A15_BNJ_0044050269_public.pdf

JUSTIFICATION TO RESTRICT COMPETITION BY USING A BRAND-NAME DESCRIPTION

FOR AN ACQUISITION UNDER THE SIMPLIFIED ACQUISITION THRESHOLD (SAT) FOR A

COMMERCIAL PRODUCT OR SERVICE

(REVOLUTIONARY FAR OVERHAUL (RFO))

REFERENCE: PR 0044050269

1. In accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 12.102(a), I hereby determine to restrict competition by using a brand-name description. There are no substitutes available.

2. This acquisition is restricted to the following item:

Amiad AMF-93K automatic self-cleaning filter.

3. The estimated price is REDACTED.

4. The Western Fisheries Research Center laboratory process water filtration system was designed and installed in 2018 for a four-filter array configuration, providing the N+1 redundancy necessary to take individual filter units offline for inspection, maintenance, or servicing without interrupting filtered process water supply to the laboratory. Due to funding constraints at the time of installation, only three of the four designed filter arrays were procured and installed, leaving the system one filter short of its intended redundant configuration. Operating with three filters instead of four means that any single filter requiring maintenance, cleaning beyond the automatic backflush cycle, or unplanned service must either be performed while the filter remains online thus creating safety and water quality risks, or taken offline and reducing filtration capacity below the minimum required for continuous laboratory operations supporting live animal research.

5. Market research suggests that there are two potentially competitive filters (Tekleen ABW3-LP/ABW4 and Eaton AFR series) that are comparable in terms of filtration capacity (down to 2 microns) and flow rate (greater than 200 GPM) while being self-cleaning. However, the mechanical infrastructure, piping, controls programming, and structural support for the fourth Amiad filter are already in place as part of the original 2018 installation design, meaning no additional engineering, design work, or system modification is required. This procurement completes the system as designed and restores the engineering redundancy that was deferred at the time of original installation. Attempting to use any other filter would result in a mismatched array, degrading overall system performance, complicating spare parts inventory and ongoing maintenance, and incurring significant infrastructure/installation cost. Three photos embedded below illustrate the situation well.

6. The Amiad filter is made in Israel. This acquisition will be set aside for competition between U.S. based small business distributors. A separate RFO 25.103(b)(2) individual nonavailability determination will be prepared prior to award and sent to the MIAO per RFO 25.103(b)(2)(iii) based on the unique circumstances justifying restricting competition to the brand name Amiad in this case.

Prepared by:

/s/

JEFF CARAVELLI

Contracting Officer

END