INTENT_NOTICE_-_Justification_for_Full_&_Open_-_Brand_Name_or_Equal.pdf

NOTICE OF INTENT

FOR INDICATION FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION – BRAND NAME OR EQUAL

SPECIAL NOTICE: The US Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District will be soliciting proposals for a new supply contract to manufacture, factory test, and deliver two (2), three-phase generator step-up (GSU) power transformers to the Old Hickory Power Plant, Hendersonville, TN.

It is industry standard practice while designing intricate mechanical systems to base design around products that meet the needs of the project based on salient characteristics and level of quality required. As all the components of a system must work together and function as a system, the salient characteristics of each individual component may change based on other component salient characteristics.

The Corps of Engineers Detroit District intends to indicate the proprietary products used as the basis of design by make and model. In accordance with FAR clause 52.236-5, Material and Workmanship, “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.

All listed manufacturers are the basis of design. Other manufacturers may be substituted as long as the salient characteristics of the substituted manufacturer meet or exceed the salient characteristics of the basis of design. The intent of utilizing basis of design is to provide offerors insight to the quality of product expected for the design and to aid in understanding the features included for estimating cost bid items. Identifying the design basis can help to improve negotiation efficiencies and provide clarity for any cost discrepancies discovered during the solicitation process.

The successful contractor and the manufacturer making the actual transformer will not be limited by the brand name or equal callouts utilized. All components will be supplied by third or fourth tier suppliers not under direct contract with the U.S. Government.

Demonstration that the proposed contractor’s unique qualifications or the nature of the acquisition requires use of the authority cited:

Control Panel Shop Wiring - Type SIS wire:

This is not a brand, it is a wire type or classification and therefore not subject to brand name or equal requirements

Oil Sampling Valve - United Brass Works Model 86:

Item Standardization – the valve addition is used to make oil sampling consistent among the USACE hydropower fleet, which provides better oil results and minimizes error to protect critical USACE infrastructure. Other submitted options are acceptable, and salient features are provided.

Access Ladder - Cotterman:

Item Standardization – the specification requirements are written around a standard component manufacturer, Cotterman to provide access ladder systems. Other submitted options are acceptable, and salient features are provided.

High Voltage and High Voltage Neutral Bushings – ABB / Moser Glaser:

Item Standardization – within this class of equipment for the salient features specified, there are only five companies: ABB, Micafil (owned by ABB), Trench, HSP, and Moser Glaser. Previous contracts have only ever yielded ABB, HSP, and Moser Glaser. Due to the long lead time of these items and their cost over the baseline option – an oil-filled bushing – the brands are called out to aid the offerors and manufacturers in putting together accurate proposals and schedules. Other submitted options are acceptable, and salient features are provided.

Electronic Pressure Monitor – Qualitrol 930:

Item Standardization – the Qualitrol 930 is a standard item for all USACE Hydropower transformer procurements.

Pressure Relief Device – Qualitrol XPRD:

Item Standardization – the Qualitrol XPRD with directed discharge outlet is standard for all USACE hydropower transformer procurements and provides a safer protective characteristic for personnel and the environment.

Dissolved Gas and Moisture monitor – Serveron Model TM8:

Item Standardization – the TM8 has been standard for a number of years due to its unmatched accuracy in the field based on actual gas chromatography application. Other offers can provide the same number of options, but no other option currently matches the accuracy.

Portable Fall Arrest System and Anchor Post – DBI-SALA Model 8516691:

Item Standardization – the DBI-SALA fall arrest system anchor post has been a standard item for USACE hydropower transformer procurements, and also aligns with industry practice. Because it is safety equipment, manufacturers prefer options that are already approved for use rather than trying to find and design these. Other submitted options are acceptable, and salient features are provided.

Portable Fall Arrest System and Anchor Post mounting plate – DBI-SALA Model Uni-Anchor 8517412:

Item Standardization – the uni-anchor plate matches the above item. Other submitted options that match the proposed fall arrest system are acceptable, and salient features are provided.

Nitrogen Regulator Enclosure – ABB Type RND2:

Item Standardization – the ABB nitrogen regulator enclosure is the standard in the industry and for USACE hydropower transformer procurements. It is possible to fabricate a similar item completely from scratch, which has also been done on another contract. For this reason, salient features are provided and equal construction accepted.

Transformer Temperature Monitor – Qualitrol QTMS MTX:

Item Standardization / One-of-a-kind – the cabinet layout and interfacing components are based on this item. Additionally, it interfaces with the more reliable technology of embedded fiber optic temperature probes, made by Neoptix, which uses photospectroscopy instead of the less reliable photoluminescence approach. Salient features are provided, but there are no equivalents in market research.

Local Annunciator Panel – SEL-2533:

Item Standardization – the SEL local annunciator panel was selected for this application for its environmental resilience. It is standard for all new USACE hydropower transformer procurements and a listing of salient features are provided

Auxiliary Relays – Square D:

Item Standardization – the Square D auxiliary relay includes the requested features and is provided as an example. The quantity of these is dependent on the final design, so the quantity and cost is unknown. Other submitted options are acceptable, and salient features are provided.

Interposing Relay – General Electric HMA:

Item Standardization – the GE interposing relay includes the requested features and is provided as an example. The quantity of these is dependent on the final design, so the quantity and cost is unknown. Other submitted options are acceptable, and salient features are provided.

Terminal Blocks – States Type NT:

Item Standardization – the States Type NT terminal block includes the requested features and is provided as an example. These are also used regularly throughout hydropower facilities in many districts. The quantity of these is dependent on the final design, so the quantity and cost is unknown. Other submitted options are acceptable, and salient features are provided.

Gasket – Viton:

One-of-a-kind – Viton is a Dow Corning brand material in a class of fluoroelastomers used for hydrocarbon applications with high temperature rises. Its usage is necessary to reach the 125 degree C temperature rise requirement for the low voltage bushings. Viton is the standard used throughout industry and utilizing other, unproven products is an unnecessary risk. This is a consumable component that can be purchased in many ways, so the quantity / cost is unknown.

Lubricant – Molykote III:

Not a brand name – this is a consumable tube of gasket lubricant supplied by the erecting crew. Its usage is incidental to the work, but using an inferior option, such as petroleum jelly, leads to leaking gaskets within a few years, requiring an outage and multiple hours of downtime, in addition to risk to the recently purchased 30+ year asset by draining the oil to fix the mistake.

Antioxident Additive – DSI Inhibit:

Not a brand name – this is a consumable that may or may not be used depending on the processing of the oil and its as-delivered state. Its cost and quantity cannot be known prior to work.

It is specified so that a solution can be implemented quickly onsite during the commissioning period when generators are offline and cost to preference customers is extremely high.