Sole Source Notice: Nortek Aquadopp Current Meters and Profilers

The U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Eastern Acquisition Division intends to award, on a sole source basis, under the authority of FAR 13.106(b)(2), with small business entity NortekUSA, Inc., a contract for 100 Nortek Aquadopp Profilers, 35 Nortek Aquadopp Current Meters, and 705 165Wh Battery packs for the National Data Buoy Center (NDBC) in Stennis, MS. The Government intends to utilize the authority under the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 13.106-1(b)(2), Only One Responsible Source and No Other Supplies or Services will satisfy agency requirements.

This special notice is not a request for competitive offers and no solicitation package is available. However, firms that believe they can provide this service may submit substantiating documentation in writing within seven days of this notice.

Sole Source Justification: The required sensors must be compatible in all aspects (form, fit, and function) with existing systems and equipment, and the source is uniquely qualified to meet the requirement. The required sensors must have an embedded inductive modem, high accuracy and resolution, and small size equipment.

These particular sensors, the Aquadopp Current Meter and the Aquadopp Profiler, are used in the Tropical Atmosphere Ocean (TAO) buoy array to telemeter oceanographic and meteorological data to shore in real-time. The observational data is critical to NOAA’s mission of understanding and predicting El Niño Southern Oscillation.

This includes phenomena such as El Niño and La Niña which have a substantial impact on the United States and global weather through floods, droughts, forest fires, tropical cyclones, and other severe weather events.

There is only one known qualified source of supply for these sensors, NortekUSA, Inc. The U.S. Government has been evaluating and testing the Aquadopp Current Meters and Aquadopp Profilers, both in the lab and in the field, over multiple years to successfully verify they meet the needs of the TAO buoy array science requirements.

The time and expense required for another vendor to develop sensors, and the time for the government to conduct extensive testing to qualify the sensors for use, will cause significant additional costs, difficulties, and delays for NDBC to fulfill its critical mission. The NAICS code for this requirement is 334511. The government intends to solicit and negotiate with the only known source, NortekUSA, Inc. that can provide the required supplies.

The Government reserves the right to solicit quotes based on the receipt of affirmative responses to this posting without further notice. A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed contract based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government.

Information received will normally be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to open competition to businesses other than NortekUSA, Inc. All contractors doing business with this Contracting Office (Eastern Acquisition Division) must be registered with a valid Unique Entity Identification number with the System for Award Management (SAM) website. Vendors can register with SAM at the following website: https://www.sam.gov.