Hydrogen Conversion Plans for the NWS Office of Facilities in Silver Spring, MD

The U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Eastern Acquisition Division – Kansas City office intends to award, on a sole source basis, under the authority of FAR 13.106(b)(1), with FP2 Fire Protection, Inc. a purchase order for plans to convert the Key West Weather Forecast Offices to hydrogen and an analysis for hydrogen conversion at Topeka Kansas Replacement Weather Forecast Office for the National Weather Service Office of Facilities in Silver Spring, MD.

The Government intends to utilize the authority under the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 13.106(b)(1), Only One Responsible Source and No Other Supplies or Services will satisfy agency requirements, unless, as a result of this announcement, acceptable responses to this notice are received and a determination is made by the Government to issue a competitive solicitation.

The Government intends to award a purchase order to FP2 Fire Protection, Inc. Sole Source Justification: FP2 Fire Protection has a licensed Fire Protection Engineer on staff who has served as a Fire Marshall and is also a member of several NFPA committees tasked with rewriting the Codes including NFPA 2 - Hydrogen. The FP2 Fire Protection Engineer using his knowledge of the NWS balloon launching process and safety procedures was able to have NFPA accept the use of hydrogen as a balloon lifting gas.

The FP2 Fire Protection Engineer has performed Alternate Means and Methods (AMM) Analyses for NWS for the Anchorage, Barrow and Fairbanks AK, Midland-Odessa TX, Greensboro NC, Charleston SC, Norman OK, North Platte NE, Salt Lake City UT, and Spokane WA WFOs. This engineer has created plans for the conversion from helium to hydrogen at the NWS Gray ME WFO and the DOE Great Plains Climate Research Facility.

In addition, FP2 Fire Protection has created the Hydrogen Inflation Safety System [HISS] which is used in a number of the NWS WFOs. The HISS will be an integral part of the Key West conversion plan and the Topeka KS Replacement WFO If another Fire Protection firm is used, they will require several years to reach the level of expertise that FP2 Fire Protection has. This will result in an increase in the planning phase time and thus increase the costs by $22,000.

If the project is not done right, there is a chance of facility damange due to not being converted correctly. This special notice is not a request for competitive offerors and no solicitation package is available. However, firms that believe they can provide this service may submit substantiating documentation in writing within fifteen business days of this notice. Responses can be sent via e-mail to Abigail.green@noaa.gov.

Documentation will be evaluated solely for the purpose of determining whether or not to conduct this procurement on a competitive basis. A determination by the Government not to conduct a competitive procurement, based upon response to this notice, is solely within the discretion of the Government. Oral communications are not acceptable in response to this notice.

If no documentation is received, award will be made directly to FP2 Fire Protection, Inc. DOC, Eastern Acquisition Division requires that all contractors doing business with this office be registered with the System for Award Management (SAM). No award can be made to a company not registered in SAM. Contractors active in SAM have a unique entity identifier (UEI) that is used to do business with the federal government.

The Government has moved to a free new, non-proprietary identifier that will have to be requested in, and assigned by, the System for Award Management (SAM.gov). You can register and access the site by going to www.sam.gov.