Respondent ______
CITY OF TACOMA
* REQUIREMENTS AND TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS RESPONSE FORM *
Request for Proposals GF16-0034F
Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Engine Conversion System
Supply and Installations on City of Tacoma Light Duty Fleet
Respondent ______
FIRM/PERSONNEL/REFERENCES/SUSTAINABILITY / Provide responses in the corresponding fields.A. / Executive Summary
1. / Introduction and overview of your submittal/proposal.
2. / A short history and description of your firm, including organizational structure, areas/regions served, number of employees, number of years in business under current or previous names, etc.
3. / Background information of the parent company, if any.
4. / Presence, if any, in Puget Sound/Pacific Northwest region.
5. / Documentation of corporate status and business licenses.
6. / Name and address of firm, telephone number, email address, website address, and contact person, with title, for this solicitation.
7. / Name, title, and contact information of the person authorized to execute a contract on behalf of the Respondent.
8. / Name, title, and contact information of the person who will be managing this Contract on behalf of the Respondent.
9. / Identify subcontractors, if any, that will be utilized by your firm for this scope of work.
10. / List any current or known forthcoming business ventures or related transactions such as proposed sale of company, buy-outs, acquisitions, mergers, new investors, etc., that may impact the business partner relationship with the City of Tacoma.
11. / Disclose any affiliations or alliances that are in place with utility companies, software organizations, or other related firms.
12. / Disclose involvement in any business litigation in the past five years, including whether your firm has, for legal reasons, been removed from a contract or failed to complete a contract as assigned.
B. / Qualifications/Experience/Capacity of Firm
13. / Describe your firm’s background, qualifications, relevant experience, and past projects completing CNG conversions on similar vehicles.
14. / Provide dealer location.
15. / Provide the name and location of the warranty and/or repair facility nearest the City’s Fleet Operations facility, 3639 South Pine, Tacoma, WA
16. / Describe your firm’s capacity to complete the CNG conversions including a description of your facilities and numbers of technical staff by job type.
17. / Provide locations, capacity, and hours for your secure inside vehicle storage facility.
C. / Qualifications of Key Personnel to be Assigned to this Project
The personnel presented must be committed to this project for the expected term of the Contract.
18. / List key personnel that will manage and work this project including the relevant background and experience of managerial, supervisory, and technical staff you propose to assign to this project. Include length of service, training, and compliance with the certification requirements detailed in I 29.
D. / References
19. / Provide two or more recent client references able to verify your firm’s overall expertise for this scope of work. The clients should have worked with your firm within the last 10 years.
For each reference provide the following information:
· Company name
· Website address, if applicable
· Contact person(s) and title
· Address
· Phone number
· Email address
· Project description
· Dates of service
E. / Sustainability
The City has an interest in measures used by its contractors to ensure sustainable operations with minimal adverse impact on the environment. The City seeks to do business with vendors that value community and environmental stewardship and help us meet our sustainable purchasing goals.
20. / Demonstrate your firm’s commitment to providing the services identified in this RFP in a sustainable manner. What measures will your firm take to minimize impacts to the environment in the delivery of these services? Provide details of efforts, practices, and/or processes.
21. / Demonstrate your firm's commitment to sustainable business practices, which could include, but is not limited to a formal sustainability program and/or policies covering recycling measures, energy conservation plans, water conservation policies, a green cleaning policy. Please provide details and include copies of reports, policies or plans if available.
GF16-0034F Response Form 2
Respondent ______
/REQUIREMENTS / þ As Specified /
Describe Exceptions /
F. / Service Call Response Time /
22. / Due to the evolving technology and service needs, the Contractor must be able to make a service call to the City’s Fleet Operations Facilities, 3639 South Pine Street, Tacoma, WA, within one business day of notification during warranty period. /
G. / Metrics /
23. / Contractor shall quantify metrics to enable test and evaluation of the reliability, maintainability, system safety, and emissions compliance of the proposed conversion system(s). State of the art, closed loop feed-back controlled engine family specific conversion system technologies shall include but no be limited to onboard computer management of fuel and spark, fuel injection systems (for example, port/multi-point/sequential multi-point), and Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) shall be optimized to retro-fit the corresponding gasoline internal combustion engine (ICE) equipment. /
24. / Contractor shall provide CNG conversion systems installation familiarization to inform City of Tacoma personnel on the operation, maintenance, and troubleshooting mechanics of these conversion systems. /
25. / Vehicle range shall be maximized. Each vehicle shall meet or exceed a range of 200 miles, based on the projected fuel economy of the vehicle. /
26. / Vehicle performance and tailpipe emissions measured at City acceptance of the vehicle shall meet the applicable 40 CFR Parts 86/88 EPA emission standards for the duration of the contract warranty period. /
H. / Emissions Compliance /
27. / The contractor shall select the latest advanced technologies available and preferable provide EPA Clean Fuel Vehicle (CFV); Low Emission Vehicle (LEV), Ultra Low Emission Vehicle (OLEV) or non-CFV Tier UTLEV certified engine family/end-item Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) model year vehicle ICE specific conversion systems. /
28. / In lieu of EPA certified conversion systems, the contractor shall provide a Clean Fuel Fleet Standards certified emissions compliance document for the engine family/model year vehicle specific after market conversion system. This may include any of the following: California Air Resources Board (C.A.R.B.) certification, (using 1994 and later year conversion kit certification procedures); Federal Test Procedures (FTP) emissions data as defined in the EPA's 40 CFR Part 86 For each engine family from an EPA recognized laboratory, or an EPA compliance Statement from the conversion system engine compartment equipment manufacturer that will be coordinated through the EPA Air Enforcement Division, Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, Washington, DC that specifically certifies conformance with EPA Memorandum lA. /
I. / Technician Requirement /
29. / The contractor technicians performing hands-on vehicle conversions at every contractor/subcontractor conversion/warranty work facility shall be factory authorized and trained by the engine family conversion system specific manufacturer and be Automotive Service Excellence (ASE), F-1 (CNG) or recognized industry certification to perform state-of-the-art CNG vehicle conversions and maintenance. /
J. / Design, Analysis, and Test /
30. / The contractor shall design the installation methodology for each engine family/vehicle specific conversion system in accordance with the latest editions of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 52, the Texas Railroad Commission (TRRC) "Regulations for Compressed Natural Gas," published by LP-Gas Division. Thomas D. Petru, Director, Austin, Texas, and assimilated the applicable crash safety provisions of the Federal Motor Vehicle System Safety (FMVSS) 303 Standards. /
31. / The contractor shall perform analysis and tests as required of the EPA tail-pipe emissions(s) minimum requirements. /
32. / The contractor shall support the City to test vehicle performance and tailpipe emission profiles periodically, to ensure sustainment of same, and document any conversion system deterioration during the contract warranty period. /
K. / Configuration Management /
33. / The contractor shall establish a product baseline to define the configuration of the CNG vehicle conversion system(s) and the corresponding gasoline engine specific interface. /
34. / The contractor shall establish and maintain an in process configuration management program to control the CNG vehicle conversion system configuration, to include engineering changes, deviations, and waivers for the contract duration. /
35. / The contractor shall provide as-converted engine specific calibrations for each engine family/vehicle (OEM) specific conversion system/ICE interface. /
36. / The contractor shall document the design of the end item's product baseline through the use of engineering data. /
37. / The configuration of the conversion system, sub-systems, components, and gasoline engine interface engine calibrations shall be managed to enable continuous update of the commercial technical manuals. /
L. / Quality Control /
38. / The contractor shall develop and maintain an in-process Quality Control Program to ensure installation methodology employed is in accordance with the conversion system(s), e.g., onboard CNG fuel delivery, and engine computer management equipment manufacture's recommended practice and engineering data. /
39. / The contractor shall develop and implement procedures to properly maintain specialized shop equipment calibrations in accordance with equipment manufacture's standard commercial practices. The contractor shall develop and implement procedures to ensure appropriate warranty actions and disposition of non-conforming quality deficient components. /
M. / Fleet Vehicles /
40. / The contractor shall provide products and services that meet or exceed the aforementioned system safety, vehicle performance, and emission standards. Contractor supplied vehicle performance, emission tests, and system safety tank installation certifications for each vehicle shall be approved prior to the City's acceptance of the conversion of the vehicle. /
N. / Warranties /
41. / The contractor shall warrant that the installation of their components will in no way alter, modify, or render invalid the full force and effect of the modified vehicle's original manufacturer's warranty. This warranty shall also include Emissions Compliance of the converted vehicle in accordance with Washington state tailpipe analysis emissions requirements. /
42. / The contractor shall provide a three year or 50,000 mile (whichever comes first) warranty; inclusive of all labor, conversion system components parts, and attaching hardware/firmware that was installed on the vehicle, to correct failures that are identified as hardware interface workmanship deficiencies or a CNG conversion system defective computer software engine specific calibration anomaly for all vehicles which have been converted to operate on CNG. /
43. / This warranty shall remain in effect for the warranty period commencing at the City's acceptance of the conversion of the vehicle. /
44. / The contractor shall be responsible for damage to the vehicle ICE when it is determined that the damage was caused by the installation of the retrofit system and the engine OEM manufacturer's warranty is in effect when the engine OEM's warranty is no longer in effect. /
45. / The contractor shall be responsible for the cost of repairs of those components damaged by the use of the conversion system. /
O. / Conversion Systems Familiarization /
46. / The contractor shall provide CNG conversion systems installation regulatory compliance inspection familiarization to the City prior to delivery of the initial vehicle. /
47. / Technical familiarization shall include system safety, comprehensive service, diagnostics, and maintenance. /
48. / The familiarization shall take place at the contractor's conversion installation facility. Specific dates and times for these familiarization periods shall be scheduled by the contractor and coordinated with the City. /
P. / Regulations /
49. / The contractor shall provide contractor's facility, conversion systems, CNG onboard tanks, and system safety installation methodologies employed thereof, that comply with all applicable federal, state, and local building and fire codes. /
/
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS / þ As Specified /
Describe Exceptions /
Q. / Reliability /
50. / The contractor shall provide state-of-the-art conversion systems that, as a minimum, include a complete closed loop feedback electronic controller, capable of maintaining the air/fuel ratio @ stoichiometric for natural gas combustion on naturally aspirated engines. /
51. / The closed loop feed-back control system shall have an adaptive learning system that can analyze the following equipment: manifold air pressure (map sensor), oxygen sensor (02), and engine revolutions per minute (rpm); and subsequently manage system operation of the following equipment: fuel delivery and fuel distribution to the intake plenum and spark timing in an optimized and advanced matrix schedule throughout the operating mode for all applications. /
52. / Operation on CNG shall not affect the adaptive memory of the end-item vehicle OEM electronic engine control module, such that the vehicle operating performance or emissions are diminished after switching back to the "gasoline operating mode". /
53. / The contractor shall install the conversion system in a manner that does not affect the operation of the ICE engine speed governor. The engine speed governor shall sustain operation and without interruption, when the vehicle is operating on both CNG and gasoline. /
54. / The City of Tacoma vehicle conversion systems shall be a transparent retro-fit in terms of the engine family/end-item OEM vehicle specific performance specifications, with the exceptions of allowable deviations specifically stated in this specification. /
55. / Vehicles converted shall be configured to operate on gasoline in accordance with the end-item vehicle OEM performance specifications. /
R. / Maintainability /
56. / The contractor shall provide diagnostics electronic componentry and associated software, equipment manufacturer's engine family/vehicle specific calibrations, etc., to properly maintain and trouble-shoot conversion system/OEM electronics interface, and necessary to meet or exceed vehicle performance and emissions standards. /
57. / The magnitude, e.g., quantity and capability of the diagnostics equipment shall be supplied to enable centralized maintenance and troubleshooting mechanics for the number of fleet vehicles being converted. /
S. / Configuration Management /
58. / The contractor shall install all conversion systems and CNG fuel delivery components to include auxiliary interconnects for user friendly accessibility to service and maintain same. /
59. / The conversion system and fuel delivery tubing network design lay-out metric shall be the capability for a single novice City of Tacoma maintainer to perform routine service, maintenance, and trouble shooting of the CNG conversion system. /