A03RedactedJ Aover 150K.pdf

Control No. __ 15-09 ___________

Justification Review Document

For Other than Full and Open Competition

Program/Equipment: One (1) Long Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar (LSHPB)

Authority: 41 U.S.C 1901(e) as implemented by FAR Part 13.501(a), “Only One Responsible Source and

No Other Supplies or Services will Satisfy Agency Requirements”.

Amount: $ 173,200.00

Prepared By:

[Redacted]

Procuring Contracting Officer: DSN: 258-4349

[Redacted] Date Reviewed: 02 December 2014

Technical Representative:

Requirements Representative:

Legal Review: I have reviewed this justification and find it adequate to support other than full and open competition.

Justification and Approval

For Other Than Full and Open Competition

1.a. Contracting Agency:

U.S. Army Contracting Command-Aberdeen Proving Ground (ACC-APG CCAP-SCA) 2800 Powder Mill

Rd, Adelphi, MD 20783.

1.b. Requiring Agency:

U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL), Weapons and Materials Research Directorate (WMRD) 2800

Powder Mill Rd, Adelphi, MD 20783.

2. Description of Action: Approval is requested to solicit for a new firm fixed price (FFP) contract in support of the US Army Research Laboratory on the basis other than full and open competition for one (1)

Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar. The suggested Sole source vendor is REL Inc. [Redacted]. Fiscal Year (FY)

14 [Redacted]funds will be utilized for this effort.

3. Description of Supplies/Services: The proposed acquisition consists of one (1) Split Hopkinson Pressure

Bar from REL, Inc that fulfills the following firm Government requirements:

The estimated total dollar value for this procurement is $173,200.00

4. Authority Cited: The statutory authority permitting other than full and open competition is 41 U.S.C

1901(e) as implemented by FAR Part 13.501(a), “Only One Responsible Source and No Other Supplies or

Services will Satisfy Agency Requirements”.

5. Reason for Authority Cited: The Government requires one (1) Long Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar

(LSPHP) system which [Redacted]. This system will enable design engineers to [Redacted]. Currently existing material test systems at ARL/WMRD only allow material deformation to occur [Redacted] strain rates [Redacted]leaving a gap in the understanding of how deformation and failure occur.

Intermediate strain rate experiments [Redacted] to deform the material. The time of the stress pulses are proportional to the length of the striker bars. The long stress pulses travel down the incident bar to interact with the specimen and reflect back in the incident bar. If the bar is not long enough, the record of the incident and reflected pulses will overlap and cause the measured data to be unusable. Due to this overlap concern, LSHPB setups that allow intermediate rate testing of materials are manufactured to be as long as possible. Some other LSHPB systems such as the setup [Redacted], including a distance [Redacted]

Accelerate the striker bar which produces a stress pulse. The overall length of the laboratory [Redacted] in which the LSHPB will be placed [Redacted]. To allow for maximum access and egress for laboratory personnel, the system cannot span the entire [Redacted]. Hence, the total length of the system must be shortened to [Redacted] feet.

To keep the required [Redacted] feet of accelerating distance for the striker bar, the gas pressure launcher must be designed in such a way that the gas tank is integrated into the barrel of the launcher allowing the striker bar to be inserted into the full depth of barrel and tank unit. REL, Inc. has a proprietary design for a gas tank and barrel system that will meet this requirement and is the sole supplier for the required system.

Systems produced by other similar companies such as DSR and LonGwin will not fulfill the requirements due to the footprint of the gas tank and barrel setup for the gas-driven launcher yields a system that is too long to fit into the limited space in the designated laboratory. Both companies provide similar systems but do not have the capability to provide an integrated tank-barrel system. Their conventional designs allow the striker bar only to be pushed up to where the gas tank begins, ie. The length of the gas tank cannot contribute to the acceleration distance of the striker bar. REL’s system will allow for the required

[Redacted]and the required acceleration distance whereas with the other vendors will not meet both requirements because of a non integrated tank-barrel design.

Based on the aforementioned, REL, Inc. is the sole vendor that can provide the required LSHPB system that will meet the requirement of the Government.

6. Efforts to Obtain Competition: Based on market research conducted by [Redacted] for this requirement, there are no vendors other than REL that are able to provide a LSHPB system with an integrated gas tank-barrel launcher that meet the Government’s technical specifications for intermediate strain rate testing of materials. Other vendors that were explored besides REL were Dynamic Systems Research (DSR)

(Albuquerque, NM USA) and Lon Gwin (Taiwan, Republic of China). DSR has an extensive history of producing high rate test systems for Department of Defense (DoD) and Government labs that are similar to the intermediate rate test system, however, DSR does not have a design for an integrated tank-barrel launcher that allows the striker bar to utilize the full length of the tank and barrel to accelerate. Lon Gwin produces split-Hopkinson pressure bars (SHPB) that allow high rate testing but does not produce a LSHPB that allows intermediate rate testing. Since we have a limited space requirement with a required striker acceleration distance of sixteen (16) feet, REL’s proprietary design of a compact gas driven launcher is the only system that will meet our needs. Based on these efforts to obtain competition, REL is the only vendor capable of meeting the Government’s requirements.

7. Actions to Increase Competition: For the past ten (10) years, the Government TPOCs regularly attend annual technical conferences and expositions in the area of experimental mechanics (the study of materials testing and testing methodologies). The attendees of these conferences are world known experts in this field and typically are academic faculty members and government scientists/engineers from DoD [Redacted]. At these meetings, technical information is discussed and exchanged with respect to dynamic materials testing systems. All of these experts have designed and built their own Split-Hopkinson Pressure Bars in-house since there are no firms that offer such systems due to such a limited market but none have built systems that could allow for a space limited LSHPB for intermediate materials testing that will meet the

Government’s minimum requirements. The Government TPOCs will continue to explore dynamic testing of materials at intermediate strain rates from trade journals and publications to remain aware of any new technology that becomes available for future requirements.

8. Market Research: Market research was conducted on the topic of a LSHPB for dynamic materials characterization at intermediate rates with a compact gas-driven striker bar launcher. The period in which the market research was conducted was from November 2013-June 2014 using Internet searches, scientific journal articles, meeting with Government, industry, and university subject manner experts at technical conferences across the US. Market research was conducted by [Redacted] with over twenty five (25) experience studying materials and mechanical responsiveness and understanding their failure/fracture behavior. [Redacted] He has over twenty (20) years experience in studying the mechanical behavior of various materials (polymers, composites, metals, and ceramics). A majority of SHPB systems that are established in DoD labs, Universities, and National Labs are typically designed and built “in-house” including the eight SHPB systems at ARL. Discussions with academic professors and national lab engineers and scientists revealed that while DSR and LonGwin are also producers of LSHPB systems as mentioned in section 6, REL is the primary authority on design of integrated tank-barrel striker launchers that will be ideal for our limited space requirements. ARL does not presently have the resources and design expertise to build such a striker launching mechanism. Therefore, the LSHPB system that will fulfill the

Government’s requirement’s can only be provided by REL.

9. Interested Sources: A Synopsis was posted to the Federal Business Opportunities (FBO) website on 20

November 2014 with a closing date of 02 December 2014. To date, no other sources have written to express interest. The notices required by FAR 5.201, shall be published and all bids or proposals shall be considered.

10. Other Facts:

a. Procurement history. No previous contract history.

b. Acquisition Data Availability. Not applicable

c. Unusual and Compelling Urgency. Not applicable

d. Subcontracting Competition. Not Applicable

e. Follow-on Contracts. Not applicable

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.

Signer’s Title: [Redacted]

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.

Signer’s Title: [Redacted]

13. Fair and Reasonable Cost Determination:

I hereby determine that the anticipated cost to the Government for this contract action will be fair and reasonable. The proposed price will be determined fair and reasonable by using methods in FAR Part

13.106-3. Detailed documentation of price reasonableness determination will be disclosed in the official contract file to include a published price list if available.

14. Procuring Contracting Officer Certification:

I certify that this justification is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

APPROVAL

Based on the foregoing justification, I hereby approve the procurement of Long Split-Hopkinson Pressure

Bar on an other than full and open competition basis pursuant to the authority of 41 U.S.C 1901(e) as implemented by FAR Part 13.501(a), “Only One Responsible Source and No Other Supplies or Services will Satisfy Agency Requirements”, subject to availability of funds, and provided that the services and property herein described have otherwise been authorized for acquisition.