AG-4D90-S-16-0016_BRAND_NAME_JUSTIFICATION-signed.pdf

Justification for Other than Full & Open Competition Brand Name Justification

FAR 6.303-1

Agency ID: USDA, Natural Resources Conservation Service

1400 Independence Ave., SW Washington, DC 20250

1. Nature or Description of Action Being Approved: FAR 6.302-1 Supplies are available only from the original source per NRCS SNOTEL STANDARDS AND SPECIFICATIONS

2. A Description of the Supplies or Services Required to Meet the Agency’s Needs:

Working in conjunction with GE-Druck, the PMP 317 Pressure transducer was modified to meet the rigorous demands of USDA-NRCS Hydrological Survey requirements. The GE-DRUCK flight division engineers were able to develop a NRCS unique transducer, identified by the unique part number. Due to the sensor being interlinked around the country, it is necessary to maintain Brand Name consistency in the part, but more importantly, the exacting measurements provided by the transducer. The USDA-NRCS needs the following:

• 257 EA – GE DRUCK PMP 317-8693 0-100” H20 Range

• 15 EA- GE DRUCK PMP 317-8693 0-100” H20 Range

3. Statutory Authority: 41 U.S.C. 253(c) and 10 U.S.C. 2304(c)

4. Demonstrate proposed contractor’s unique qualifications or nature of acquisition requires use of authority cited: Must be designed to withstand extreme temperature, vibration and shock levels- similar to aircraft test applications.

Ranges from zero inches of water head to 100 inches; this would be zero to about 4 psi.

+ 0.15% accuracy -65 degrees F to 250 degrees F (-54 degrees C to 121 degrees C) operation 400% overpressure Compact and rugged design\ Low power consumption and amplified output 5 volt power input

Operational Certification Procedures for Transducer Testing Pressure Transducer Calibration Testing

Upon receiving new and used transducers, they will be checked for signal output at zero pressure and 100% rated pressure at room temperature (25*C). These values will be recorded for each transducer before initial calibration.

Pressure transducers will be calibrated to 100mV output (100 mV to 5,105 mV) at zero pressure at room temperature at room temperature. This value will be recorded for each transducer.

Pressure transducers will be calibrated to 5,100 mV output (5,100 mV to 5,105 mV) at 100% rated pressure at room temperature. This value will be recorded for each transducer.

All calibration access ports on each transducer will be capped by screws before pressure and temperature cycling. Transducers will be pressure cycled between zero pressure and max rated pressure 1000 times after calibration.

Transducers will be temperature cycled between +40*C and -40*C 100 times after calibration.

After temp and pressure cycling of these transducers, they will be step-checked at 25*C.

The outputs of each transducer will be recorded at 10% intervals of pressure from 0% rated pressure to 100% rated pressure. These outputs will not drift 10 mV from published results. These transducers will not be step-checked at -30*C. These outputs will not drift +-65 mV from the values obtained at 25*C at each step interval.

After these steps, these transducers will be brought back to 25*C. The signal voltage output will once will once again be checked for each transducer at 0% pressure and 100% pressure. Record these values. They shall not drift 10 mV from the initial after calibration values recorded earlier.

These tests certify which transducers pass various environmental testing criteria- such as cold chamber testing. Currently, the Druck pressure transducer PMP 317 100” and 200” is certified to use in SNOTEL system.

5. Description of efforts made to ensure that offers solicited from as many potential sources as possible:

• Pervious procurement placed by another NRCS Contracting Officer in May 2015

• Special notice on intent to Brand Name posted on Fed Biz Opps.

6. The pressure transducer is the electrical device that senses how much weigh (inches of snow) is on the snow pillow or in the precipitation gage at each SNOTEL site. These devices are an essential component of the SNOTEL system, without them, there would be no snow or precipitation data. The snow survey program has, over the years, used various brands of transducers. Many of those transducers were deemed not reliable or no longer are produced. Since then the Snow Survey program has instituted manufacturers give specifications to which their transducers will reliably operate and most will not pass the operational procedure (See testing specifications in number 5 of this justification).

Druck is currently the only manufacturer we are aware of that consistently passes both the requirements statement and the operational procedure.

Sean G. Jordan Contracting Officer Contracting Team # 4

Sean G. Jordan