P06 - FY24-FPAC-Justification-100 Brand Name REQ 1131089 NRCS PA Geode_Redacted.pdf

United States Department of Agriculture Sole Source (Including Brand Name) Justification under

Simplified Procedures for Certain Commercial Items (FAR 13.5) Control No. (if applicable) __REQ 1131089___

1. Identification of the agency and the contracting activity.

The requiring activity is the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Farm Production and Conservation Business Center (FPAC-BC) in support of USDA’s mission partners; Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Pennsylvania. The contracting organization responsible for this action is the FPAC-BC, Acquisition Division/Operation Branch/Eastern Section.

2. Description of supplies or services required to meet the agency’s needs (including estimate value).

The NRCS in Pennsylvania needs 15 Geode GNS3s receivers that will provide submeter location accuracy when paired with iOS and Android mobile devices including iPhone and iPad. The request also includes adapters so that the GNS3s receivers can be easily mounted on a backpack shoulder straps, and Geode smartphone trays so the receivers can be easily attached to a smartphone for maximum portability.

The estimated cost is $37,849.50.

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

This justification is to support the usage of a brand name item for a competitive acquisition to acquire Geode Brand Name GNSS sub-meter accuracy purchase that will result in a firm fixed price award.

4. The statutory authority for limiting competition.

The statutory authority permitting acquisition of the requirements by limiting competition is 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)(ii).

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

NRCS state of Pennsylvania has invested a substantial amount of time, training, and funds to supply field offices with iPhones and iPads to take advantage of technology that allows staff to create efficiencies by collecting data in the field and post directly to OneDrive, ArcGIS, and Desktop. The addition of Bluetooth available GNSS receivers allows for sub-meter accuracy. Four commercially available and well-known brands were tested and the Juniper Geode GNS3 was by far the easiest to use, gave the most reliable submeter accuracy, and was less costly than the other brands that provided submeter accuracy. NRCS Pennsylvania has since purchased close to 25 of these units and have found the performance excellent and much more reliable and accurate than other commercially available units. They have already invested a considerable amount of time to train field offices on the Geode units. It would be most efficient to continue with this brand and model.

6. A description of the market research conducted among schedule holders and the results, or a statement of the reason market research was not conducted.

Trimble R2 and Juniper Geode models were tested. The Trimble R2 unit provides the closest comparable technology but does not include accessories that make the units usable in the field. To operate the Trimble R2 unit would require purchase of a pole mount and a pole bracket in order to give relatively hands-free use with a smart phone or tablet. NRCS has explored different vendors recommended by each of the manufacturers to procure actual units for field testing. Units were tested side by side at the same location which provided varying topography, tree cover, and structures typical of the type of environment field staff will use the units. The Trimble units purchased before are no longer available, however, the Juniper Geode GNS2 receiver actually performed better than the Trimble units providing finer results. Trimble at this time is not offering a suitable replacement and is instead requiring a monthly subscription/user in order to obtain submeter accuracy. For the number of units required to be purchased, it will be much more costly than a one-time purchase of the Juniper Geode.

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

I hereby determine that an anticipated cost for this contract action will be fair and reasonable based upon the estimated cost and market value. A fair and reasonable cost for this item will be obtaining through competitive bidding between dealers handling these products. At time of evaluating proposal price, the overall proposed price will be evaluated for fair and reasonableness. I recommend this approach to the prompt attainment of products for the upcoming acquisition.

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

Previous research was conducted as identified above and utilized however those options did not include the full service and compatibility necessary to accomplish the mission.

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

The use of other brands and components will result in a substandard quality, low-graded results as well as additional costs associated with required subscriptions.

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

There are multiple Juniper dealers who have either expressed interest in responding to the request to submit quotes and/or remain available to supply the required products.

Certifications & Approval

I certify that the supporting data which form the basis for and included in this justification are certified accurate and complete.

Anthony Anastasi Business Tools Specialist – USDA NRCS PA

I certify that this justification is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Shermeka Showers Contracting Officer