Wrangel HVAC - Market Research for U.S. Made inverter-driven ductless mini- & multi-split heat pump and air conditioning systems

THIS NOTICE IS FOR MARKET RESEARCH PURPOSES ONLY. This notice shall not be construed as a commitment by the Government to issue a solicitation or ultimately award a contract, nor does it restrict the Government to a particular acquisition approach. Although the Government is not obligated to and will NOT pay for any information received from potential sources as a result of this synopsis, industry is strongly encouraged to respond to this source sought notice as information received may affect future acquisition for the equipment / systems in question The Forest Service in the Alaska Region is seeking responses from industry to determine if there are any known United States (U.S.) manufactured or substantially changed inverter-driven ductless mini- & multi-split heat pump and air conditioning systems in existence that are being used for commercial applications. Background: The Forest Service contracted with an A-E firm to perform a feasibility study to explore alternatives to satisfy the HVAC demands of the existing administrative office, warehouse, and bunkhouse facilities located in Wrangell, Alaska. The feasibility study included heating and cooling load calculations, a rigorous life cycle cost analysis, consideration of heating equipment redundancy, and consideration of the skill set of local service technicians. The Forest's preferred alternative included retrofitting the buildings to install inverter-driven ductless mini- and multi-split heat pump and air conditioning systems. The Forest Service is currently having an A-E Firm produce a design for the preferred alternative. Southeast Alaska's challenging climate includes the following environmental conditions: cool, damp weather; wind-driven rain; high rainfall levels; numerous freeze-thaw cycles; salt air. These conditions contribute to corrosion and other failure modes which cause premature failure of less robust heat pump equipment. Using heat pumps which are unproven in Southeast Alaska brings a higher risk of failure. The existing ceiling spaces are confined, requiring indoor units with minimal installation space requirements. Geographic, climatic, and logistical constraints often preclude timely and cost-effective access to Wrangell from major urban centers, requiring a reliance on local service contractors and on proximity to warehouses with replacement components. This requirement includes, but is not limited to, inverter-driven ductless mini- and multi-split heat pump and air conditioning systems. The information received will be used in a determination as to whether or not an exception to the Buy America statute exists for construction solicitations and contracts that are being performed in the United States and that are valued at less than $7,008,000, due to non-availability or unreasonable cost of U.S.-made inverter-driven ductless mini- and multi-split heat pump and air conditioning systems. Interest is whether there exists a U.S.-made inverter-driven ductless mini- and multi-split heat pump and air conditioning systems featuring a distributed refrigerant system to provide for quicker, easier installation; capability to apply energy for heating or cooling only where needed; capability for using multiple wall mounted units, ceiling cassette units, and ceiling concealed ducted units; an inverter-driven compressor for high-speed, high-efficiency heating and cooling; capability to communicate on an integrated centralized control network to combine multiple/all indoor units into an energy effective HVAC system for the entire serviced space. Additional required features include: history of durability and reliability in climates similar to Southeast Alaska; capability to successfully defrost over the expected service life of the equipment when installed in cool, damp, coastal climates with numerous freeze-thaw cycles; capability to resist corrosion from salt air; and capability of the indoor units to be installed in extremely limited ceiling spaces. Furthermore, the limited pool of local HVAC service contractors must have the technical capacity to successfully maintain and repair the systems. The equipment manufacturer's ability to quickly ship replacement parts to Wrangell will be considered. A waiver to the Buy America statute will be pursued for an existing construction project(s) if it is determined that there is no U.S.-made system that can meet these requirements. It is requested that manufacturers, distributors, suppliers, and industry experts either provide confirmation that a U.S.-made inverter-driven ductless mini- and multi-split heat pump and air conditioning systems exists or does not exist. Submit responses to both the Contracting Officer at the following email addresses: cathy.vanalyne@usda.gov and the Government technical representative Logan Wild at logan.wild@usda.gov. Your responses should include the following information: Manufacturer name: Model numbers: Item Nomenclature/description: Range of Cooling Capacity (Nominal Tons): Range of Heating Capacity (Nominal Tons): Place of Origin: If substantially transformed in the U.S., the City and State where transformed: Approximate wholesale and retail price: