Brand Name Justification_SPARK Plasma Sintering System - Redacted.pdf

Program/Equipment: Brand name supply of SPARK Plasma Sintering System (Model

SPS2000)

Authority: Title 41 United States Code (U.S.C.) §1901 as implemented in Federal Acquisition Regulation Overhaul (RFO) Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 12.102(a) restricting competition (brand-name justification), under the authority of the simplified procedures for certain commercial items.

Amount:

Prepared by: Crystal North Phone: (912) 323-7112

Contract Specialist Date: 21 May 2026 E-mail: Crystal.E.North@usace.army.mil

Contracting Officer: David Ammermann Phone: (217) 373-4490

Contracting Officer Date:

E-mail: David.G.Ammermann@usace.army.mil

Technical: Jared Smith Phone: (601) 634-3113

Contracting Officer Representative Date:

E-mail: Jared.C.Smith@usace.army.mil

Requirements: Barbara Lynn Escalon Phone: (601) 415-5986

Acquisition Manager Date:

E-mail: Barbara.L.Escalon@usace.army.mil

ESCALON.BARBAR

A.LYNN.1265437571

Digitally signed by

ESCALON.BARBARA.LYNN.1265

437571 Date: 2026.05.26 16:32:03 -05'00'

SMITH.JARED.COL

EMAN.1366541418

Digitally signed by

SMITH.JARED.COLEMAN.13665

41418 Date: 2026.05.26 20:07:14 -05'00'

AMMERMANN.DAVID.

GORDON.1088832155

Digitally signed by

AMMERMANN.DAVID.GORDON.

1088832155 Date: 2026.05.22 10:26:18 -05'00'

NORTH.CRYSTAL.ELI

ZABETH.1394877685

Digitally signed by

NORTH.CRYSTAL.ELIZABETH.1

394877685 Date: 2026.05.21 13:43:19 -04'00'

5. Authority Cited: Title 41 United States Code (U.S.C.) §1901 as implemented in RFO FAR) 12.102(a) restricting competition (brand-name justification), under the authority of the simplified procedures for certain commercial items.

6. Reason for Authority Cited: The proposed procurement meets the criteria for Title 41 United States Code (U.S.C.) §1901 as implemented in RFO FAR 12.102(a), Restricting Competition, (brand-name), under the authority of the simplified procedures for certain commercial items because market research indicated that the SPS SPARK Plasma Sintering System is the only system that meets the requirements of the research efforts that it will support.

a. Background: The EPC is a provider of sophisticated solutions in the fields of analytical chemistry, material science and computational chemistry. The EPC and the Synthetic Chemistry Team have been collaborating on a project to discover ultra-high temperature, high-entropy ceramic (HEC) materials that are tougher than any known currently available materials. The first year of this project focused on screening HEC compositions computationally, and years 2 and 3 have both computational and experimental tasks. The first year’s effort resulted in the identification of five (5) viable HEC compositions. The viable HEC compositions need to be synthesized and tested in experimental laboratory conditions. The government required a SPARK Plasma Sintering System in order to synthesize and test the viable HEC compositions.

b. Justification: This procurement requires an SPS SPARK Plasma Sintering System with specifications capable of creating HEC materials with physical properties dictated by EPC’s ongoing research effort. As referenced in the background above, the research teams’ previous efforts identified five (5) viable HEC compositions suitable for the needs of their project and the ERDC mission. These HEC compositions can only be created under unique physical conditions. The required system is specifically required to be a small-scale system within tight tolerance specifications to generate HEC materials with unique chemical properties identified and required by the research effort of EPC.

More specifically, the government requires a SPARK Plasma Sintering system that can reach 2500 °C, reach a pressure of 70 kilonewtons, and reach a vacuum of up to 5 x 10-3 pascals. Those system parameters are the only parameters capable of producing the materials required by the research effort. After market research was conducted, it was determined that only the SPS2000 branded system could meet these specifications. The brand named SPS2000 system is the only system with the size and performance specifications capable of synthesizing the HEC materials required by the government’s research effort.

c) Alternatives: There are no alternatives for this supply requirement. Market research indicated that other systems used for synthesizing materials do not adhere to the system parameters such as tight tolerance specifications required to generate HEC materials with unique chemical properties identified and required by the research effort of the EPC.

12. 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.

Jared Smith Contracting Officers Representative

13. 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.

Babara Lynn Escalon Acquisition Manager

14. Fair and Reasonable Cost Determination: I hereby determine that the anticipated price/cost to the Government for this contract action will be fair and reasonable. This determination will be made in accordance with RFO FAR 15.402 (1) - (2) when certified cost and pricing data are not required by RFO FAR 15.403-3, obtain data other than certified cost or pricing data as necessary to determine a fair and reasonable price, but not more than is needed. The Government intends to rely on adequate price competition by using price analysis to verify that the overall price offered is fair and reasonable in accordance with RFO FAR 15.404(a)(2) as well as RFO FAR 15.403-1(f), and will only require additional data other than certified cost or pricing data in the order of preference listed at RFO FAR 15.403-1(a). In accordance with RFO FAR 15.403 (a) certified cost or pricing data will not be required because the acquisition is anticipated to be below the simplified acquisition threshold.

David Ammermann Contracting Officer

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

David Ammermann Contracting Officer

AMMERMANN.DAVID.

GORDON.1088832155

Digitally signed by

AMMERMANN.DAVID.GORDON.

1088832155 Date: 2026.05.22 10:27:23 -05'00'

AMMERMANN.DAVID.

GORDON.1088832155

Digitally signed by

AMMERMANN.DAVID.GORDON.

1088832155 Date: 2026.05.22 10:26:57 -05'00'

ESCALON.BARBAR

A.LYNN.1265437571

Digitally signed by

ESCALON.BARBARA.LYNN.1265

437571 Date: 2026.05.26 16:31:31 -05'00'

SMITH.JARED.COL

EMAN.1366541418

Digitally signed by

SMITH.JARED.COLEMAN.13665

41418 Date: 2026.06.16 11:50:39 -05'00'