A02.09 Brand Name Justification_Redacted.pdf

ERDC Control Log #25-3322

BRAND NAME JUSTIFICATION

1. Agency/Contracting Activity: Engineer Research and Development Center – Construction and Engineering Research Laboratory (EDRC – CERL)

2. Description of Action:

Nature: New Requirement Follow-On Requirement Mod to Existing Purchase Order/Contract Number

Pricing: Firm-Fixed Price Time and Materials

Funds: OMA Other Funds:_RDT&E funds

3. Description of Supplies/Services:

a. The total estimated dollar value of the proposed contractual action is . The estimate of the brand name equipment portion of the action is (including extra shear vane attachments); however, there is not a requirement for the contractor to purchase this equipment new to perform this effort if it is something that they already own. However, extra shear vanes should be acquired due to the amount of proposed usage and tendency for vanes to bend or otherwise be rendered unusable with excessive data collection activities in field soils. It is not a consumable or deliverable item for the contractual effort.

b. The ERDC-CERL requires Humboldt brand field sampling equipment for the performance of soil data collection efforts, specifically the Humbolt H-4227 Field Sheave Vane and associated components, attachments, and T-handles. The objective of the effort being contracted is to identify multiple study sites across the boreal plain of Alberta that encompass a variety of forest sub-groups, soil types, and environmental conditions, and the collection of location, vegetation, and soil data.

4. Authority: FAR 13.106-1(b) (1): For purchases not exceeding the simplified acquisition threshold (SAT), contracting officers may solicit from one source if the contracting officer determines that the circumstances of the contract action deem only one source reasonably available (e.g. urgency, exclusive licensing agreements, brand name, or industrial mobilization.)

5. Reason for Authority Cited: No other brands of soil data collection equipment are available that will satisfy the needs of the upcoming research activities of the CERL research team. Data from prior collection efforts this team is utilizing, with samples numbering in the thousands, were performed with Humbolt brand equipment. Utilization of any other brand or type of equipment would jeopardize comparability and compatibility of the data sets, requiring an unknown amount of additional analytics to be performed to ensure the overall research is producing reliable results. These products have essential features to the program requirements, and market research has found no other similar products with those features, and that no other similar products could be modified to meet the agency needs.