Notice of Intent to Award Sole Source - Rotork Brand Island and Foot Drain accessories for use at the Mud Mountain Dam Fish Passage Facility, Enumclaw, WA

This is an advance notice announcing the intent of the Seattle District US Army Corps of Engineers to award a sole-source firm fixed-price contract to Beaver Equipment LLC, to procure brand name Rotork Island Drain and Foot Drain accessories to upgrade the 20 existing manual gates and valves to be motorized at the Mud Mountain Dam (MMD) Fish Passage Facility (FPF).  All gate and valve motors, actuators and gearboxes through the Mud Mountain Dam Fish Passage Facility are Rotork brand.  The accessories we are purchasing are critical components for motorizing the valve and gate controls which tie into the existing fish passage facility drainage system.  The action is authorized by 41 United States Code 1901 as implemented in Federal Acquisition Regulation 13.106-1(b)(1)(i) Contracting Officers may solicit from one source if the contracting officer determines that the circumstances of the contract action deem only one source reasonably available (e.g., urgency, exclusive licensing agreements, brand-name or industrial mobilization). 

(1)    Existing Conditions: Currently at Mud Mountain Fish Passage Facility, all gates and valve motors, actuators and gearboxes are Rotork, supplied by Beaver Equipment LLC. The current components were purchased sole source from Beaver Equipment LLC. While there are other regional distributors, Beaver Equipment LLC is the only regional distributor registered in SAM.  The original purchase of materials did not include the adapter key to connect the existing gates to the newly purchased motors. This purchase would supply the adaptors for the Rotork motors through Beaver Equipment LLC. 

Operations: The existing gates and valves installed must be manually operated. Two Operations staff members must manually open all 20 sediment gates two to three times a week depending on sediment management requirements. It takes approximately 5 hours for a total of 20 to 30 labor hours per week to operate these drains. Purchase of the Beaver Equipment accessories will provide easier operation for facility staff and seamless daily operations. With automated gate controls, a single staff member can operate the gates quickly and efficiently with more controlled measurements. 

Maintenance: The existing facility has Rotork motors, actuators, and gearboxes supplied by Beaver Equipment. The accessories to be purchased will connect the existing gates to the newly purchased motors to convert from a manual system to an automatic system which will ensure seamless operation of the mud valves and gates. Purchase of Beaver Equipment accessories saves the Government time and money by reducing the amount of operation and maintenance effort required by Mud Mountain Dam Fish Passage Facility. 

Purchasing the components from Beaver Equipment to be tied into the existing system, increases ease of use for operations staff to save time and expenses for the Government. 

(2)    Justification: Purchasing Rotork components to be tied into the existing system, decreases learning curve for replacing the component in event of failure, eliminates confusion by maintenance personnel, and ensures facility compatibility.  Changing any single component introduces risk of incompatibility.  

Only authorized distributors for our region may supply the Rotork products.  The only regional authorized distributor registered in SAM is Beaver Equipment LLC.

The North American Industry Classification (NAICS) Code is 333995 – Fluid Power Cylinder and Actuator Manufacturing.  

The proposed contract action is for supplies or services for which the Government intends to solicit and negotiate with only one source under authority of 13.106-1(b)(1)(i).  Interested persons may identify their interest and capability to respond to the requirement or submit proposals. This notice of intent is not a request for competitive proposals. However, all proposals received within fifteen (15) days after date of publication of this synopsis will be considered by the government. A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed contract based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the government. Information received will normally be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement.