Vendor Questions and Answers

Vendor Questions and Answers

Questions must be submitted via email to flyashresearch@orau.org or using our question submission page.

Upon receipt of this RFP, proposers shall immediately cease contact with TVA technical organizations either onsite or in a corporate office regarding this RFP.  Any violation of this direction will be basis for disqualification.  Any discussion or questions concerning this RFP shall be directed to the email address identified herein.  Any information given to prospective proposers concerning this RFP will be posted to the website for other prospective proposers if ORAU deems that information to be necessary to prospective proposers in submitting proposals or if ORAU determines the lack of it would be prejudicial to any other prospective proposers.

Posted 11/02/09

Question: Can I get a copy of pre-proposals?

Answer: We will not be releasing copies of any of the pre-proposals or full proposals – these are the intellectual property of the proposers and they submitted the proposals with the understanding that the information would be shared only with the peer reviewers assigned to their proposal, for review purposes only.

We will post abstracts or summaries of the projects that finally are chosen to be funded. Watch the web site for that announcement in January.

Posted 7/31/09

Question: What is the policy regarding confidentiality of information submitted in the pre-proposal and proposal processes?

Answer: Staff who process the proposals have signed a confidentiality agreement, work in a secure building, and follow standard procedures regarding protection of sensitive information.  Materials to be reviewed are received and distributed via secure electronic systems.  Reviewers of the proposals sign statements certifying that they do not have a conflict of interest regarding the material they are reviewing, and that they will not disclose it to others.  Although we make every reasonable effort to protect the intellectual property with which we are entrusted throughout the proposal process, we cannot guarantee its protection.  Proposers are required to acknowledge during the submittal process that proprietary information will be made available to reviewers during the review process.

Posted 7/31/09

Question: Is there an indirect cost rate limit?

Answer: There is no indirect cost rate limit, other than that the budget be considered reasonable by independent reviewers.  See Review Process and Criteria.

Posted 7/31/09

Question: What is the production rate of fly ash at the Bull Run and Kingston plants?

Answer:

Bull Run
Calendar Year	Annual Fly Ash Production (tons)	Approximate Daily Production (tons)
2004	175,830	482-602
2005	244,536	670-837
2006	177,734	487-609
2007	238,860	654-818
2008	148,203	406-508

Kingston
Calendar Year	Annual Fly Ash Production (tons)	Approximate Daily Production (tons)
2004	367,372	1,006-1,258
2005	326,371	894-1,118
2006	362,903	994-1,243
2007	352,539	966-1,207
2008	350,316	960-1,200

Posted 7/29/09

Question: Are collaborative proposals from multiple organizations allowed?

Answer: Yes, collaborative proposals are encouraged.
Be sure to indicate with which other PIs/Organizations/Proposal titles you are collaborating, and any dependencies that exist among proposals/collaborating groups.  Our submission system does not have automated linking capabilities (e.g., like NSF’s FastLane), so be sure you highlight linkages so we can group collaborating proposals for review.

Posted 7/24/09

Question: Can you provide some information on specifications/characterization of the TVA fly ash?

Answer: This link provides some characterization data on heavy metals/trace elements for the Kingston fly ash.

http://www.tva.com/kingston/solids/index.htm

The files below provide Proximate and Ultimate Analyses for fly ash and bottom ash at all the TVA pulverized coal plants. Under the Proximate Analysis, you will see Btu/lb, and, under the Ultimate Analysis, you will see % Carbon. The % Carbon is usually referred to as Loss on Ignition (L.O.I.) and is most commonly used in reference to fly ash. These data are from 2002.

Plant codes in the PDF file names refer to the TVA plants as outlined below. To see all plants in alphabetical order by code, you may download the complete analyses (1.4 MB, PDF).

TVA Plant	Bottom Ash Analysis	Fly Ash Analysis
ALF: Allen Fossil Plant, Memphis, TN	No data	ALF
BRF: Bull Run Fossil Plant, Clinton, TN	BRF	BRF
COF: Colbert Fossil Plant, Tuscumbia, AL	COF	COF
CUF: Cumberland Fossil Plant, Cumberland City, TN	CUF	CUF
GAF: Gallatin Fossil Plant, Gallatin, TN	GAF	GAF
JOF: Johnsonville Fossil Plant, New Johnsonville, TN	JOF	JOF
JSF: John Sevier Fossil Plant, Rogersville, TN	JSF	JSF
KIF: Kingston Fossil Plant, Kingston, TN	KIF	KIF - Cell I & II KIF - Cell I only KIF - Cell II only
PAF: Paradise Fossil Plant, Drakesboro, KY	No data	PAF A PAF B
SHF: Shawnee Fossil Plant, Paducah, KY	SHF	SHF
WCF: Widows Creek Fossil Plant, Bridgeport, AL	WCF WCF 7-8	WCF

Posted 7/24/09

Question: Is the cover sheet referenced in the content guidelines to be included in the 5-page pre-proposal total?

Answer: The cover page is not included in the 5 page total.

Posted 7/24/09

Question: Must work that is proposed use TVA fly ash?

Answer: Research and product demonstrations are not limited to using TVA ash, but proposals for work with CCPs that are similar to TVA’s, and which produce results that likely would be applicable to TVA’s CCPs, may receive preference.

Posted 7/14/09

Question: Are Federal agencies and federally funded research and development centers eligible to apply for this funding opportunity?

Answer: Government agencies and federally funded research and development centers are eligible to apply for this funding opportunity. Preproposals and proposals should include the signature of an official authorized to provide organizational approval of the proposal.

 

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