Brand Name Justification Sentek Soil Sensors signed_redacted.pdf

SOLE SOURCE JUSTIFICATION

MANDATORY TEMPLATE FOR FEDERAL PROCUREMENTS UNDER THE SIMPLIFIED ACQUISITION THRESHOLD

1. Estimated Dollar Value:

2. Anticipated Period of Performance:

Delivery within 60 days of award.

3. Does the anticipated Period of Performance include option years? If no, explain.

No, as this is a one-time product purchase.

4. Sources Sought Notice posted to Contract Opportunities and attached to this document?

Yes No

5. Market Research conducted and attached to this document? If not, explain.

Yes

6. Is this a new requirement or a follow-on to an expiring award?

New requirement Follow-on to an expiring award

7. Describe the requirement. Please note that the requirement is the minimum acceptable specification or capability, and is not necessarily the best in the industry. Please note whether any additional follow-on work is anticipated in response to the current proposed effort.

We require a sensor probe that measures continuously soil moisture, soil temperature, and soil salinity up to 60 cm down (or greater) to the soil depth. Probe should be cable free with an embedded Bluetooth antenna and battery. Battery and antenna should be placed in a sealed cap and in a separate compartment from probe body. The probe should have a tapered design for easy insertion and soil-sensor contact. Sensors should be positioned at least every 15cm throughout the length of the probe (60cm). The probe should be made of tough plastics (HDPE body) enabling it to be field rugged, and electronics should be completely sealed within. Sensor must have a moisture precision of +/- 0.03% vol and temperature accuracy of +/- 2°C @ 25°C. Must also include accompanying software and custom installation and extraction tools.

8. List the proposed vendor and contact information.

Any reseller of : Sentek Technologies – Sentek USA

Website: www.sentektechnologies.com Contact: Ben Fullner, bfullner@sentekusa.com Phone (USA Office): 855-425-2662

9. Describe why the proposed vendor is the only vendor from which the requirement can be obtained.

Examples of acceptable justifications include but are not limited to: sole manufacturer and seller, adherence to warranty provisions, urgency, etc. If other vendors can provide similar products or services, describe why they cannot meet our particular requirement.

This vendor is the only manufacturer that provides cable free, Bluetooth-enabled monitoring of soil moisture, soil temperature, and soil salinity throughout the length of the soil profile. Other manufacturers and vendors produce similar soil moisture, salinity, and temperature profile sensors, but they are not cable free or Bluetooth enabled. Without these options, each sensor would require its own data logger, battery, solar panel, charge converter, protective enclosure, and mounting hardware. These ancillary costs greatly increase the cost of data collection, as well as increase labor required to maintain the data monitoring stations. It is critical to have the same manufacturer’s soil moisture probe as we must have consistency in recorded data because each manufacturer has different programmed internal calibration equations.

10. Certification:

I hereby certify that the information provided above is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Date

11. Chief of the Contracting Office Certification:

I hereby determine that the circumstances of this procurement action deem only one source reasonably available. Also, the quoted price is determined to be fair and reasonable as documented on the SAP e-File Checklist and Award Summary.

United States Department of Agriculture

Research, Education, and Economics Agricultural Research Service

Office of the Director Acquisitions & Personal Property/Fleet Team

USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer

MARKET RESEARCH MEMORANDUM

TO: PRE-

FROM: ,

SUBJECT:

DATE:

CC:

Q

FOR:

Hello, s

I. Background Procurement of Soil es

III.Potential Sources Provided by Requestor SEVA Technical Services.

IV. Market Analysis A. The results of market research have determined that the Government's needs can be met by:

X

B. The following methods were utilized to conduct Market Research:

X

Agricultural Research Service

Office of the Director Acquisitions & Personal Property/Fleet Team

USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer

Searched Strategic Sources; Found

Searched previous purchases of similar/identical acquisitions; Found

Searched Unicor; Found

Association; Found

X

X

Posted Sources Sought Solicitation; Received ___ responses

Posted Solicitation; Received ___ responses

Posted Total -Aside Solicitation; Received ___ responses

C. Results.

X ;

D. Market Price.

The Government cost estimated is $

E. Customary Commercial Terms and Conditions

The solicitation and - -

Agricultural Research Service

Office of the Director Acquisitions & Personal Property/Fleet Team

USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer

F. OSDBU clearance form is not required

V. Recommendation

From: Heather Hartman To: Kathman, Jeffery - REE-ARS Subject: RE: Bluetooth Soil Probes Date: Wednesday, April 24, 2024 7:19:15 AM Attachments: image002.png image003.png image004.png image006.png

Hello, Unfortunately, the requested item is currently out of stock with no firm restock date. Due to this, we are unable to provide a quote at this current time.

We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience.

V/R, Respectfully, Heather Hartman – Quotes Department SEVA Technical Services, Inc. | 704 Thimble Shoals Blvd Suite 300A, Newport News, VA 23606 Office: 757-930-0065 X1012 | Fax: 757-930-1120 | www.sevatechnical.com GSA Contract: GS-21F-089BA MILSTRIP Contract: SP47W121D0033

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From: Kathman, Jeffery - REE-ARS <Jeffery.Kathman@usda.gov> Sent: Tuesday, April 23, 2024 4:07 PM To: Heather Hartman <heather.hartman@sevatechnical.com> Subject: RE: Bluetooth Soil Probes

Heather, Do you not currently have any of the Drill and Drop Bluetooth Moisture probes on hand?

Looking at Contractor Part No. 77295-SEV28.

Thank you, Jeffery Kathman Contract Specialist – Acquisition, Personal Property, and Fleet United States Department of Agriculture Research, Education, and Economics (REE) Mission Area Agricultural Research Service, Midwest Area Work: 515-667-0841