Description
The Defense Energy Support Center (DESC), in conjunction with the United States Army, plans to offer the privatization of the natural gas systems at Fort Stewart and Hunter Army Airfield, Savannah, Georgia. Privatization is defined as the transfer of ownership and responsibility for the operation, maintenance, repair, future upgrades, and future utility systems replacement. As a result of this solicitation, the firm will be selected to assume ownership of the system to meet future needs of the government. The resulting contract, if awarded, will require the Contractor to furnish all facilities, labor, tools, materials, and equipment necessary to own, operate, and maintain the utility system. The Contractor shall manage the maintenance, repairs, replacement, etc. of the systems to assure continuous, adequate, and dependable service for each Government or tenant connection within the service area. The Contractor shall be responsible for each Government or tenant connection within the service area. The Contractor shall be responsible for funding all capital investments required to acquire, operate, and maintain the utility system in a safe, reliable condition and to meet the requirements listed in the contract. Real property interests will be conveyed in the form of an Easement as an attachment to the RFP. The utility system will be conveyed via a Bill of Sale upon award of the contract. Past performance information from potential Offeror's shall be submitted as directed by the RFP. The Installations and utility systems being privatized are described as follows: FORT STEWART ARMY INSTALLATION Fort Stewart is a 279,568 acre Army installation on the Lower Coastal Plain of east-central Georgia. The reservation occupies portions of Evans, Tattnall, Long, Liberty, and Bryan counties. The cantonment and family housing areas are entirely within Liberty County. The town of Hinesville lies at the southern boundary of Fort Stewart. Savannah, the largest metropolitan area in the region, is 20 miles northeast of Hinesville. A Propane Air Plant is located at Fort Stewart, and is owned and operated by a contractor. The Propane Air Plant is not included in this privatization contract and the contract to operate and maintain the plant will not be altered if and when a successful offeror is chosen for award of the privatization of the Fort Stewart natural gas system. The Fort Stewart Propane Air Plant allows Fort Stewart to purchase gas under an interruptible rate schedule. The function of the propane system is to provide gas supplies during any outages of normal gas service. The propane contractor sends his personnel to activate the propane system, which supplies an air and propane mixture during the curtailment period to satisfy Fort Stewart's demand load. Outages due to improper operation of the Plant (e.g. improper mixture of propane and air) will not be the responsibility of the Natural Gas privatization contractor. When outages due to improper operation of the Plant occur, the Government and the Propane Air Plant Operator will respond to restore service and relight pilot lights (to include housing areas). NATURAL GAS DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM Natural gas is supplied by Atlanta Gas and Light Company and delivered to Fort Stewart at a pressure of 300 pounds per square inch (psig). The pressure is reduced to 40 psig at pressure reducing stations near the main meters. The 40 psig gas is then distributed throughout Fort Stewart. The distribution system utilizes approximately 76 valves of various sizes, and approximately seven main meters to serve approximately 400 buildings. Most of the service connections are in the housing area. The natural gas lines are primarily coated steel pipe with a small amount of polyethylene pipe. The system is comprised of approximately 110,920 linear feet (21 miles) of pipe ranging in size from less than 2 inches to 8 inches in diameter. The natural gas distribution system was constructed over various periods. The initial system (and about 60% of the current system) was constructed during the 1940s. The average life of the system is estimated to be 40 years old. The system is currently operated and maintained on a non-dedicated basis. Maintenance of the lines primarily involves fixing the lines when broken or when a leak is reported. HUNTER ARMY AIRFIELD Hunter Army Airfield is a 5,370 acre U.S. Army Installation located in Savannah Georgia. Hunter Army Airfield is entirely within Chatham County and is bounded by Interstate Highway I-516 on the north, CSX railroad on the west, Little Ogeechee River on the south, and commercially developed land on the east and southeast. NATURAL GAS DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM Natural gas is supplied by Atlanta Gas and Light Company and delivered to Hunter Army Airfield at a pressure of 300 pounds per square inch (psig). The pressure is reduced to 40 psig at the pressure reducing station adjacent to the main meter at the intersection of Montgomery Street and Duncan Drive. This 40 psig gas is then delivered throughout the Hunter Army Airfield natural gas distribution system. The distribution system utilizes approximately 11 valves of various sizes, and one main meter to serve approximately 17 buildings. The natural gas lines are primarily coated steel pipe with a small amount of polyethylene pipe. The system is comprised of approximately 22,760 linear feet (4.3 miles) of pipe ranging in size from less than 2 inches to 8 inches in diameter. The natural gas distribution system was constructed over various periods. The initial system (and about 60% of the current system) was constructed during the 1940s. The average life of the system is estimated to be 40 years old. The system is currently operated and maintained on a non-dedicated basis. Currently, maintenance of the lines primarily involves fixing the lines when broken or when a leak is reported. All responsible sources may submit an offer, which shall be considered. Large businesses are required to submit a subcontracting plan with their offer. Interested sources shall contact Benita Jackson at (703) 767-9407 to be added to our bidders mailing list. A copy of the solicitation will be available after issuance on the Internet at http://www.desc.dla.mil/DCM/DCMPage.asp?pageid=246. The solicitation will be available on or after September 30, 2004.