N64498_02332300200_Redacted-Post Award.pdf

J&A No. 0233-23-002-00

5. Rationale Justifying Use of Cited Statutory Authority

The procurement of Procentec Profihub branded hardware is necessary in support of the Machinery Control Systems (MCS) Land Based Test Facility (LBTF) Tech Refresh. This equipment must be procured on a brand-name basis from an authorized Procentec reseller in order to provide critical communications between the field sensors and the control system found both in the lab environment and shipboard.

Historically, the North Atlantic Industries (NAI) 64D1 Input/Output (I/O) cards included such communication functionality, but the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) has since stopped production of these I/O cards or any like I/O card that include Profibus functionality, therefore requiring the Tech Refresh Team to identify a standalone component to provide communication between the field sensors and the control system. The Procentec Profihub hardware listed above is essential to fulfilling this requirement.

Procentec is the sole manufacturer of the Profihub hardware listed above. Brand-name Procentec hardware is essential to the Government’s requirements, thereby precluding consideration of a product manufactured by another company. Through the award of the FY21 Purchase Card procurement, Purchase Request (PR) No. 1103572731, the MCS Team procured the same material listed above for the purposes of completing proof of concept and integration testing. After completion of comprehensive testing, the MCS Team determined that those Procentec components were suitable for the Tech Refresh of the Profibus. The Tech Refresh team has reviewed alternative components but came to the conclusion that GC-PB- PROFIHUB-B5-R was the only component that could functionally satisfy the requirements. This decision was based on Procentec’s proven functionality and compatibility with existing infrastructure, as well as modernized components. The components found in this purchase request are the finalized list of materials required for Tech Refresh’s Profihub design and will be fully incorporated into the LBTF and shipboard configurations.

Deviation from the brand-name Procentec components outlined above would negatively affect mission critical goals as the Tech Refresh team would not have the components required to replace Profibus functionality, both shipboard and in the LBTF. Failure to migrate away from the I/O Card with built in Profibus functionality to a standalone Profihub would result in critical communication failures between the field sensors and the control system as the I/O cards continue to fail without an identified replacement.

Communication deterioration between the systems and the sailor would disrupt the capacity to monitor systems health, hygiene and status. This could result in serious risk to the safety and performance of the ship. The Procentec Profihub hardware is essential to ensure seamless communications between field sensors and the controls systems.

Consideration of a product manufactured by another company would result in unacceptable delays in fulfilling the agency’s requirements. Acquiring these components from an alternative source would place the MCS team over a year and a half behind schedule on replacing the legacy components. As detailed below, it is estimated that it would take an additional nineteen (19) months to test and qualify components from an alternate source.

Table 1 – Schedule Impact Acquiring From an Alternative Source

Event Impact Identification of Compatible Components and Procurement of Prototypes

2 Months

Lead Time and Delivery 1 Months Installation and Comprehensive Proof of Concept Testing 8 Months Finalized list of Materials and Contract Award 6 Months

J&A No. 0233-23-002-00

Lead Time and Delivery 2 Months TOTAL 19 Months

This estimate is based on the actual timeline that was required to complete FY21 Purchase Card procurement, PR No. 1103572731. Consideration of alternative components would require rework of each of the events identified above, delaying the installation of a modernized components by approximately nineteen (19) months. This would result in an unacceptable delay as it is well-beyond the required award need date of .

6. Description of Efforts Made to Solicit Offers from as Many Offerors as Practicable

On 29 August 2022, a pre-solicitation notice of this procurement was published on SAM.gov. No contractors have responded to the posting as of the drafting of this Justification 19 October 2022. Market research indicates other companies’ similar products, or products lacking the particular feature, do not meet, or cannot be modified to meet, the agency’s needs.

This Justification will also be posted along with the solicitation on the SAM.gov website. Any responses received will be evaluated.

7. Determination of Fair and Reasonable Costs

The Contracting Officer has determined the anticipated cost to the Government of the supplies covered by this Justification will be fair and reasonable.

8. Actions to Remove Barriers to Competition

For the reasons set forth in Paragraph 5, NSWCPD has no plans at this time to compete future contracts for the types of supplies/services covered by this document. If another potential source emerges, NSWCPD will assess whether competition for future requirements is feasible.