Yell water treatment chemicals FY27

The National Park Service intends to award a sole-source Blanket Purchase Agreement to Hawkins, Inc. for specialized potable water and wastewater treatment chemicals, valued at $670,000, on the basis that Hawkins is the only responsible source capable of supplying proprietary treatment formulations compatible with Yellowstone National Park's unique water chemistry and operational requirements.

Yellowstone's high elevation, geothermal activity, thermal water extremes, and naturally occurring dissolved minerals and metals necessitate specifically engineered chemical blends that are not available through standard commercial products. Hawkins has worked directly with Yellowstone for over twenty years to develop, test, and optimize proprietary treatment blends compatible with the park's infrastructure, treatment processes, and discharge requirements. Required products include AQUA HAWK coagulants in multiple models, sodium hydroxide solutions and membranes in various concentrations, sodium bicarbonate, ferric chloride, aluminum sulfate, glycerin, soda ash, sulfuric acid, anthracite, and filter cartridges in unit measures ranging from individual units to 330-gallon totes.

The Contracting Officer conducted market research within a 250-mile radius of Yellowstone and identified several regional chemical distributors and water treatment suppliers, but none were found to produce or distribute the required Hawkins proprietary formulations. An Intent to Sole Source notice posted on SAM.gov yielded responses from Colonial Chemical Solutions, Inc. and C5 Technology, LLC, but neither demonstrated the ability to provide the required blends. Substituting alternative products would require unacceptable time for extensive reengineering, compatibility testing, pilot studies, operational adjustments, and regulatory validation, creating operational risk to public health and environmental compliance. The justification cites FAR 6.104-1. Place of performance is Yellowstone National Park. Price reasonableness will be evaluated using commercial item procedures under FAR Part 12.