NOTICE OF INTENT TO ISSUE A PURCHASE ORDER . The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Office of Mine Safety Health Research (OMSHR) and Pittsburgh Research Laboratory (PRL) hereby announces its intent to issue a purchase order to the Pennsylvania State University (PSU) through the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences for the development of battery safety guidelines for underground coal mine communications and personnel tracking The Objectives of this Project are: to develop specific draft guidelines to improve battery safety for underground coal mine communications and tracking (C&T) system equipment, focusing on battery selection, integration use, and maintenance. QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED INCLUDE: The Research Work addressed by this action requires that the contractor assemble a multidisciplinary team to work with mining and electrical engineering experts tha will be able to address battery safety associated with mining communications and tracking technology. Tasks to be Performed / Statement to Work : Phase I (Base Contract) (items 1, 2 3a, 3b and 3c) - Period of Performance: 09/28/2011 through 04/27/2012. 1. Thoroughly review the final report from CDC contract #254-2008-27024 entitled Performance and Safety Investigation of Emergency Backup Batteries and Battery Charging Systems for Underground Mining Applications. Requested Delivery, Word file 11/30/2011. 2. Provide a critical assessment of the scope and technical content of the final report for CDC contract #254-2008-27024, including any suggested changes or additions to task #3 below. Requested Delivery, Word file 11/30/2011. 3. Develop and supply supporting technical detail for draft battery safety guidelines for underground coal mine C&T equipment for each of the topic areas (a. through f.) listed below. These guidelines are to be based on information from the final report for CDC contract #254-2008-27024, available underground coal mine C&T system design information, requests and guidance from the NIOSH project personnel, and other sources as appropriate. The guidelines shall be in the form of specific recommendations for each topic area (a. through f.), supplied in written reports as scheduled in the deliverables section below. a. A comparison of the inherent safety and suitability of different battery chemistries and configurations for portable device applications such as handheld transceivers, tracking system devices, and other portable C&T devices, citing specific battery selection examples and the rationale for their selection. Comparison must include a detailed coverage of candidate lithium chemistries. Requested Delivery, Word file 1/31/2012. b. A comparison of the inherent safety and suitability of different battery chemistries and configurations for stationary equipment applications, such as mesh system nodes, repeaters, amplifiers, and tracking stations, citing specific battery selection examples and the rationale for their selection. Comparison must include a detailed coverage of candidate lithium chemistries. Requested Delivery, Word file 1/31/2012. c. Design and construction features to improve the effectiveness and safety of battery power supplies for portable underground coal mine C&T devices, including, but not limited to, items i. through viii. below. Application to specific battery chemistries/configurations should be cited. i. MSHA permissibility approval considerations, including conformance to MSHA intrinsic safety (IS) design criteria, performance and safety limitations, and possible improvements to the approval and testing of batteries/devices ii. The characteristics of cells/batteries designated as intrinsically safe (other than approval by MSHA), and their hazards/limitations iii. Hazards specific to, or heightened by, lithium chemistry batteries used in lieu of other chemistries iv. Management of potential battery overheating, including battery pack design and cell-level current limiting and temperature sensing v. Techniques for robust design and construction, including resistance to physical damage and dust/water entry vi. Battery pack design to allow safe changing of battery packs in hazardous atmospheres, and to prevent use in an incorrect device or charger vii. Protocols or device features to improve the emergency performance of portable communications devices beyond the current requirement of shift length + 4 hours, with a possible target of 24 to 48 hours viii. Replacing the 5% transmit, 5% receive, 90% standby standard commonly used for rating available communications system operating time with a measure more realistic for mine use under normal and emergency conditions Requested Delivery, Word file 4/27/2012. Phase II Option 1 , to be exercised upon NIOSH approval and acceptance of Phase I, ( by 05/15/2012) .Period of Performance: 05/15/2012 through 09/28/2012 d. Design and construction features to improve the performance and safety of battery powered stationary underground coal mine C&T equipment, including but not limited to items i. through x. below. Application to specific battery chemistries and configurations should be cited. i. Trade-offs between centralized battery power and batteries located at multiple remote locations, e.g., more batteries vs. greater power cable exposure ii. MSHA permissibility approval considerations, including MSHA intrinsic safety (IS), explosion-proof (XP), and Part 7 design criteria, limitations, and possible improvements with respect to battery/device approval and testing iii. The characteristics of cells/batteries designated as intrinsically safe (other than approval by MSHA), and their hazards/limitations iv. Hazards specific to, or heightened by, lithium chemistry batteries used in lieu of other chemistries v. Overall physical and environmental protection, such as from explosion/roof fall damage and dust/water entry vi. Safety considerations for long term maintenance charging, including battery overheating and possible hazardous gas generation vii. Maintenance requirements, accessibility, and remote battery condition monitoring/testing viii. Disconnecting battery power as a possible ignition source during mine emergencies, using both local and remote control ix. Protocols and equipment to improve the emergency performance of stationary communications equipment beyond the current requirement of 24 hours, with a possible target of 48 hours x. Replacing the 5% transmit, 5% receive, 90% standby standard commonly used for rating available communications system operating time with a measure more realistic for mine emergencies. e. Battery charging issues, including the following. i. Safety issues for long term charging in stationary underground equipment, including permissibility, automated/remote control , and monitoring battery and system conditions ii. Avoiding/managing possible hazardous gas generation from charging in stationary equipment iii. Safe underground charging of portable devices or their battery packs iv. Charger selection to optimize battery life and performance, including automated condition monitoring v. The level of sophistication desirable for smart chargers, for various applications vi. Testing and calibration of chargers f. Logistics. i. Automated state of health/state of charge monitoring and record-keeping for batteries ii. Managing rotation/storage for secondary batteries, and replacement schedules for primary batteries iii. Managing battery accountability and proper end of life disposal Requested Delivery, Word file 07/31/2012. Revisions to Previous Reports as requested by NIOSH 09/28/2012. GOVERNMENT FURNISHED MATERIALS The government will supply the vendor with an electronic copy of the final report for CDC contract #254-2008-27024 entitled Performance and Safety Investigation of Emergency Backup Batteries and Battery Charging Systems for Underground Mining Applications. This project is supported by justification for other than full and open competition to PSU under authority of 41 U.S.C.253(c) (1). Responsible sources that believe they possess the expertise and capabilities identified above are encouraged to submit to the Contracting Officer within 15 days from the posting date of this notice, their written capabilities statement and pricing information in the format they choose, not to exceed 10 pages. Please forward the capability statement and pricing information to James Ambrozic, Purchasing Agent, Reference Solicitation # 2011-Q-14080, 626 Cochrans Mill Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15236; email:
[email protected]. All vendors must be registered in the Central Contractor Registry (CCR) prior to an award of a federal contract. The website is: www.ccr.gov. The Government will review any/all capabilities statements and pricing information submitted and determine if other qualified sources do exist that could provide this requirement. Information received in response to this announcement will be used solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. If no affirmative responses are received within 15 days, in accordance with FAR 13.106-1(b)(1), negotiations will be conducted with the Pennsylvania State University as the only source and a purchase order will be issued without any additional notices being posted.