Hawthorne Army Depot Operation, Maintenance, and Modernization Sources Sought

02 December 2024 Revision:

• For the anticipated January 2025 HWAD Industry Day, each company is permitted to send up to four (4) representatives to participate at any one time. For example, four (4) representatives are permitted at the General Overview Session, and four (4) are permitted to attend the facility tour; they are not required to be the same people. Individuals from consulting firms acting on behalf of a particular company will be included in the respective company’s total representative count. The limit will be strictly enforced.
• Attachment 1 HWAD Industry Day Company Registration Form Due 16 December 2024 has been updated to remove question #4.
• Attachment 6 HWAD Sources Sought Questions and Answers has been added.

Description: The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Rock Island, on behalf of Headquarters, Joint Munitions Command, located at Rock Island Arsenal, Rock Island, IL, is currently seeking interested sources for the execution of standard depot operation (SDO) functions including but not limited to ammunition receipt, issue, surveillance, re-warehousing and demilitarization (DEMIL), as well as the operation, maintenance, and modernization of Hawthorne Army Depot (HWAD) located in Hawthorne, NV.

HWAD is a Government-Owned, Contractor-Operated (GOCO) facility that serves as an archival storage and DEMIL location for a wide array of conventional and non-standard ammunition. In addition to the storage and DEMIL of ammunition, the operating contractor will be required to maintain and modernize equipment and facilities, and provide numerous base support services (e.g., grounds maintenance, property administration, fire protection, safety and security, etc.).

HWAD is an eligible facility under the Armament Retooling and Manufacturing Support (ARMS) program. As such, the operating contractor will be required to market idle and underutilized facilities at HWAD for commercial use by private sector firms. The operating contractor must comply with all Federal, State, and Local laws and Army regulations and policies, as well as maintain critical skills and core capabilities related to storage and DEMIL functions.

Specifications: Draft Performance Work Statements (PWS) for this effort are included with this Sources Sought announcement for information purposes only. Please note these are NOT the final versions. Final PWSs will be provided when the official Request for Proposal is released. 

Anticipated Requirements: A long-term facility use and production contract with a period of performance beginning 1 Jan 2027 is anticipated. The storage levels and DEMIL quantities will vary given funding requirements. During Fiscal Year (FY) 2022-2024, the stored quantity has annually averaged 200K tons with 13K-14K tons total of receipt and issue per year. DEMIL planned workload for FY2025 is 8.4K short tons with FY2026-FY2030 planned workload at approximately 43K short tons total, averaging approximately 8K per year. HWAD has a storage capacity of 7.6M sq. feet (excess storage capacity beyond the Government's orders may be utilized for commercial business in exchange for contractor investment in the facility).

Industry Days: The Government anticipates hosting multiple Industry Days for this effort, with the first occurring the week of 27 January 2025. 

Interested participants must register in advance by completing the HWAD Industry Day Company Registration Form, HWAD Industry Day Individual Registration Form, and HWAD Base Access NCIC III Form. All completed forms will be submitted electronically to Bridget Kramer at Bridget.L.Kramer.civ@army.mil; Caitlyn Smith at Caitlyn.L.Smith3.civ@army.mil; and Ashley Korves at Ashley.M.Korves.civ@army.mil no later than 12:00PM CT on 16 December 2024. Each participant’s request must be approved by the Government prior to attendance.

The Government intends to allow interested contractors access to HWAD for tours of the facilities. Additional details will be provided when available. In order to maximize the value of future tours, the Government is requesting specific feedback from industry on the manner in which tours should be conducted. Topics the Government is seeking feedback on include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Number of visits and timing of each (i.e. immediately, pre-RFP release, post-RFP release, etc.)
2. A list of facilities interested parties would like to see during the first Industry Day.
3. Duration of the first tour (one day, two days, one week, etc.)
4. Number of individuals per company needing to be present to maximize tour value - QUESTION REMOVED
5. Any questions shall be submitted prior to Industry Day and if possible, questions will be answered at Industry Day.  All Q&A will be posted to SAM.gov following the Industry Day.
6. Additional feedback

Submission Information:

The Government encourages all responsible interested sources to submit their capabilities/qualification data which demonstrates experience in execution of base operations, SDO and Ammunition DEMIL.  Interested companies should respond by providing the Government the following information:

1. Name of company and CAGE Code
2. Point of Contact's name, telephone number and e-mail address
3. Company address
4. Business size information (please specify as either Large, Foreign, Small, Small Disadvantaged, 8(a), Woman- Owned Small Business, Historically Underutilized Business Zone concern, Veteran-Owned Small Business, or Service-Disabled Small Business).
5. Identification of whether you are interested in this opportunity as a prime or a subcontractor.
6. A brief summary of the company's capabilities, to include descriptions of personnel, skills, experience, and expertise, including knowledge of safety, security, storage, and/or environmental regulations associated with operating a Government facility.
7. Details regarding experience with similar efforts/items
8. Identification of potential sources for major subcontractors if the source intends to utilize a subcontractor(s)

Additionally, the Government encourages industry's feedback on the terms and conditions to be included in the acquisition. This includes, but is not limited to the following:

1. Contract length and structure (cost vs. firm fixed price arrangements)
2. Contract incentive arrangement (e.g., award term, fixed price incentive fee, cost plus award fee)
3. Contractor investment arrangement for commercial use of excess production/storage/ DEMIL capacity
4. Storage consolidation plan
5. Use of multiple contracts separating facility/base management from direct ammunition mission
6. Alternate technology approaches to standard demilitarization
7. Renewable energy concepts
8. Questions (answers provided at Industry Day)
9. Additional feedback

This information shall be submitted electronically to Bridget Kramer at Bridget.L.Kramer.civ@army.mil; Caitlyn Smith at Caitlyn.L.Smith3.civ@army.mil; and Ashley Korves at Ashley.M.Korves.civ@army.mil no later than 12:00PM CT on 24 February 2025.

This is a market survey for planning purposes only and shall not be construed as a Request for Proposal, nor as an obligation on the part of the Government. The Government does not intend to award a contract on the basis of this market survey or otherwise pay for information solicited. Participation in this effort is strictly voluntary. Please identify any proprietary information submitted. The Government intends to utilize the information received only to develop the acquisition strategy for future requirements. Any of the information stated above is subject to change. If a formal solicitation is generated at a later date, the Government will publish a solicitation notice.