Portable Special-Purpose High-Purity Nitrogen Generation Systems
Updated
Sources Sought from the Department of the Navy, for work in Bremerton, Washington. Due Oct 30, 2026, 4:00 PM (UTC-7), 9 days left.
| Solicitation number | N4523A27RFI0801 |
|---|---|
| Agency | Department of the Navy |
| Office | Puget Sound Naval Shipyard Imf |
| Notice type | Sources Sought |
| Set-aside | None |
| Trade (NAICS) | Air and Gas Compressor Manufacturing (333912) |
| Product or service code | 3655 |
| Place of performance | Bremerton, Washington |
| Posted | Oct 20, 2026 |
| Response deadline | Oct 30, 2026, 4:00 PM (UTC-7) (9 days left) |
| Add the deadline to | Google Calendar · Apple / Outlook (.ics) |
Official notice and attachments
Description
'Update 10/20/2026: Extend response due date to 30 October 2026" "Update 10/7/2026: The Government's responses to vendor questions have been released. See attachment: RFI Notice N4523A27RFI0801 Q_A. 1. DISCLAIMER & SPECIAL NOTICES This Request for Information (RFI) is issued solely for market research, planning, and information purposes in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 10.002, FAR Part 12 (as updated under the Revolutionary FAR Overhaul [RFO] model class deviation and E.O. 14275), FAR 15.201(e), and FAR 52.215-3 (Request for Information or Solicitation for Planning Purposes).
No Solicitation Exists: This notice does not constitute a Request for Proposals (RFP), an Invitation for Bids (IFB), a Request for Quotations (RFQ), or a promise to issue any solicitation in the future. No Commitment: Responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. The issuance of this RFI does not commit the U.S. Government to contract for any product or service whatsoever, nor does it guarantee that a formal procurement will result.
Commerciality & RFO Part 12 Application: Market research obtained via this notice will assist the Contracting Officer in determining whether commercial procedures under rewritten FAR Part 12 apply and whether contemplated items meet the statutory definition of a "Commercial Product" or "Commercial Product with Modifications" pursuant to 10 U.S.C. §§ 3451–3453 and FAR 2.101. No Reimbursement: The Government will not pay for any information, administrative costs, travel, or submissions incurred in responding to this RFI.
All submitted materials shall become Government property and will not be returned. Responders are advised that the U.S. Government will not be held liable for any use or disclosure of data provided in response to this notice unless clearly marked with proprietary rights legends. 2.
PURPOSE & OBJECTIVES Puget Sound Naval Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility (PSNS & IMF), under contracting activity N4523A, is conducting market research to: Assess Commercial & Modified COTS Availability: Determine whether commercial products currently available in the commercial marketplace—or commercial products that can be modified of a type customarily available in the commercial marketplace to meet the Government's requirement—satisfy PSNS & IMF's operational parameters pursuant to RFO FAR Part 12.
Evaluate Customary Commercial Practices & Customary Modifications: In accordance with RFO FAR Subpart 12.1 (Pre-solicitation), identify commercial practices regarding warranties, maintenance intervals, testing, and delivery terms, and understand the degree of adaptation required to configure commercial industrial nitrogen plants into shipyard-ready, containerized units. Obtain Specification Feedback: Solicit industry input, risk assessments, and recommendations regarding the Government's draft performance requirements to eliminate overly restrictive or non-commercial specifications.
Refine Acquisition Strategy: Gauge market maturity, delivery lead times, First Article Test (FAT) feasibility, and cost drivers to structure an optimal commercial IDIQ solicitation under streamlined RFO FAR Part 12 procedures. 3. CONTEMPLATED CONTRACT STRUCTURE & SCOPE The Government is contemplating an Indefinite Delivery / Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract structure utilizing FAR Part 12 (Acquisition of Commercial Products and Commercial Services) streamlined procedures in conjunction with FAR Part 15 (Contracting by Negotiation): Item Categorization: Modified Commercial Product.
The baseline generation system must rely on active production commercial products and components with active commercial part-numbers; prototype or unproven "pre-production" components are not authorized. First Article Test (FAT) Unit: Two (2) initial units subject to qualification, Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL) inspection, independent accredited laboratory gas purity verification, and operational verification testing.
Production Units: Up to ten (10) production units to be ordered via firm-fixed-price delivery orders across the ordering period based on shipyard operational requirements and subject to availability of funds. Support Services & Spares: Delivery, initial on-site commissioning, operational verification, 24 months of spare consumable parts, standard commercial documentation and manuals, and optional multi-year maintenance service agreements.
Contemplated Source Selection Method: Best Value with Tradeoffs in accordance with RFO FAR 12.203 and FAR Part 15, where technical capability, system reliability, delivery schedule, and past performance will be evaluated in relation to total evaluated price. Lowest Price Technically Acceptable in accordance with FAR Part 15, where the lowest price meeting or exceeding the acceptability standards for non-cost factors.
4. SUMMARY OF DRAFT TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS The contemplated system is a ruggedized, portable, special-purpose gaseous nitrogen generation plant packaged for demanding maritime shipyard environments. See attached Draft Statement of Work.
5. REQUESTED INDUSTRY FEEDBACK (RFO FAR PART 12 MARKET RESEARCH) In alignment with RFO FAR Part 12 pre-solicitation policy to minimize barriers to commercial item procurement and identify standard commercial terms, industry partners are requested to provide feedback on the following: Topic A: Commercial Product Availability & Customary Commercial Practice Does your firm currently manufacture, sell, or lease standard commercial nitrogen generation systems that achieve the requested purity?
Does your product qualify as a "Commercial Product" or a "Commercial Product with Modifications" under FAR 2.101? What specific modifications would be required to adapt your standard commercial offering to meet the PSNS specifications (e.g., ISO container integration, shipyard color restrictions, specific alarm announcements, acoustic attenuation)?
The description continues in the official notice.
Contracting contact
- Lennie Daye · [email protected]
- James Kibbee · [email protected]
As published on the official notice. Ask questions in writing and before any questions deadline the notice sets.
Is your business small enough?
For NAICS 333912, a business counts as small if it has no more than 1,000 employees (SBA size standard). This notice is set aside, so only businesses under that size, or in the named program, can bid. SBA table, current as of Oct 15, 2026.
Notice history
- Oct 7, 2026: Sources Sought Due Oct 16, 2026, 4:00 PM (UTC-7)
- Oct 2, 2026: Sources Sought Due Oct 16, 2026, 4:00 PM (UTC-7)
- Oct 1, 2026: Sources Sought Due Oct 16, 2026, 4:00 PM (UTC-7)
Companies that win this kind of work
Federal contractors paid for air and gas compressor manufacturing work, who also hold Navy contracts (last 12 months): possible competitors, or partners to team with.
- ECI Defense Group, Inc. $4.4 million in this trade
- Wright Tool Company, LLC $3.1 million in this trade
- Airgas USA, LLC $155,615 in this trade
About the buyer
The Department of the Navy awarded $129.6 billion in contracts in the last 12 months; its biggest suppliers were Electric Boat Corporation, Lockheed Martin Corporation and RTX Corporation. See what Navy is buying now.
Air and Gas Compressor Manufacturing contracts right now
There are 73 open government contract opportunities in this trade (NAICS 333912), 12 posted in the last 7 days; 49% are set aside for small businesses. The agencies buying the most are Defense Logistics Agency, Department of the Navy and Department of Veterans Affairs. Most of the work with a stated place is in Washington, Florida and Texas. A notice in this trade gives a median of 15 days from posting to deadline; this one gives 10 days.
All open air and gas compressor manufacturing contracts
Coming up in this trade
Planned contracts from the agencies' procurement forecasts, often months before a solicitation. Plans can change.
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From the award notices agencies publish.