JA-00692_SPRDL1-23-R-0152_Final-Redacted.pdf

SPRDL1-23-R-0152 (JA-00692)

Previous J&A: Not Applicable

Oshkosh are the only two vendors who possess the technical data and expertise to manufacture this steering gear.

The Government does not have the pertinent technical data to enable competitive re-procurement. The Government does not own the necessary intellectual property data rights to the pertinent technical data to enable competitive re-procurement.

The lack of technical data for this component results in little knowledge of the design details being known to the Government. Steering gears are manufactured with many different materials, so the material analysis that would have to be conducted for the assembly would be extensive. Additional manufacturing details, such as tolerances, would be difficult to determine.

The lack of technical data for this component results in little knowledge of the design details being known to the Government. Steering gears are manufactured with many different materials, so the material analysis that would have to be conducted for the assembly would be extensive. Additional manufacturing details, such as tolerances, would be difficult to determine.

Using a different steering gear would introduce technical risk to the performance of the platform’s steering system because it would not have undergone rigorous developmental and operational testing on the production configuration of the platform.

Oshkosh and the Government conducted developmental and operational testing during the vehicle’s design and initial production phases, which justified Oshkosh’s selection of RH Sheppard as the manufacturer of this steering gear. The testing proved RH Sheppard is capable of manufacturing a steering gear that meets the Government’s performance and reliability, availability, and maintainability (RAM) requirements. The Technical Data Package (TDP) for this steering gear is proprietary to Oshkosh and RH Sheppard and is unavailable to the Government or commercial manufacturers.

Since the Government does not own any of the technical data, the Government would have to reverse engineer the steering gear to identify all aspects of the part. Reverse engineering is the only recourse for the Government to increase competition through development of a competitive build-to-print TDP. A reverse engineering effort would include procuring samples of the current part to utilize in clarifying and defining a steering gear with the same fit, form, and function as the original by determining material types, dimensions, and internal workings of the part. Then, several prototypes of the new steering gear would need to be designed and developed. Next, Reliability, Availability, and Maintainability (RAM) testing would have to be completed. Testing would include accelerated life testing, cold and hot environments, and maximum load operation testing. To neglect testing would be a high risk as premature failures of this item in the field could result in a mobility failure which could jeopardize the Army’s mission in a potentially adverse operational environment. After the qualification, the Technical Data Package (TDP) would have to be built so the part could be competitively sourced, and a source would have to be found.

The Ground Vehicle Systems Center (GVSC) Heavy Tactical Vehicle Sustainment Team has estimated that the cost required to reverse engineer this steering gear, based

a. Effective competition: Due to the reasons cited in section 5 above we are not pursuing competition for this item.

b. Subcontracting competition:

SOLE SOURCE: Notices required by FAR 5.201 will be posted.

7. Actions to Increase Competition: There are no plans to increase competition for future procurements due to the reasons cited above.

8. Market Research: A Sources Sought Notice was posted to SAM.gov on 7/17/2023, and was open for 15 days. No responses were received.

The Ground Vehicle Systems Center (GVSC) Heavy Tactical Vehicle Sustainment Engineer performed the following internet searches on 5 June 2022 to find suitable competition for the RH Sheppard steering gear.

Keywords: steering gear, PLS steering gear, heavy truck steering gear, M110 steering gear.

Websites: https://www.boschautoparts.com/p/steering-gear;

https://www.rhsheppard.com/products-services/products/commercial-steering/iron-castings/m110/; https://www.knorr-bremsecvs.com/en/products_1/steering/standard_page__broad_6.jsp;

https://www.bendix.com/en/products/steering/steering_1.jsp;

https://www.zf.com/products/en/cv/products_64219.html;

https://www.haldex.com/en/na/power-steering-gears/

The RH Sheppard part number M110PPU1 indicates that the part is in the M110 series of RH Sheppard steering gears. The M110 series is used in heavy-duty trucks. RH Sheppard’s specification sheet lists vehicle characteristics such as front axle rating, pressure rating, gear travel, and pump flow range. No information is available about the specific configuration used in the PLSA1 application. The configuration details, which are inaccessible to the Government, outline the difference between the product series, M110, and the assembly that is sold to Oshkosh for PLSA1 production, M110PPU1.

The part configuration details include information about mounting locations on the vehicle and tolerances. The specification sheet does not include materials, dimensions, or performance requirements for internal components, or mounting details for the assembly on the vehicle chassis. Due to the lack of a TDP or in-depth technical specifications of the sole-source part, the validity of the researched valves is difficult to evaluate.

Steering gears offered by RH Sheppard, Bosch, ZF, and Knorr-Bremse were reviewed.

There is not enough information to determine if these options will fit on the vehicle and operate in the same manner as the sole-source part. Several manufacturers offer remanufactured steering gears, but this procurement is for new steering gears.

A visual comparison of the steering gear from the Army technical manual to the researched alternatives was conducted, but none of the commercially available parts appeared to be identical in mounting locations, size, or shape. Due to the internal components, even a part that looked the same may vary in performance, capability, or manufacturing.

When, or if, the technical information for the steering gear is made available to the Government, additional and specific market research can be conducted, and competitive procurement can be considered.

9. Interested Sources: To date no additional sources have expressed interest in this item.

10. Other Facts: Procurement History:

Contract Number: SPRDL123P0034 – JA not applicable Award Date: 3 APR 2023 Contractor: Ruta Supplies (Oshkosh Defense small business distributor) Contract Value: $86,900.00 Competitive Status: FAR 6.302-1 only one responsible source

Contract Number: SPRDL120D0090 – JA not applicable Award Date: 8 MAY 2020 Contractor: Vizocom ICT LLC (OEM RH Sheppard small business distributor) Contract Value: $43,829.40 Competitive Status: FAR 6.302-1 only one responsible source

Contract Number: SPRDL119P0286 – JA not applicable Award Date: 5 SEP 2019 Contractor: Oshkosh Defense Contract Value: $30,692.61 Competitive Status: FAR 6.302-1 only one responsible source

Contract Number: SPRDL118P0197-JA not applicable Award Date: 30 JAN 2018 Contractor: Oshkosh Defense Contract Value: $10,015.20 Competitive Status: FAR 6.302-1 only one responsible source

Contract Number: SPRDL111P0157-JA not applicable Award Date: 15 SEP 2011 Contractor: Ruta Supplies (Oshkosh Defense small business distributor) Contract Value: $62,517.00 Competitive Status: FAR 6.302-1 only one responsible source

11. Technical Certification: I certify that the supporting data under my cognizance which is included in the justification is accurate and complete to the best of my