Brand_Name_Helmet_FINAL_Redacted.pdf

Brand name justification format.doc

JUSTIFICATION AND APPROVAL

FOR OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION

BRAND NAME ONLY

BACKGROUND:

The National Park Service, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park (SEKI) has a requirement for 11 Gentex SPH-5 helmets. This is life safety equipment required to be worn by NPS employees when flying special use flight missions. Gentex SPH-5 is one of the approved helmets per DOI Aviation Helmet Standards policy and is the same as life safety equipment currently in inventory. Many of the current helmet inventory have expired due to Manufacturer Life Span of the helmet. The requirement for the same brand is required at SEKI in order to perform maintenance and repairs with parts that the park has on hand.

1) FAR Statutory Authority Cited: 10 U.S.C. 2304 (c )(2 ), FAR 6.302-1, Brand Name Only and Only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements.

Reason for Authority Cited: The use of the following BRAND NAME description is essential to the

Government’s requirements, thereby precluding consideration of a product manufactured or installed by another company:

o Gentex SPH-5 is one of the approved helmets per DOI policy and is the same as life safety equipment currently in inventory.

o Helmets need to meet specifications on the approved flight helmet list per the Department of the Interior and United States Forest Service Interagency Aviation Life Support Equipment Handbook.

Identify the BRAND NAME and source to acquire the item(s) or supplies – Name and address of the vendor/company (point of contact, telephone/fax number or email if known).

o Gentex Corporation's headquarters are located at 600 N Centennial St, Zeeland, Michigan, 49464

2) Gentex SPH-5 Flight Helmet description to meet the Park’s needs:

A brief technical description of the BRAND to be acquired and the general application and particular significant/specialized character of the BRAND.

o Gentex SPH-5 Flight Helmet is required in order to perform maintenance and repairs with existing parts inventory.

State the minimum needs of the Government and the mission impact.

o Flight helmet is a required piece of personal protective equipment for special use flight operations.

Not having this equipment would put employees out of policy and jeopardize life safety.

3) Market Research conducted (efforts to obtain other Gentex SPH-5 Flight Helmet) or state reason for not conducting market research:

The type and degree of market survey conducted to support the Gentex SPH-5 Flight Helmet ONLY. List the results of the market research conducted.

o National Fire Equipment System (NFES) Supply cache’s have this helmet, but it can not be procured unless there is an active incident with an S-number assigned to fill the item order. This purchase is to maintain enough overall inventory to support flight operations at SEKI. Purchasing these helmets can not wait until there are incidents to purchase against. This life safety equipment needs to be available for all special use flight missions and not just incident based operations.

Description of similar products and the reason why those products do not meet the Park’s requirements.

o Other similar helmets on the market are either not on the approved aviators flight helmet list or more expensive and are not compatible with parts inventory to make needed maintenance and repairs on site. The National Park Service, Aviation Program Manager at SEKI holds a current certification for repair technician for the helmets model most flight helmet technicians in NPS are certified to work on.

o If SEKI elected another brand name under the Aviation Helmets standards the park would not have a certified technician to repair the helmets as currently technician is certified to replace the

Brand name justification format.doc

Gentex.