FAR 13 Single Source or Brand Name Justification.pdf

United States Department of Agriculture Limited Source/Brand Name Justification

FAR 13.106-1(b)(1) – Simplified Acquisitions

1. Identification of the agency and the contracting activity.

Procurement and Property Services, SPOC EAST

2. Description of supply or service required to meet the agency’s needs.

The National Technology and Development Program Wildland Fire Chemicals Group is seeking an industrial in-line process refractometer to compare against other process monitoring equipment to determine suitability in the field. This sensor is being requested to field test as a business case study to determine if there is a more cost-effective way of running quality control tests for the National Retardant Program. The purposes of the study is to perform a direct comparison of performance against another sensor with similar capabilities.

3. The rationale or circumstances for limiting competition.

The sensor requires to operate as a quality control sensor inline refractometer as part of the retardant delivery process to safely load airtankers with long-term fire retardants. The accuracy and sensitivity of this equipment is critical to loading product safely. Operating in this environment requires very robust characteristics. Market research has indicated there are only 2 sensor models that meet all the requirements of in-line testing of refractometer measurements for retardant loading operations.

Figure 1 identifies the unique configuration of plumbing to validate and test each of these sensors. Item number 8 in the drawing is specific to the item being requested for in this purchase.

The current National Contract for Long-Term Retardant requires a flow rate of 500 gallons per minute, operating under the environmental conditions listed herein. The field requirements of the sensor being requested are as follows:

Compatible with liquid wildfire retardant salts (usually ammonium phosphates or magnesium chloride) in the lab, using a 10440 scale (refractometer values on this scale are between 7.0 and 20.0). A Brix range of 0 -100 ⁰Bx is required.

Requires compatibility as installed on a DN 80/3 inch pipe using a 2-1/2-inch tri-clamp Installed and mounted outdoors (potential 0-30 degree C difference between air and fluid), Average flow rate of 500 gallons per minute Line pressure will vary from 60psi to 100psi; must be able to operate across the full range.

Must be able to operate with air bubbles in the fluid from mixing Shall be compatible in an environment with minimal vibration Density ranges between 1.000g/ml to 1.150 g/ml Viscosity varies from 20 - 700 cP at room temperature Shall be low-maintenance, easy to operate/clean, and cannot be installed on a bypass line, must be in-line.

Operating temperature across a range of -4⁰F – +212⁰F Operating voltage of 24V DC nominal Shall make measurements once a second (1/s) Accuracy/precision requirement of 0.1 ⁰Bx is required (+/-0.0001 nD20) Shall not encumber the airtanker base personnel during daily fire operations

Figure 1. Drawing of airtanker base loading configuration.

Technical Data Information MISCO VIP2 Industrial Inline Process Refractometer Model: VIP2-BOM-001

Figure 2. MISCO VIP2-BOM-001

VIP2 INDUSTRIAL SPECIFICATIONS

REFRACTIVE INDEX EQUIVALENT -

Range 1.3330 to 1.5000

Resolution 0.0001

Precision (+/-0.0001 nD20)

BRIX EQUIVALENT -

Range 0 to 85

Resolution 0.1

Precision (+/- 0.1 Brix)

Temperature Range -4 to 212 °F (-20 to 100 °C)

Temp. Control Method Auto Temp. Correction

Pressure Range 0 to 300 psi (0 to 20.68 bar)

Temp. Control Basis Scale Dependent

OUTPUT OPTIONS

Analog 4 to 20 mA Optional

Analog 0 to 10 VDC Optional

Digital - ASCII Text Optional

Digital - USB Output YES

# of Scale Depends on Output Options

User Programmable Options & Settings

User Calibration Points Two

Error Codes Text-Based & Lights

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

I/O Connection Type 2" Tri-Clamp

Number of Connections N/A

Integrated Mounting Bracket N/A

Integrated Flow-Thru Adapter N/A

Water Resistance IP68 - NEMA 6P

Dimensions 2.40" Tall x 2.52" Max. Dia. (61 mm Tall x 64.1 mm)

Weight 1 lbs. (0.45 kg )

MATERIALS

Optic/Measuring Surface Sapphire

Optic Seal Bonded

Sensor Head Passivated 316L Stainless Steel

Sensor Body Passivated 316L Stainless Steel

Integrated Mounting Bracket N/A

Integrated Flow-Thru Adapter N/A

Standard Fluid Seals Viton (Others Available)

OPTO-ELECTRONICS

Detector Elements 1,024

Display Optional

Light Source Precision LED @ 589.3 nm

Power Source 5 to 24 VDC Depending on Output Options

Display Optional

ORIGIN-APPROVALS

Approvals/Certifications CE

Country of Origin USA

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

Several different refractometer manufacturers were contacted to determine suitability of different sensors. Some suppliers did not respond to online website inquiries, and others did not provide an in-line option. The documentation from the companies that did respond is captured in the Market Research document.

The Brand Name and model are the critical components of this validation study, it does not matter which vendor provides the sensor.

5. Estimated price, including all options, if applicable.

The total estimated cost for the sensor is $7,200 USD

6. Recommended source(s).

The MISCO VIP2™ Industrial inline Process Refractometer (Part No: VIP2-BOM-001) is the Brand Name and part number that was identified to meet all criteria to effectively operate in the field. See Figure 2 for drawing. Pursuing other alternatives could provide lower quality measurements, require more frequent maintenance, and above all may cause safety incidents to airtanker base operators.

Certifications

Supporting data that is the responsibility of technical or requirements personnel and which form the basis for this justification are accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge.

Hunter Jones NTPD-Chemist

The information contained in this justification is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief and in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation 13.106-1(b)(1), I hereby determine the circumstances described above deem only one source, or limited sources, reasonably available and competition is precluded for the reasons indicated in this document.

Erin Kirchoff Contracting Officer