Lower Monumental Transformer T2 Radiator Replacement

The US Army Corps of Engineers, Walla Walla District intends to issue an out-of-scope modification to an existing contract under the authority of 10 U.S.C. 2304(c)(1), as implemented by FAR 6.302-1 and DFARS 206.302-1, Only One Responsible Source and No Other Supplies or Services Will Satisfy Agency Requirements to Native American Transformer Services Inc. This Request for Information/Sources Sought announcement is being issued as required by Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS), Procedures, Guidance, and Information (PGI) 206.302-1(d). The contract modification is for the furnishing and replacement of a total of 36 Generator Step-Up (GSU) transformer radiators for transformer T2 at Lower Monumental Dam near Kahlotus, Washington.Summary of Scope of Work:Lower Monumental has 6 main unit transformers or generator step up (GSU) transformers that convert from the generating voltage of 13,800 volts to 500,000 volts for power distribution on the BPA transmission system.

Transformer #2 (T2) consists of three single-phase transformers that are fed by Units 5 and 6, and for which the cooling radiators have been determined to be leaking. The transformers and radiators were manufactured by Westinghouse circa 1977 and installed in 1980 for T2. Contractor to furnish 36 new radiators for replacement on T2 that are constructed of steel tubes or elements welded into steel headers. All welding shall be on the outside of the radiators such that there will be no crevices in which water might collect. The welding and fittings shall be smooth, both inside and out, so as to present no obstruction to the flow of oil inside. Provide radiators that are fully hot-dip galvanized on the outside and remain unpainted. The radiators shall be rated to withstand essentially full vacuum to permit filling the transformer under vacuum with radiators in place and radiator valves open. Provisions shall be made for draining and venting the radiators and lifting eyes shall be provided for handling.The current contract for leak repairs to T2 was awarded in Sept 2021 for work to be performed during an outage the following year. During pre-mobilization inspections, the government was notified of visual pinhole leaks on the radiators for T2, and informed of the subsequent risk present in the vacuum oil fill process to return the transformer to service. The government anticipated potential repairs being needed to the radiators to complete the contract work, however after exploring repair options it was determined replacement was the only available option due to the presence of lead paint on the radiators. The existing radiators cannot be leak tested prior to the transformer being drained of oil, and due to the age of equipment and known manufacturing flaws in the original design a full replacement of all radiators is warranted.A new outage for the transformer work has been scheduled for summer 2023 to allow time to procure new radiators prior to taking the transformer out of service. Due to the long lead time for manufacturing and the current delays experienced in the supply chain, a standalone contract for procurement would add additional schedule risk that the government cannot accept as well as add additional cost to solicit, award, and administer a separate contract. Additionally, providing these radiators as GFE to the current contract for installation may present warranty claim issues in the future.The contract modification requires the contractor to be responsible for establishing and managing an effective Contractor Quality Control (CQC) System that will require the development and submission of a comprehensive project specific CQC Plan for Government acceptance. A CQC System Manager employed by the prime contractor shall be required to be on-site for each shift of the Contractor's operations. The CQC System Manager must possess a minimum of 5-years relevant experience in a supervisory or management position such as Quality Control Manager, Quality Assurance Manager, or Construction Manager directly involved in the management of construction quality at the project site. In addition, the CQC System Manager shall have completed the course entitled "Construction Quality Management for Contractors" within the last 5-years.The Contractor is required to use the Government-furnished Construction Contractor Module (referred to as QCS) of the Resident Management System (RMS) to record, maintain, and submit various information throughout the contract period. QCS is a Windows-based program that can be run on a stand-alone personal computer or on a network.This notice is not a request for competitive proposal. Any interested party with capabilities to fulfill this requirement shall provide their organization name, address, point of contact, phone number, email address, business size, SAM Unique Entity ID, CAGE code, and capabilities to David Boone, Contract Specialist via email at david.c.boone@usace.army.mil. Your response to this notice must be received on or before 2:00 PM on 21 December, 2022. All timely responses submitted will be considered by the Government as part of its market research and subsequent acquisition strategy decisions.A determination by the Government not to compete this requirement based on responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Information received will be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement.