Notice of Intent to Sole Source to Peerless-Winsmith for Gearboxes

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) intends to award a five-year indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract on a sole-source basis for repair and maintenance services of Differential Planetary Gearboxes. The procurement encompasses repair and reconditioning services to restore gearboxes to "Like New" operating condition in accordance with original equipment manufacturer specification drawing number 14636-5003 Rev T, as well as the potential purchase of new gearboxes as needed. The sole-source justification is based on Peerless-Winsmith's exclusive ownership of the proprietary drawing required for repairs, which no other vendor possesses or has been authorized to use. Due to the critical nature of the gearboxes to the National Weather Service operations and the significant time constraints associated with first-article testing or reverse engineering alternatives, NOAA determined that a competitive acquisition is not feasible. The pre-solicitation notice was posted on April 10, 2026, with a response deadline of April 25, 2026.

This procurement carries no set-aside designations and will be awarded directly to Peerless-Winsmith, located at 5200 Upper Metro Place, Suite 110, Dublin, Ohio 43017-5378. The estimated contract value is $2.3 million over the five-year period, with pricing structured as firm-fixed price. The gearbox inventory situation is critical, with only three units currently in stock and a weekly demand rate of 0.1 units, providing approximately 33.3 weeks of inventory coverage. Given the average repair turnaround time of 290 days and the absence of alternative first-article testing capabilities, the government determined that maintaining sole-source procurement with Peerless-Winsmith is essential to mitigate operational risk to the National Weather Service.