B1 - JA 2 Sep 2021 FINAL 09.28.2021_Redacted version.pdf

J&A Number: 0231-21-277-00 Code: 0231 P.R. Number: 21-D A-083

JUSTIFICATION AND APPROVAL

FOR USE OF OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION

JUSTIFICATION

1. Contracting Activity

The Naval Sea Systems Command, Naval Surface Warfare Center, Philadelphia Division (NSWCPD), Code 0231

2. Description of Action Being Approved

Award of a Firm-Fixed Price Contract on a sole source basis to Duramax Marine, LLC (“Duramax”) for a test stand apparatus.

3. Description of the Supplies or Services

The planned acquisition is to design, develop, fabricate, test, and deliver a small-scale test stand capable of performing dynamic performance testing of water-lubricated bearings throughout a range of prescribed loading and shaft speeds, in blue or brown water, with controllable cooling water flow, and dynamic inputs for recording system responses to various forcing frequencies, including unbalance response.

The Government’s minimum needs have been verified by the certifying technical and requirements personnel.

The total estimated dollar value of this procurement is $402,755 as indicated below.

Year 1 (FY22) Total CLIN 0001 –Preliminary Design Review CLIN 0002 – Critical Design Review CLIN 0003 – Fabrication & Delivery CLIN 0004 – Option Site Visit/On Site Commissioning

Total $402,755 $402,755

DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY

NAVAL SURFACE WARFARE CENTER

PHILADELPHIA DIVISION

5001 SOUTH BROAD STREET

PHILADELPHIA PA 19112-1403

IN REPLY REFER TO:

The proposed contract action will utilize the following type of funds:

Funding Type Fiscal Year Amount Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) Funding

2022 $402,755

The Delivery is one (1) year after contract award.

4. Statutory Authority Permitting Other Than Full and Open Competition

10 U.S.C. 2304(c)(1), Only One Responsible Source and No Other Supplies or Services Will Satisfy Agency Requirements, as implemented by Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Subpart 6.302-1.

5. Rationale Justifying Use of Cited Statutory Authority

Duramax is currently the only vendor that is listed on the Qualified Product List (QPL) for having successfully completed the qualification testing required to supply materials for water-lubricated bearings in accordance with MIL-DTL-17901C, Bearing Components, Bonded Synthetic Rubber, Water Lubricated. The qualification process defined in MIL-DTL-17901C, is established to ensure the U.S. Navy receives a bearing material that meets the stringent performance and reliability requirements. As the testing to be performed with the test stand being procured in this requisition is required to be replicate representative shipboard conditions, its design must accommodate the bearing material that are currently used to support the propulsion shafts of the fleet. Shipboard requirements specify that all bearings provided for this purpose conform to MIL-DTL-17901C. As such, nearly every U.S. Navy vessel’s propulsion system requires at least one water lubricated bearing to be fabricated by Duramax. These bearing materials are proprietary to Duramax. Over the many years that Duramax has been developing and manufacturing bearings for the Navy, they have acquired an in-depth knowledge of the unique material behavior and material properties, along with the specifics associated with performing operational testing of such materials. Due to the highly complex physics involved with the lubrication of these hyperelastic bearings with a low viscosity fluid, traditional bearing literature and analysis techniques are insufficient to predict bearing performance. Many performance characteristics of the bearings can only be extracted through empirical testing and evaluation in order to advance the state-of-the-art of the system. NSWCPD is tasked with performing research and development related to the Main Propulsion Shafting System, including bearing geometry, bearing cooling water supply requirements, advanced shaft materials and coatings, shaft alignment, and shafting system rotordynanic response. In order to perform this tasking on the water lubricated bearings designed and manufactured by Duramax, a unique and highly specialized test apparatus is required to be designed, which is specifically tailored to the material properties of the bearing material.

Duramax is the only vendor with the in-depth knowledge of the hyperelastic, rubber-type bearing materials that are to be tested with this test stand. Duramax, has obtained this knowledge through years of novel research and development associated with designing water lubricated bearings with these materials. As they are the only vendor currently qualified to manufacture the bearings in accordance with MIL-DTL-17901C, they are the only vendor who possesses the experience and knowledge associated with the bearings used a U.S. Navy Main Propulsion Shafting System. The test stand being designed and fabricated in this requisition is specifically designed to capture operational properties of the system that are directly correlated to the material properties of the bearing. Without this intimate knowledge, it would not be possible to manufacture a test stand capable of performing the testing required by the Government. Upon completion of test stand fabrication, the Government will be provided with the drawings for the test stand, an operational manual, and all information related to the test stand components, allowing for future modification, maintenance, and repair of the test stand.

An alternate vendor would need to complete the tasks listed in the chart below prior to being considered for such work:

Events (Some events to take place concurrently) Duration

Develop rubber manufacturing processes and techniques 1-3 years

Procure rubber manufacturing tooling and machines 2-3 years Manufacture rubber samples and perform testing to determine ideal formulation 3-4 years

Design and Manufacture in-house testing capabilities 1-2 years Submit material and manufacturing processes for qualification and undergo testing/inspection 1-2 years

Total Time 6-9 years

The labor time that would be required to obtain and establish the facilities, tooling, procedures, and experience needed to obtain MIL-DTL-17901C certification and be eligible to supply bearings to the fleet would create a threat to the testing program by considerably delaying the start of testing and, subsequently, the implementation of testing results to shipboard bearing configurations. The testing that requires this unique test stand to be built is schedule to begin in FY23. The specific requirements of the test matrix are inherently built upon the bearing material used throughout the fleet. There is not a sufficient amount of time available for a potential competitor to establish themselves as a viable alternative option without sacrificing mission and testing requirements. It is estimated that it would take the Government 6-9 years to establish an alternate vendor to become qualified to provide bearings in accordance with MIL-DTL-17901C and obtain the knowledge necessary to design and build a bearing test stand to extract the complex material properties required by the Government. This estimate is based upon the Government’s experience with build water lubricated bearing test stands, lead times associated with various components, and conducting research on various bearing and shaft materials and geometries to identify a realistic timeline to produce a qualified product. This test stand will be supporting testing that will inform potential bearing geometry changes and dynamic analyses to minimize the possibility of in-service bearing failure and subsequent loss of the propulsion shaftline, which results in a loss of operational readiness for the fleet. If the Government were to delay this effort by 6-9 years, the testing and design of future shaft/bearing assemblies will also be delayed, potentially resulting in several time consuming and costly premature failures to the fleet that might have been prevented. Award of this contract to a source other than Duramax would present a significant risk to the program objectives and testing schedule.

Based on the above, the only capable source is Duramax due to the nature of the requirement. No other source will possess the intimate knowledge and expertise needed to ensure the Government’s needs are met.

6. Description of Efforts Made to Solicit Offers from as Many Offerors as Practicable

Over the past few decades, a number of alternative bearing materials have been submitted to the Navy for performance qualification testing, both on a voluntary basis by the manufacturers as well as through market research and solicitation by the Navy. These materials were subjected to seawater immersion (swell), abrasive wear, frictional characteristic, and lifecycle performance testing, with direct comparisons to the established baseline material results. While MIL-DTL- 17901C requires that the material be synthetic rubber in composition, alternative material types, such as fiber woven, thermoset plastic, and other various composites, were also tested. No other candidate bearing material tested have been able to pass MIL-DTL-17901C, and more specifically, provide the long life required of these bearings to ensure ships can safely and reliably operate between dry-dock availabilities. As the dry-dock periodicities for the fleet are ever increasing, these performance requirements are likewise becoming more critical.

A Sources Sought notice was posted to https://beta.sam.gov on 19 July 2021 and closed on 02 August 2021. Additionally, a synopsis was posted on 03 August 2021 with a closing date of 17 August 2021. No responses were received to either notice. No additional market research was conducted because it is not practicable, for the reasons discussed in paragraph 5 above, for any other contractor than Duramax to provide the required supplies and services.

7. Determination of Fair and Reasonable Costs

The Contracting Officer will make a determination as to whether the costs to the Government for the supplies and services covered by this J&A are fair and reasonable, prior to award. The contractor will submit a formal price proposal with certified cost or pricing data and sufficient information to support the accuracy and reliability of the estimate. The contractor’s proposal will be reviewed by experienced technical analysts and contract specialists with the aid of necessary field pricing support. The PCO will use price analysis as the basis for negotiating a fair and reasonable price.

8. Actions to Remove Barriers to Competition

The Government will assess whether competition for future requirements is feasible. If the Government obtains the drawings for this test stand, it is anticipated that future requirements will be competed.