Contracting Officers Decision FAR Part 13.501 JDA Trackwheel amended_Redacted.pdf

CUI//SP-SSEL

(Source Selection Information - See FAR 2.101 and 3.104-4)

Justification and Approval For Single Source - FAR Part 13.501

1. Contracting Activity: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Portland District, Contracting Division, 333 SW First Ave, Portland OR 97204-3495

2. Description of Action: Approval is being requested for the acquisition of six (6) Trackwheels + two (2) optional spares to replace existing wheels at John Day Dam

3. Description of Supplies/Services: This acquisition is for a Firm-Fixed Price Supply contract for six (6) Trackwheels in support of John Day Dam.

4. Authority Cited: 14 USC § 1901(a)(2), FAR 13.501(a)

5. Reason for Authority Cited:

a. Background: The John Day Dam Navigation Lock Downstream gate (JDN D/S gate) trackwheel replacement effort was initiated after observation of the wheels by USACE staff during an annual inspection (03/2025) indicated that one of the wheels was actively failing. This wheel posed a risk to damage other critical components of the gate assembly. Prior failure of these wheels had exhausted all remaining spares and the gate is currently operating on wheels that had been retired. The wheels that were originally supplied with the gate, those currently in use, did not meet the service life expectations from USACE. After the initial onset of failure an effort to design replacement wheels was undertaken but was not completed. That effort was restarted after the 2025 inspection. This supply contract is to procure new wheels for the gate with a new design developed by USACE staff.

The JDN D/S gate is a lift type gate that translates vertically to open and close the lock. When the gate is being raised and lowered it rides along the trackwheels. When the gate is in its lower closed position the wheels slide into recesses in their bearing plates and the hydrostatic load from the lock is carried by a separate set of bearing shoes. Functionality of these wheels is critical to the gate�s operation which is critical to the function of the lock and therefore the bearings within the wheels are considered failure critical. In failure critical bearings USACE is required to use materials that have passed the testing required by USACE CERL TR 99/104 and been approved for use. The navigation lock supports commerce and recreational travel along the Columbia River system. The updated design simplifies the trackwheel assembly and implements a bronze backed self-lubricating bushing and collar to ensure low friction rolling of the trackwheels.

b. Justification: A review of the work specification package identified a brand name component of the trackwheel assembly, the self-lubricated bushing and collar, which provides a low friction bearing interface without the use of grease. A low friction interface is critical to ensuring the wheels roll under high loads associated with gate operation.

(Source Selection Information - See FAR 2.101 and 3.104-4)

Utilization of bronze for the bushing and collar base material with a comparatively thin, applied self-lubricating liner is a project/site specified design criteria based on previous experience and past performance of similar components. This aspect is critical to the redundancy of the new trackwheel design which is intended to extend the service life of the wheels beyond that of the original wheels and minimize unscheduled maintenance activities. The use of the bronze base material with a comparatively thin, applied self-lubricating liner creates redundancy for the bushings in the event of liner failure by providing a bronze-on-stainless-steel bearing interface once the liner is gone that would allow the gate to continue operation until maintenance can be performed. There are two vendors that manufacture bronze-backed self-lubricating-liner bushings that USACE has evidence of meeting the technical and testing requirements as listed in USACE CERL TR 99/104: RBC Lubron Bearing Systems (Lubron) Lubron HX; and Kamatics Corporation (Kamatics) Karon V.

USACE�s experience with the current wheels suggest that the Karon V self-lubricating liner fails in a grit like fashion which poses a risk for accelerated damage to surrounding components, reducing the assembly�s anticipated service life and increasing O&M costs. In addition, Kamatics has indicated to USACE that they will no longer support the hydroelectric industry of which the JDN D/S gate is considered a part. This limits the available and technically acceptable vendors in USACE records of successful test and evaluation report data to a single source: Lubron HX. While Lubron HX is not currently on the approved list, it has successfully passed the CERL TR 99/104 testing program and been evaluated for use by USACE. Other manufacturers� products, within USACE records of successful test and evaluation data, do not meet the technical requirements as they cannot be applied to the bronze substrate and do not consist of a comparatively thin self-lubricating liner, as required by the approved design.

c. Impact:

USACE is required to use products that have passed the CERL TR 99/104 testing program and have been approved for use in failure critical bearing applications. With Karon V no longer an option, there are currently no technically acceptable materials on the approved list available. Lubron HX, is the only material to have successfully passed USACE�s CERL TR 99/104 testing and evaluation criteria for self-lubricated failure critical bearings on a bronze substrate in USACE records.

6. Efforts to Obtain Competition: USACE is required to use products that have passed the CERL TR 99/104 testing program and been approved for use in failure critical bearing applications. CENWP and HDC actively monitor the market for products that can be tested, evaluated, and approved. At the time writing, no technically acceptable products other than those discussed above, have passed the CERL TR 99/104 testing and been evaluated by USACE.

7. Actions to Increase Competition: N/A

8. Market Research: