SSJ Redacted pdf.pdf

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

HEADQUARTERS

8725 JOHN J. KINGMAN ROAD

FORT BELVOIR, VIRGINIA 22060-6221

JUSTIFICATION FOR OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN

COMPETITION

for Hand-held X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) Instruments

April 25, 2025

Defense Logistics Agency - Strategic Materials (SM) proposes to enter into a contract on a basis of other than full and open competition for the acquisition of Bruker S1 Titan hand-held XRF spectrometers to support the SM Materials Testing Program (MTP).

1. Contract specifics: SM requires the purchase of two additional XRF instruments and their related accessories from Bruker Corporation. Bruker Corporation is the only manufacturer of the Bruker S1 Titan hand-held XRF spectrometer.

Demands by SM personnel for current XRF instrument time has accelerated and the associated increased logistics needs of XRF instrument location changes, indicate two additional instruments will lead to more effective and efficient operations.

This is a new contract for product. The contractor’s name is:

Bruker AXS LLC 5465 East Cheryl Parkway Madison, WI, 53711-5373

USA.

Please see attached quote for the two XRF instruments and related supplies and accessories. The total amount is

To limit the risk of acquiring a used or refurbished XRF instrument, the instrument must be purchased from an authorized Bruker dealer. The authorized Bruker dealer who handles the DC-Maryland-Virginia area is Dave Kiefer (kieferdf@gmail.com)

2. Requirement description: Strategic Materials (SM) currently owns two XRF instruments manufactured by Bruker Corporation. These instruments were acquired in FY 2018 and 2019 and are used by SM depot personnel, SM Quality Assurance, and other SM personnel in identification and preliminary qualification of commodities.

3. Statutory authority: The statutory authorities permitting other than full and open competition is 10 U.S.C. § 3204(a)(1) as implemented by the Federal Acquisition

Regulation (FAR) Subpart 6.302-1 (a)(2(ii)(A) entitled “Only One Responsible Source and No Other Supplies or Services Will Satisfy Agency Requirements”.

Additionally, FAR 6.302-1(a)(2(ii)(B), “Unacceptable delays in fulfilling the agency’s requirements” applies.

4. Contractor’s unique qualifications: In support of “Only One Responsible Source and No Other Supplies or Services Will Satisfy Agency Requirements”, Bruker AXS LLC is uniquely qualified to provide these supplies to SM based upon the following:

a. Current instruments from same manufacturer and same brand name: SM currently owns two XRF instruments manufactured by Bruker and the instrument’s name is Bruker S1 Titan. Since different manufacturers’ instruments create instrument-based error in data, SM would have inconsistent data if XRF instruments produced by another manufacturer were acquired.

Additionally, SM would have inconsistent evidential matter for audit response, which would be nonresponsive to audit, if another manufacturer’s XRF instruments and associated equipment were procured.

b. Government personnel experience in XRF instrument use: SM developed a training module for the use of these specific XRF instruments which are manufactured by Bruker and called Bruker S1 Titan. SM personnel are currently trained in the use of this specific type of XRF instrument manufactured by Bruker. Repetition of these same activities for a different brand name of XRF instruments would present a significant burden on numerous SM staff members’ time and would be a loss of valuable experience already obtained through use of the current instruments manufactured by Bruker and called the Bruker S1 Titan. Thus, another manufacturer’s instrument would require cost-prohibitive man-hours of numerous SM personnel to develop a training program for the instrument and practical training for that instrument for SM staff.

c. Government personnel experience in XRF instrument software use: SM developed a training module for the use of the Bruker software associated with these specific XRF instruments which are manufactured by Bruker and called Bruker S1 Titan. SM personnel are currently trained in the use of this specific software for this type of XRF instrument manufactured by Bruker. Repetition of these same activities for a different brand name of XRF instruments would present a significant burden on numerous SM staff members’ time and would be a loss of valuable experience already obtained through use of the current instruments manufactured by Bruker and called the Bruker S1 Titan, and the training and use for the Bruker software. Thus, another manufacturer’s instrument would require cost-prohibitive man-hours of numerous SM personnel to develop a training program for the instrument and practical training for that instrument for SM staff, and for software training.

d. Safety: Unlike other manufacturers of hand-held XRF instruments, the radiation source for the Bruker instrument is generated electronically. Other manufacturers of these instruments use collimators to focus radiation from a radionuclide contained within the instrument. What this means is, in the event a

Bruker instrument is accidentally destroyed, there is zero risk of a radioactive event at the depot or at any other site where SM personnel would be using the Bruker instrument. If we had a similar instrument from another manufacturer, there would be a radionuclide present within the housing of the instrument. In the event of accidental destruction, release of the radionuclide would result in a radiation event and safety issue for SM personnel. A radiation event means multiple agencies, including both state and federal, would shut down the depots and shut down SM operations. Additionally, we would likely have to perform environmental remediation at the depot.

e. Alloy library: An alloy library of spectra for super alloys is produced by Bruker and built into the Bruker instrument. Since 2018, SM personnel have been using this same spectra library for scans of SM materials. The Bruker alloy library is the best match to SM inventory compared to all other alloy libraries from other XRF instrument manufacturers. Thus, alloy libraries from manufacturers, other than Bruker, of hand-held XRF instruments could not be used with existing SM scans of alloys, and would create an auditing issue because it is not comparable to the existing data SM has on its alloy materials.

The result would be that SM would have inconsistent data. Additionally, SM would have inconsistent evidential matter for audit response, which would be nonresponsive to audit.

f. Consistency of data: Analytical chemistry, in part, includes an analysis of error source; therefore, a change in instrument manufacturers is a significant source of error. The use of different instrument manufacturers is able to produce unacceptable error in chemical data about SM materials. SM requires consistent data on its materials. Thus, SM would have inconsistent data.

Additionally, SM would have inconsistent evidential matter for audit response, which would be nonresponsive to audit.

g. Broad range of elements: The Bruker instrument covers 37 elements, and includes the lighter elements Ca, Al, Si, and Mg. This broad range of element coverage is required by SM and not met by other hand-held XRF instrument manufacturers. Other manufacturers of hand-held XRF instruments will not provide SM with this broad of a range of elements, which SM needs.

h. No need for artificial atmosphere to analyze lighter elements: The Bruker instrument does not require a vacuum, nor does it require a helium atmosphere in order for the instrument to generate spectra for the lighter elements. Other hand-held XRF spectrometers from other manufacturers, require such specialized atmospheres to generate spectra for the lighter elements.

Preparation of these specialized atmospheres is time-prohibitive for SM personnel. Thus, this means SM would have to have additional connections to the XRF. Those connections would require an external environmental and safety review. This would be cost prohibitive.

i. Tighter error ranges for data: The hand-held Bruker S1 Titan XRF spectrometer instrument has the tightest error range for data. This tight error range is required by SM and is not available from other manufacturers of hand-held