A16_Sole_Source_Justification_1.pdf

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 fish counter frame is only compatible with technology produced by the requested vendor. No other companies produce a product that is compatible.

Text2: Suggested vendor is Vaki North America 705 S. 8th Street, Boise, ID 83702 Contact: Ryan Vasak, rayan.vasak@merck.com, (208) 275-0011 Text1: CNFH is a mitigation facility under funding from the Bureau of Reclamation for the Shasta Dam. The hatchery is tasked with producing approximately 12 million Fall Chinook Salmon (90 fish per pound or larger), 1 million Late-fall Chinook Salmon (13 fish per pound), and 600,000 Central Valley Steelhead (5 fish per pound) annually.

More recently CNFH has assimilated a large increase in Fall Chinook Salmon (FCS) production in cooperation with the Red Bluff Fish and Wildlife Office (RBFWO) and Bridge Group (Stakeholder group of Farmers, Fishing Guides, etc.). The increased production added multiple projects in the form of a 10-year study to access alternative rearing and release strategies pertaining to FCS. Projects consist of Rice Fields, Net Pens, and Fed Fry Releases. With these projects FCS produced at CNFH now exceeds approximately 18 million.

The Vaki fish counter is used to split Chinook Salmon raceways before they reach density and accurately enumerate captive populations. If raceways are not properly managed for density dissolved oxygen limitations could be reached and/or pathogen outbreaks may occur thus increasing mortality in rearing units. Accurate knowledge of fish populations assists Biologist to effectively develop feed programs and monitor density. Without an accurate count it is easy to over/under feed a raceway. Overfeeding may contribute to fish health concerns and underfeeding would potentially result in fish not being marked/tagged/released prior to poor water quality conditions (which translates to lower smolt to adult return).

CNFH already has a Vaki fish counter; however, the system runs on an older operating system. This creates difficulty in the set-up process on the technological side of things. Staff often have barriers with the CPU booting up and getting it ready to count fish. A new unit would simplify and speed up splitting/counting raceways. Vaki counting frames are only compatible with CPU units produced by their company. The integrity of the counting frame remains in a usable condition. In this circumstance CNFH would only need to purchase a new CPU. Purchasing this way saves the Fish and Wildlife Service in costs more than $40,000 for a completely new unit.

Text5: Established in 1986, VAKI Aquaculture Systems has 40 years of business experience delivering advanced, automated technology to the aquaculture industry. As a leading brand under Merck Animal Health's Biomark division, VAKI has manufactured and deployed over 2,000 live fish counters globally, establishing its equipment as the industry standard across more than 60 countries.VAKI is uniquely qualified through its proprietary computer vision and optical beam technology, achieving over 99% counting accuracy at stress-free capacities of up to 1,000,000 fish per hour. Backed by four decades of field-tested engineering, VAKI supports fish farms, wellboats, and conservation projects worldwide with certified hardware, integrated VAKI Cloud data systems, and remote quality audits.