KO Determination J A Redacted.pdf

This is a Contracting Officer's Determination justifying a single-source purchase order for Flexamat concrete block matting to provide erosion control at Nolin River Lake Tailwater Recreation Area boat ramp and riparian zone. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has determined that Flexamat is the only three-layer product capable of providing the necessary erosion control functions required for this specific project. The contract vehicle is a fixed-price purchase order funded through DRSAA (Other Funds) for fiscal year 2026, with a base period and one option period running from February 2026 to April 2026. The procurement is being conducted as a brand name buy, with the contracting officer certifying that historical pricing analysis supports fair and reasonable pricing compared to previous acquisitions.

The justification establishes that competitive procurement is not feasible due to the unique technical requirements of the site. The Tailwater project location experiences atypical conditions including high-velocity flood reduction releases, high water flows from lock removals, and extensive public use for fishing and boat launching, which have caused erosion on exposed riparian banks where conventional erosion control methods have failed. Flexamat's three-layer composition—combining non-biodegradable layers that hold concrete matting together with a natural biodegradable layer for vegetative growth—is specifically designed to address these conditions while minimizing installation disturbance and allowing pedestrian access. Market research confirmed that no competing concrete matting products offer this integrated three-layer design, and installing separate products would increase site disturbance and installation complexity. The justification notes Flexamat has been successfully used on previous USACE projects at Nolin and other locations, demonstrating cost-effectiveness for similar environmental conditions.