Notice of Intent to Sole Source - Micro-Oxymax Expansion Interfaces

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), Cold Regions Research Laboratory (CRREL) intends to award a contract on a sole source basis to Columbus Instruments, LLC upon the basis of the authority provided at FAR 13.106-1(b). ERDC-CRREL seeks to expand capabilities of its existing Columbus Instruments Micro-Oxymax Respirometer by replacing four (4) of its expansion units and adding two (2) additional expansion units thus procuring a total of six (6) Micro-Oxymax 10-channel Expansion Interfaces which will increase the total number of chambers able to run at once to eighty (80) units. Requirements: To ensure the interface boxes enable CRREL’s existing unit to reach eighty (80) additional sample chambers for testing, the Contractor shall provide the following: Six (6) Micro-Oxymax 10-Channel Expansion Interfaces (p/n 0135-8101) Twenty (20) Micro-Oxymax Wide Mouth (2.5”) Flasks (p/n 1001-5049) Eight-five (85) 15ml jars (p/n 0135-0105) On-site installation at CRREL’s facilities in Hanover, NH by certified and authorized technicians On-site training for eight (8) personnel at CRREL’s facilities in Hanover, NH. Columbus Instruments LLC has been identified as the only source capable of fulfilling the Government’s requirement. The new expansion interfaces must be compatible and interchangeable with CRREL’s existing Columbus Instrument expansion boxes (part numbers: 93206-5, 93301-2, 93206-1, and 93206-4). Columbus Instruments is the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and has confirmed there are no U.S. authorized distributors nor services providers. Columbus Instruments owns the proprietary rights to the Micro-Oxymax Respirometer and only Columbus Instrument engineers are authorized to perform repairs or services to their equipment. The ability to use existing and new expansion boxes greatly expands sampling capability. Procuring the requested equipment and incidental services from other manufacturers would negate the benefit of the existing chambers and would result in the additional and redundant cost of procuring new expansion packs. Due to the proprietary nature of the requested equipment, the necessity for required on-site installation and training from certified technicians, and the necessity for complete interoperability and interchangeability, Columbus Instruments is the only provider reasonably capable of fulfilling the Government’s requirements. This Notice of Intent is not a request for competitive quotations. However, interested parties may identify their interest and capability to respond to this requirement. Any interested party that believes they can fulfill this requirement should submit a capability statement to be reviewed. All submissions will be considered, however there is no guarantee that submissions in response to this notice will in any way alter the Government's acquisition strategy. Responses to this notice shall be submitted NLT 12:00 PM CST, 22 June 2023 to [email protected] Telephone responses will not be accepted. Responses to this notice will not be considered as a response to any solicitation, a request to be added to a prospective offerors list, or to receive a copy of any solicitation. A determination by the Government not to compete the contract based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Information received will be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. Note : In order to be eligible for award of a Government contract, vendors must be actively registered in the System for Award Management (SAM), have no active exclusions, and complete the FAR and DFARS representations and certifications.