Platinum Storage, Maintenance and Protection

This Justification and Approval (J&A) document supports a sole-source procurement to Corning Incorporated for the storage, maintenance, and protection of government-owned Platinum. This action, authorized under 10 U.S.C 2304(c)(1) and FAR 6.302-1(a)(2)(ii), is for two separate purchase orders, each with a base year and four option years, totaling 10 years (April 1, 2021, to March 31, 2031). Corning Incorporated is deemed the only responsible source due to its unique qualifications and historical role in providing these specialized services since the early 1990s. Awarding to another source would result in substantial duplication of costs and risks associated with international transport and post-recovery of the platinum. Market research was not conducted as the procurement is under the simplified acquisition threshold. The contracting officer will ensure fair and reasonable pricing by relying on previous purchase orders and applying Consumer Price Indices. No further actions will be taken to obtain competition for these services.