JA LCAAP SEL Relays Controllers LRL-FY26-29 for_SAM_Redacted.pdf

This is a Justification Review Document (RFO Part 6 Justification and Approval) for a brand-name acquisition exception to full and open competition.

The Lake City Army Ammunition Plant (LCAAP), a Joint Munitions Command facility in Independence, Missouri, seeks approval to specify Schweitzer Electronic Laboratories (SEL) power system protection relays and power system controllers for a Microgrid and Combined Heat and Power (CHP) project. The contract action, managed by the US Army Engineer District, Corps of Engineers (Louisville, Kentucky), will be awarded as a firm-fixed-price construction contract using FY26 Military Construction (MILCON) funding, with a total estimated cost of $2.5 million ($2.6 million for SEL relays and controllers). The requirement is for power system multifunction protection relays and controllers necessary to ensure proper functionality, communication, and coordination among all individual protection and control devices in the system. The statutory authority cited is 10 U.S.C. 3204(a)(1), implementing RFO 6.103-1, permitting acquisition when only one responsible source exists and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements.

The justification is driven by the absolute necessity for direct, high-speed interoperability between protection and control devices. A Sources Sought Notice posted on SAM.gov on February 10, 2026, yielded four responses; after engineering review, only SEL was determined capable of meeting requirements without introducing unacceptable risk. Two respondents lacked technical alternatives to specified SEL hardware; two others claiming open-standard (IEC 61850) equivalence were rejected based on engineering analysis concluding only SEL can satisfy requirements without unacceptable risk. The justification notes that while full and open competition is anticipated at the prime contractor level for the overall construction contract, the brand-name specification will be included in solicitation documents published to the Government Point of Entry.