B08_ATCH_1_JOFOC_In-Situ_BRAND_NAME.pdf

United States Department of the Interior

U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY, Office of Acquisition and Grants Reston, VA 20192

BRAND NAME JUSTIFICATION

1. Contracting Agency and Activity

The Department of the Interior, United States Geological Survey Office of Acquisition and Grants - Reston plans to contract on a noncompetitive 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 U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Water Mission Area, Hydrologic Instrumentation Facility (HIF) requests procurement on a brand name only basis for In-Situ, Inc. brand hydrologic instruments and equipment. The delivery date will be 3 months from the date of award.

3. Description of Supplies or Services

This request is for water quality/pressure sensing instruments that are used to continuously measure a suite of water quality parameters at USGS surface/ground water stations. The instruments will make discrete, instantaneous measurements of water quality field parameters and continuously measure water levels.

4. Estimated Dollar Value

The estimated dollar value of this procurement is

5. Statutory Authority

The proposed action may be awarded on a brand name only basis under the authority outlined in FAR 13.106-1(b)(1) only one source reasonable available.

6. Rationale Supporting Use of Citation in No. 5.

In-Situ brand are the only instruments and equipment that will satisfy the agency requirements. The In- Situ, Inc. equipment is the only known brand that can meet equipment specifications and integration requirements in the area of water quality and water level monitoring.

Use and interfacing of another product brand would require the following effort: (1) the equipment would have to be tested and proven to meet the manufacturer’s and USGS specifications, (2) users would have to be trained on how to use and operate the new systems, (3) new decoding programs would have to be re-written to take the data output from the new system and convert it to an output that is acceptable for entry into the USGS National Water Database for data consistency purposes, and (4) users would have to be trained on how to maintain the equipment and perform periodic maintenance inspections. The delays associated with testing the new equipment, receiving training, and interfacing the equipment into the existing infrastructure would be significant, at least 6-9 months.

Additionally, the requested equipment integrates into other systems in the USGS which includes SDI-12 (a communications protocol for environmental sensors and data acquisition systems) which provides continuity of data collection activities. New equipment must be built/calibrated the same as existing equipment to ensure an apples-to-apples comparison of previously collected data. If other equipment is introduced which is built/calibrated to different specifications, new data will be skewed prohibiting accurate comparisons to the long-term data record.

The following list includes some of the unique characteristics and requirements of the requested brand of instruments and equipment being procured:

- fits inside wells as small as 2-inches in diameter and capable of measuring a wide variety of water quality parameters as well as vented water level

- internal logging with SD card backup for data redundancy

- Bluetooth communications

- Smartphone interface with compatible smartphone app

- compatible with telemetry devices for remote monitoring

- built-in LCD display for checking overall probe readiness and functionality

- built-in active and passive anti-fouling system

- capable of unattended operation for at least 9 months on replaceable internal batteries

- EPA approved dissolved oxygen, pH/Orp, conductivity, turbidity, temperature, and pressure sensing elements

7. Other Information

No other known equipment brand can offer equipment that meets both the measurement requirements and the integration requirements of the existing infrastructure. The Government requests the In-Situ brand as it will provide a continuity of equipment and standardization of repair parts to an existing infrastructure. The existing infrastructure includes the accessory ruggedized cables, sensor interchangeability, software programs, and other hardware that is already configured to work with the requested equipment.

8. The Efforts to Identify Additional Sources Including the Market Research Conducted.

Market research, including extensive internet searches, reveals that no other instrument brand is fully compatible equipment to In-Situ brand at this time. Market research will be conducted with each future acquisition to identify vendors with compatible equipment.

At least 4 different re-sellers were identified as suppliers of the In-Situ brand of equipment. Market research will be conducted with each future acquisition to identify vendors with compatible equipment.

9. Future Plans to Permit Competition

HIF will continue to competitively procure all equipment and instruments that are amenable to this form of acquisition. To promote competition, HIF continually tests new devices as they become available on the market. HIF routinely attends vendor conferences, trade shows, meetings, and conferences where vendors are present. HIF also attends local Business and Procurement Expositions in order to make vendors aware of USGS needs and business opportunities. HIF encourages vendors to develop and submit products that meet USGS requirements. In addition, HIF promotes visits from vendors to demonstrate and provide information about their products.

10. Recommendation and Certification from Program Office

Based on the above, I recommend this acquisition be conducted on a brand name basis and certify the above statements are accurate.

Kevin Kotun, Chief, Hydrologic Instrumentation Facility Date

11. Approval by the Contracting Officer:

a. The Contracting Officer will determine prices fair and reasonable based upon competition among resellers.

b. Prices will be determined fair and reasonable by comparison to published list prices and/or invoices for similar goods/services.

c. This justification is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Contracting Officer Date