Notice - WAPA Use of DOE Commercial Aviation Services Accepted Operators List

The Western Area Power Administration (WAPA) Sierra Nevada Region (SNR) Folsom, CA, intends to solicit, negotiate, and award a firm-fixed-price contract under the simplified acquisition threshold to a WAPA vetted contractor off of the Department of Energy Commercial Aviation Services Accepted Operators List (AOL).  All commercial air service (CAS) providers must be vetted by OAM or an approved agent (usually a DOE/NNSA Aviation Manager or Aviation Safety Officer) and listed on the Accepted Operators List in accordance with DOE 440.2C, Chg.1. The AOL may not be used to circumvent contracting rules and regulations. If a selected CAS provider is not listed on the AOL they must first be vetted, and listed, before they can commence work. WAPA, part of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), is a Federal power marketingadministration that markets and delivers reliable, cost-based hydroelectric power and relatedservices. SNR serves customers in California and Nevada. SNR’s mission includes

maintenanceand operation of the high-voltage transmission system, including substations and high-voltagepower transmission lines, ranging from 4.16kV to 500kV, which deliver power to its customers.Most of the transmission lines are on steel towers and use both porcelain and polymer typeinsulators to attach the conductor to the tower. The transmission lines are three phase and haveone conductor per phase except for the 500kV transmission lines which have multiple conductors per phase and use spacer dampers between towers to hold the multiple conductors in place.  Over the last 33 years, SNR has experienced one polymer insulator failure, several porcelain insulator failures caused by lightning strikes, and numerous spacer damper failures. Some of the transmission lines are over 50 years old and there is concern over the electrical and mechanical integrity of the insulators and spacer dampers. In recent years there has been a lot of attention given to the risks of faults in the transmission system initiating wildfires. As a result of this concern, SNR requires a Contractor to scan several high voltage electrical transmission lines for Corona and arcing. The camera equipment used will record Ultra-Violet (UV) video images and Infra-Red (IR) images. High definition still pictures of areas with corona are required. The data will be reviewed and analyzed. Reports will be generated showing all areas of concern and their order of severity so that maintenance can be prioritized. SNR has approximately 1,280 miles of transmissions lines and 6,953 structures.No solicitation will be posted. This notice of intent is not a request for competitive quotes. The Government will not be responsible for any cost incurred in preparation of quotes. Any inquiries must be submitted by email to Hillary Miller at hrmiller@wapa.gov within 7 calendar days of this notice. Telephone or faxed inquiries will not be accepted.