JA - Brand Name (Kohler) SAM.pdf

JUSTIFICATION AND APPROVAL

FOR OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION

1. Contracting Agency: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Louisville District, Post Office Box 59, Louisville, Kentucky 40201-0059.

2. Description of Action: This justification and approval (J&A) is being prepared for the use of a brand name item, Kohler generators and switchgear, in the firm fixed price construction contract for the Intelligence Production Complex phase III project at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. The government will not purchase the Kohler equipment directly, but rather brand name specifications will be included in the design bid build solicitation that will lead to a new firm fixed price (FFP) construction contract. The construction contract is planned to be awarded under a full and open solicitation, using FY19 MILCON funding.

3. Description of Supplies/Services: The equipment will include proprietary 2.0 MW standby generator, switchgear, and controls; which are manufactured by Kohler, Kohler, WI. The estimated total cost for the equipment is approximately XXXXXX.

4. Authority Cited: 10 United States Code (U.S.C.) 2304(c)(1), as implemented by Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 6.302-1(a)(2) “Only One Responsible Source and No Other Supplies or Services Will Satisfy Agency Requirements.” This authority is applicable to brand name justifications in accordance with FAR 6.302-1(c)(1).

5. Reason for Authority Cited:

a) Background: The National Air and Space Intelligence Center (NASIC) facilities at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base require standby generators in the event of power outages. Uninterrupted power is required twenty-four (24) hours per day, seven (7) days a week, 365 days a year due to NASIC’s critical mission of providing intelligence support to the Department of Defense (DoD) and intelligence organizations in support of worldwide daily operations and operations during a national crises.

The existing NASIC facility is currently housed in several buildings (10853, 10822, and 10856) that have been combined into one contiguous facility. Together these buildings comprise one of the largest SCIF buildings in the Department of Defense. The existing facility is a two-story building that has been renovated/ added onto over its existence. It houses analyst workstations, electronics laboratories, and supporting infrastructure.

In the event of a power outage, planned or unplanned, the system must be able to switch from either the primary power feed or the uninterruptible power supply (UPS) system to backup generators. Before switching to the backup generators, all generators must be started and synchronized to the same electrical phase before they can be brought online to provide standby power to the facilities.

The NASIC campus of facilities currently is supported by a standby generator plant consisting of three (3) 2MW generators. The existing generators, paralleling switchgear, and controls were all manufactured by Kohler. Due to increased requirements associated with the IPC addition, there is a mission need to add additional standby generator power. The proposed project will add another 2MW generator and make necessary modification to the existing paralleling switchgear and controls so that the existing three (3) generators and the new generator function as a single synchronized power source.

b) Justification: There is a mission need to add an additional standby 2MW generator to the three (3) 2MW generators already in place. The three (3) generators currently in place are Kohler equipment, which operate off of Kohler proprietary control software. In order to be able to synchronize the existing generators and the new generator, to avoid power fluctuations and instability of the building systems during use of backup power, it will be necessary to procure a similar Kohler generator as the generators currently in place.

c) Impact: Paralleling a series of large generators and synchronizing the power to the primary power of the utility is a very complex process. For those reasons, manufacturers have developed proprietary controllers for their equipment to ensure the components perform reliably as a backup power source. The current backup power system utilizes a Kohler proprietary control software and utilizing equipment from another brand other than Kohler would result in a custom made system that has not been tested and/or approved by the manufacturer as a total system. Without the use of the Kohler proprietary control software for the entire backup power system, the system would suffer power fluctuations and overall instability to the building systems during backup power usage.

d) Alternatives: None viable to achieve a fully functioning system for the reasons noted above in paragraph 5. b) and c). A total replacement cost of the Backup Power System (Generators and Controlling Switchgear) is estimated to be XXXXXX. This cost was not considered in the project planning for construction funding. A total replacement would require additional time and effort to re-program the project and obtain Congressional approval.

6. Efforts to Obtain Competition: Technical capabilities of various manufacturers were reviewed for compatibility to the current standby power system. None of the various manufacturers’ equipment would ensure a seamless compatibility with the existing system which currently utilizes Kohler equipment exclusively.

A Notice of Intent to Sole Source was posted on 22 JAN 2020 to the beta.sam.gov website. To date, no other sources have written to express interest.

7. Actions to Increase Competition: Apart from the complete replacement of the current standby power system in its entirety, competition will be limited. This is a finite requirement with no future needs, and therefore there are no actions to increase future competition.

8. Market Research: A Notice of Intent to Sole Source was posted on the beta.sam.gov website. To date, no other sources have written to express interest.

A technical review and evaluation was conducted of the backup power system requirements for the NASIC facilities by Wright-Patterson Base CE Electrical Engineering, with assistance by NASIC Utility Subject matter Experts. As discussed in paragraph 6 above, only the Kohler equipment will ensure seamless compatibility with the existing standby power system.

9. Interested Sources: A Notice of Intent to Sole Source was posted on the beta.sam.gov website. To date, no other sources have written to express interest.

10. Other Factors: None