Lubricating Oil for the NEXRAD WSR-99D Radar System Pedestal

The U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Eastern Region Acquisitions Division-Kansas City office intends to award, on a sole source basis, under the authority of FAR 13.106-1(b)(1), with American Lubricants, Inc., for 1,000 5-gallon containers of synthetic lubricating oil, neutral color, ASN: R400-014-O-20 NSN: 9150-01-418-8738, VENDOR P/N: SHC-75W to lubricate the pedestal of the NEXRAD WSR-88D Radar system for the National Logistics Support Center in Kansas City, MO. A Sources Sought notice was posted to the Federal Business Opportunities website on February 18, 2015 and closed on March 2, 2015. No responses were received. Sole Source Justification American Lubricants, Inc., as the only known qualified source of this specifically formulated pedestal lubricating oil due to the proprietary nature of the formulation. During development of the NEXRAD Dual Pol capability, this oil was qualified as being acceptable. The Radar Operations Center has determined thru testing that only American Lubricants P/N SHC-75W synthetic lubricant is functionally compatible with the pedestal hardware on the NEXRAD system, and that use of other lubricants is detrimental to the operational life of the system. Based upon this testing, the Radar Operations Center has specified P/N SHC-75W synthetic lubricant from American Lubricants as the only acceptable lubricant for use in this application.