JA_Rev0_26M-630A-FO AFPSL Load Cell Exchange.pdf

This is a Sole Source Justification document for a simplified acquisition of commercial items under the Air Force's Automated Vertical Force Press program. The contracting activity is AFMETCAL/ROMK located in Heath, Ohio, seeking to procure load cells, digital indicators, adapters, and travel cases from Tovey Engineering Inc., the sole source contractor. The acquisition covers two fiscal years: FY26 includes 125 units of CS10-2.5K-B300, CS10-10K-B300, CS20-30K-B300, and CS20-60K-B300 load cells along with 9150-2-300 digital indicators at a total estimated price of [redacted]; FY26 also includes 50 units of load adapters and travel cases (part numbers 2133-0007-02, 2133-0009-02, 2133-0008, 2133-0010, 210506, and 2133-0012) at [redacted]. The period of performance is from July 1, 2026 through September 30, 2030.

The justification is based on 10 USC 2304(c)(1), establishing that only Tovey Engineering can provide the required equipment due to exclusive design compatibility with the Tovey C3-100 Automated Vertical Force Press used across 31 Air Force Primary Measurement Equipment Laboratories. The proprietary technology and software interface cannot be disclosed to competitors, and switching vendors would create substantial configuration control and calibration cost duplications. AFMETCAL owns 82 load cell kits supporting 65 PMELs, and alternative sourcing would introduce unnecessary operational disruptions. A Sources Sought Synopsis was posted on 7/24/2025 and closed on 8/25/2025, yielding one response indicating no competing vendor possessed the required capability. The document was approved on March 6, 2026, by the Chief of the Contracting Branch under the simplified acquisition authority.