the RO/Desalination module, that the Product Water Requirement on seawater having a TDS of 45,000 mg/L (normalized to 77 degrees F) the Product Water Requirement shall be 900 GPH. ANSWER: The RO capabilities are not specified in the purchase. (19) QUESTION: Please specify whether the WPS Product Water Requirement on fresh water sources shall be 72,000 gallons per day, over a continuous 24 hour period, and whether it is desired that the WPS system shall not have an interrupted supply of potable product water during any cleaning or backwashing cycle. ANSWER: Recommended 12 hour days. Most operations close after a 12-hour shift. We will not make potable water for continuous 24-hours. (20) QUESTION: Please specify whether the WPS Product Water Quality Requirement is that the WPS shall be capable of producing potable drinking water to meet or exceed the W.H.O. and/or the US EPA standards for drinking water. ANSWER: Must meet EPA/OSHA and industry standards. (21) QUESTION: Please specify whether the WPS Delivery Time shall be no greater than 180 days ARO. ANSWER: Please state your best delivery time ARO. A bid will not be rejected if it is unable to meet the specified 60 day delivery time. (22) QUESTION: What levels of NBC contamination do you estimate the source water will contain? Our standard system uses RO as an integral part of the system. Our experience, and that of the US and UK military, indicates only RO is a viable option when dealing with outputs of water similar to your stated requirements, without consuming vast amounts of Ion exchange media. ANSWER: See specifications provided in the synopsis/solicitation. (23) QUESTION: Does the water quality standard required for the unit apply to the Diatomaceous earth (DE) filtration stage as well as the RO stage product waters? ANSWER: Yes to the DE, no to the RO. (24) QUESTION: Is seawater seen as a potential water source? ANSWER: No, not currently, however, as a future requirement modification. (25) QUESTION: Your RFQ indicates " WPS must be capable of processing 3000 gallons of potable water per hour and have an NBC capability that will allow the production of uncontaminated potable water." At what point in the filter's life is this flow to be measured? Is the 3000 GPH an average over the filter's life (i.e., over one filter cycle)? Our standard system has an average output closer to 2000 GPH but can range upwards approaching the 3000 GPH at the beginning of filtration with a non NBC contaminated fresh water source.ANSWER: Filters will be tested after eight hours of continuous use. (26) QUESTION: As RO is to be used as a post treatment to the DE filter as is intimated in your RFQ, can you please advise the expected drinking water output from the final treatment stage. ANSWER: RO is not a requirement for this purchase, the GPH is 3000. (27) QUESTION: The RO feed water (DE product water) must be less than 1.0 NTU Turbidity. This is required as RO membrane manufacturers will not warrant their membranes for feed input into the RO of greater than 1.0 NTU. This is very important if you intend to purchase the equipment in more than one phase. ANSWER: The RO feeder water will be less than 1.0 NTU Turbidity. (28) QUESTION: Who will be responsible for the maintenance of the equipment and what level of technical ability will they have? ANSWER: FEMA. All are expert technicians and require limited training to become fully capable. (29) QUESTION: Please advise the number of hours the equipment must last as a Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF) and Mean Time to Repair (MTTR). ANSWER: MTBF -- 2,000 hours, MTTR -- 20 minutes. (30) QUESTION: Assuming seawater may be a potential source, what level of corrosion protection is required? ANSWER: See answer 24. (31) QUESTION: As the source could contain NBC contaminates, can you confirm/clarify that all components are to be assessed for chemical hardening, ability to be decontaminated (external and internal surfaces) and be returned to active use? ANSWER: In accordance with EPA, OSHA, and industry standards. If possible, return to active use. (32) QUESTION: What level of spares will be required to support the equipment for field repairs as opposed to workshop/contractor repairs, bearing in mind the MTBF and MTTR requirements above? ANSWER: A 30-day supply. (33) QUESTION: Transport by land is listed as a requirement, but no indication is given as to the condition or the surface, i.e., prepared road, metal road, farm track, cross country, etc. This is required when selecting a trailer as groundclearance is important. Please clarify. ANSWER: Prepared road, cross country. (34) QUESTION: When transporting by air, we assume you are including underslung and internal positions as the requirement. Please clarify. ANSWER: Internal only. (35) QUESTION: Will the equipment be required to be of such design that it is possible to air drop it in to the required location? Please advise. ANSWER: No Air drop will ever be considered. (36) QUESTION: How will the system be tested to confirm NBC removal? Will test documentation from a government authorized agency be acceptable rather than having to perform acting testing? The process configuration of our standard system has been live NBC tested by an authorized government agency. ANSWER: Testing by authorized government agency. Depending on conditions, possible field testing may be necessary. (37) QUESTION: Is there a weight maximum? ANSWER: 15,000 lbs. (38) QUESTION: While you request a light trailer, what will you pull it with? ANSWER: 3 to 4 ton truck. (39) QUESTION: Does the trailer need to meet standards such as the NATO code? Or others? ANSWER: No! (40) QUESTION: Is the trailer, and/or platform, to be enclosed? If not necessary, do you have a preference? ANSWER: Would like it enclosed, to keep the engines out of the elements. (41) QUESTION: Will the system be required to operate both on and off the trailer? ANSWER: Yes! (42) QUESTION: Does the power unit need to be on the trailer or does it get a separate trailer? ANSWER: Would prefer on the trailer, part of the entire system. (43) QUESTION: Hose requirements: Length needed from source? 30 to 50 feet; Length needed to distribution? 10 feet; Elevation from source? To pump up, it should be 5 to 10 feet; Elevation to distribution? ANSWER: Should be pumpable up to a water distribution vehicle to 10 feet. (44) QUESTION: Do we need to provide distribution pumps? If so, size? Interchangeability? ANSWER: Only to pump clean water to the water distribution vehicle. 5hp (1 hp minimum) should be enough to pump it into the truck. Interchangeability will not be required. (45) QUESTION: Mobility: such as helicopter mobile? Other? ANSWER: Equipment will never be put on a helicopter. We have man portable units for that. On and off-load on C17 and C5a military airlift aircraft. (46) QUESTION: What are your temperature considerations? How cold? How hot? Insulation? Air conditioned? ANSWER: We will not take these units to the field in sub-zero weather. Will not use at 40 degrees or lower. I do not believe there is a hot weather limitation. No insulation and no air conditioning. (47) QUESTION: Regarding possibilities for desalination, what levels of TDS (ppm) do you require: brackish only? 36,000 ppm? 45,000 ppm? 50,000 ppm? Or 60,000 ppm? ANSWER: 50,000ppm; no brackish water. (48) QUESTION: Which Buy American Act clause is applicable? ANSWER: 52.225-3 Buy American Act-Supplies. Bidders must acknowledge receipt of this amendment before the hour and date specified in the RFQ. Failure of this acknowledgement may result in rejection of your quote. If as a result of this amendment you desire to change a quote already submitted, such a change may be made by a letter. The letter must refer to the RFQ No. EMV-1998-RQ-0042 and this amendment, and be received before the opening hour and date specified. The synopsis/solicitation EMV-1998-RQ-0042 is amended as indicated above. As a result of the changes made herein, the hour and date for receipt of quotes is hereby extended from 4:00 p.m., EDST, July 30, 1998 to 4:30 p.m., EDST, August 18, 1998. Except as provided herein, all other terms and conditions of EMV-1998-RQ-0042 remain unchanged and in full force and effect. End of Amendment No. A001 to synopsis/solicitation number EMV-1998-RQ-0042. Posted 07/31/98 (W-SN231094). (0212)

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