A16_Single_Source_Justification_CO_signed_1.pdf
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- Attached to
- Special Notice of Intent to Sole Source Award
- Solicitation number
- DOIFFBO240173
About this file
This document is a Single Source Justification under the Simplified Acquisition Threshold (SAT) for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to purchase acoustic telemetry transmitters compatible with their existing equipment.
The justification states that only two manufacturers, Lotek Wireless Inc. and Cellular Tracking Technologies (CTT), provide tags compatible with the Motus wildlife tracking network, which the USFWS plans to use. However, the older Motus receivers are not compatible with CTT's 434 MHz tags. Lotek's 166.380 MHz tags are the known and reliable brand that has been used since the Motus network's inception. The USFWS has an existing relationship with CTT, but Lotek remains the sole source for the required tags. The cost is deemed fair and reasonable based on market research. The USFWS intends to award a sole source contract to Lotek Wireless Inc. under the authority of FAR 13.106-1(b)(1)(i) and (ii).
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Text version
FWS Form 3-0034 (Rev. 10/2020) U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
1. Description of Need
3. Other Capable Sources
2. Market Research Conducted
Pursuant to FAR subpart 13.106-1(b)(1)(i) and (ii), for purchases not exceeding the Simplified Acquisition Threshold (SAT), Contracting Officers may solicit from only one source if the circumstances deem only one source is reasonably available (e.g., urgency, exclusive licensing agreements, brand name, or industrial mobilization).
Instructions: The information in the text boxes are provided as sample language or to indicate a needed fill-in. Sample language should be removed from the final document. All text boxes require information and shall not be left blank.
SINGLE SOURCE JUSTIFICATION
(UNDER SAT)
JOINT ADMINISTRATIVE OPERATIONS
Acquisitions Operations
4. Barriers to Competition
5. Contractor's Qualifications
6. Determination of Fair and Reasonable Cost
7. Recommendation and Certification by Program Office
Based on the above justification, I recommend this acquisition to be conducted using sole source acquisition procedures. I hereby certify that this justification is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.
Program / Project Officer
8. Contracting Officer Certification and Approval: Under SAT
Based on the above justification, I hereby certify and approve the use of sole source acquisition procedures under FAR Part 13 for this purchase.
Contracting Officer
Text3: The Motus website states that only two brands of tags can be used on the Motus network: https://docs.motus.org/en/about-motus/quick-reference/tag-deployment
| Text2: Only two manufacturers provide tags that are compatible with the Motus network: Lotek Wireless Inc. and Cellular Tracking Technologies (CTT). Lotek tags operate at 166.380 MHz, while CTT tags operate at 434MHz. Because CTT is a new manufacturer, some of the older Motus receivers, of which there are many on the East Coast, are not tuned to detect this frequency. In addition, high energy tags (i.e., 434 MHz) have lower detection ranges as high energy signals attenuate more rapidly in poor conditions. Feedback from the Motus user base and personal experience from the Project Officer show mixed results from CTT tags. Lotek tags are a known and reliable brand that have been used since the beginning of Motus. |
| Text1: The Motus Wildlife Tracking Network is an international effort to provide data on animal movements using passive telemetry receivers and coded transmitters that operate on a shared frequency. Tracking animals using Motus requires adequate receiver coverage of an area of interest and coded telemetry tags that are attached to an animal. Telemetry tags have been miniaturized to a degree that small-bodied bats, including listed species and coastal migratory bats, can be tagged and tracked with lightweight transmitters, which are detectable several kilometers away in ideal conditions. The Motus data portal provides a platform for data exploration and visualization and a community of practice where researchers can share updates and methodological innovations that make Motus telemetry projects far more reliable for long-distance movement studies than traditional tracking techniques. |
Given the strength of the Motus network along the east coast, we plan to purchase a bank of radiotelemetry tags and associated telemetry equipment that we will opportunistically distribute and/or loan to partners who plan to capture bats as part of their regular monitoring efforts. We will distribute tags based on the Motus coverage of an area (see https://motus.org/data/receiversMap for a map of deployed receivers) and the species of interest that may be tracked if captured. Movement and roost data are critical to streamlining permitting processes. Such information informs decisions based on the timing of bat movements, likelihood of occurrence, and roosting preferences, which are significant challenges in the permitting process.
| Text4: The Project Officer has an existing relationship with CTT and they remain a potential source of collaboration in the future. | |
| Text6: The cost is fair and reasonable compared to market research and previous bids. | |
| 2024-06-18T09:56:16-0400 | |
| NATHAN FULLER |
| 2024-08-05T09:08:12-0400 | |
| WILLIAM FLUHARTY |
Text5: The Motus network was founded using Lotek products and thus the receiver stations are specifically tuned to the coding and frequency framework that Lotek uses.
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