J A Schweitzer Engineering Lab.pdf

Control Number: LRE FY21-12

Compatible with Existing Operational Equipment The facility has a substantial amount of electrical (embedded controls and protective relays) to support two navigational locks, one flood control structure, one air compressor plant, a steam plant, a dewatering well, and two hydropower plants. Any equipment installed must be compatible with existing equipment. In particular, any new equipment must be able to perform its primary purpose and communicate with existing embedded controls equipment and protective relays.

Compatible with Existing Training Program The organization has a substantial investment in training employees through manufacturer-specific courses. The level of sophistication of this equipment requires employees servicing these devices to be manufacturer-trained to use, update, and patch software as needed. Tuition costs per course range from per employee, typically provided in-person. A one week in-person course per employee easily exceeds for tuition, airfare, per diem and lodging, and does not include labor costs. At least one employee needs to be trained on this equipment at this facility. One training class per year is sufficient for cost estimating purposes. The financial burden to support a trained workforce across multiple manufacturers of these devices becomes prohibitive and is clearly not cost effective or sustainable.

Risk Management Framework (RMF) Compliance with RMF is required to maintain cybersecurity. The cybersecurity requirement has been mandated for all DoD per the Risk Management Framework (RMF) compliance for an additional system would require additional staff, ¼ the time of a full time employee (FTE). Employees are testing and verifying software and firmware updates to all equipment in lab bench-tests prior to updating field devices. Some update frequencies, as mandated by the facilities RMF Policies, are as short as every three months.

The facility has a total of eighteen RMF Policies that are audited every time the Authority- To-Operate (ATO) is renewed. Additional manufactures, other than SEL, would significantly increase this effort because employees would be required to verify the new equipment and the existing SEL equipment. The additional employee is assumed for cost estimating at per hour, weeks per year, hours per week, ¼ of this time, to be approximately per year.

c) Cost Analysis- Below is a table summarizing the cost analysis for this document. Market research has shown that acquisition of equipment of this type on a competitive basis can result in a cost reduction of up to 10% as compared to non-competitive purchases. . Annual costs are projected to 10 years to show the long term effect. The cost analysis predicts an increase of of indirect costs over a 10 year period if sole source of this equipment is not approved.