Description
Contracting Office Address: Air Force Educaton Training Command (AETC) CONS/LGCT, AFCESA Support Flight, 136 Barnes Drive, Suite 1, Building 856 Annex, Tyndall AFB, FL 32403 Description: AETC CONS/LGCT seeks to identify, and obtain information from, responsible sources in connection with the privatization of the wastewater treatment system (NAICS 221122) at Robins AFB, GA. Privatization is defined as the conveyance of a utility system to a municipal, private, regional, district, or cooperative utility company or other entity. The conveyance may consist of all right, title, and interest of the United States in the utility system. Utility Privatization (UP) will be accomplished in accordance with 10 U.S.C. 2688 Utility Systems: Conveyance Authority. Contractor will be required to assume ownership of the wastewater treatment system at Robins AFB, GA and as the new owner, shall operate and maintain the system and provide utility services to the Government. Contractor shall furnish all necessary labor, management, supervision, permits, equipment, supplies, materials, transportation, and any other incidental items or services required for the complete ownership of and provision of utility services via these utility systems, including operation, maintenance, repair, upgrades, and improvements to the utility systems. This Sources Sought Notice (hereinafter "Notice") is an essential step in determining market interest and feasibility. Responses received will be used to develop marketing strategies for the potential privatization of utilities at this installation. Should interest be determined sufficient, a formal solicitation may be forthcoming. Responses are preferred via e-mail, but hard copies and facsimiles will also be accepted. At a minimum, the statement of interest shall address: (1) capability and experience in utility privatization or owning and operating utility systems; (2) financial capability to justify potential award of such a contract; (3) a primary point of contact, including phone number and e-mail address; and (4) an indication of the size of the business (large, small, or any sub-category of small business). The potential opportunity for set-asides for small businesses and small disadvantaged businesses will be considered on the basis of the responses received. This Notice is solely for the Government's use as a market research tool. As such, the issuance of a competitive solicitation is not guaranteed. If determined appropriate, then both a synopsis and a solicitation may be anticipated in the March-June 2009 timeframe. All responsible sources are encouraged to submit a response to this Notice. All information received will be considered. Failure to respond to this Notice does not preclude a firm from offering on any resultant solicitation; however, a lack of interest in this requirement may keep this effort from moving forward competitively. This announcement shall not be construed as a commitment or authorization to incur costs in anticipation of an award. The Government is not bound to make any awards under this Notice. If you are interested in this project, please provide the information requested above to the AETC/LGCT Contracting Office. Robins AFB Wastewater Treatment System: The wastewater collection and treatment system at Robins AFB includes the domestic (sanitary) system. The industrial wastewater collection system and associated treatment plants are not included with the system to be privatized. Each system has its own set of collection piping and treatment facilities. The industrial system is made of up two treatment plants – IWTPs 1 and 2. IWTP 1 discharges directly into the domestic treatment plant for final polishing. The POD from IWTP 1 is a buried valve at the north end of the Biological Treatment plant aeration basins. The treated effluent from IWTP 2 is combined with the treated effluent from the Domestic Wastewater Treatment Plant in the effluent pump station. The point of demarcation is where the effluent from IWTP 2 enters the wet well at Building 8369. There is also an on-Base GWTP, whose treated effluent is also combined in the effluent pump station. In addition, the backwash from the carbon columns at the GWTP is discharged into the line from IWTP 1 to SWTP 1, upstream of the Biological Treatment plant aeration basins. The GWTP, and its associated infrastructure, is not included with the wastewater system being privatized. The POD for GWTP discharge is where effluent from the GWTP enters the pipe between the chlorine contact chamber and Parshall flume. The POD for the backwash is the buried valve at the north end of the Biological Treatment plant aeration basins. Treated wastewater from the Domestic Wastewater Treatment Plant, IWTP 2, and the GWTP are combined in the effluent pump station prior to discharge offsite into the Ocmulgee River. Robins AFB’s treated wastewater is discharged into the Ocmulgee River under national pollutant discharge elimination system (NPDES) Permit No. GA 0002852. There are three compliance points (outfalls) with permit limits for wastewater discharge, one each, from the Domestic Wastewater Treatment Plant, GWTP, and IWTP 2. Outfall No. 008 is the monitoring point for the IWTP 2. Outfall, No. 009 is the monitoring point for the Domestic Wastewater Treatment Plant, Outfall No. 010 is the monitoring point for the GWTP. The original construction of the domestic system infrastructure began in 1942. The domestic system consists of collection piping, manholes, lift stations, and a treatment plant. The original domestic wastewater treatment plant is not currently operational. In 1971, the original 1942 treatment plant was replaced with a more modern facility, which was designated as Domestic Wastewater Treatment Plant No. 1 (SWTP 1). SWTP 1 was originally designed to provide preliminary, primary, secondary, and tertiary treatment prior to discharge into the Ocmulgee River. The POD is where the discharge pipeline terminates at the Ocmulgee River. The original treatment facility consisted of a plant headworks, grit chamber, grinder, influent Parshall flume, primary sedimentation tanks, trickling filters, secondary clarifiers, centrifuge, and disinfection with chlorine. Solids handling consisted of anaerobic digestion. The treatment facility was expanded in 1978 to include additional primary sedimentation tanks, aeration tanks (nitrification tanks), new secondary clarifiers, tertiary filters, and chlorination and dechlorination facilities. Aerobic digesters and drying beds were added to the solids-handling facilities to replace the anaerobic digesters. Except for the former digesters of the original biological treatment facilities, these facilities are currently not in use. One of the former aeration basins has been converted to an aerobic digester to increase the capacity of SWTP 1. The second aeration basin has been converted into a holding tank for temporary storage of IWTP 1 discharge. Temporary storage of IWTP 1 discharge is required periodically to prevent SWTP 1 plant upsets. Occasionally discharge from IWTP 1 contains constituents harmful to the biological treatment processes of SWTP 1 and requires reduced blending rates through SWTP 1. The holding tank is used to achieve the required blending rates to prevent upsets at SWTP 1. Further modifications made to SWTP 1 treatment facilities include the addition of an ultraviolet disinfection facility and the installation a plant-effluent pumping station. Chlorine disinfection is currently the primary treatment as the ultraviolet disinfection facility is inefficient for final polishing due to the iron content in the wastewater. Sludge generated from the aerobic and anaerobic (following stabilization) digesters is transferred for de-watering to a centrifuge at SWTP 1. The de-watered solids are then disposed of offsite at an approved facility. In the 1960s, a treatment plant was constructed in the Building 800 area, near housing, to handle the increased load from the housing areas. This facility was referred to as Domestic Wastewater Treatment Plant No. 2 (SWTP 2). Currently, treatment equipment has been removed from SWTP 2 and replaced with a lift station located at the former headworks, which is used to transfer wastewater to SWTP 1. This lift station and the drying beds, which are still in service, are referred to as SWTP 2. There are 50 domestic wastewater lift stations located throughout the Base that are used to transfer wastewater to other lift stations or manholes. All the sanitary wastewater is transferred to SWTP 1 for processing. Most of the lift stations are equipped with two submersible-type pumps. Pumps and controls at the lift stations have been upgraded or replaced since 1991. SCADA monitoring equipment has been added, or is in the process of being added, to the lift stations. The SCADA system is not included with the system to be privatized. Original materials of construction for the collection system consisted primarily of vitrified clay and concrete pipe with brick manholes. New construction is generally polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipe, and concrete manholes. Standard installation practices are to install tracer wire or tape with plastic piping; however, it is not known if all plastic piping was installed with tracer wire or tape. The Contractor should not include any projects to install tracer wire on piping in their proposal. Any requirements for tracer wire will be addressed after contract award. Most of the pipe is 4 to 15 inches in diameter. The domestic collection system is comprised of several different piping materials, including cast iron, asbestos cement, reinforced concrete, vitrified clay, ductile iron, and PVC. Approximately 70 percent of the collection piping material is vitrified clay or concrete, of which approximately 90 percent has been slip-lined. The average burial depth of the piping is approximately 8 feet below ground surface. Approximately 25 percent of the collection system is installed beneath paved surfaces. Robins AFB has completed a five-year collection pipe improvement program to clean, inspect, and repair the sanitary sewer lines. Approximately 50 miles of pipe were cleaned and inspected through this program. Approximately 180 point repairs have been completed along these sections of pipe. The repairs were noted as point repairs and also include some repairs made for pipe breaks, which were independent of the program. In some cases, the point repairs were instead full segment repairs. Generally, lines are being repaired by slip lining with high-density polyethylene (HDPE) pipe or with an in-situ liner. Air Force operations include occasional, unscheduled, discharges of Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) to the wastewater treatment system. Current treatment plant operations include the addition of de-foaming agents. Robins AFB has excavation restrictions in portions of the Industrial Area due to contamination of subsurface soils and groundwater from spills, leaks, and other releases that predate regulatory restrictions. This restricted excavation area houses machine shops, metal finishing, industrial waste treatments plant and associated underground piping, industrial materials storage, and drummed waste storage facilities. Implementation of the remedy selected in the Excavation Plan for the Industrial Area is required in order to ensure the protection of personnel coming into contact with the site and to eliminate or minimize risk associated with the contamination. This area of the Base is 84 percent paved, behind security fencing, under building foundations, or beneath streets. There is very limited potential for exposure to workers or visitors in the area. The most likely scenario in which exposure to contaminated soils might occur is in the event of maintenance or construction activities requiring excavation of affected soil. Maps of the area and a copy of the Excavation Plan for the Industrial Area will be supplied in the technical library. This synopsis shall not be construed as a commitment or authorization to incur costs in anticipation of an award. The Government is not bound to make any awards under this notice.