1202SC23Q2701 - FAR 6 and 13.5 Justification and Approval NRE - Met One Smoke Monitor Support_Redacted.pdf

Justification & Approval Natural Resources and Environment (NRE) Mission Area

United States Department of Agriculture Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 6.3 or 13.5, 41 U.S.C. 1901

1. Identification of the agency and the contracting activity.

This requirement is for the USDA Forest Service (USDA-FS), Rocky Mountain Fire Cache (RMFC) located in Lakewood, CO, by the PPS, IPO, Logistics Contracting Branch (LCB).

2. The nature and/or description of the action being approved.

The PPS, IPO, LCB intends to enter into an “other than full and open” competition, sole source, firm fixed-price, base plus four (4) option year, indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract with Met One Instruments, Inc., a registered small business.

3. A description of the supplies or services required to meet the agency’s needs (including the estimated value).

The USDA-FS, RMFC has a need to purchase an estimated 100 units (new) Particulate Matter (PM)

2.5 capable smoke monitors from Met One Instruments, Inc. over the next five (5) years, along with parts and support services including calibration, upgrades, repairs, and technical support on new and the existing 48 systems currently in USDA-FS inventory, some of which are over 15 years old.

These PM smoke monitors play a critical role in prescribed and wildfire smoke measurements as part of the Interagency Wildland Fire Air Quality Response Program (IWFAQRP) housed at the RMFC. The PM 2.5 capable systems needed include Wile Fire (WF) E-Sampler (all versions), WF E-BAM (all versions), Federal Equivalent Method (FEM) Monitor, Swift 6.0, and Swift 20/25 smoke monitoring devices. These smoke monitoring devices are equipped with sharp cut PM-2.5 cyclones, relative humidity sensors, wind speed and direction sensors, and Geostationary Satellite Server (GOES) transmitting options used for smoke particulate sampling in and around wildland fire operations. These monitors are used nationally to monitor smoke in real-time from prescribed and wildland fires. The information from the monitors is used by air quality specialists and fire personnel to assess the impacts from smoke on local communities as guided by Congressional direction.

The required equipment, parts, and services are proprietary to Met One Instruments, Inc. and there are no other authorized vendors by Met One Instruments to provide the mission critical supplies and services. With Met One being the only manufacturer and source of the PM smoke monitors and support services in USDA-FS inventory; to introduce a new product will interrupt the critical need to maintain consistency in training, operation, and familiarity of equipment by field personnel. Met One Instruments is the only brand that can meet these needs for the USDA-FS, IWFAQRP.

Furthermore, Met One parts and equipment are compatible in all aspects with existing systems/ equipment presently in use, allowing personnel in the field to interchange parts in the event of mission critical, impromptu field repairs, maintaining continuity of service during fire mission times. No other manufacturer is compatible or can interchange with Met One Instruments, Inc.

proprietary systems without voiding existing warranties and posing safety risks to equipment and operators. These devices and support services are required in the foreseeable future to satisfy inventory and mission needs and in preparation of the fire seasons.

4. The statutory authority permitting other than full and open competition.

41 U.S.C. § 1901 - Simplified Acquisition Procedures up to $7.5 million, as authorized by FAR 13.500(a) and implemented by FAR 13.501(a).

5. A statement demonstrating the unique qualifications of the proposed contractor or the nature of the action requiring the use of the authority.

The Met One Instruments, WF E-Sampler and WF EBAM versions were designed with US Forest Service input and are the only commercial monitors available that have the following specifications required to meet agency needs for nephelometer-based and beta-attenuation based real-time smoke particulate monitoring:

Field requirements for smoke monitoring include:

• Battery operated for at least 24-hours

• Real-time monitoring

• Ability for gravimetric filter testing for custom calibration

• Lightweight – weighing less than 25 lbs.

• Environmentally protected.

• Ability to communicate with the GOES satellite network or similar telemetry system.

• Accurate to within 25% of Federal or equivalent method standard.

• User defined, inlet heater to remove RH from air sample (obtains for accurate results when measuring smoke concentrations is high humidity areas).

Additionally, Met One Instruments supplies over 85% of the Federal Reference Method (FRM) and Federal Equivalent Method samplers used by regulatory agencies at the state and local levels.

6. A description of efforts made to ensure offers are solicited from as many potential sources as is practicable.

Due to the proprietary nature of the procurement to include manufacturer equipment guidelines, software upgrades, compatibility, and warranty considerations on existing Met One Industries equipment in USFS inventory and authorized equipment directives, a notification of “Intent to Sole Source” will be submitted through the Government Point of Entry at “Contracting Opportunities” in www.sam.gov in accordance with FAR 5.201(b)(1)(i), “For acquisitions of supplies and services, other than those covered by the exceptions in 5.202 and the special situations in 5.205, the contracting officer must transmit a notice to the GPE, for each proposed – Contract action meeting the threshold in 5.101(a)(1).”

There are no other manufacturers currently being used by the Forest Service in the National Cache System. There is vital need to maintain existing smoke monitors and retire/replace monitors at the end of their lifecycle used on an emergency basis while maintaining a national equipment standard. Furthermore, it would be a timely and costly drain on human, physical, and financial resources to pursue other options. Over 100 people have been trained in over 20 agencies on the use of these specific emergency monitors.

7. A determination by the Contracting Officer that the anticipated cost to the Government will be fair and reasonable.

Remaining with a standardized product allows the NISC system to save on refurbishment packing and items component costs. Met One is already the national and inter-agency standard and has a long-standing relationship with the Smoke Monitoring Cache for troubleshooting and refurbishment needs. Additionally, Met One Instruments has historically applied a significant discount to the purchase price of each unit when ordering more than 10 units. There may be lesser products available but none that will fit directly into the Cache system and GOES communication platform, built by the USDA-FS. The GOES platform is the standard for fire weather equipment such as Remote Automated Weather Systems (RAWS) and is free to federal agencies. Investigating another transmission platform would require costly data-packages from commercial satellites. In considering the historic costs, established support and infrstructure, the current pricing is in-line with independent Government estimates and is determined to be fair and reasonable.

8. A description of the market research conducted and the results or a statement of the reason Market Research was not conducted.

Due to the proprietary nature of the procurement for the aforementioned supplies and services on existing Met One Industries equipment in Forest Service inventory and authorized equipment directives, limited market research was conducted utilizing GSA Advantage, SBA database, and internet searches. Also, a “Sources Sought Notice” was published under 1202SC23SS0001 on www.sam.gov for seven (7) calendar days with no responses from interested vendors. Market research revealed more than three (3) vendors available listing the appropriate NAICS code for this requisition. However, due to the reasoning mentioned above, it is determined that it is in the best interest of the Government to establish a firm fixed-priced, IDIQ contract to procure WF E-BAM and WF E-Sampler PM smoke monitors and associated parts and services as a sole source award to Met One Instruments, Inc. in order to maintain personnel and equipment safety and uninterrupted operation and mission readiness during the volitile and emergent conditions surrounding wildland fire fighting operaions.

9. Any other facts supporting the use of other than full and open competition.

The equipment, parts and services are being purchased for the Smoke Monitor National Cache as replacements for equipment that is over 15 years old, increase mission capability by increasing inventory, and for maintenance and support of new and existing units. These monitors are used for emergency response on wildfires, where they support the agency objective of informing the public and fire personnel of the level of risk to their health and safety. At the present time, the only type of monitor being used in the National Cache is the Met One WF E-Sampler (NFES 5840) and WF EBAM (NFES 5841). The program currently has a total of 48 PM monitors (E-Samplers and EBAMs) available for use. Some of which are badly outdated and in need of constant service, repair, and upgrades to remain mission ready. Given the rugged nature of monitor deployments to wildland fires, including shipping nationwide multiple times a year, operation by a multitude of individuals with varying instrumentation experience over a single fire season, and long duration exposure to hazardous concentrations of smoke particles (over 1000 ug/m3), monitors over 15 years old are in urgent need of repair/replacement to fulfill the obligations of the IWFAQRP.

This retiring, replacement, and upgrade suggestion is both at the recommendation of the manufacturer when older units can no longer be repaired and backed up by a cost-benefit analysis of aging units. The aging fleet of the National Smoke Cache has resulted in: equipment failures on the spot, either upon delivery to an incident or while being actively utilized for firefighter and public health concerns; recent unable to fill (UTF) orders coming into the National Cache System; and monitors currently in limbo at the manufacturer awaiting confirmation to complete costly repairs (estimated at over half the cost of a new unit) or to take the broken units out of service/inventory. A heavy wildfire season in conjunction with increased prescribed burning as part of “Priority Landscapes” would likely strip the current capability of older/failing units. State agencies that use the Met One monitors have experienced good durability of newer equipment for this abusive environment. It should be noted that these units are used and cleaned and serviced multiple times per year with trained personnel. The extensive use on wildfires and the high levels of smoke experienced over the last couple of years has overtaxed the older devices to the point of non-repair.

This procurement is vital to ensure on-going capabilities and mission readiness.

The IWFAQRP in conjunction with NTDP, has developed technical data packages, specifications, standard operating procedures, and engineering descriptions for the Met One, WF E-Samplers and WF EBAMs. Met One is the only company that provides instruments that meet USFS performance requirements and durability needs, at this time. Procurement of any other PM smoke monitor would result in non-standardized units with different maintenance, training, parts requirements, and communication abilities. The Rocky Mountain National Support Cache (where the Smoke Monitor National Cache resides), does not currently have the personal, resources, space, or inventory to support non-standard instrumentation.

Additionally, Met One has a proven history of performance and working with the USFS to investigate smoke monitor modifications that will increase durability, life span, minimize in-field troubleshooting, and maximize the ability to service the WF E-Samplers and WF E-BAMs at the Cache, greatly reducing the need for costly repairs at the manufacturer. WF E-Samplers currently in inventory require these modifications (which any new units from Met One will already have). Met One Instruments willingness to invest in the specialized needs of the USFS, IWFAQRP, and NISC are priceless. Met One Instruments has proven reliability, accuracy, and performance from a technical standpoint as well as from a custom-needs, troubleshooting, and communication perspective.

Market research was conducted to determine whether there were vendors who offered similar products already field tested and accepted by the USFS to meet the current requirements for PM smoke monitors, parts and services within the USFS. None were found. Due to the proprietary nature of the Met One equipment, critical USFS mission needs during wildfire missions, and budgetary considerations, Met One Instrument, Inc. represents the only current source capable of providing the PM smoke monitors, parts, and services to maintain operator safety, uninterrupted operation, and mission readiness.

10. A listing of the sources, if any, that expressed a written interest in the acquisition.

As part of market research for this acquisition, a “Sources Sought Notice” was published under 1202SC23SS0001 on www.sam.gov with no responses from interested vendors. As a result of market research findings, the recommended source, Met One Instruments, Inc., was the only firm approached due to the to the nature of the requirement and the ability to meet the unique needs essential to the Government.

11. A statement of actions, if any, the agency may take to remove or overcome any barriers to competition if subsequent acquisitions are anticipated.

The Duty Officer of the National Smoke Monitor Cache will continue to monitor emerging technologies that will work with the smoke monitoring equipment the Forest Service deploys for wildland fire air quality response, with the goal of finding the most innovative and cost-effective solutions for the government and the public. Additional future efforts will be assessed by Acquisition Management to ensure acquisition planning is properly conducted should the need arise. Accordingly, the CO will conduct market research to achieve competition to the maximum practicable extent possible for subsequent acquisitions of PM smoke monitors, parts, and services to meet the safety, compatibility, and functionality requirements of the Forest Service IWFAQRP.

Certifications & Approvals

Supporting data that form the basis for and included in this justification are certified accurate and complete.

Attachment(s): Met Once Instruments, Inc. Proprietary Letter (1 page).

Ricardo Reynoso Supply Management Specialist, Rocky Mountain Fire Cache (RMK)

The information contained in this Justification for Other Than Full and Open Competition is certified accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Matthew Cox Contracting Officer, FS-PPS-IPO

Additional Reviews & Approvals

Signatures are required at each threshold up to the total estimated dollar value of the acquisition

Advocate for competition for the procuring activity (if over $750,000, but not exceeding $15 million). I have reviewed this justification and find it to be accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief. Therefore, unless additional approvals are required as prescribed below, as advocate for competition for the procuring activity, I hereby approve this justification.

Chantel Smith, Assistant Director, FS-Ops-WO-PPS Mission Area Advocate for Competition

MATTHEW COX

Digitally signed by MATTHEW

COX

Date: 2023.06.01 10:24:14 -05'00'

RICARDO REYNOSO Digitally signed by RICARDO REYNOSO Date: 2023.06.01 11:25:30 -06'00'

CHANTEL SMITH

Digitally signed by CHANTEL

SMITH

Date: 2023.06.13 16:17:50 -05'00'