C14 Redacted BNJ.pdf

Subj: BRAND NAME JUSTIFICATION TO FORMLABS 4 AND 4L BRAND 3D PRINTERS

1. Identification of the agency and the contracting activity, and specific identification of the document as a “Limited Source Justification.”

This is a brand name justification. Contracting activity is the Naval Sea Systems Command, Naval Surface Warfare Center, Panama City Division (NSWC PCD), 110 Vernon Avenue, Panama City, FL 32407-7001.

2. Nature and/or description of the action being approved.

This action will award a firm fixed priced purchase order, on a brand specific basis, to acquire FormLab brand 4 and 4L 3D printers for rapid development of diving and life support technologies. Competition will be limited to authorized distributors and resellers of FormLabs brand 3D printers.

3. A description of the supplies or services required to meet the agency’s needs (including the estimated).

The following items are being acquired:

Product Code Product Quantity

PKG-F4L-BASIC-TAA Form 4L Basic Package - TAA 1.00

F4-PRINTER Form 4 Printer 1.00

BP-F4-01 Form 4 Build Platform 1.00

RT-F4-01 Form 4 Resin Tank 3.00

MXR-F4-01 Form 4 Mixer 3.00

FK-F4-01 Form 4 Finish Kit 1.00

BP-F4-02 Form 4 Flex Build Platform 1.00

FH-WA-02 Form Wash (2nd Generation) 1.00

The Government’s minimum needs have been verified by the certifying technical and requirements personnel. This memo does not authorize acquisition for other requirements. This acquisition will be conducted using simplified acquisition procedures with a total dollar value above micro-purchase levels, but not exceeding the simplified acquisition threshold.

4. Identification of the justification rationale and, if applicable, a demonstration of the proposed contractor’s unique qualifications to provide the required supply or service. 10 U.S.C. 2304(c)(1).

Application for brand name description FAR 6.302-1(c).

The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Panama City Division, requires a FormLabs Form4L SLA 3D Printer and FormLabs Form4 SLA 3D Printer for prototyping and molding of critical parts toward Diving Fleet Support efforts.

FormLabs is the only brand of 3D printer that will meet the Government’s needs for the following reasons. The FormLabs 4L printer is designed for faster turnaround times on large or complex parts. The FormLabs 4L 3D printer employs Low Force Display (LFD) technology, which speeds up production by curing entire layers in one go. This layer-by-layer curing allows for faster prints without compromising accuracy, making it an efficient choice for production settings where time is essential. Having the ability to prototype ideas quickly allows the NSWC PCD technical team to generate more versions of a prototype. It also allows for testing those ideas quickly thus bringing concepts into reality at a much faster rate. Finally, this is the only brand of 3D printer that has the expanded material compatibility to include third-party resins and more specialty materials, such as ceramics and polyurethanes. This open-material platform makes it highly adaptable for generating parts with specialized properties. Utilizing SHOP Printers is cost and time prohibitive for prototyping. In summary, acquiring the FormLabs brand of 3D printer means NSWC PCD can integrate new features into products that would have been time prohibitive before. As such, the Government does not expect significant savings through testing and qualifying alternate equipment and does expect significant and unacceptable delays that will negatively affect this requirement. Therefore, it is imperative that the FormLabs 4 and 4L 3D printers is acquired to help the US Navy retain its competitive edge in technology over the rest of the world.

5. A determination by the ordering activity contracting officer that the order represents the best value consistent with FAR 13.106-1(b).

The Contracting Officer has determined that the order represents the best value and results in the lowest overall cost alternative (such as considering price, special features, administrative costs) to meet the Government’s needs.

6. A description of the market research conducted among schedule holders and the results or a statement of the reason market research was not conducted.

For the reasons specified in paragraph 4 above, FormLabs is the only brand that can meet the Government’s needs.

7. Any other facts supporting the justification.

None.

8. A statement of the actions, if any, the agency may take to remove or overcome any barriers that led to the restricted consideration before any subsequent acquisition for the supplies or services is made.

As stated in paragraph 4 above, FormLabs is the only brand that can meet this requirement.