DnF Below SAT - Part 12 - Trimax Upgrade - Updated - Redacted.pdf

This is a Determination & Findings (D&F) document justifying a single-source contract award to Trimax Systems, LLC for engineering and system integration services to modernize the Electrical, Gas, and Water (EGW) control infrastructure at Edwards Air Force Base (EAFB).

The contracting activity is 445TS/EWJ AFTC/PZZG, and the acquisition is competed as a Small Business Set-Aside limited to qualified vendors possessing written authorization or verification from Trimax Systems as the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM). The justification cites RFO 11.204(a)(2)(ii) (Brand Name) as the regulatory authority, establishing that the particular brand name, product, and feature are essential to Government requirements and that other companies' similar products or modified alternatives cannot meet the agency's minimum needs. The existing EGW control system at Building 1030 was originally engineered and programmed by Trimax and relies entirely on their proprietary PLC and HMI source code. The D&F details that utilizing an alternate, unauthorized vendor would require complete reverse-engineering of the entire utility control network at an estimated cost of $500,000, with an unacceptable mission delay of 6 to 8 months for facility utility shutdowns required to engineer, install, test, and deploy a new system. The findings establish that Trimax retains exclusive proprietary rights to the customized software, programming, configurations, engineering methods, and intellectual property, and that unauthorized modifications would violate proprietary boundaries, void system warranties, and threaten system functionality, operability, cybersecurity, safety, reliability, and future software support. The determination was signed by Contracting Officer Karla Vazquez on August 25, 2026.