Request for Information (RFI) For Emergency Fuel Products and Delivery Services

SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE & REQUEST FOR INFORMATION. THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY. This RFI is for planning purposes only and shall not be construed as an obligation on the part of the Government. This is NOT a Request for Quotations or Proposals. No solicitation document exists, and a formal solicitation may or may not be issued by the Government as a result of the responses received to this RFI. The Government will not pay for any response or demonstration expenses. Interested parties are responsible for adequately marking proprietary or competition sensitive information contained in their response. Responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. Those who respond to this RFI should not anticipate feedback concerning their submission. All submissions will become the property of the Government and will not be returned. Responding to the RFI is completely voluntary and will not enhance or adversely affect responses to any resulting solicitation if such solicitation is issued at a later date. There is no competitive advantage gained by any of the respondents to this RFI.

BACKGROUND

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has vital missions to prevent terrorism and enhance security; secure and manage our borders; enforce and administer our immigration laws; safeguard and secure cyberspace; and strengthen national preparedness and resilience. Within that mission space, DHS provides a coordinated, comprehensive federal response in the event of a terrorist attack, natural or man-made disaster, or other large-scale emergency while working with federal, state, local, and private sector partners to ensure a swift and effective recovery effort. DHS Components need the capability to perform its mission essential functions under all emergency conditions and have reliable access to mission essential commodities. As such, hurricanes, other natural and man-made disasters often leave behind massive destruction to local infrastructure and commercial fueling capability (e.g., retail gas stations). During such disasters, temporary disruptions to normal petroleum supply creates a complex set of challenges that requires immediate emergency response to make up for the loss of electricity, and the interruption to the normal fuel supply chain.

The anticipated North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this request is: 424720 - Petroleum and Petroleum Products Merchant Wholesalers (except Bulk Stations and Terminals).

Limitations: Based on the contingency requirements, the services may be required at any DHS location within the continental United States (CONUS) including East, West, and Gulf Coasts, and outside continental U.S. (OCONUS) including Alaska, Hawaii, and its territories (Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, U.S. Virgin Island, and Northern Mariana Islands).

REQUIREMENTS

DHSs overall objective is to ensure the continuous operations of its facilities and assets during a disaster/emergency situation. Emergencies include: flood, hurricane, tornado, earthquake, snowstorm, extreme temperatures, or any other natural disaster or condition. Emergencies may also include man-made disasters determined at the Governments discretion, including riots, acts of terrorism, cyber-attacks or other man-made causalities. The objective is to supply fuel and fuel transport services, including but not limited to mobile truck(s) and/or fuel tank(s) capable of transporting and dispensing fuel, in a retail manner, to ground vehicles, aircraft, marine vessels, facilities, generators, and miscellaneous equipment as deemed necessary by OHS and its Components. Deliveries and services may be required at any locations within the continental United States (CONUS) including East, West, and Gulf Coasts, and outside continental U.S. (OCONUS) including Alaska, Hawaii, and its territories (Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, U.S. Virgin Island, and Northern Mariana Islands).

This service shall require recurring daily activities. Examples of work to be performed include but are not limited to:

• Procurement, transporting, and dispensing of various fuel product types (for a complete list refer to Attachment 1 of this RFI)
• The contractor shall provide all management, supervision, personnel, supplies, material, and equipment necessary to provide fuel (for a complete list refer to Attachment 1), in a retail manner (dispensing), to ground vehicles, aircraft, marine vessels, facilities, generators, and miscellaneous equipment as deemed necessary by OHS. This service contract shall be available 24 hours-a-day and all days of the year within 24-48 hours of task order award from OHS.

• Provide information on the vendors policy on a possible Retainer Fee/Readiness Fee to have fuel products and fuel services on standby for available delivery available 24 hours-a-day and all days of the year within 24-48 hours of task order award from OHS.

• Non-interruptible communications capability (internal and external communications), such as satellite communications.

• Performance and reporting of fuel quality assurance testing

• Provide weekly fuel inventory and daily rate of consumption reports

• Provide transportation and provisions to and from the area of operations for vendor personnel

• Operate and maintain the equipment and appropriate licensing for;

• fuel and equipment transportation

• fuel filtration and purification as needed to meet industry standards

• road clearance as needed

• Maintain the fuel records and logs

• Fuel storage capabilities that may need to be divided and stored at multiple locations, such as mobile storage tanks and underground or above ground storage tanks

• Various methods of providing delivery of fuel and fuel services to required locations

• Perform demand assessments (gallons per day) at each site to ensure sufficient supply levels are met. This may include estimating potential needs for fuel, delivery vehicles, equipment, transportation, and generators based on full load fuel consumption calculations for 24 hours.

• Ensure proper flow and pumping of fuels in extreme weather conditions (hot, cold, windy, or rainy weather) including the ability to pump from underground tanks into generators, heaters and tanks.

• Ensure capability to pump fuels during power outages, including ability to pump fuels from underground storage tanks or from delivery vehicles.

RESPONSE TO RFI

DHS is requesting respondents to provide a full written Capability Statement to this RFI to provide the following information:

1. Cover sheet that includes:
   • SAM Unique Entity ID
   • Company name and address
   • Website Address
   • Points of contact including phone number and e-mail address
   • Business Size and Type of Ownership (i.e., 8A, Other than Small, Small, Small Disadvantaged, Woman-owned, Hub-zone, Service-Disabled Veteran, etc.)
   • Contract Vehicle and Contract Number where services are available. i.e., Open Market;
   • Government-wide Acquisition Contract;
   • GSA Multiple Award Schedule to include schedule number and SIN, NAICS, etc.
   • If applicable, identify any DHS Strategic Vehicles that you are currently an awardee under the services described in this notice.
2. Capability Statement

DHS is asking respondents to submit a Capability Statement according to the Requirements section described above and of the fuel products described in Attachment 1 that the vendor offers as related to the scope of this RFI, including geographic regions that the vendor can service, as well as other related capabilities that may be of value to the Government.:

1. Minimum required lead times to develop an initial capability and lead time for a fully implemented supply chain solution, including CONUS and OCONUS locations.
2. Minimum response times upon OHS Notification once capability has been established, including delivery to CONUS and OCONUS locations.
3. Industry concerns of potential constraints on providing and maintaining a ready capability that supports rapid activation of emergency fuel products and fuel delivery services.
4. Please identify any elements within the RFI that cannot currently be acquired through the vendor’s products or available services.
5. Are there any other considerations that your company would like the Government to consider in the development of its acquisition strategy?

SUBMISSION OF RESPONSE

Submissions shall be made using Microsoft Office or Adobe Acrobat applications. The page limit for the Capability Statement is 8 pages. Font shall not be smaller than 12-point Times New Roman. Respondents are responsible for clearly identifying proprietary information. Responses containing proprietary information must have each page containing such information clearly marked with a label such as “Proprietary” or “Company Proprietary.” DO NOT INCLUDE ANY CLASSIFIED INFORMATION IN THE MARKET RESEARCH RESPONSE.

All e-mail responses MUST include the subject header “RFI Response: DHS Emergency Fuel Products and Delivery Services Sources Sought Capability Statement” in responding to this RFI.

Your response must be delivered via email to the individuals via the email addresses identified below by the response due date.

Response due date: no later than Friday, October 15, 2024, 10:00 AM Eastern Time (EDT).

Submit Response to:

Jessica Phillips, Contract Specialist, Email address: Jessica.Phillips@hq.dhs.gov

Daneil Weingarten, Contracting Officer, Email address: Daniel.Weingarten@hq.dhs.gov

Attachments/Links