Description
1. Contracting Agency and Activity . 772 ESS/PKJ, Mr. Robert Batkins/Contracting Officer, DSN 969-8201. This document sets forth the justification and approval for use of one of the exceptions to full and open competition allowed under the Competition in Contracting Act (CICA) of 1984. 2. Nature of Action Being Approved . Project SPB120137000/MA03520137000 provides for 12 months of service and maintenance activities for Wind II (two 1.5 megawatt [MW] GE wind turbines) at the Massachusetts Military Reservation (MMR). Sole source of this contract to General Electric (GE) will provide uninterrupted service and maintenance. This requirement will be awarded on a stand-alone contract, to be issued on a Firm Fixed Price (FFP) basis with cost type CLINs for emergency service events and spare parts purchases. In addition, four option years are requested in addition to the base year contract for this work. 3. Description of Supplies or Services. This requirement will be issued as a stand-alone contract, for a period of 12 months for the base year. The services required are for labor, materials, and equipment to maintain two wind turbine units at the MMR. The work includes two service and maintenance events scheduled approximately six months apart, an annual hands-on blade inspection, 24/7 remote monitoring/notification/repair using diagnostic tools and fault handling procedures, spare parts purchases, and on call response to problems that cannot be rectified remotely. 4. Estimated Dollar Value. $ 50,000 5. Statutory Authority. The proposed action may be awarded without full and open competition under 41 U.S.C. 253(c)(1) as implemented in FAR 6.302-1 (b)(1)(i), unique services available from only one source. 6. Rationale Supporting Use of Citation in No. 5: The two wind turbines are each GE 1.5 MW models (80 meter hub height, 77 meter rotor diameter). GE offices are located in Schenectady, NY. GE was involved with the planning, design and construction of the wind turbines at MMR and was also responsible for the first year of service and maintenance. GE is uniquely qualified for this requirement based on their knowledge of the wind turbines' design and features, operation, and spare parts, and their comprehensive understanding of the intricacies of properly maintaining the wind turbines. GE's remote monitoring software includes diagnostic tools and fault handling procedures which are intellectual property and not available to other contractors. GE specifically stated in an email dated 02 Oct 2012. "All of our fault handling procedures are GE Intellectual Property for which we do not provide licenses. So while some small third party service provider may figure out how to "see" our units, they will not be able to do anything to them remotely." In a clarifying email dated 15 Nov 2012, GE stated "fault handling procedures are GE proprietary procedures...;there is not a time limit" associated with the intellectual property. Without these tools and procedures, the wind turbines cannot be adequately monitored, maintained or repaired. GE has successfully provided these highly specialized services that are required to service and maintain the specific wind turbine make and model. This new contract will provide seamless service and maintenance support for the GE wind turbines. The economies and efficiencies gained by issuing a sole source contract to GE is a savings to the Air Force that is not expected to be recovered through competition. Further savings and efficiencies can be achieved through the award of option years. GE would require no "ramp-up" time and effort to perform these activities. GE is the only contractor suited to provide continued support to this project as a whole based on their historical knowledge, site-specific experience, established relationships, available tools and procedures, and technical expertise with such highly specialized wind turbines and industrial control system that are considered by GE to be intellectual property. GE has the most appropriate technical and health and safety training to conduct the work on the wind turbines. GE has specially trained service and maintenance technicians on staff and are located within a day's drive to the wind turbine sites at MMR. GE technicians are also equipped with the proper service and maintenance equipment/tools (i.e. bolt tensioning tools, gearbox cameras, monitoring software) and are properly trained in their use. More importantly, only GE can officially carry out the scope of this effort given the intellectual property designation for their remote monitoring diagnostic tools and fault handling procedures.