SPECIAL NOTICE
99 -- Structural Glass Restoration for Hoover Dam
- Notice Date
- 5/15/2013
- Notice Type
- Special Notice
- Contracting Office
- Bureau of Reclamation - LC - Lower Colorado Regional Office P.O. Box 61470 Boulder City NV 89006
- ZIP Code
- 89006
- Archive Date
- 5/15/2014
- E-Mail Address
-
Point of Contact above, or if none listed, contact the IDEAS EC HELP DESK for assistance
(EC_helpdesk@NBC.GOV)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- In accordance the proceedures used in FAR 6.305(a) the following justification to award to a single source is hereby made publicly available. __________ DETERMINATION TO SOLICIT FROM A SINGLE SOURCE Solicitation No.: R13PS30232 Project Name: Structural Glass Restoration for Hoover Dam - SNPLMA _____________________________________________________________________________ Pursuant to Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 13.106-1(b)(1), for purchases not exceeding the simplified acquisition threshold (SAT). Contracting Officers may solicit from only one source if the circumstances of the contract action deem only one source reasonably available (e.g., urgency, exclusive licensing agreements, brand name, or industrial mobilization). 1. Agency and Contracting Activity. Bureau of Reclamation, Lower Colorado Region, Acquisition and Assistance Management Office 2. Name and Address of Single Source. The Vitrolite Specialist 2402 Bredell Ave. Saint Louis, MI 63143 3. Description of Supplies/Services and Estimated Cost. Background: The Lower Colorado Dams Office needs to have an assessment completed on the structural glass (also known as Vitrolite) that lines the walls in the top-of-dam restrooms. The structural glass panels have been heavily graffitied over the last 75 years the restrooms have been in service and never properly repaired. Rather, the graffiti is covered up with a Plexiglas sheet that matches the color of the glass. The assessment must be done by a material specialist familiar with the glass. Each glass panel must be tested for mastic condition (adherence to the wall) as the mastic used in the original installation (1935/1936) has a life span of 30 to 40 years. To date, the mastic has never been replaced and a few panels have become detached. The assessment will also need to annotate which graffitied and damaged panels need to be partially repaired or completely replaced. The material specialist will then need to provide in-kind replacement structural glass in Black (for men's restroom) and Jade (for women's restroom). There can be no variance in colors. The specialist will prepare the mastic and glass for installation while protecting surrounding glass and other historic fabric. After rehabilitation is complete, the specialist will document the undertaking for Reclamation to have a record of which panels had to be repaired or replaced. In compliance with the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Treatment of Historic Properties, this undertaking is considered "Preservation", which is the preferred method. Replacement with in-kind material while the supply is still available is very important and can mean the difference of a "no adverse effect" to an "adverse effect" if any other material is used. Reclamation has an obligation to maintain their historic properties and avoid any adverse effects if it can be avoided. Hoover Dam is a National Historic Landmark and on the Register of Historic Places, which increases the sensitivity of preserving the historic fabric. Vitrolite (or structural glass) is no longer manufactured. The recommended vendor has salvaged structural glass from store fronts and other public spaces throughout the nation. The supply is limited, but they have the exact colors needed for this project. The work can be accomplished as a FFP Service Contract or possibly a Time and Materials Contract as we do not know the exact quantities of panels that need to be rehabilitated (mastic, repair, or replacement). This is a Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act (SNPLMA) project, which is no year funds; however, the money tied to this exact work expires September 30, 2013. Description: a. Assessment of structural glass panels - mastic test, inspection of damaged panels, and inspection of panels with graffiti. b. Structural Glass Rehabilitation - i. Removal of panel, removal of old mastic, placement of new mastic, and reinstallation of panel. ii. Removal of damaged panel, removal of old mastic, placement of new mastic, and installation of new (in-kind) panel. iii. Removal of panel with graffiti, removal of old mastic, placement of new mastic, and installation of new (in-kind) panel either partial or full depending on the amount of graffiti. c. Final Documentation of work performed indicating the locations of panels that were partially and fully replaced. The period of performance is expected to be 30 days with an estimated value of $75,000. 4. Description of Circumstances, including why only one source is reasonably available. Only one responsible source is available to complete this work and no other services will satisfy agency requirements. To complete this requirement in compliance with the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended and the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and preferred by the National Park Service Technical Preservation Brief #12 The Preservation of Historic Pigmented Structural Glass replacement material must be in-kind (structural glass) if there is a known source and it is not cost prohibitive. The material used must be the same finish, texture, color, and appearance and shall not detract from surrounding historic material. Structural glass, to be more specific Vitrolite, is no longer manufactured. It is an architectural material used between 1900 to 1940s with the peak of use during the Great Depression and World War II. The only known existing Vitrolite panels have been salvaged from storefronts, restrooms, and other decorative areas. Only one (1) source is has been found in the United States that has the salvaged Vitrolite colors, amounts, and sizes needed for this requirement. The public restroom application of structural glass is of a much larger size than what would have been commonly found in private restrooms or kitchens. Technical Preservation Brief #12 listed that companies near Bavaria in West Germany produced a similar pigmented glass called "Detopak"; however, this was written in 1984 and the product is no longer made. In addition, during the process of consulting with the State Historic Preservation Officers (SHPO) in Arizona and Nevada, the Landmarks Program, and the ACHP, in its final submission to these parties dated February 25, 2013 requesting their concurrence with LCDO's finding of no adverse effect for the repairs to the Top-of-Dam spaces, the LCDO stipulated that it would repair or replace in-kind, structural glass elements in the Men's and Women's Restrooms on the top of Hoover Dam. Retention or in-kind replacement is the preferred treatment to eliminate or minimize impacts to historic fabric/historic building materials specified in the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and Guidelines for the Treatment of Historic Properties. Stipulations placed on the manner in which an activity/undertaking will be conducted during the course of consulting under Section 106 are legally binding commitments. The LCDO stipulated during the consultations undertaken under Section 106 of the NHPA for this project, that it would replace in-kind only those structural glass panels that could not be repaired. Working with structural glass is a highly specialized undertaking. It takes specialized knowledge and years of experience to be able to correctly assess the condition of a structural glass panel to determine whether or not it can be repaired or if it must be replaced and then affect the appropriate repair or correctly install a replacement panel. Vitrolite is the type of glass used to panel the Men's and Women's Restrooms on the top of Hoover Dam. The panels are relatively large in size (3' x 2'; 5' x 3'; etc.). The Vitrolite Specialist has been salvaging structural glass from old Art Deco, Streamline and Moderne architectural style buildings for many years. The Vitrolite Specialist is the only company in the U.S.. that has a sufficient supply of Vitrolite paneling in the colors and sizes needed for the Top-of-Dam Restrooms. 5. Determination of Fair and Reasonable Cost. The cost has been determined to be fair and reasonable based upon the cost estimate provided in the top-of-dam space Historic Structure Report ($195,090) in comparison with the Vitrolite Specialist's typical fees (estimated $75,000 for this project). 6. Description of Market Research. A sources sought (12-016LC) was advertised for 2 weeks in August 2012 with only two (2) responses. One received was not deemed qualified. The other was the recommended vendor and they were found qualified. A search was performed on fbo.gov to find any other similar solicitations. Nothing relevant was found. Continuous research on other structural glass sources has been ongoing since 2008 with no new information found. The Vitrolite Specialist is the only source with the original structural glass. Reclamation has had this need in the past with the rehabilitation of the Original Exhibit Building. Those restrooms have white structural glass that had been damaged and some completely removed. A contract was awarded for the Original Exhibit rehabilitation work, which included the glass; however, the contractor could not find other sources for glass and elected to not contact the Vitrolite Specialist. Instead they used Plexiglas for complete replacement and tried patching the damaged panels. Plexiglas is not the preferred replacement material in compliance with the Technical Preservation Brief #12 if replacement of in-kind material is available. Plexiglas is not as strong, does not last as long, and is more difficult to clean. The repairs made to the glass by the contractor did not last and started to wear after a year of being in place.
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