SOLE SOURCE: SCOOP Battery Repairs for NOAA/NWS/NDBC

The United States Department of Commerce (DOC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) intends to solicit, negotiate and award on a sole source basis a purchase order with Eaglepicher Technologies LLC for the evaluation and repairs of thirteen (13) SCOOP Batteries for the National Weather Service (NWS), National Data Buoy Center (NDBC) at Stennis Space Center, MS.

The Government intends to utilize the authority under the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 13.106-1(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 firm, fixed-price award to Eaglepicher Technologies LLC for the NWS, NDBC.

Sole Source Justification:

The SCOOP BATA-3 Lithium Rechargeable Battery is manufactured by EaglePicher Technologies LLC. These SCOOP solar rechargeable batteries are the only power source for the NDBC coastal weather buoys. While the battery was designed to meet the NDBC’s specific requirements EaglePicher retains the hardware and firmware design as their proprietary property. As such no other vendor is licensed by EaglePicher to evaluate and/or repair the SCOOP BATA-3 battery.

Manufacturers that propose a solution using other than Eaglepicher Technologies LLC must furnish detailed specifications and descriptions to demonstrate their capability to provide the required services that satisfy the Government’s needs. To be considered, interested parties must be able to demonstrate their ability to provide the required services that meet the specific characteristics outlined above. Capability information shall include, at minimum, name, telephone number, address of customers for which you have previously furnished the required services, and a detailed narrative that describes your ability to provide the required sservices as specified. Interested parties must respond via email to Nikki.Radford@noaa.gov prior to the closing of this notice.

The NAICS code for this requirement is 335910. The government intends to solicit and negotiate with the only known source (Eaglepicher Technologies LLC) that can provide the required evaluations and repairs. This is not a request for quotes or proposals and there is no solicitation available at this time. 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 Eaglepicher Technologies LLC.

All contractors doing business with this Contracting Office (Eastern Acquisition Division) must be registered with a valid Unique Entity Identification (UEI) number with the System for Award Management (SAM) website. Vendors can register with SAM at the following website- https://www.sam.gov.