Notice of Intent to Sole Source - Crawler Motor Upgrades

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory (CHL), Coastal Observation and Analysis Branch (COAB) in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina intends to award a contract on a sole source basis to Bayonet Ocean Vehicles, Inc. upon the basis of the authority provided at FAR 13.106-1(b). ERDC-CHL intends to procure Amphibious Uncrewed Ground Vehicle (AUGV) System Upgrades. It is requested that an autonomous crawler be provided the necessary parts and supplies to upgrade/replace the necessary parts to upgrade the current two motors on the B250 with a (50:1 gear ratio - motor version 1.0) to what now is a commercial of the shelf (COTS) - B350 (70:1 gear ratio - all-wheel drive). This is intended to give the crawler more power to accommodate more ballast to help reduce slipping and improve survey accuracy while navigating the surf zone. The motor assembly should include: - 2 Upgraded Motors (70:1 gear ratio) - Elmo motor controllers - Oil filled assembly (mates to existing hardware) - Any/all wiring, cabling or plugs necessary to mount and integrate into currently owned AUGV. In addition, ERDC-CHL would like the option to purchase the Forward-looking sonar instrument at award (or within 12 months of award). This instrument shall be compatible with the current aforementioned AUGV while also being pre-configured by Bayonet to enable obstacle avoidance, benthic mapping, surf zone bathymetry and for measuring other oceanographic parameters at the USACE Field Research Facility. This should be compatible with the Optional Item: - Bluprint Occulus M750d forward-looking sonar - All necessary connections/hardware required to integrate the Sonar onto the AUGV Bayonet Ocean Vehicles, Inc. has been identified as the only company capable of making a custom, pre-configured motor upgrade and adding forward-looking sonar that is compatible with existing hardware and software. Based on internet searches and communication with subject matter experts, the components are not available through other vendors and no other company has the capability to properly assemble and install the crawler motors and sonar to the existing AUGV owned by ERDC. Acquiring a new crawler system from another company or a new production system produced by Bayonet Ocean Vehicles, Inc. is not fiscally responsible or possible within the project scope. Due to the portable nature of the requested equipment, Bayonet Ocean Vehicles, Inc, is the sole source authorized to fulfill the Government's requirement. The associated North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code is 334511, Search, Detection, Navigation Guidance, Aeronautical and Nautical System Instrument Manufacturing, which has a size standard of 1,350 employees. This Notice of Intent is not a request for competitive quotations. However, interested parties may identify their interest and capability to respond to this requirement. Any interested party that believes they can fulfill this requirement should submit a capability statement to be reviewed. All submissions will be considered, however there is no guarantee that submissions in response to this notice will in any way alter the Government's acquisition strategy. Responses to this notice shall be submitted NLT 12:00 PM CDT, 24 May 2023 to contact@example.gov and contact@example.gov. Telephone responses will not be accepted. Responses to this notice will not be considered as a response to any solicitation, a request to be added to a prospective offerors list, or to receive a copy of any solicitation. A determination by the Government not to compete the contract based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Information received will be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. Note: In order to be eligible for award of a Government contract, vendors must be actively registered in the System for Award Management (SAM), have no active exclusions, and complete the FAR and DFARS representations and certifications.