36 -- Twin Screw Extruder

**THIS COMBINED SYNOPSIS/SOLICITATION IS BEING AMENDED FOR THE FOLLOWING REASONS AND THOSE CHANGES ARE REFLECTED BELOW: The closing date is being extended to Tuesday, September 4, 2007 at 2:00 p.m. CT. Changed to a full and open competition. The delivery date is changed to March 15, 2007.** (i) This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in FAR Subpart 12.6, in conjunction with FAR 13.5, as applicable, and as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This acquisition is being conducted in accordance with FAR Subpart 13.5 test program procedures for commercial items. Simplified acquisition procedures will be followed. (ii) This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; quotations are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. (iii) This combined synopsis/solicitation will result in a firm fixed price commercial supply contract. (iv) This requirement is being announced as a full and open competition. (v) The provisions and clauses incorporated into this solicitation document are those in effect at the time of publication. Provisions and clauses incorporated by reference have the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. The full text of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) can be accessed on the Internet at http://www.arnet.gov/far/ (vi) This requirement is for the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ), Center for Plant Health Science Technology (CPHST). The CPHST supports PPQ regulatory decisions and operations through methods development work, scientific investigation, analyses and technology. The USDA, APHIS, PPQ research and development work on insect diets requires the acquisition of a small extruder to use for diet development for pink bollworm (PBW) and other program pests. (vii) REQUIREMENT AND QUANTITIES: This requirement consists of three line items for one (1) Twin Screw Extruder and the complete equipment components for each piece of equipment to perform the processes described in this solicitation. The line items are as follows: CLIN 001 - A 34-40 mm barrel diameter machine with length to diameter ratio of 35:1 and screw set to meet our desired configuration with sufficient spares to cover breakage. CLIN 002 - A weight loss feeder with a maximum dry-feed rate of 60 kg/hr and a four (4) cubic foot hopper. CLIN 003 - Daily rate for installation and start-up/set-up charges (viii) Shipping will be FOB destination, therefore, shipping of the items must be included in the price for all line items. (ix) The selected contractor must be able to deliver all requested equipment by March 15, 2007. Deliverables and acceptance of the deliverables for the Twin Screw Extruder machine will be FOB destination USDA, APHIS, CPHST, 3645 E. Wier Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85040. (x) The PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE for this contract is from date of award through delivery of all the equipment. (xi) OBJECTIVES: The configuration we are requesting is patterned after the current configuration we use for an 80 mm TSE for production of PBW diet but we plan on having an adaptable TSE for use for other insect diets. Currently the extruded diet we produce consists of the following ingredients: agar, sugar, soy flour, wheat germ, yeast and water. Moisture content is about 60% of the weight of the finished product. Four liquid ingredients are dispensed into the extruder: water, corn oil, acetic acid and vitamin solution dissolved in water. Current production rate using the 80 mm TSE is 695 kg/hr operating at 325 rpm/hr and has residence time of 55 seconds. (xii) TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS: The Twin Screw Extruder and its components must meet the following technical specifications in order to be technically acceptable: The extruder must be new equipment, used equipment is not acceptable. The equipment shall have at least a one year warranty. It shall have 34-40 mm barrel diameter with a length to diameter ratio of 35:1. The barrels shall be lined with hardened nitrided steel. The barrels may be closed barrel type or clam-shell design. The machine must have an electrical heating system with a heating element in each zone of the barrel capable of achieving heating temperatures of 170 degrees Celsius. The machine must be capable of cooking and extruding diets consisting of the following mixture: agar, sugar, soy flour, wheat germ, yeast, water, corn oil, acetic acid and vitamin solution dissolved in water. It shall have a programmable logic control (PLC) operating system. The PLC system may be a stand alone or integrated unit. Due to room configuration and space limitations, if the PLC is an integrated unit, it shall be located on the right hand side of the front of the machine (the end opposite from the discharge). It must have internal cooling system ports capable of accepting a mixture of water and glycol up to 50% glycol. The main drive motor must have electrical specifications of 480V, 3 phase, 60Hz, with the power produced sized appropriately to the extruder diameter and in the range of 50-80 HP at the machine's top RPM rating. The main drive motor must also be capable of operating the TSE in the desired range of RPM for our extrusion process of 200-850 RPM. The machine requires ports for liquid injectors or thermocouples to measure product temperature in each machine zone. Zone 1 (one) is required to have two separate ports. The die head at each discharge of each screw end must consist of a one (1) inch diameter female national pipe thread standard (NPT). The die head is to be fitted with a port to measure barrel pressure and a pressure transducer shall be provided to monitor die head pressure, this will be capable of integration to the PLC. Thermocouples will be provided for temperature control or for monitoring product temperature shall be provided for each zone of the barrel, these shall be capable for integration to the PLC. The machine must include a complete set of screws meeting the requirement of having a total set length of 35 diameter for each shaft along with spares (10%) to cover breakage and to ensure there are replacement parts so as not to hamper production. The final screw set configuration will be determined in consultation between USDA and the contractor. The configuration for our current 80 mm TSE is described below as a guide to help specify our requirements: Extruder hardware Length (D) Number (N)(2 x 35 D for both shafts) needed + replacement extras: Forward Screw 1 (D) 40 (N) Paddle 0.25(D) 76 (N) Orifice disc 0.25(D) 2 (N) Short pitch feed screw 1(D) 2(N) Single lead 1(D) 8(N) End Cap 0.25 (D) 2(N) THE WEIGHT LOSS FEEDER must have a maximum dry-feed rate of 60 kg/hr and a 4 cubic foot hopper with cover, configured for attachment and integrated operation with the specified TSE and the PLC; have product contact parts of stainless steel; have one screw set with electro-polish screw finish with either concave or full flight profile in long or short pitch (The final configuration of the screw set will be determined in consultation between USDA and the contractor.); 2 blade horizontal agitation, a feeder mounting stand; a feeder drive motor with 450 W, 100 VDC, and IP65 enclosure; a motor controller (NEMA 4) mounted on the feeder with communication connection for integration and programming with the PLC to start, stop, monitor and record feed rates in both real time and for storage of feed rate data. In order to make the final determinations of the screw sets described above, the USDA may need to send a sample of the diet ingredients to be tested or send a representative to test the diet on the contractor's demonstration equipment. If this becomes necessary the USDA understands their may be an additional charge, however, the contractor shall confirm they have this capability. If there is an additional charge for this service the contractor should indicate the applicable charge. (xiii) The provision at 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors - Commercial applies to this solicitation. (xiv) The provision at 52.212-2 Evaluation - Commercial Items applies to this solicitation. Award will be made to the lowest price technically acceptable responsible offeror whose quote conforms to this solicitation. The equipment will be evaluated for technical capability as described in the Technical Specifications (xii) above. The Government intends to evaluate offers and award without discussion, however, the Government reserves the right to conduct discussions later if determined necessary by the Contracting Officer. (xv) The provision 52.212-3 Offeror Representations and Certifications - Commercial Items applies to this solicitation. The contractor shall either complete the on-line Offeror Representations and Certifications or return a completed copy of the Offeror Representations and Certifications with their quotation. The Online Reps and Certs Application Representations and Certifications Application (ORCA) can be found at http://www.bpn.gov., or a hard copy of the provision may be attained from http://www.arnet.gov/far. (xvi) The clause at 52.212-4 Contract Terms and Conditions - Commercial Items applies to this acquisition. (xvii) The clause at 52.212-5 Contract Terms and Conditions Required To Implement Statutes Or Executive Orders Commercial Items, applies to this acquisition. The following FAR clauses identified in FAR 52.212-5 are considered checked and are applicable to this acquisition: 52.203-6 Restrictions on Subcontractor Sales to the Government ALT I; 52.219-6 Notice of Total Small Business Set-Aside; 52.219-8 Utilization of Small Business Concerns; 52.219-14 Limitations on Subcontracting; 52.222-3 Convict Labor; 52.222-19 Child Labor - Cooperation with Authorities and Remedies; 52.222-21 Prohibition of Segregated Facilities; 52.222-22 Previous Contracts and Compliance Reports; 52.222-26 Equal Opportunity; 52.222-35 Equal Opportunity for Special Disabled Veterans of the Vietnam Era, and Other Eligible Veterans; 52.222-25 Affirmative Action Compliance; 52.222-36 Affirmative Action for Workers with Disabilities; 52.222-37 Employment Reports on Special Disabled Veterans, Veterans of the Vietnam Era, and Other Eligible Veterans; 52.222-39 Notification of Employee Rights Concerning Payment of Union Dues or Fees; 52.225-5 Trade Agreements; Restrictions on Certain Foreign Purchases; 52.232-33 Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer Central Contractor Registration (CCR). To be awarded this contract, the offeror must be registered in the CCR. CCR information may be found at http://www.ccr.gov. (xviii) Quotations are due to the United States Department of Agriculture, Minneapolis Contracting Office, 100 North Sixth Street, Butler Square, 5th Floor, Minneapolis, MN 55403 by 2:00 PM Central Time, September 4, 2007. Please reference the quote number on your documents. Faxed quotes are acceptable. (xix) The assigned Contracting Officer is Ms. Corinne Nygren. Ms. Nygren may be reached at [email protected], (612) 336-3235 or by fax at (612) 370-2106. (xx) A COMPLETE QUOTE WILL CONSIST OF THE FOLLOWING: 1) Price for line items CLINS 01, 02, and 03 which includes all costs for providing the required equipment. All overhead and ancillary costs associated with the equipment will be assumed by the Contractor, and should be factored into the quote. Therefore, this quote shall include all costs associated with the equipment including shipping costs to the FOB destination. 2) Signature of the offeror on the page which lists the price. 3) A detailed narrative addressing how your company?s equipment meets the technical specification requirements in (xii) above outlined in this combined synopsis/solicitation, in order to perform the technical evaluation described in 52-212-2. 4) A completed copy of the provisions at FAR 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial Items or confirmation that this has been completed on-line. Quotes should be of sufficient detail to determine their adequacy. If an offeror's quote does not contain all of the items listed above, the quote may be considered incomplete for evaluation purposes and no further consideration will be given to the offerors quote, thereby making an offeror ineligible for award.