Notice of Intent to Sole Source to Lextm3 Systems - MEPDIS-R Box

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), Cold Regions Research Laboratory (CRREL) intends to award a contract on a sole source basis to Lextm3 LLC d/b/a TM3 Systems, upon the basis of the authority provided at FAR 13.106-1(b). The Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL) in Alaska one (1) military-grade Mobile Electric Power Distribution System - Replacement (MEPDIS-R) box and its accompanying accessories to provide robust capabilities and configuration to meet the various testing designs that will be needed to fully evaluate the Arctic Grid Energy Storage (AGES) system while maintaining standardized military-grade connections for external projects being supplied power by the AGES system in field demonstrations including at the Arctic Edge 24 (AE24) which is an U.S. Northern Command-led homeland defense exercise demonstrating the U.S. military's capabilities in extreme cold weather, joint force readiness, and U.S. military commitment to mutual strategic security interests in the Arctic region. Requirement: CRREL's test requires the merging of outputs from 2, 4, or 6 100A circuits and have that power be distributed to both a load bank and a military-power distribution unit that other military groups can plug into during CRREL's field demonstration. The following is a list of the anticipated required equipment: 4-input paralleling generator unit CAM Lock Y splitter Used to connect 2 output circuits to one input on paralleling generator unit. 100KW MEPDIS-R Distribution Box This specific distribution box is necessary to provide the standardized connectivity needed for military-style equipment that will be powered during the field demonstration. Any necessary cabling or connections for the anticipated equipment: Cabling should be cold weather / low temperature rated Cabling between modules and PDUs (20-feet) Cabling between distribution equipment components (20-feet) 2-Feet Cabling between distribution equipment & load bank/MEPDIS-R. The AGES system will be tested down to a temperature of -60 - C. Thus, when possible, any equipment should be rated to that temperature. If units are not rated to that temperature, clearly indicate which pieces are not rated for that temperature so preventative measures can be taken. Equipment Warranty: The vendor shall include a 1-year warranty covering the hardware (perform calibrations and repair malfunctions). The vendor shall provide information explaining their equipment warranty and support policies to cover system problems or malfunctions inherent to the system (i.e., not caused by customer use). Equipment that fails to perform as expected may need to be returned to the vendor for trouble shooting; the government expects the vendor will address equipment malfunctions inherent to the system (i.e., not caused by CRREL use). Onsite Service: Installation & Training. The vendor shall provide installation and onsite training for three (3) days at the Government's location in Alaska. Lextm3 Systems LLC d/b/a TM3 Systems has been identified as the only source capable of fulfilling the Government's requirement. The MEPDIS-R by TM3 Systems provides the only known system that is capable of combining the six (6) power circuits (3 circuits with the use of splitters) from the complete AGES system and distributing power to twelve (12) outputs for powering field equipment. Additionally, the MEPDIS-R distribution box is the standard USMC distribution box used in conjunction with the Advanced Medium Mobile Power Solution (AMMPS) generators. The AGES system utilizes two of these AMMPS generators in its design and is tentatively planning on providing power to US Navy partners during field demonstrations. The MEPDIS-R has been identified by project sponsors as the unit needed to provide the standardized connections for external (not within CRREL's project's control) military equipment that will be powered during the field demonstration on the basis that it is the standard unit used with these AMMPS generators and provides a robust standard connection type that can be shared with external partners to allow those partners to be confident in connecting to CRREL's system with their sensitive equipment. As such, it was determined that the only reasonable solution was to adopt the commonly used military solution, the MEPDIS-R, and its accompanying accessories. Non-conforming equipment proposed may result in delays to the projects and cause substantial financial harm to the Government, not only for CRREL's portion of the project but for each agency participating in these interagency projects. TM3 Systems maintains proprietary rights to the equipment necessary to fulfill the Government's requirement and is the sole distributor of the MEPDIS-R. 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, 27 November 2023 to Lisa.A.Bernard@usace.army.mil 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.