Brand Name DF - Giant Voice Upgrade_Redacted.pdf

DETERMINATION & FINDINGS

Authority to Solicit from a Single Source (at or below the SAT)

1. Agency and Contracting Activity: 460 CONS/PKC Buckley SFB, CO

2. Nature and/or Description of the Action:

Requirement:

Solar Package SBC280; panels, brackets, cabling and Whelen solar regulator installed to existing WPS charging panel: 2 31-MHD Replacement Batteries for existing towers: 20 WPS 10A Battery charger & adapter harness for the WPS Siren System: 1 Assembly 400 Watt Driver: 2 400 Watt Power Amplifier Tone only for WPS 2900 upgrade: 1 All other installation requirements/fittings/heavy equipment: 1

3. Citation to the Appropriate Regulation:

(Contracting Officer Instruction: Select the applicable authority for this acquisition)

RFO 8.401 and GSAR 538.7104-3(a) (FSS Orders): The circumstances of the acquisition deem only one source reasonably capable of providing the products, services, or solutions.

RFO 11.204(a)(2)(ii) (Brand Name): The particular brand name, product, or feature is essential to the Government's requirements, and market research indicates other companies' similar products, or products lacking the particular feature, do not meet the agency's needs or cannot be modified to meet the agency's minimum needs,.

RFO 12.102(a) (Commercial Products and Services): Only one source is available,.

RFO 13.101(b) (Noncommercial Products and Services): Only one source is reasonably available (e.g., urgency, exclusive licensing agreements, brand-name, or industrial mobilization),.

4. Findings:

The current giant voice infrastructure on Buckley SFB is based on Whelen technology, which means all components, including amplifiers, speakers, controllers, and other accessories, are designed to work seamlessly with Whelen systems. Procuring Whelen products ensures that the current maintenance warranty is not voided.

Whelen components also ensure complete compatibility by eliminating the risk of integration issues that could arise with third party components. Compatibility is crucial for maintaining the reliability and efficiency of the system, which is particularly important for emergency communication systems. Additionally, it offers cost efficiencies as the entire giant voice System would need to be replaced in order to utilize other brands on the current infrastructure. The contract (FA930119PA031) that procured Whelen infrastructure was awarded for $545,585.00 in 2019. With inflation a new giant voice system would cost approximately $710,679.02. Therefore, it would be cost prohibitive to procure a new giant voice System rather than procuring Whelen components to maintain and repair the current giant voice system at approximately $25K per speaker unit. For further clarity on this claim, contact was made with 2 competing companies that supply, install, and service giant voice systems, to determine if other brands/suppliers equipment could integrate into the current Whelen system. outright stated all Whelen systems are proprietary and integrating multiple brands into one system is not feasible, while offering to perform a site visit so they could provide an estimate of a total system replacement. initially claimed the power backup components could be compatible, but when questioned on this claim to provide a technical description for proof, they did not provide justification as to how this would work, and become unresponsive. During this process, Whelen was adamant no