JA (Class) - Interior Finishes Redacted

CUI

Control No. LRL-FY21-104

Justification and Approval
for Other than Full and Open Competition

1. Contracting Agency:

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Louisville District, 600 Martin Luther King, Jr. Place, Room 821, Louisville, KY 40201. Louisville District has prepared this document in support of construction contracts across the entire USACE Enterprise.

2. Description of Action:

USACE requests a Class Justification and Approval (J&A) for Other than Full and Open Competition to allow Contracting Officers to issue solicitations for construction contracts, where “brand name or equal” references are necessary to effectively communicate interior color and finish selections. The estimated cost for the Class J&A is
, which covers future projects from Fiscal Year (FY) 22 through FY 26.

3. Description of Supplies/Services:

a. In order to sufficiently define the scope of work to be performed by a construction contractor, a Basis of Design (BOD) is prepared to document the principles, assumptions, rationale, criteria, and considerations used for calculations and decisions required during design. The BOD may include text, catalog cuts and manufacturer information used to set the minimum levels of quality or performance set by the design. While the BOD largely covers the construction aspects of a project, it also sets forth required “finishes,” which are the surface treatments to horizontal surfaces (floors and ceilings) and vertical surfaces (walls) fixed to the main structural elements of the building. These finishes, such as paint, carpeting and window coverings, complete or enhance the aesthetic experience of interior and exterior parts of a building. For interior design and architectural purposes, these finishes include colors, patterns, textures and textile designs. b. When preparing a BOD for a construction project, it is not practicable to convey the required finishes to potential offerors using mere descriptions. For example, it is not feasible to adequately describe a particular shade of gray paint that must be used in order to provide aesthetic compatibility with other buildings within a complex; however, the intended hue can be conveyed by referencing a particular manufacturer’s proprietary color, and that color can then be replicated in any brand of paint. Therefore, the use of brand name references is necessary to convey requirements, but is not intended to restrict competition. The identified brand name items or proprietary specifications are intended to solely relay the BOD for the