MK25 UBA REPAIR PARTS

Drager Safety (Drager) is the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) of the MK25 Diving systems. The MK25 Diving systems are certified by the Department of Navy System Certification Authority: Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) 00C4, as oxygen re-breathers and in order to maintain this certification OEM parts are required. Based on information from the NAVY SS521-AA-MAN-010, Rev 2, US Navy Diving and Manned Hyperbaric Systems Safety Certification Manual the estimated time/cost of unmanned and manned testing and support required to certify a similar system is 12-14 months and $315,000. If NSW uses other than OEM parts to repair and maintain the systems it would void the certification, per the MK 25 tech manual SS600-A3-MMA-010/53833. Current certification was granted July 2007 and is valid unitl 31 JUL 2010, at which point the systems will be reviewed for recertification. Thus, NSW cannot use another vendor without purchasing new entire systems, rather than just parts, and having those systems certified. Based on technical knowledge and past history of purchasing whole systems, systems cost approximately $9,000 each and NSW currently has approximately 200 systems. Therefore, the price to replace the systems with new is approximately $1.8 million. If NSW replaced the entire system with a different system, NSW would be required to have the new systems certified and use OEM parts for that system to maintain the certification on that new system. Thus, NSW would incur the cost of a new system and parts, rather than only the cost of parts as requested in this contract action. Additionally, MK 25 systems are used Navy-wide and NSW must conform to the NAVSEA 00C4 certification for these systems by using the systems we already have. If NSW does not buy the replacement parts soon the Close Circuit Dive training will be jeopardized as Closed Circuit Dive training is required to "graduate" the BUD/S program. Therefor NSW Center's mission of producing trained SEALs will not be met.