Attachment 3 - JA for Under SAT.pdf

This is a Decision to Restrict Competition under the Simplified Acquisition Threshold for a fine-scale digital soil scanner acquisition by the United States Department of Agriculture.

The requesting activity is the USDA-ARS Grassland Soil and Water Research Laboratory (127D74), with the contracting activity being USDA-ARS Acquisition and Property Division (1232SA). Requisition Number 1173953 covers the procurement of a fine-scale digital soil scanner using gamma radiation technologies to assess soil texture, pH, and nutrient availability. The scanner will map soil characteristics across space and land uses, supporting precision management, conservation management, and mapping objectives for agricultural production and natural resource conservation at both grazing crop and seeded pasturelands. The suggested source is Medusa Radiometrics B.V., located in Groningen, The Netherlands (UEI: C27BP8Y3BKN4).

The justification for restricting competition cites unique qualifications exclusive to Medusa Radiometrics B.V., including the ability to scan through existing vegetation using gamma ray sensors while minimizing soil disturbance to in-tact perennial grasslands, capability to map at minimum 335 data points per acre for accurate topsoil characteristic predictions, and the ability to map soil layers to at least 15 centimeters depth for soil mineral and organic content estimation. Market research identified that while other fine-scale digital soil scanners exist (such as the Veris scanner), alternative options would require soil-to-scanner contact, causing unnecessary disturbance and plant destruction. The Medusa Radiometrics MS-2000 was identified as the only product capable of measuring soil properties without affecting aboveground plants, and as the sole commercially available product of this type produced by one company.