Brand Name JA - CJD Generator Rewinds 1-16.pdf

JUSTIFICATION FOR OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION

Generator Rewinds (1-16) Chief Joseph Dam WA

5 November 2021

JUSTIFICATION

1. CONTRACTING AGENCY: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Seattle District, (CENWS-CT-C or Agency) 4735 E. Marginal Way S., Seattle, WA 98134,

2. DESCRIPTION OF ACTION: The Agency requests a Justification and Approval (J&A) for Other than Full and Open Competition to allow the Contracting Officer to issue a solicitation (W912DW22R0005) that includes items that require a specific “brand name or equal/equivalent. This J&A satisfies the requirements of DFARS 206.302-1 paragraphs (c) and (S-70). Total estimated contract value is between .

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Seattle District, plans to rewind generators 1-16 at Chief Joseph Dam. Activities related to this justification include disassembly and reassembly of the generators, rewinding of stators (including related supplies and connections), replacement of partial discharge analysis components, and replacement of brake rings. Items include backup software, network switches, sealants, caulking, analyzers, insulation and brake pad material. Excerpts from the solicitation specifications are included in attachment A.

3. DESCRIPTION OF SUPPLIES:

The specifications list eight separate instances, with an aggregate value of where brand name or equal is identified:

Paramount Software, Macrim Reflect, or equal Cisco IE 2000 Switches, or equal Cisco Catalyst 9300 Switches, or equal Loctite Gasket Eliminator Sealant, or equal Fluorodyn Caulk, or equal Iris Power Engineering Inc. GuardII Analyzer Units, or equal Nomex 410 Insulation, or equal Scan Pac RF42 Brake Pad, or equal

See attachment B for a complete list of items and estimated cost of all items which have a Brand Name indicated to provide offerors insight to the quality of product expected and to aid in understanding the features included for estimating cost of the price items.

All items are off the shelf brand name commercial products and will be installed under a firm-price construction contract for the turbine rewinds, units 1-16, at Chief Joseph Dam, Bridgeport WA. The specifications include all salient characteristics necessary for the products to meet contract performance requirements and are not proprietary, with the exception of references to Teflon and Viton.

Activities related to this justification include disassembly and reassembly of the generators, rewinding of stators (including related supplies and connections), replacement of partial discharge analysis components, and replacement of brake rings. Items include backup software, network switches, sealants, caulking, analyzers, insulation and brake pad material. Excerpts from the solicitation specifications are included in attachment A.

4. AUTHORITY CITED: 10 USC 2304(c)(1) as implemented by FAR 6.302-1(c) Only One Responsible Source and No Other Supplies or Services with Satisfy Agency Requirements. Per 13.501(a) this Justification is for the use of brand name descriptions under FAR 6.302-1(c) Contracts: competition requirements.

FAR 11.105(a)(1), Items Particular to One Manufacturer. The particular brand name, product, or feature is essential to the Government’s requirements, and market research indicates other companies’ similar products, are lacking particular features, and do not meet, or cannot be modified to meet the agency’s needs.

5. REASON FOR AUTHORITY CITED:

a. Background: The supplies and components identified in this brand name or equal justification will be utilized during the construction of the generator rewinds. Some components can be purchased at “big box” retailers/retail chain stores. Others are components that are identified specifically on the Defense Information Systems Agency’s (DISA) approved product list (APL).

Paramount Software Macrium Reflect (or equivalent) is a Windows based backup software.

Salient characteristics have been provided in the specifications. (see attachment A). There are several software manufacturers that provide this kind of product as well as multiple retailers.

Cisco Managed Network Switches (or equivalent) are identified on the DISA APL website and salient characteristics have been provided in the specifications (see attachment A). The DISA website includes numerous manufacturers of this type of equipment.

The Cisco IE-2000 product line provides locally managed switches that are located on the plant floor.

The Cisco Catalyst 9300 product line provides centrally managed switches that are located in the Control Room.

Loctite gasket eliminator sealant (or equivalent) is a product specified for sealing mating surfaces exposed to water. It is widely available on the internet and in “big box” retailers.

Fluorodyn caulk (or equivalent), AKA Viton, is a fluoroelastimer based sealant used for joints exposed to turbine oil. This material is much like Teflon in that it is ubiquitous and in many products. The caulk itself is available on the internet and from hardware suppliers.

Iris Power Engineering Analyzers (or equivalent) refers to partial discharge analysis (PDA) systems used to monitor conditions of a unit by analyzing partial discharge activity experienced by the stator windings. Partial discharges are small electrical current “sparks” that are located in the stator windings – these “sparks” generate ozone, an OSHA defined human health hazard and oxidizer that significantly attacks the stator winding insulation and paint systems used in the generator. (see attachment A).

Nomex 410, (or equivalent) is insulation that is typically used on the rotor poles. It is a product made by Dupont. It is widely available from electrical supply and hardware retailers.

Scan Pac RF42 (or equivalent) is a brake pad material. The friction material must be non-asbestos, non-metallic, non-corrosive, non-abrasive, have a high compression strength, with a coefficient of friction of 0.4 or greater. (see attachment A).

b. Justification:

The Agency seeks to ensure system components work together and function as a system to meet the needs of the generator rewinds requirement. Without brand name or equal specifications, the Agency is at risk of equipment degradation or failure which may occur if certain individual components are used in lieu of the required brand name or equal items. The standard of quality must remain the same as the requested brand name or equal (meeting the salient characteristics) listed in the specifications.

Competition is only limited to the extent necessary to meet the government legitimate needs of this project. Contractors are free to use any product which meets the government’s minimum needs, so long as the standard of quality and characteristics meet or exceed the standard of quality and characteristics of the basis of design. Reference FAR clause 52.236-5, Material and Workmanship in the solicitation.

The Materials and Workmanship clause reiterates this point: “References in the drawings and specifications to equipment, material, articles, or patented processes by trade name, make, or catalog number, shall be regarded as establishing a standard of quality and shall not be construed as limiting competition.” The Contractor may, at its option, use any equipment, material, article, or process that, in the judgment of the Contracting Officer, is determined to be equal through formal evaluation comparison against the specified salient characteristics as provided by the written specifications for each piece of equipment, material, article or process.

For example:

Cisco: Network switches are used to build reliable communication networks that connect devices throughout a control system. Because these devices connect different systems together, they are a critical component in providing cybersecurity protection. Cisco is the standard network switch used by the Agency’s Hydroelectric Design Center (HDC), Generic Data Acquisition and Control System (GDACS), and is on the DISA APL. It is the preferred brand name based on the prevalence of this system used in the Agency’s Northwest Division projects, but HDC has identified the minimum requirements if another manufacturer is requested for approval.

Iris Power Engineering Analyzer: The analyzer, GUARDII, identified above connects to the installed capacitor couplers that are also manufactured by Iris Power Engineering. The analyzer is important as it amplifies the measurements and provides printouts/readings of the monitored activity in a format that is readily comparable to a large industry database to assist with detection and identification of the specific location and nature of the discharge activity. The capacitor couplers that are permanently installed within the units are from Iris Power Engineering. In order to ensure compatibility with existing components it would be advantageous to utilize the associated GUARDII analyzers manufactured by the same brand.

It is the preferred brand name, however, HDC has indicated the minimum requirements if another manufacturer is requested for approval.

c. Alternatives: The only potential alternative would be to convert the procurement into a design-build procurement without complete designs. Utilizing a basis of design as assumptions is a critical component of designing complete, functional systems. It is impossible to fully design a system to meet requirements without assumptions of specific equipment or material specifications. The alternative to providing assumptions of equipment and the make and model of the basis of design is to solely list the standard of quality and all characteristics whereby the Contractor can design their own system.

d. Impact:

The Agency risks making its equipment vulnerable to compatibility failures or components not working with existing infrastructure. For example, if Contractors do not propose use of Cisco brand network equipment or equal, it may lead to the vulnerability of critical assets and increase cyber-security risk. The Cisco Brand Name is the Enterprise standard based on careful consideration of product capabilities and best-of-breed systems to meet complex cyber-security and network configuration requirements. The new devices must be compatible with existing equipment and configurations. It is in the Agency’s best interest to pursue this brand name or equal in order to maintain the integrity of the overall system, prevent potential hardware failures and to ensure that the adequate system support is available by the manufacturer. Specifications indicate the minimum requirements and substitutions will be considered.

6. EFFORTS TO OBTAIN COMPETITION: Competition is obtained to the maximum extent practical while meeting the agency’s requirements by utilizing a specific product only to the extent it is necessary to complete the project, while allowing contractors to use the brand-named or any other product which meets the government’s minimum characteristics and standards of quality. Contracting conducted extensive market research, further sources sought notice which was specifically related to the Brand Name or equal elements and was published on SAM.gov on October 15, 2021 with a closing date of October 21, 2021. No responses were received.

7. ACTIONS TO INCREASE COMPETITION: The solicitation will be awarded in a competitive environment, based on the best value trade off procedures as described under FAR Part 15, Contracting by Negotiations. The solicitation, in conjunction with this J&A, will be posted on SAM.gov. The listed supplies that require brand name or equal components are a discrete and minor portion (aggregate value of ) of the total estimated contract value of . There is no planned action to increase further competition.

8. MARKET RESEARCH: Based on involvement of experts in the field, knowledge of the market, review of product availability, and through market research, there are multiple dealers and distributors that can supply components and supplies available to meet project needs.

9. INTERESTED SOURCES: A brand name or equal J&A will be posted with the solicitation on SAM.gov with the related specification sections.

10. 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.

11. 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.

12. 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 pursuant to FAR Subpart 15.4.

13. CONTRACTING OFFICER CERTIFICATION: I certify that this Brand Name Determination is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

APPROVAL

Based on the foregoing justification, I hereby approve the procurement of the Chief Joseph Dam name brand or equal materials and components for the refurbishment of the generator rewinds, on other than full and open competition basis pursuant to the authority of 10 USC 2304(c)(1), subject to the availability of funds, and provided the services herein described have otherwise been authorized for acquisition.