SPRINGFIELD, Virginia –
Defense Logistics Agency Energy held a pre-proposal conference to discuss new tools and the opportunity for alternative fuels in the Rocky Mountain/West Coast/Offshore 2015 purchase program solicitation April 29.
The conference was intended to give suppliers a better understanding of what DLA Energy needs concerning specifications, testing requirements, stability requirements and technical requirements.
“It’s exciting day for us,” said Air Force Brig. Gen. Mark McLeod, DLA Energy commander. “There will be a lot of technical information shared today especially specifications – the nuts and bolts to help you build your proposals.”
The objective of the conference is to help suppliers paint their companies in the best light – everybody comes to the table in a fair and reasonable position, he added.
Alternative fuel was a topic during the conference.
“This is a kickoff for what we see as building an industry in bio and alternative fuels and incorporating those into our main line process,” McLeod said.
The commander related the relationship between DLA Energy and industry to the popular ABC television show “Shark Tank,” that features a panel of potential investors who invest their own money in entrepreneurs seeking investments for their business or product.
“Today, we are a lot like the television show, “Shark Tank” – providing industry with the guaranteed requirements … the seed corn if you’ll pardon the pun, to grow this important energy sector in the future,” McLeod said.
There is a lot of interest from the White House, U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. Senate and Environmental Protection Agency to drive the organization to a certain set of standards and a set of performance expectations in terms of offsetting greenhouse gases and introducing alternative fuels into Energy’s products, he said.
“All of that stuff is coming into fruition in this particular [solicitation,]” McLeod added.
The secretary of the Navy has set a goal that by 2020 half of all the Department of the Navy’s energy will come from alternative sources.
As part of the regular bulk procurement for the Rocky Mountain/West Coast/Offshore Program, this solicitation is designed to assist the Navy in meeting its goals to increase the use of biofuels. Under this solicitation, the Navy has a goal that 10 percent of its total military specification JP5 aviation turbine fuel and F76 naval distillate fuel requirements consist of biofuels.
Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus has set some aggressive energy goals, said Joseph Bryan, deputy assistant secretary of the Navy for energy.
“His vision is that optimizing energy use is the key to our ability to project power and provide presence around the world,” he added. “Secretary Mabus also likes to say, ‘Presence means being in the right place; not just at the right time, but all the time.’”
That requires fuel – fossil fuel and alternatives, Bryan said.
“Increasing our fuel diversity helps us maximize our operational flexibility, and in return helps us strengthen our ability to provide that presence,” he added.
The 2015 Rocky Mountain/West Coast/Offshore solicitation will offer suppliers an opportunity to use the new Bulk Offer Entry Tool. This will be the first bulk fuels program to use this tool.
“It is optional for this (solicitation,) but there is advantage of using it,” McLeod said. “If you build your offers into (the tool,) it is automatically rolled up into our evaluation model. That will become our standard as we go forward.”
The Bulk OET will allow offerors to electronically submit and sign their offer.
The Energy commander said this is a partnership, and the partnership will continue to grow in the future as this industry becomes more viable.
“We look forward to helping you prepare for this today, and working very closely as we move forward,” he added.
Proposals from suppliers for the Rocky Mountain/West Coast/Offshore 2015 purchase program solicitation must be submitted by May 8. The ordering period for the program is October 1 through September 30, 2016. The delivery period is October 1 through September 30, 2016, with a 30-day carry over.