JA_SPRDL123R0179_Redacted.pdf

This is a Justification and Approval (J&A) document for a sole-source contract award by the Defense Logistics Agency–Land Warren (DLA-WRN) to Honeywell International, Inc. Aerospace–Torrance for heat exchanger components used on the M1 Abrams Family of Vehicles. The contract involves three parts: precoolers (part number 2340038-3-1), air coolers (part number 195910-3-1), and condensers (part number 195946-2-1), all with NSNs 2540-01-185-0720, 4130-01-217-8295, and 4130-01-217-3217 respectively. The base contract quantity totals 323 units each, with an option quantity of 323 units each, for a combined total of 646 units. The contract type is firm-fixed-price, awarded under the authority of 10 U.S.C. § 3204(a)(1) as a sole-source procurement because only Honeywell possesses the necessary technical data and manufacturing capability to produce these items for the M1 Abrams Tank's integrated Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical protection system.

DLA-WRN justified the sole-source award based on proprietary rights and source-controlled requirements; the government lacks a complete technical data package and cannot reverse engineer these components within reasonable cost and schedule constraints, estimated at $4.8 million. Market research conducted in September 2023 through a Sources Sought Notice and subsequent internet research of three manufacturers (Meggitt Defense Systems, Triumph Group Operations, and Curtiss-Wright Electro-Mechanical Corporation) yielded no viable alternative sources capable of meeting the M1 Abrams Tank's qualification requirements. The justification notes that installing non-qualified hardware could cause the tank's NBC protection system to fail. The procurement is subject to small business subcontracting requirements if awarded to a non-small business, and notices required by FAR 5.201 will be posted. The Competition Advocate approved the justification on April 15, 2024.