Notice of intent to Sole Source - Electrical Switching Station-North project at Watervliet Arsenal

Notice of intent to Sole Source

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York District, plans to solicit and award a construction contract for subject project in FY26/Q2. The scope of the project is:

To construct a generator connection terminal to provide backup power to the Arsenal in the event of a long-term power outage from the facility’s Main Substation. The primary scope includes electric manholes, duct bank, grounding cable, fencing, switchgear, transfer switches, cables, generator procurement and installation, splices and connections. Supporting facilities include paving, walks, curbs, gutters, and utilities testing and commissioning.

This project will construct a switching station capable of feeding 4MW of power into the existing WVA distribution network and constructing a facility capable of 8MW of power generation needed to power the WVA during an emergency loss of power. The facilities will increase the existing switching station capacity from 4MW to the full 8MW needed for powering the installation fully while also providing the means of that power generation. The project also includes the construction of all necessary utility interconnections to bring fuel to the power generation facility and to connect the switching station to the existing electrical distribution network. The installation of controls for the auto start of this power generation and distribution switch are also included in this project.

1. This notification serves three (3) purposes:

A. To notify potential bidders of the Government’s intent to solicit a brand name(s) only component for this project.

B. To identify potential sources that can provide an equivalent to the brand name only item(s)

C. Notification of the Army’s intent to solicit brand name components as described below.

2. The items described below, under summary of requirements, are embedded in the construction project. The contract will be issued as a one-step negotiated procurement. Only the components described below will be sole sourced, if no other sources are identified that can provide an equivalent system. In the event no equivalent sources are found, the brand name only justification will be issued pursuant to FAR Part 6.302-1, Only One Responsible Source. A subsequent market survey will not be published in support of a Justification and Approval for sole sourcing. Supplies of the brand name component will be provided directly to the Contractor(s) and not to the Government.

3. Summary of Requirements:

A. Complete Fire Alarm / Mass Notification System

The requirement is to provide additional equipment, programming, and work to modify the existing to remain Simplex Fire Alarm and Mass Notification System to support changes to the architectural layout in Building 125 at Watervliet Arsenal (WVA) in Watervliet, NY. The proprietary Simplex addressable devices support addressable functionality with the Simplex Fire Alarm Control Panel, allowing the system to achieve full functionality and compliance with applicable Codes and Standards. Proprietary notification appliances are required to achieve synchronization of audible and visual notification signals with the remainder of the facility utilizing existing Simplex power supplies and audio amplifiers. New Fire Alarm installations include Mass Notification Systems (MNS) in accordance with DoD Unified Facilities Criteria (UFC) 4-021-01. The existing Simplex infrastructure on site supports the UFC requirements for primary MNS communications. The Simplex Fire Alarm and integrated MNS system has the capability to remotely activate the in-building MNS messaging system and provide live-voice announcements.

Fire Alarm System (FAS) and Mass Notification System (MNS) shall be complete, supervised, non-coded, analog-addressable system, installed in class A configuration per National Fire Protection Association, NFPA 72. The FAS/MNS shall provide point reporting to the Fire Alarm Control Panel (FACP). The FACP shall in turn provide point reporting to sitewide Simplex networking and reporting equipment. Point reporting, also known as point-to-point reporting, is the capability to relay the status of each addressable device and certain system components such as Signaling Line Circuits (SLC) to a Central Receiving Station in real time. The FAS/MNS shall be tested and perform as a critical lifesafety system. The FAS/MNS shall be compatible with and shall communicate seamlessly with the sitewide Simplex network/receiving system, without impairing operational function or reliability of any existing FAS or MNS

B. Electrical Equipment – Square D

Due to compatibility and consistency issues The Watervliet Arsenal has standardized on the Schneider Square D brand for new 120V-600V electrical equipment such as: panelboards, dry-type transformers, automatic transfer switches, and disconnects. This brand has consistently demonstrated superior quality and performance in the various applications at the Arsenal. Additionally, using equipment from different brands could result in significant maintenance challenges, leading to potential downtime and increased maintenance costs. Given the critical nature of the equipment's role in this project it is paramount this brand is utilized and is shown to meet the highest standards of quality and performance.

4. Any vendor that wishes to provide an alternate source to the brand names above that is compatible with the above must provide a response with data supporting the claimwithin 15 business days of this announcement to New York District Corps of Engineering, Contracting Division.

This is a market survey and notification of intent only. This is not a request to respond to a solicitation. This requirement will be solicited at a future date.