25-SIMACQ-C70-0004_3M Redacted SS JA_04212025.pdf

Brand Name/Sole Source Justification under $250K

PID Number: N63394-SIMACQ-PHD-C70-0004

Department: C73

Company Name/Brand: 3M Technical Ceramics

Description of Product, Supplies or Services required to meet the agency’s needs:

Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Port Hueneme Division (PHD) has a requirement to procure the following 3M branded ceramic target covers. Ceramic target covers are designed to fit Spherically Mounted Retroreflectors (SMRs) or reflective survey targets, which are used with laser tracker instruments to measure planar array angular orientations onboard US Navy Vessels and . The ability to measure ceramic targets directly affects lifecycle sustainment of new construction and in-service US Navy Vessels and across the Navy enterprise.

Identification of Justification Rationale:

The Material or service must be compatible with aspects (Form, Fit, and Function) with existing systems presently installed.

A patent, copyright, proprietary data, or licensing agreement limits competition.

These are “direct replacement(s)” parts/components for existing equipment.

Urgency.

Statutory Authority Permitting Other Than Full and Open Competition

10 U.S.C. 2304(c)(1). The property or services needed by the agency are available from only one responsible source or only from a limited number of responsible sources and no other type of property or services will satisfy the needs of the agency: IAW FAR 6.303-2(b)(4).

Identification of the Justification Rationale Explained:

The ceramic target material is used onboard all surface US Navy ships.

Due to the material specifications in support of ORDALT 77292, 3M Technical Ceramics (Previously 3M Ceradyne, Inc.) is the only vendor that can manufacture the new ceramic target material. In order to maintain configuration management and allow for required integration, interfaces, and interchangeability, the ceramic target material must meet or exceed the material properties of the original ceramic target material. In this case, all original silicon nitride ceramic targets were purchased through 3M. NSWC Carderock Materials for Advanced Systems and Sensors Branch, Code 615 conducted material testing and analysis on these legacy ceramic targets as well as the new 3M ceramic targets to ensure that the new 3M ceramic targets met or exceeded that of the legacy material. NSWC PHD Chief Scientist determined that the new 3M ceramic targets did in fact meet or exceed that of the legacy material and therefore approved and authorized their use onboard US Navy Vessels.

Since no other vendor can manufacture the ceramic targets with the proper material specifications/properties to ensure configuration management and compatibility with the original ceramic target material, only 3M ceramic targets can meet our requirements. Furthermore, these ceramic targets must be purchased from the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), 3M since no other company and/or third party vendor is authorized to provide and/or distribute 3M licensed products.

Specific Characteristics of the Item or Service required that Limit the Availability to a Sole Source or Brand Name:

An engineering study was conducted by NSWC A65 to address the material requirements for this specific application. From that study, it was determined that the sintered silicon nitride (SSN) would be best case material, based on material properties. 3M Technical Ceramics is the only company with the production, manufacturing, and tooling equipment to produce (SSN).

Materials testing and analysis was conducted to ensure the SSN material will meet all engineering requirements and design specifications (e.g., yield stress, hardness, fracture toughness, chemical analysis and phase composition, surface roughness characterization). 4 weeks were spent conducting market research to determine if another vendor would be able to produce SSN material with the same material properties. No companies other than 3M currently produced SSN material nor are they able to produce the SSN material to the specific quality and specifications of 3M Technical Ceramics SSN material. Furthermore, 3M Technical Ceramics SSN material is proprietary and is not sold or distributed by any other company or third party vendor.

It cost approximately $33k for material testing and analysis from August 2021 through February 2022, and took approximately 26 weeks in order to ensure the 3M Technical Ceramics SSN material met our requirements. Therefore, if 3M Technical Ceramics were unable to fulfill this order, the use of another vendor would result in a substantial duplication of cost of approximately $33k in material testing and engineering analysis that is not expected to be recovered through competition. Furthermore, the use of another vendor would result in a delay of approximately 26 weeks. This delay is unreasonable as it would cause degradation to ships mission and the ability to accurately defend itself. As Ordalt targets are used in the measurement and calculation of Combat System angular position offsets, the delay in installing targets would further delay measurement collection data (input into media computer compensation media files) and further delay mission readiness.

Market Research Conducted:

Market Research was conducted with will have to conduct detailed chemical and material analysis on 3M sintered silicon nitride (SSN) material to determine if they can produce a similar material, at this time does not produce SSN material. produces an alternate SSN Nilcra E material; not all material properties meet the threshold requirements to that of 3M SSN, for the required US Navy application. does not produce any variation or alternate of SSN material.

Contract specialist/buyer posted a sources sought to SAM.gov from 04/07/2025 through 04/18/2025 and received zero responses from capable vendors.

Statement of Actions, if any to Remove Barriers to Competition in the Future:

NSWC PHD Contracts Office will continue to conduct market research as warranted to provide a broader vendor base as applicable for the types of supplies/services covered by this document. If another potential source emerges, NSWC PHD will assess whether competition for future requirements is feasible.

CERTIFICATIONS AND APPROVAL

TECHNICAL/REQUIREMENTS CERTIFICATION

I certify that the facts and representations under my cognizance which are included in this Justification and its supporting acquisition planning documents, except as noted herein are complete and accurate to the best of my knowledge and belief.

LEGAL SUFFICIENCY REVIEW

I have determined this Justification is legally sufficient.

CONTRACTING OFFICER CERTIFICATION

I certify that this Justification is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Upon the basis of the above justification, I hereby approve, as Contracting Officer, the solicitation of the proposed procurement(s) described herein using other than full and open competition, pursuant to the authority of 10 U.S.C. 3204(a)(1), Only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements

Brian A. Carpenter, Contracting Officer, 0271

CARPENTER.BRIAN.

ALLEN.1571888269

Digitally signed by

CARPENTER.BRIAN.ALLEN.15718

88269 Date: 2025.04.21 15:26:34 -07'00'