A2. Performance Work Statement -21 Aug 2020.pdf

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT of AGRICULTURE

AGRICULTURE RESEARCH SERVICE

CONSERVATION and RESEARCH LABORATORY 2300 Experiment Station Road

Bushland, Texas, 79012

21 Aug 2020

Performance Work Statement Indefinite-Delivery Indefinite-Quantity (ID/IQ) Contract for

Soil & Plant/Feed Sample Analyses at CPRL

Summary of Procurement Request for a Service

Requirement Name: ID/IQ / Soil and Plant/Feed Sample Analyses at CPRL

Period of Performance:

Base Year: 09/21/2020 - 09/20/2021 Option Year 1: 09/21/2021 - 09/20/2022 Option Year 2: 09/21/2022 - 09/20/2023 Option Year 3: 09/21/2023 - 09/20/2024 Option Year 4: 09/21/2024 - 09/20/2025

General Information:

1. Background and Purpose: The USDA, Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) located at the Conservation and Production Research Laboratory (CPRL), 2300 Experiment Station Road, Bushland, Texas 79012 requires the basic need for analyses of soil and plant/feed samples. This Performance Work Statement (PWS) covers a contract for a Base Year plus Four (4) Option Years.

2. The CPRL-LNMRU (Unit) requires repeated laboratory analyses of soils and plant tissue (crop and feed) samples to support present (this year) and future (upcoming 5 years) research objectives. The Unit conducts multiple studies throughout the year that require timely analysis while the sample remains representative of the field condition when the sampling occurred. Samples degrade over time while waiting for analyses, either while in refrigeration or room temperature storage. In many cases, the determination as to what needs to be sampled, and when to be sampled, are driven by the progress of the experiment and cannot be planned with enough time to prepare new contracts each time a set of samples needs to be analyzed. These studies include repeated sampling to identify treatment induced changes over time.

3. Definitions:

1. USDA: Unites States Department of Agriculture

2. ARS: Agricultural Research Service

3. CPRL: Conservation and Production Research Laboratory

4. SOW: Statement of Work

5. LNMRU, Livestock Nutrient Management Research Unit

6. ICP-AES, Inductively Coupled Plasma – Atomic Emission Spectroscopy

7. FIA, Flow Injection Analyzer

8. QA/QC, Quality Assurance/Quality Control data reliability indicators generated by an industry recognized program

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CONTRACTOR REQUIREMENTS:

4. Technical Requirements/Tasks:

a. For a fee, payable monthly, available for a service contract for soil / feed sample analysis contract. The analysis of soils and plant tissues are located in building-1, Livestock Nutrient Management Research Unit (LNMRU).

b. Supply deliveries will not incur freight/fuel charges.

c. All contract related items are tax exempt.

d. The agreement is in effect for the coverage period shown, and will not automatically renew unless the above options are exercised, as described above.

e. All results must be reported as % dry weight or mg/kg (ppm) on a dry weight basis unless specified differently below:

f. Sample preparation: Samples will be delivered “As Is” and may need preparation such as drying of grinding prior to analysis

g. Two types of samples are to be analyzed: 1) soil (see Table 1); and 2) plant tissue/feed (see

Table 2). Each sample will be analyzed for the full list of constituents in either Table 1 or Table 2, depending on sample type.

h. As cited in Tables 1 and 2, all methods are to follow the references below:

Reference No. 1: North Central Regional Research Publication No. 221 (Revised), Recommended Chemical Soil Test Procedures for the North Central Region. Revised January 1998, corrected February 2011.

Reference No. 2: Bremner and Mulvaney. 1982. Total Nitrogen. P. 595-624. Section 31-

3. Regular Kjeldahl Method. In A.L. Page et al (eds). Methods of Soils Analysis. Part 2.

Chemical and Microbiological Properties. 2nd. Ed. Agronomy Monograph 9. ASA.

Madison, WI.

Reference No. 3: Soil Nitrate Nitrogen. Method S-3.10. In Gavlak, Horneck, and Miller

(eds). 2005. Soil, Plant, and Water Reference Methods for the Western Region. WREP-

125. 3rd ed., p. 65-66.

Reference No. 4: Moisture-dry matter by forced-air oven drying. National Forage Testing

Association. 1993 (amended 2002). NFTA Method 2.2.2.5. Laboratory dry matter by oven drying for 3 hr at 105°C. In Forage Analysis Procedures. National Forage Testing Association. Omaha, Nebraska

Reference No. 5: Mills and Jones. 1996. Table 5-2. Wet acid digestion procedure using nitric acid and 30% hydrogen peroxide. P. 122. Plant Analysis Handbook II. Micromacro Publishing Inc. Athens, GA.

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Reference No. 6: AOAC International. 2012. AOAC Official Method 990.08. Official

Methods of Analysis of AOAC International. 19th ed. G. W. Latimer, Jr. (Ed).

Gaithersburg, Maryland.

Reference No. 7: AOAC International. 2012. AOAC Official Method 990.03 Protein

(crude) in animal feed. Combustion method. Official methods of analysis of AOAC International. 19th ed. G.W. Latimer, Jr. (Ed). Gaithersburg, Maryland.

Reference No. 8: Gavlak, Horneck, and Miller. 2005. Extractable potassium, nitrate, ammonium, orthophosphate and chloride of botanical materials. B-3.10. p. 157-159. In Soil, Plant, and Water Reference Methods for the Western Region. WREP-125. 3rd. ed.

Reference No. 9: Ankom. 2006. Ankom Technology Method 5. Acid detergent fiber in feeds. Filter bag technique. Ankom Technology. Macedon, New York.

Reference No. 10: Ankom. 2006. Ankom Technology Method 6. Neutral detergent fiber in feeds. Filter bag technique. Ankom Technology. Macedon, New York.

Reference No. 11: AOAC International. 2005. AOAC Official Method 943.01 Chlorine (soluble) in animal feed. Titrimetric method. Official methods of analysis of AOAC International. Gaithersburg, Maryland.

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Table 1 - Soil Analyses List

Soil pH in 1:1 (Soil: Water) Aqueous Solution o Using electronic pH electrode per method in Reference No. 1, page 13 o Units: pH units ±0.1

Soil Electrical Conductivity in 1:1 (Soil: Water) Aqueous Solution o Using electronic conductivity cell per method in Reference No. 1, page

59.

o Units: mmhos/cm ±0.1

Moisture Content o Gravimetric analysis, oven drying at 105°C for 24 hours o Units: % ±0.1

Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen o Using potassium sulfate – cupric sulfate catalyst and distillation-titration method per Reference No. 2.

Mehlich 3 Extractable Phosphorus and Other Elements o Phosphorus, Potassium, Calcium, Magnesium, Sodium, Sulfur, Boron, Copper, Zinc, Iron, Manganese o Using Mehlich 3 extracting solution per Reference No. 1, page 23-25.

o Concentrations to be measured by inductively coupled plasma - atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) o Units: mg/kg ±1.0

Organic Matter o Using Weight Loss on Ignition Method, at 360°C for 2 hours, per

Reference No. 1, page 53-58.

o Units: % ±0.1

Olsen Extractable Phosphorus o Using Olsen (sodium bicarbonate) extracting solution per Reference No.

1, page 25-26.

o Units: mg/kg ±1.0

Nitrate-Nitrogen o 1M KCl Extraction with cadmium reduction flow injection analyzer (FIA) technique o Using method per Reference No. 3, page 59-60.

Ammonium-Nitrogen o 1M KCl Extraction with indophenol blue flow injection analyzer (FIA) technique o Using method per Reference No. 3, page 65-66

Chloride o Using calcium nitrate extraction with flow injection analyzer (FIA) technique per Reference No. 1, page 49-50 o Units: mg/kg ±1.0

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Table 2 – Plant Tissue/Feed Analysis List

Moisture Content/Dry Matter o Gravimetric analysis, oven drying at 105°C for 3 hours, using method per

Reference No. 4 o Units: % ±0.1

Organic Matter o Using Weight Loss on Ignition Method, at 360°C for 2 hours, per

Reference No. 1, page 53-58.

o Units: % ±0.1

Mineral Analysis o Calcium, Phosphorus, Magnesium, Potassium, Sulfur, Zinc, Iron, Manganese, Copper, Sodium o Nitric acid and 30% hydrogen peroxide solution digestion per Reference

No. 5 o Mineral concentrations by ICP-AES per Reference No. 6 o Units: % + 0.1 or mg/kg ±1.0

Chloride o Ferric sulfate extraction and titrimetric method o Using method per Reference No. 11 o Units: % ±0.01

Crude Protein o Automated combustion analyzer technique per Reference No. 7 o Units: % ±0.1

Nitrate as N o Cadmium reduction flow injection analyzer method per Reference No. 8 o Units: mg/kg ±1.0

Acid Detergent Fiber o Using Ankom method of Reference No. 9 o Units: % ±0.1

Neutral Detergent Fiber o Using Ankom method with α-Amylase Treatment of Reference No. 10 o Units: % ±0.1

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5. Deliverable / Schedule:

Key Deliverables

Estimate of delivery months of samples and quantity

Contract Year Sample Deliver (Month Year) # Soil Samples # Feed/Plant Samples 1 August 2020 200 100 1 November 2020 100 80 1 June 2021 100 0 Entire Year 1 500 180

2 October 2021 150 100 2 June 2022 150 0 Entire Year 2 300 100

3 November 2022 150 100 3 June 2023 150 0 Entire Year 3 300 100

4 November 2023 150 100 4 June 2024 150 0 Entire Year 4 300 100

5 November 2024 150 100 5 June 2025 150 0 Entire Year 5 300 100

6. Government Furnished:

N/A

7. Travel:

Only local travel is anticipated. Government will not reimburse for local travel by contractor.

8. Contractor’s Key Personnel:

Contractor will provide a service technician capable of performing the work described in the technical requirements.

9. Security Requirements:

Contractor will be escorted when on site. No security requirements are needed.

10. Data Rights: Not Applicable

11. Section 508 – Electronic and Information Technology Standards: Not Applicable

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12. Performance Requirement Measures

Performance Objective

Required Task or Deliverable

Performance Standard

Delivery Format

Positive/Negative Incentive % for NOT meeting the Task

Analyses of Soil and plant/feed samples

Within 30 days of sample submission

Report of results of the submitted samples

By email to the submitter

Negative incentive of 15% reduction of rate per sample if results are delivered 35-45 days after submission

Negative incentive of 30% reduction of sample rates if results are delivered 45 days after submission

7. Travel: