Notice of intent to negotiate a sole-source contract

NOTICE OF INTENT TO NEGOTIATE A SOLE-SOURCE CONTRACT

The US Department of Commerce (DOC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Office of Marine and Aviation Operations (OMAO), NOAA Ship Henry Bigelow requires IMS Watertight door upgrades per attached statement of need. This is a life critical piece of equipment. The sliding watertight doors are critical pieces of equipment that are needed to ensure watertight integrity of the ships while in port and underway on mission. These parts for watertight doors upgrades will be provided by Project and Construction Welding, Inc doing business as IMS, Inc. located at 2603 Andalusia BLVD Cape Coral, Florida 33909-2922.

IMS is the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) for the watertight doors. These doors have been installed on several vessels which are owned and operated by NOAA, including the NOAA Ship Henry Bigelow.  IMS watertight sliding doors are a highly technical and specialized product and accordingly should be commissioned and serviced by IMS authorized service technicians. 

IMS, Inc is the sole authorized provider of service, technical assistance and spare parts for IMS watertight sliding doors in the United States. The IMS sliding watertight doors are proprietary the upgrade portion is to the control circuit cards which are no longer supported. No other vendor can provide these parts or upgrade the circuit cards as the system is designed and supported by IMS. If another vendor attempted to complete these upgrades, the type approval for the watertight doors from ABS would be void as the system is modified outside of what is approved. If the OEM (IMS) completes the overhaul and upgrade, the system is kept in accordance with the original design requirements. 

The Government is not aware of any other authorized vendors that can provide these specialized parts for these upgrades.
The Government intends to acquire these parts under the guidelines of FAR Part 13, Simplified Acquisitions Procedures and FAR Part 12, Commercial Items. The Government intends to solicit and negotiate directly with IMS, Inc., under the authority of FAR 13.106-1(b)(1)(i). The North American Industry Classification Code (NAICS) for this acquisition is 332321, Metal Window and Door Manufacturing with a business size standard of 500 employees. 

This is not a solicitation for competitive quotes. However, if any interested party that is an authorized dealer from IMS that can provide these parts, at no additional mark ups, without compromising manufacturing, delivery and or warranty may submit a statement of capabilities, which if in timely manner is received, will be considered by NOAA. A statement of capabilities must be received by 5:00 PM EST on May 28, 2025. A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed requirement 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 in the future. 

Evidence must be provided of ability to provide the required parts. The capability statement and any other information furnished must be in writing and must contain material in sufficient detail to allow the Government to determine if the party can meet all of the requirements, including an OEM letter to ensure authorization from the OEM for the above parts. Capability statements and related materials must be e-mailed to Alexander Cancela at alexander.cancela@noaa.gov by 5:00 PM EST on May 28,2025.