Offshore Naval Fuelling Requirements, Non-Canadian Ports

Trade Agreement: NONE
Tendering Procedures: All interested suppliers may submit a bid
Attachment: None
Competitive Procurement Strategy: N/A - P&A/LOI Only
Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement: No
Nature of Requirements: 
OFFSHORE NAVAL FUELLING REQUIREMENTS, NON-CANADIAN PORTS

Client Department: Department of National Defence, Royal
Canadian Navy, Maritime Forces Atlantic 

Introduction

This Request for Information (RFI) is not a bidding opportunity
but an avenue to allow industry to provide information upon a
potential requirement.  In this case, industry feedback is
sought from suppliers on their ability to satisfy potential navy
fuelling requirements, described herein, before the issuance of
a formal solicitation document. 

This RFI is issued by Public Works and Government Services
Canada (PWGSC) on behalf of the Department of National Defence
(DND) to gather information to assist in forming a procurement
strategy for fuelling naval vessels at various locations around
the world. DND has a requirement to obtain offshore fuel (Naval
Distillate and fuel support services) for the Royal Canadian
Navy when other fuelling options are not utilized or available. 
The intended meaning of the terms "Supplier", "Contractor",
"Industry" and "Industrial Partner" are interchangeable for the
purposes of this RFI.

Suppliers are encouraged to provide ideas and suggestions on how
the eventual solicitation (pricing, evaluation components, work
scope … etc.) might be structured.  While this is not a bid
document, it is an opportunity to help shape the resulting
requirements by allowing supplier input and advice to PWGSC and
DND (ie … the Crown).  No contract (or contractual instrument)
will be awarded as a result of this RFI.  This RFI, or any
supporting information provided with this RFI, shall not
constitute an authorization by the Crown to undertake any work
that would result in any obligation or costs to the Crown.

Participation in this RFI is not a pre-qualification for
procurement, nor a prerequisite to participation in any
subsequent request for proposals (RFP) from PWGSC. 

Intent

The feedback from vendors resulting from this RFI will assist
the Crown in its understanding of the viability of procurement
strategies being contemplated currently and allow revision if
the industry operates differently. The RFI may assist the Crown
to: 

·	Determine whether to proceed with the requirements/strategy as
currently planned, and if so, further developing internal
planning, approval and solicitation documents that may
potentially lead to a solicitation;

·	Refine or alter the procurement strategy, cost estimate,
timelines, requirements definition, and other aspects of the
requirement;

·	Become a more "informed buyer" with an enhanced understanding
of industry offerings in the areas of interest, and;
·	Assess potential alternative solutions that would meet the
requirement.

Request for Information

As expressed previously, this RFI is entirely optional and is
not a pre-qualification for procurement, nor a prerequisite for
participation in any future Request For Proposal (RFP) from
PWGSC.   

If suppliers would like to provide feedback based on the
information expressed in this RFI, the following points are
provided as a guideline.  

1. 	 Please explain how industry currently provides this
service/commodity commercially and for other government navies.
How is payment structured and how does the typical financial
transaction take place? Is there an administration fee based on
the amount of fuel required? A set fee or a %? Who is
responsible for hoses, fittings/couplings, hose handling,
cranes/gantry … etc.

2. 	Please provide current pricing structures for this service. 
Keeping in mind that the government's mandate is to provide
'value for money' and obtaining 'fair and reasonable' pricing. 
How will suppliers guarantee that the best price (or at least
'fair and reasonable' pricing) has been obtained for each
requirement? Can pricing be competed in an effective and timely
manner?

3.  	What is a reasonable turn-around time from fuelling request
to delivery? Are there any industry norms? How does a typical
transaction transpire - steps, exchanges, communication norms,
who (brokers or traders) is involved, what ports are serviced …
etc. One contract per zone or one contract to provide coverage
for all zones in Appendix B? 

4. 	A listing of typical port visits where DND could request
fuelling is attached for information only; this is not an
all-inclusive listing.

PWGSC reserves the right to pose questions to the vendors
providing submissions.

This PWGSC office (Halifax, Nova Scotia) provides procurement
services to the public in English.


Appendix A: Requirement Description 

The Contractor is to supply naval distillate fuel and arrange
for delivery on an as and when required basis on behalf of the
Royal Canadian Navy when deployed in areas defined in Appendix B
and other existing fuelling options are not utilized. The
Contractor is to provide goods and services as detailed in the
order request issued by the DND representative.  

When requested, the Contractor is required to supply naval
distillate fuel to the Navy, Coast Guard and Marine Corps of the
United States of America (USA) in accordance with existing
agreements between the Crown and the USA

The fuel supplied by the Contractor must conform to the latest
issue of the CGSB standard for naval distillate fuel, unless
otherwise specified by the DND representative. In the event that
a new CGSB standard is released prior to the order and is in
conflict with the specification noted above, the new CGSB
standard shall apply.

A Contractor guarantee that the fuel will have a maximum Filter
Plugging Tendency (FPT) of 1.56, or a final volume filtered of
250ml minimum when tested in accordance with the standard test
method ASTM D2068, is not a prerequisite. However, on occasion,
DND may require fuel that can pass this test. Consequently, DND
may request a fuel sample from the Contractor before accepting
delivery of the fuel. DND shall be responsible for performing
the testing. Should the testing reveal that the fuel does not
meet the FPT limits that DND requires, DND may opt not to
proceed with the fuelling.





Appendix B:  List of Potential Ports 

ZONE 1

St. Pierre, France
Miquelon, France
Groennedal, Greenland
Nuuk, Greenland
Boston, Massachusetts
New York City, New York
Norfolk, Virginia
Charleston, South Carolina
Savannah, Georgia
Mayport, Florida
Port Everglades, Florida
Key West, Florida
Puerto Cortes, Honduras
Colon, Panama
Nassau, Bahamas
Kingston, Jamaica
Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago
Cartagena, Colombia
Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela
Buenes Aires, Argentina

ZONE 2

Reykjavik, Iceland
Belfast, Ireland
Dublin, Ireland
Glasgow, Scotland
Faslane, England
Greenoch, England
Plymouth, England
Portsmouth, England
Lisbon, Portugal
Brest, France
Antwerp, Belgium
Zeebrugge, Belgium
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Den Helder, Netherlands 
Hamburg, Germany
Kiel, Germany
Aarhus,  Denmark
Copenhagen, Denmark
Gdynia, Poland
Klaipeda, Lithuania
Tallin, Estonia
Helsinki, Finland
Stockholm, Sweden
Bergen, Norway
Haakonsvern, Norway
Trondheim, Norway

ZONE 3

Ponta Delgada, Azores
Funchal, Madeira
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Island of Gran Canaria
Gibraltar, UK
Cartagena, Spain
Malaga, Spain
Palma De Majorca, Spain
Rota, Spain
Toulon, France
Augusta Bay, Italy
Civitavecchia, Italy
Naples, Italy
Cagliari, Sardinia
Catania, Sicily
Valletta, Malta
Souda Bay, Crete
Istanbul, Turkey
Aksaz, Turkey
Limassol,  Cyprus
Acaba, Jordan
Haifa, Israel
Suez Canal, Egypt
Alexandra, Egypt
Port Said, Egypt
Djibouti, Djibouti
Muscat, Oman
Salalah, Oman
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Jebel Ali, United Arab Emirates
Doha, Qatar
Manama, Bahrain
Kuwait City, Kuwait
Mumbai, India
Mombasa, Kenya
Simons Town, Cape Town, South Africa
Casablanca, Morocco
Delivery Date: 27/02/2013

The Crown retains the right to negotiate with suppliers on any
procurement.

Documents may be submitted in either official language of Canada.