RFI - Waterways Commerce Cutter (WCC) Cutter Boats

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Contract Opportunity

*RFI Update from Industry Day - Waterways Commerce Cutter (WCC) Cutter Boats - November 7, 2024*

Attached are the Questions and Answers, Major Discussion Points and Power Presentation of the WCC Operations Overview.

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*RFI Update - Waterways Commerce Cutter (WCC) Cutter Boats - September 4, 2024*

This announcement is notice that the United States Coast Guard Waterways Commerce Cutter (WCC) Program is holding an industry day in St. Louis, Missouri, on Thursday, October 17, 2024, to demonstrate existing cutter boat capabilities in support of a future Request for Proposal (RFP) for Cutter Boat – Aids to Navigation – Small (CB-ATON-S) (Acquisition Forecast Record Number:  P2024067914).

The Coast Guard is in the process of recapitalizing the current inland tender fleet, which comprises Inland Construction Tenders (WLIC), Inland Buoy Tenders (WLI), and River Buoy Tenders (WLR).  As part of this recapitalization effort, the Coast Guard is also replacing the existing cutter boats deployed on these cutters. The CB-ATON-S will primarily support the WCC’s ATON mission, providing autonomous operations and mission execution in areas physically inaccessible by a cutter and allowing for separate, simultaneous operations in collaboration with the cutter. The cutter boats also support secondary search and rescue and other law enforcement missions.

The industry day will take place on Coast Guard Cutter GASCONADE (WLR-75401), located at USCG Sector Upper Mississippi River. The address is provided below.

100 Arsenal Street

Coast Guard Building 17

St. Louis, MO 63118-3303

During the industry day, the Coast Guard will provide a demonstration of the existing cutter boat and the opportunity for questions and answers with the operational crew. The capabilities and activities below may be demonstrated.

1. 
   

   Launch and recovery of the cutter boat while the cutter is at the pier.

   
   


2. 
   

   Capabilities of the existing cutter boat.

   
   


3. 
   

   Operational tasks such as pulling and towing buoys.

   
   

After the demonstration, vendors will have the opportunity for questions and answers with the Contracting Officer regarding the CB-ATON-S procurement and future RFP. All sessions will be conducted jointly with other vendors attending the industry day.

If attending, please email the Points of Contact Andrew Louie at andrew.t.louie@uscg.mil and Seth Denning at seth.jy.denning@uscg.mil by Monday September 30, 2024, at 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time with notification of interest/attendance and the requested information below.

1. 
   

   Name of Company, Address, and UEID Number

   
   


2. 
   

   Number of Attendees

   
   


3. 
   

   Name of each Attendee, Phone Number, and Email

   
   

To assist the Government with tracking responses, please reference responses as, “WCC Cutter Boats Industry Day – [Insert Company’s Name]” in the subject line. Telephone responses will not be accepted. Attendance will be limited to two individuals per vendor.

Details of the industry day/demonstration (e.g., time, pier location), security information, and other pertinent information will be provided to all responding parties at a later date (after September 30, 2024).

Attendance to the industry day is voluntary and is not a prerequisite for proposal submission to the RFP, when released. Interested vendors who did not attend the industry day may still submit a proposal to the RFP.

The Government will not be responsible for any travel cost incurred by interested vendors who attend the industry day/demonstration.

Attached to this notice is the current DRAFT WCC CB-ATON-S Technical Specification, which may be subject to change when the RFP is released.

*End of RFI Update - Waterways Commerce Cutter (WCC) Cutter Boats - September 4, 2024*

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This Request for Information (RFI) issued by the United States Coast Guard (USCG) for information and planning purposes only. It does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP) or a promise to issue an RFP in the future. No contract award will be made based on any responses to this notice. The Government is not responsible for any costs associated with providing information in response to this RFI and no reimbursement will be made for any cost associated with effort expended in responding to this notice.

Submission of proprietary information is not requested and respondents shall refrain to the maximum extent practical from providing proprietary information in response to this RFI. If respondents volunteer to provide proprietary information, clearly mark such proprietary information appropriately and separate it from the unrestricted information as an appendix.

Responses to this RFI must be received no later than 4:00 PM, Eastern Time (ET) on Monday, April 29th, 2024. Respondents shall email responses to the following email addresses: Sarah E. Marsiglia at sarah.e.marsiglia@uscg.mil; and Shakita Allmond at shakita.m.allmond@uscg.mil To assist the Government with tracking responses, please reference responses as, “WCC Cutter Boats” and Company’s Name in the subject line. Telephone responses will not be accepted.

Background and Purpose

The USCG seeks to identify potential firms that have the skills, experience, knowledge, and capabilities required to perform the following potential requirements as potential solutions to outfit the Waterways Commerce Cutters (WCC) with cutter boats:

A single-design cutter boat is needed to support the 30 new WCCs in completing their various missions, including aids to navigation (ATON); search and rescue (SAR); ports, waterways, and coastal security (PWCS); marine environmental protection (MEP); and marine safety (MS). The WCC fleet will consist of River Buoy Tenders (up to 180 feet length overall (LOA)), Inland Construction Tenders (up to 160 feet LOA), and Inland Buoy Tenders (up to 120 feet LOA). The U.S. Coast Guard intends to outfit each River Buoy Tender with two (2) cutter boats and each Inland Construction Tender and Inland Buoy Tender with one (1) cutter boat, totaling up to 56 cutter boats, including spare hulls, over approximately ten (10) years.

This Request for Information (RFI) is designed to help the Coast Guard make informed decisions regarding potential solutions to outfit the Waterways Commerce Cutters (WCC) with cutter boats.

Requested Feedback from Industry

The following information requests are intended to increase the Coast Guard’s understanding of the available commercial vessels that could be purchased to support operations in the Arctic. The Request for Proposal (RFP) is the only document that should be relied upon in determining the U.S. Coast Guard’s official requirements. In response to this RFI, please provide the following information.

REQUESTED INFORMATION:

The USCG is conducting market research to identify firms who possess the capabilities to satisfy the requirements described in the below Table 1 – Top Level Requirements, attached draft Requirements Document, as well as information with regard to the following questions:

1. Name of Company, Address, and DUN


2. Point of Contract and Phone Number


3. Business Size applicable to the NAICS Code:
   
   
   
   1. 8(a) Small Business Concern
   
   
   2. Hubzone Small Business Concern
   
   
   3. Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business Concern (SDVOSBC)
   
   
   4. Veteran Owned Small Business Concern (VOSBC)
   
   
   5. ED Woman Owned Small Business Concern (EDWOSB)
   
   
   6. Woman Owned Small Business Concern (WOSBC)
   
   
   7. Small Business Concern
   
   
   8. Large Business Concern
   
   
   
   


4. Documentation verifying Small Business Certification


5. Have you previously produced a boat similar to our requirements?
   
   
   
   1. What was the boat?
   
   
   2. How many did you produce?
   
   
   3. What was the cost per each?
   
   
   4. When did you produce them?
   
   
   
   


6. Do you have experience working with Federal agencies? If so, what agencies? What products/services did you provide?


7. Where is your production/manufacturing facility located?


8. How do you deliver boats to their final destination?


9. Do you have a craft already in production that meets the attached specifications, or a design that could be modified to meet the requirements? If so, please provide information on the design and any boats that you have build to this design, i.e., specification sheets, drawings, photographs, production information, etc.


10. If you do not have a boat in production, and you are interest in submitting a proposal, how yould you pursue proposing a hull form that is proven and ready for production?


11. Can you support a fixed davit on the cutter boat to help with the hoisting of ATONs to and from the water? If so, what would the maximum load be?


12. What features and design standards would you incorporate in a WCC cutter boat to meet the operating environment requirements?


13. What is a reasonable time period to complete a detailed design (if necessary), to build and deliver the first boat?


14. What is the reasonable time period to build and deliver additional boats?


15. What is the maximum throughout or number of boats you can produce annually?


16. For life cycle support, to what extent do you normally provide logistics information? (CAD models, drawings, and technical data)


17. To support provisioning new parts in the USCG stock system, any parts that do not have a NSN will require the submission of the below information.
    
    
    
    1. OEM Technical Manual/Information
    
    
    2. OEM Part Number
    
    
    3. OEM Pricing Information (to establish value)
    
    
    4. Data Rights Limitations
    
    
    5. Drawings sufficient to adequately describe the item (form, fit, function)
    
    
    
    


18. What are your standard warranty terms?


19. For a Coast Guard procurement over a ten-year period, what is the rough order of magnitude (ROM) price of your current craft? What is the ROM of the design and engineering effort to meet the draft WCC Cutter Boat requirement? What is the ROM for a first article and subsequent WCC Cutter Boats?

Respondents interested in providing a response to this RFI should carefully read the attached WCC CB-ATON-S Technical Specification Document and submit information which clearly describes the following:

A. Provide comments and suggested changes to the attached WCC CB-ATON-S Technical Specification.

B. Address the questions listed above. Please feel free to provide comments, questions and/or recommendations as you deem appropriate.

Please be aware that the USCG intends to have support contractors assist with the USCG's review of the information submitted. If, in your response, you are submitting proprietary data please contact the Contracting Officer ahead of the response date if you wish to enter into a nondisclosure agreement (NDA) with the USCG's support contractor. Please ensure your proprietary data, if submitted, is marked accordingly.

This special notice is for market research and planning purposes only. It does not constitute a solicitation and shall not be construed as a commitment by the Government to award a contract from responses to this announcement. Responses received will be treated as “information only” and will not be used as a proposal. Any information submitted by interested parties is strictly voluntary, and no monetary compensation will be provided for response preparation.

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