Based on a sole source exemption, Pierce County intends to purchase goods and services from Aerzen USA Corporation (Aerzen) by direct negotiation. The County has determined that Aerzen is the only entity capable of meeting the County's need as described below.

Capability statements must be submitted in OpenGov and should use the .docx or .pdf file type, or any other standard file type that can be opened in Microsoft Word or Adobe Acrobat. There are no strict formatting requirements for capability statements. To be properly evaluated, a capability statement must include the following information:The name of the individual or organization submitting the capability statement.The name, email address, and phone number of the primary contact.A description of how the entity meets the County's need.The capability statement must directly address any minimum requirements described in the public notice. Any capability statement offering to provide items or services other than those specifically requested must demonstrate that they are of matching specifications and compatible with any systems with which the items or services will be integrated.

The contract awarded as a result of this exemption will have an initial term of 12 months and an estimated cost of $250,000.00 over the initial term. The County may, at its discretion and for a commensurate cost, extend the contract for a maximum term not to exceed two years.

Pierce County posts public notice of all sole source, special facility, and special market condition procurement exemptions for 10 business days. Interested vendors have 5 business days to submit questions in OpenGov. A public notice is not a competitive bid or solicitation, and any bids or proposals submitted during this process will not be accepted. At minimum, the public notice will explain the following information:The scope of the purchase.The estimated cost of the purchase.The estimated term of the exemption.The intended vendor for the purchase.The justification for the procurement exemption.Any minimum requirements for a vendor to meet the County's need.Any entity who believes they are qualified to meet the County's need as described in the public notice may submit a capability statement by the submission deadline. The Pierce County Purchasing Agent, or designee, will evaluate the capability statement in consultation with subject matter experts as appropriate to determine whether the submitter has demonstrated that they can meet the County's need.If the capability statement demonstrates that the submitter can meet the County's need, the County will cancel the public notice and proceed with a competitive procurement. If the County determines that the capability statement has not demonstrated that the submitter can meet the County's need, the County will proceed with the procurement exemption. Entities who submit a capability statement will receive a letter explaining the County's decision.The County reserves the right to contact entities who submit capability statements to request more information about their capabilities and qualifications.

The goods and services to be purchased via this exemption include Aerzen blowers, parts, lubricants for Aerzen blowers, on-site services, and overhaul services at Aerzen.

The County has identified the following minimum requirements to meet the County's need:Authorization by the manufacturer to sell Aerzen blower parts, services, and related components in Pierce County.

The County requires replacement parts and service for the Aerzen blowers at the Chambers Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant.The system uses Aerzen parts, and the County has determined that only Aerzen parts have the specifications necessary to be compatible with the existing infrastructure.The manufacturer, Aerzen, has provided the County with a sole source letter indicating that Aerzen is the sole authorized distributor of Aerzen parts and service in Washington State.

To identify qualified vendors, support the justification of this exemption, and determine the minimum requirements to meet the County's need, the County performed the following market research:Reaching out to industry peers in the wastewater industry and found that numerous other facilities of this size use Aerzen blowers for their wastewater needs.