Symbolic Nuclear Analysis Package (SNAP)
THE U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION (NRC) is issuing this Sources Sought Synopsis as a means of conducting market research or as a market survey to determine the availability of potential qualified vendors with the technical capability to provide all management, supervision, administration, and labor for the development, testing, assessment, maintenance, and user support of a user interface and analytic management code system, known as SNAP (Symbolic Nuclear Analysis Package).
SNAP is mainly used to provide input model development capabilities, but it also has output processing and data visualization features. SNAP is a JAVA application with a plug-in architecture. SNAP’s support for various analytic codes and features is provided through modular code libraries called “plug-ins”. The currently supported analytical codes that SNAP supports through the plug-in mechanism are:
· TRACE (TRAC/RELAP5 Advanced Computational Engine), a system level thermal-hydraulic code. TRACE is still undergoing significant development that requires the SNAP-TRACE plugin to need frequent updates to maintain compatibility.
· RELAP5 (Reactor Excursion and Leak Analysis Program), a system level thermal-hydraulic code. This version of RELAP5 is NOT the same as RELAP5-3D. This is a version of RELAP5 without 3D capabilities that the NRC maintains for legacy analysis purposes.
· MELCOR, a system level severe accident code. SNAP plugins are available for version 1.8.6 and 2.1 of MELCOR. A new version of MELCOR is being developed and therefore SNAP will require a new MELCOR plugin to be developed as part of this requirement.
· PARCS, (Purdue Advanced Reactor Core Simulator), a reactor kinetics code.
· RADTRAD, (Radionuclide Transport and Removal And Dose Estimation), design-basis-accident code used to determine the time-dependent dose at specified location for given accident scenarios.
· FRAP - FRAPCON & FRAPTRAN, light water reactor fuel performance codes
· SCALE/TRITON, (Standardized Computer Analyses for Licensing Evaluation/Transport Rigor Implemented with Time-dependent Operation for Neutronic depletion) TRITON is a control module developed within the framework of SCALE that enables 2-D and 3-D depletion calculations to be performed.
The goal of the SNAP program is to provide users with a common user interface for a wide range of codes and capabilities. SNAP is used throughout the NRC and by many domestic and international analysts. There are currently about 4,000 registered SNAP users. A qualified vendor would need to provide limited support for all users.
Semi-annual international conferences are conducted by the NRC to discuss code results and related issues. Potential vendors would need to periodically conduct training workshops at the beginner, intermediate, and advanced level to train internal and external users on the use of these codes and would also be responsible for developing materials for these workshops.
Services are to be provided to the NRC in Rockville, Maryland. The applicable North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code assigned to this procurement is 541511.
THERE IS NO SOLICITATION AT THIS TIME. This request for sources and vendor information does not constitute a request for proposal; submission of any information in response to this market survey is purely voluntary; the Government assumes no financial responsibility for any costs incurred.
REQUIRED CAPABILITIES: The NRC is seeking to identify commercial organizations capable of providing support in the maintenance, development, assessment, distribution, and training of the SNAP code; support to the TRACE, PARCS, SCALE, FRAPTRAN, FRAPCON, and MELCOR development contractors with regard to input, output handling and code execution issues related to SNAP; and general support to the NRC staff related to SNAP training and program review meetings. Specific capabilities needed include the ability to design and implement complex algorithms in JAVA, FORTRAN, C, and C++; maintain up-to-date Application Programming Interface (API) documents for SNAP; design, implement and execute comprehensive code test suites for the SNAP user interfaces for the above mentioned codes; design and implement cloud based API’s to allow SNAP to provision cloud resources, distribute calculations, and collect results from various analytical codes running on the cloud.
The organization would need to provide a very broad technical expertise, including:
a) demonstrated expert knowledge in code design, software engineering principles, quality assurance, and use of version control systems,
b) strong ability to program and debug software using modern programming languages (with an emphasis on JAVA and Fortran 95 and 2003),
c) a detailed understanding of the code architectures for SNAP, TRACE, RELAP5, PARCS, MELCOR, FRAPCON, and FRAPTRAN, as well as an awareness of modern two-phase fluid code architectures in general,
d) knowledge and understanding of advanced two-phase fluid numerical methods and two-phase fluid model construction,
e) experience in the use of SNAP, TRACE, RELAP5, PARCS, MELCOR, and the ability to perform reactor steady state and transient analysis for a range of reactor types and problem types (i.e. Loss of coolant accident (LOCA), small-break loss-of-coolant accident (SBLOCA), Main Stream Line Break (MSLB), Anticipated transient without scram (ATWS), rod ejection accident (REA), depletion and core follow)
f) extensive knowledge of the SNAP graphical user interface
The NRC will require highly qualified technical specialists with extensive expertise in the technical areas described.
The organization must have demonstrated knowledge of nuclear reactor thermal-hydraulic related systems code as well as demonstrated experience with large JAVA applications, JAVA graphic components, the JavaBean architecture, and the JAVA class-loader. The organization must have in-depth knowledge in these technical areas in order to independently identify and resolve issues. The organization’s principle investigators must also be technically competent to the extent necessary to participate in technical discussions and provide complete and accurate responses to questions posed during periodic reviews and presentations.
The purpose of this announcement is to provide potential sources the opportunity to submit information regarding their capabilities to perform work for the NRC free of conflict of interest (COI). For information on NRC COI regulations, visit NRC Acquisition Regulation Subpart 2009.5 (http://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/contracting/48cfr-ch20.html).
All interested parties, including all categories of small businesses (small businesses, small disadvantaged businesses, 8(a) firms, women-owned small businesses, service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses, and HUBZone small businesses) are invited to submit a response. The capabilities package submitted by a vendor should demonstrate the firm's ability, capability, and responsibility to perform the principal components of work listed below. The package should also include past performance/experience regarding projects of similar scope listing the project title, general description, the dollar value of the contract, and name of the company, agency, or government entity for which the work was performed.
Organizations responding to this market survey should keep in mind that only focused and pertinent information is requested. If significant subcontracting or teaming is anticipated in order to deliver technical capability, organizations should address the administrative and management structure of such arrangements. Submission of additional materials such as glossy brochures or videos is discouraged.
HOW TO RESPOND TO THIS SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE
If your organization has the capability and capacity to perform, as a prime contractor, all of the services described in this notice, then please respond to this notice and provide written responses to the following information. Please do not include any proprietary or otherwise sensitive information in the response, and do not submit a proposal. Proposals submitted in response to this notice will not be considered.
Organization name, address, emails address, Web site address and telephone number.
What size is your organization with respect to NAICS code identified in this notice (i.e., "small" or "other than small")? If your organization is a small business under the aforementioned NAICS code, what type of small business (i.e., small disadvantaged business, woman-owned small business, economically disadvantaged woman-owned small business, veteran-owned small business, service-disabled veteran-owned small business, 8(a), or HUBZone small business)? Specify all that apply.
Although no geographic restriction is anticipated, if responding organizations are located outside the Washington Metropolitan area (Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia), indicate how the organization would coordinate with the NRC program office located in Rockville, Maryland to provide the support services.
Separately and distinctly describe each of the required capabilities listed above that your organization possesses and indicate your organization's role (prime contractor, first tier subcontractor, and/or supplier) in related contracts. Please also provide the contract number, contract type, customer name, address and point of contact phone number and email address, contract value, thorough description of supplies and services included in the scope of that contract, indication of how they differ from the required capabilities described in this notice, period of performance (for services) or delivery date (for products), and any other relevant information.
For Electronic and Information Technology (EIT) product offerings relevant to this requirement provide completed Voluntary Product Accessibility templates or other documentation that addresses compliance with the applicable standards (add website link) for those products. For any federal customers that your agency has provided information technology services within the required capabilities areas, indicate how your company complies with applicable Section 508 standards (see buyaccesible.gov).
For any federal customers that your agency has for the required capabilities, indicate how your company complies with applicable environmental laws and Federal regulations (See NRC’s Green Purchasing Plan at: http://pbadupws.nrc.gov/docs/ML1219/ML12191A130.pdf).
Indicate whether your organization offers any of the required capabilities described in this notice on one or more of your company's own Federal Government contracts (i.e., GSA Federal Supply Schedule contract or Government wide Acquisition Contracts) that the NRC could order from and, if so, which services are offered. Also, provide the contract number(s) and indicate what is currently available for ordering from each of those contract(s).
Provide a standard, non-proprietary commercial price list or similar standard non-proprietary commercial pricing information for how your company sells, as a prime contractor, required capabilities described in this notice that your organization has experience providing. Also, indicate what is included in that pricing.
Is your organization currently performing or have in the past performed same or similar services as those listed above for any of the licensees regulated by the NRC? If so, which licensees? See http://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/regulatory/licensing.html for more information on NRC licensing.
Has your organization previously faced organizational conflict of interest issues with NRC? If so, what were they and how were they mitigated or resolved?
Interested organizations responding to this Sources Sought Synopsis are encouraged to structure capability statements in the order of the area of consideration noted above. All capability statements sent in response to this notice shall be no longer than 4 pages in length and must be submitted electronically, via e-mail, to Sharon Lim at Sharon.lim@nrc.gov, either MS Word or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF), no later than 5:00 PM (EST) on August 3, 2017.
DISCLAIMER AND NOTES: Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine the organization’s potential capability and capacity to perform the subject work. Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted. After a review of the responses received, a pre-solicitation synopsis and solicitation may be published in Federal Business Opportunities. However, responses to this notice will not be considered adequate responses to a solicitation.
Sharon M. Lim, Email sharon.lim@nrc.gov
