B08_A_Redacted_SSJ.pdf

SOLE SOURCE JUSTIFICATION FOR ACQUISITION UNDER THE

SIMPLIFIED ACQUISITION THRESHOLD

1. Contracting Agency and Activity. The Department of the Interior, United States Geological Survey (USGS) Mercury Research Laboratory (MRL) plans to contract on a sole source basis. This document sets forth the justification and approval as required by FAR 13.106-1(b)(1).

2. Nature of Action Being Approved. The requested procurement is for award of a noncompetitive purchase order to Thermo Electron North America LLC. The anticipated contract type is a fixed-price type and the period of performance of July 31, 2023, to July 30, 2026.

3. Description of Supplies or Services.

This requisition is for a service contract for a Thermo Scientific multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (MC-ICP-MS) Neptune Plus instrument maintenance package.

4. Estimated Dollar Value. (Base + 2 Option Years).

The contract period would include:

Base Year: 07/31/2023 - 07/30/2024 Option Year 1: 07/31/2024 - 07/30/2025 Option Year 2: 07/31/2025 - 07/30/2026

5. Statutory Authority. The proposed action may be awarded on a sole source basis under the authority of FAR 13.106-1(b)(1) – only one source reasonably available.

6. Rationale Supporting Use of Citation in No. 5 Only one responsible source and no other service providers will satisfy the agency's requirements. The USGS purchased the instrument in 2014, valued at

The instrument purchase included a one-year service, parts, and labor warranty. The USGS MRL has maintained the Thermo Fisher service contract since 2015, most recently under Purchase Order 140G0218P0379. The investment in this instrument to date is approximately

To perform preventative maintenance and service on a Neptune MC-ICP-MS the Technician will require specialized training with the instrument engineers. This training is not commercially available and is currently only accessible to Thermo Electron service engineers. Improper modifications or repairs to a MC-ICP-MS, undertaken by untrained individuals, could result in costly replacement parts and additional repairs. This expertise is outside the capabilities of USGS staff scientists and other commercial vendors at this time.

Given the specialty of the instrumentation and the need for maintenance from a certified service engineer there is only one responsible source for the required service contract.

7. Other Information. None.

8. The Efforts to Identify Additional Sources Including the Market Research Conducted. Due to its specialized proprietary instrument, no other sources are identified to maintain Thermo Scientific Neptune Plus MC-ICP-MS.

SOLE SOURCE JUSTIFICATION FOR ACQUISITION UNDER THE

SIMPLIFIED ACQUISITION THRESHOLD

The Contracting Officer posted a source sought announcement on SAM.gov from March 29, 2023, through April 05, 2023, seeking firms that can provide similar services. We received one response from the market; however, after further review, it was determined the vendor could not meet the Government’s minimum need.

9. Future Plans to Permit Competition. The Government will conduct market research and compete follow on requirements full and open to the maximum extent practical.

10. Recommendation and Certification from Program Office

Based on the above, I recommend this acquisition be conducted on a sole source basis. I certify the above statements are true and accurate.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) considers employee signatures to be Personal Protected Information, and therefore all employee signatures have been redacted. By posting this document, the Contracting Officer attests all appropriate signatures have been obtained.