SSJ_AFRIMS LN2 Freezers_redacted.pdf

Control No:JA-20-07-00161

Contractor: Worthington Cylinder Corp

Program/Equipment:LN2 Freezers

Version – March 2017 FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY

JUSTIFICATION REVIEW DOCUMENT

FAR SUBPART 13.5 SIMPLIFIED PROCEDURES FOR CERTAIN COMMERCIAL ITEMS –

SOLE SOURCE JUSTIFICATION AND APPROVAL

Program/Equipment: Liquid Nitrogen (LN2) Cryostorage Vessels procurement and maintenance

Authority: Simplified Procedures for Certain Commercial Items, 41 U.S.C. as implemented by FAR

Subpart 13.5.

Amount: $1,271,750.00

Prepared by: Kasey Carroll

Contract Specialist

Email: Kasey.l.carroll.civ@mail.mil

DSN:

Date:

Contracting Officer: Courtney Piar

Contracting Officer

Email:Courtney.a.piar.civ@mail.mil

DSN:

Date:

Technical: Brandon McCarter

Executive Officer

Email: brandon.mccarter.mil@afrims.org

DSN:

Date:

Requirements: COL Mark Fukuda

COR

Email: mark.fukuda.mil@afrims.org

DSN:

Date:

Reviews: I have reviewed this justification and find it adequate to support sole source.

Program Manager: COL Mark Fukuda Typed Name: COL Mark Fukuda

DSN:

Signature:

Digitally signed by Fukuda, Mark M. COL MIL USAMD-AFRIMS Department

Fukuda, Mark M. COL MIL USAMD- Retrovirology DN: cn=Fukuda, Mark M. COL MIL USAMD-AFRIMS Department

AFRIMS Department Retrovirology

Legal Counsel:

Typed Name:

DSN:

Retrovirology, o, ou, email=mark.fukuda.mil@afrims.org, c=US

Date: 2020.08.20 13:25:47 +07'00'

Signature: Digitally signed by

STRUNCK.THOMAS.FRANCIS.108709

RANCIS.1087094355 4355

Date: 2020.08.20 14:41:45 -04'00'

STRUNCK.THOMAS.F

mailto:Kasey.l.carroll.civ@mail.mil mailto:Courtney.a.piar.civ@mail.mil mailto:brandon.mccarter.mil@afrims.org mailto:mark.fukuda.mil@afrims.org mailto:email%3Dmark.fukuda.mil@afrims.org

FAR Subpart 13.5 Simplified Procedures for Certain Commercial Items – Sole Source Justification and Approval

1. Contracting Activity: The Contracting Activity is the United States Army Medical Research

Acquisition Activity (USAMRAA).

2. Description of Action: Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences (USAMD - AFRIMS) requests a firm fixed price award to Worthington Cylinder Corporation with on-site services to be provided by its sole distributor in Thailand, Union Intersupply Co., Ltd. The Government projects award for

September 2020 and fiscal year 2020.

$1,271,750.00 in FY20 Operations and Maintenance funds will be used.

□ An acquisition plan is not required because this procurement does not meet the threshold at Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement 207.103(d)(i)(B).

3. Description of Supplies/Services: This effort is in direct support of the AFRIMS mission. The current freezer farm used by AFRIMS is located an inconvenient distance from AFRIMS HQ and relies entirely on electricity-based -80℃ freezers. The current cost of electricity to support the freezer farm is $10,000 USD per month and will require in excess of $1 million USD in renovation in the near future. Each freezer in the freezer farm costs roughly $1,000.00 USD annually to maintain (roughly $90,000.00 USD per year to maintain the entire freezer farm), and 37 freezers are currently operating beyond their life expectancy. The freezers that are operating past their life expectancy routinely cost more in maintenance, and upon failure, will necessitate over $25,000 per freezer. In the event that a disruption occurs, such as power or temperature control, AFRIMS is at risk of losing many irreplaceable samples.

The consistent operation of the freezer farm affects every department of AFRIMS, any collaborative samples stored in the freezer farm, and indirectly WRAIR. It is the goal of AFRIMS to transition away from electricity-based -80℃ freezer storage to liquid nitrogen (LN2) based storage, and AFRIMS has already begun the process of converting electricity based freezers to LN2 storage using cryofreezers sourced from the below cited vendor. In order to meet this goal, AFRIMS has a need to acquire LN2 cryostorage vessels to support the transition. Liquid nitrogen-based storage offers a number of advantages, to include more stable temperature control in the face of power disruptions, better protection from flooding, significantly less money spent on maintenance of freezers, and significantly less money spent on electricity as these vessels do not need to be stored in a temperature controlled environment.

The purpose of this requirement is to procure 25 LN2 Cryostorage Vessels necessary to continue transitioning AFRIMS to a liquid nitrogen-based storage system. The LN2 Cryostorage Vessels must include Double Step CS and built in transformer for 220 VAC and must meet all the Minimum Essential

Characteristics (MECs). Failure to procure the necessary LN2 Cryostorage Vessels leaves AFRIMS at risk for losing many irreplaceable samples.

For Actions without Options:

Period of Performance: _September 2020 to August 2021

Total Value: $ _$1,271,750.00

4. Authority Cited: Simplified Procedures for Certain Commercial Items, 41 U.S.C. 1901 (or 41 U.S.C.

1903 for Special Emergency Procurement) as implemented by FAR Subpart 13.5:

Unusual and compelling urgency

Exclusive licensing agreements

Industrial mobilization

□ Other: Only One Source

5. Reason for Authority Cited:

AFRIMS houses the largest single DoD biomedical sample repository globally, with an estimated sample collection exceeding 7 million in cold storage. These samples were collected over a period exceeding 30 years, spanning field sites across Southeast Asia. AFRIMS strategic plan for biorepository storage has already begun the process of conversion of existing electricity based cold storage to use of liquid nitrogen as a cooling source. Liquid nitrogen cannot be as a cooling source for existing electrical based refrigeration but offers the advantage of providing greater response time, in the event of equipment failure, before samples reach room temperature.

Presently, AFRIMS has already converted some of its cold storage requirements by transferring approximately 2.1 million HIV study samples from traditional electrical refrigeration to liquid nitrogen based storage utilizing cryofreezers manufactured by Worthington Cylinder Corporation.

To meet mission requirements, particularly in an age of emerging and pandemic disease, AFRIMS must ensure uniformity of procedures and practice to ensure continuity of cold-chain under which samples are maintained, to include transferability of samples and interoperability between AFRIMS existing cryofreezers and those to be purchased under this procurement action. It is envisioned that the vendor, by virtue of its knowledge of AFRIMS existing cold storage needs will be able to ensure interoperability between existing HVRC cryofreezers and those sourced in this procurement.

Preserving interoperability between existing and new cryofreezers will also facilitate:

a. In the event of equipment failure, rapid transfer of samples between cryofreezers of the same manufacturer with minimal risk of compromising cold chain;

b. Interchangeable fixtures, fittings, and racks between existing and newly procured cryofreezers

c. Use of existing AFRIMS temperature monitoring software to ensure uniform detection of cold chain failure

d. Use of existing or minimally modified AFRIMS SOPs for quality control and inventorying processes

6. Efforts to Obtain Competition: The Contracting Officer shall publish the notices required by FAR 5.201 and any bids or proposals received shall be considered.

a. Effective Competition: Because this is a sole source action, effective competition is not applicable.

Subcontracting Competition: Subcontracting competition will not be permitted under this award.

7. Actions to Increase Competition: Not Applicable. Current market research continues to show that

Worthington Cylinder Corporation is the only vendor that can provide the necessary services.

8. Market Research:

Market research supporting selection of Worthington Cylinder Corporation follow:

1. Worthington Cylinder Corporation, offers warranty and aftermarket on-site preventive maintenance and service supports by its sole distributor in Thailand, Union Intersupply Co., Ltd.

2. Communication with another potential vendor, Government Scientific Source, Inc., indicates this vendor does not provide aftermarket support; in fact stating that warranty would not be honored in

Thailand.

3. Daigger Scientific, Inc., has responded that it does not distribute these items

4. Thomas Scientific, has not responded to a request for quote.

9. Interested Sources: To date, no other sources have written to express interest in the acquisition.

10. Other Facts: Not Applicable

a. Procurement History

(1) Contract numbers and dates of the last several contracts for these same requirements.

(2) The competitive status of these actions.

(3) Authority previously cited if less than full and open competition was used.

(4) If a justification was prepared to support the procurement made before this one, a summary of the contents of paragraph 7 of the justification for that procurement and an explanation of the results.

(5) If any prior contract for this requirement was accomplished using full and open competition, include a detailed explanation of the changed circumstances causing this action to now limit the sources.

(6) An explanation of any unusual patterns that may be revealed by the history, e.g., several consecutive, urgent buys.

(7) If a justification was prepared to support the procurement made before this one, briefly describe the circumstances justifying the procurement and whether there have been any significant changes.

11. Technical Certification: I certify that the supporting data under my cognizance which are included in the justification are accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Typed Name:

Brandon D. McCarter

Date: 20 August 2020 Title:

Executive Officer, AFRIMS Signature:

MCCARTER.BRAN

Digitally signed by

MCCARTER.BRANDON.D.12474

40492

Date: 2020.08.20 16:28:02 +07'00'

12. Requirements Certification: I certify that the supporting data under my cognizance which are included in the justification are accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Typed Name: Mark M. Fukuda

Date:

Title: Signature: Fukuda, Mark M. COL Digitally signed by Fukuda, Mark M. COL MIL

C, Retrovirology, AFRIMS MIL USAMD-AFRIMS

Department

Retrovirology

USAMD-AFRIMS Department Retrovirology

DN: cn=Fukuda, Mark M. COL MIL USAMD-

AFRIMS Department Retrovirology, o, ou, email=mark.fukuda.mil@afrims.org, c=US

Date: 2020.08.20 13:26:07 +07'00'

DON.D.1247440492

mailto:email%3Dmark.fukuda.mil@afrims.org

PIAR.COURTNEY.A.13621163

13. Fair and Reasonable Cost Determination: I hereby determine that the anticipated cost or price to the

Government for this contract action will be fair and reasonable

This determination will be made using the following: ☒ price analysis cost analysis

IGCE audit: other:

As a part of this basis, certified cost or pricing data is not required because the item and/or services being acquired are considered commercial.

Typed Name: Courtney Piar Date:

Title: Contracting Officer Signature:PIAR.COURTNE Digitally signed by

Y.A.1362116348 Date: 2020.08.20 10:04:15

-04'00'

14. Contracting Officer Certification: I certify that this justification is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Typed Name: Courtney Piar Date:

Title: Contracting Officer Signature: PIAR.COURTN

Digitally signed by

PIAR.COURTNEY.A.1362

EY.A.13621163 116348

Date: 2020.08.20 10:04:37

-04'00' 48

Approval

Based on the foregoing justification, I hereby approve the procurement LN2 freezers on a sole source basis pursuant to the authority of the Simplified Procedures for Certain Commercial Items, 41 U.S.C. 1901 as implemented by FAR Subpart 13.5, and provided that the services or supplies herein described have otherwise been authorized for acquisition.

Erin K. Cross Date:

Command Advocate for Competition Signature: