N6247A50800041 Water Heater Brand Name Justification.pdf

General Services Administration (GSA)

Facilities and Hardware Supply Chain Management Contracting Division (SCM)

General Supplies and Services (GSS)

Justification for Other Than Full and Open Competition

13.106-1(b), Brand Name under the Simplified Acquisition Threshold (SAT)

Applicable Requisition Number(s) based on current orders: N6247A50800041

Identification of the Contracting Activity responsible for the acquisition.

The contracting activity is the General Services Administration, Facilities and Hardware Supply Chain Management Contracting Division, General Supplies and Services Federal Acquisition Service in support of the Requiring Agency:

NACFAC SW Public Works Naval Installation Building 60063 San Clemente Island San Diego, CA 92135

Nature and/or description of the action being approved.

This is a Brand Name requirement for a Hubbell 500 gallon water heater, part number

SH500-0-125SLR

● Vertical, 500-gallon, Cement Lined Steel

● 125 KW, 208 volts, 3 phase, 348 Amps

● Rated for 150 PSI working pressure

The requirement is for a packaged Hubbell electric water heater with a storage vessel that is American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) stamped and registered with the National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors. Complete with all electrical operating controls including the following: power distribution block, magnetic contactor(s), power circuit fusing, immersion element(s), fused low voltage transformer, operating thermostat, safety hi-temperature cut out with manual reset, safety door interlock switch, and an ASME rated combination temperature and pressure relief valve.

The unit is factory assembled, insulated, jacketed, wired, and tested. The unit is ready for electrical and plumbing service connections.

A description of the supplies or services required to meet the agency’s needs (including the estimated value).

Docusign Envelope ID: 1D8685B1-2EBA-42CD-8426-4ED62A123DF2

The Hubbell water heater has been specifically sized for BTUs (British Thermal Unit), CFMs (cubic feet per minute) and Static Pressure to supply the facilities with their required demand for heat according to square footage.

This specific unit/equipment has also been sized for the hot water demand to Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUDS) BEQ (Bachelor Enlisted Quarters) showers, kitchen, laundry, and mechanical rooms. Hubbell provides internal HydraStone cement lining in addition to the standard composite jacket and insulation. Due to the remote location and the placement of this unit, the additional lining keeps the water at an appropriate temperature for an extended amount of time, is more efficient, and is cost-saving (less propane to use).

The cement building where the hot water heater is located is an appropriate size, meeting the size parameters as determined by the manufacturers’ specifications. This building also includes existing piping/drainage hookups and this is a determining factor for which water heater can be procured for this need.

The estimated cost of the water heater is $72,000.

An identification of the statutory authority permitting other than full and open competition.

In accordance with FAR 13.106-1(b)(1) - Brand Name procurement under SAT

A demonstration that the proposed contractor’s unique qualifications or the nature of the acquisition requires use of the authority cited.

The construction of this facility was designed for the original water heater equipment.

The foot print of the concrete room it sits in, the heating exhaust installed on the roof (Vent System), the duct work delivering the heating air demand, the location of the fuel supply and the accessibility to the mechanical room, (Size of Unit). Extensive research has gone into finding comparable brands that would fit the room (see below for market research). No substitute or “or equal” has been found. Reconstruction of the concrete room and or relocation of the water heater is neither feasible or in the financial best interest of the government.

A description of efforts made to ensure that offers are solicited from as many potential sources as is practicable, including whether a notice was or will be publicized as required by subpart 5.2 and, if not, which exception under 5.202 applies.

The Request FOr Quote (RFQ) will be posted to Sam.gov and in addition, be sent to Instaquote vendors to allow for maximum competition. Any vendor able to supply the http://sam.gov item and meeting the specifications of the Request for Quote (RFQ) will be eligible to provide a quote for the water heater. The request does not restrict to a specific vendor, but to a specific brand name (Hubbell).

A determination by the contracting officer that the anticipated cost to the Government will be fair and reasonable.

Proposed quotes will be evaluated on a Lowest Price Technically Acceptable (LPTA) basis and for fair and reasonable pricing. If no competitive quotes are received, historical review of pricing may be used to review price reasonableness, as well as additional horizontal price analysis tools such as the 4P-Price Point PLUS Portal Market which compares pricing information for the items in line for award from several databases, including GSA Advantage, DOD EMALL, and NASA SEWP if needed.

A description of the market research conducted (see part 10) and the results or a statement of the reason market research was not conducted.

NAVFAC SW, Department of Public Works contacted a local distributor (Ferguson Waterworks) in an effort to find comparable water heaters. AO Smith brand was considered but the result found that the 500 gallon round vertical unit would exceed height by 20”, which would cause original piping to the T&P relief valve to be modified.

In addition, the AO Smith water heater does not provide the additional cement lining (HydraStone). As stated above, the cement lining is crucial to this water heater due to its remote location (supporting BUDS students on San Clemente Island). The HydraStone lining provided with the Hubbell water heater allows for the water to stay hot longer with less use of propane to heat the water, thus also making it more energy efficient.

NAVFAC SW Department of Public Works also reached out to Wholesale Water Heaters for options of a Rheem brand water heater. The result was a 500 gallon round vertical unit would exceed height by 22.5”, which would cause original piping to the Temperature and Pressure (T&P) relief valve to be modified. The inlet drain on the Rheem hot water heater is also located on the side of the unit, whereas current piping requires the unit to have inlet drain at the bottom. Rheem does not provide additional cement lining (HydraStone).

Any other facts supporting the use of other than full and open competition, such as:

All facts supporting the use of other than full and open competition are stated within this document.

A listing of the sources, if any, that expressed, in writing, an interest in the acquisition.

This is a brand name requirement, any contractor able to supply the brand name and part number requested will be considered for award based on the evaluation criteria set forth in the RFQ. The synopsis/posting will be posted to Sam.Gov and be sent to Instaquote Vendors to maximize competition.

A statement of the actions, if any, the agency may take to remove or overcome any barriers to competition before any subsequent acquisition for the supplies or services required.

The Contracting Officer certifies that this Justification for Other Than Full and Open Competition is accurate and complete to the best of the Contracting Officer’s knowledge and belief.

Tabitha Smith, Contract Specialist

Katie L. Norton, Contracting Officer

5/23/2025

5/27/2025 http://sam.gov