Ceramic Bearings and Nose Cone Assemblies for the National Data Buoy Center at Stennis Space Center, MS

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 RM Young Company in Traverse City, MI a purchase order for 125 Nose Cone and Propeller Shafts (P/N 05168) and 250 Vertical Shaft Bearings (P/N 05140) for the National Data Buoy Center at Stennis Space Center, MS. 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 RM Young Company.

Sole Source Justification: The RM Young propeller wind monitors technology uses magnetic induction for measuring wind speed which requires no energy input. Essentially you get the wind speed for free with respect to power requirements by rotating a multiple pole magnet in front of a coil. This produces a sinusoidal current in the coil per Maxwell’s equations.

Further, the directional portion of the sensor only requires 5 volts DC of power to a 360-degree potentiometer where the wind direction is essentially the wind vane acting as the wiper arm on the potentiometer to produce a DC voltage that varies with the wind direction. The key point to both of these measurements that some shaft must be able to rotate freely. The standard bearing in the RM Young propeller anemometers have been stainless-steel bearings that allow this rotation.

The stainless-steel bearings will corrode and seize in the marine environment after extended exposure. About 10 years ago RM Young introduced ceramic bearings as a possible replacement to the stainless-steel bearings. The NDBC has used these ceramic bearings in the legacy weather buoy program and a newer heavy-duty model propeller anemometer with the ceramic bearings in the newer SCOOP weather buoy systems.

The NDBC has found that they do not have to replace these bearings after each deployment and while the bearings can fail, there have been very few failures of these bearings over the last 10 years. With the TAO recapitalization effort to improve and modernize the TAO equipment, the NDBC would like to upgrade the existing TAO propeller anemometers to the ceramic bearings.

To vertical shaft (wind direction) bearings are a simple direct replacement but the horizontal shaft (wind speed) bearings require a different nose cone assembly to use the ceramic bearings. This procurement purchases the vertical shaft bearings (2 per sensor) and the replacement nose cone assemblies, with the two ceramic bearings already installed, for 125 TAO propeller anemometers.

This transition will pay for itself during the first maintenance cycle of these propeller anemometers when the unit does not have to be totally broken down to replace the vertical shaft bearings. The design of the RM Young propeller anemometer is a proprietary design. The bearings and nose cone assembly must fit seamlessly into the existing anemometers. As such we can only use original manufacturer parts for this upgrade. Hence, this procurement is sole sourced to RM Young, a US based small business.

This special notice is not a request for competitive offerors and no solicitation package is available. However, firms that believe they can provide this supply 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 RM Young Company. 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.