Description
SOLE SOURCE JUSTIFICATION FOR AN ACTION EXCEEDING THE SIMPLIFIED ACQUISITION THRESHOLD USING SIMPLIFIED PROCEDURES FOR CERTAIN COMMERCIAL ITEMS (AUTHORITY: FAR 13.501(a), 41 U.S.C. 1901 or 41 U.S.C. 1903) Marine Lithium-ion Rechargeable Battery Packs 1. Agency and contracting activity. Department of Commerce, NOAA Acquisition and Grants Office (AGO), Eastern Region Acquisition Division (ERAD), and National Weather Service (NWS), National Data Buoy Center (NDBC). 2. Nature and/or description of the action being approved. NOAA, AGO - ERAD, Kansas City, MO, negotiated on a sole source basis, a Firm-Fixed Price (FFP) contract to Lithiumstart, Inc., hereafter referred to as Lithiumstart, for the purchase of Marine Lithium-ion Battery Packs, for the NDBC’s Self-Contained Ocean Overserving Payload (SCOOP) system. These 12-volt rechargeable marine lithium-ion batteries are designed for harsh marine environments, while utilizing solar charging capabilities to power the SCOOP system. The 12-volt rechargeable marine lithium-ion battery packs are considered a commercial item due to the item being sold and used by the general public for purposes other than governmental purposes. Lithiumstart has modified them to meet NDBC requirements. Lithiumstart, owned by Eaglepicher Technologies, Inc. is represented as a large business, located at 865 Hinckley Rd. in Burlingame, CA. Description of supplies or services required to meet the agency’s needs. The SCOOP system is a technology refresh for the NDBC’s current coastal monitoring stations. In December of 2013, NDBC began a design effort to produce a 12-volt rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack that used the NDBC’s own Smart Module Bus to communicate its status back to the SCOOP data acquisition system. The NDBC proceeded with soliciting full and open competition under procurement EA-133W-14-RQ-0077, which resulted in receiving five (5) offers. Out of five respondents, Lithiumstart won the subsequent award EA-133W-14-SU-0268, based upon price and previous experience with designing power systems for the U.S. Navy. Since this first award in fiscal year 2014, the NDBC has spent countless hours and funding incorporating Lithiumstart’s battery pack design into the SCOOP system for operation use. This includes destructive (explosion and fire) testing to ensure battery pack safety during shipping, handling, and installation on marine platforms. Additionally, during fiscal years 2015 and 2016, battery packs were purchased for laboratory and field testing, and the design for the battery pack was reconfigured with improved anodized coatings to reduce corrosion in the marine environment. Furthermore, in 2016, an additional procurement to design and add a heater was conducted to ensure full battery functioning in stations located above 45° latitude. During August of 2018, the Lithiumstart lithium-ion rechargeable battery packs began powering the operational ready SCOOP system. Currently, the NDBC has a requirement to replenish the 12-volt rechargeable lithium-ion battery packs to ensure the SCOOP system continues to function. This procurement will purchase twenty-five (25) each of the lithium-ion rechargeable batteries for deployment in fiscal year 2020, and to provide purchase options for four (4) additional years.