B08_SOL_JA_WingtraOne_Gen_II_Brand_Name_05APR.pdf

United States Department of the Interior

INTERIOR BUSINESS CENTER

Washington, DC 20240

BRAND NAME JUSTIFICATION

SIMPLIFIED PROCEDURES FOR CERTAIN COMMERCIAL ITEMS

AUTHORITY: FAR 13.501(a), 41 U.S.C. 1901

Solicitation: 140D0423Q0427

1. Identification of the agency and the contracting activity, and specific identification of the document as a “Brand Name Justification.”

This document is a brand name justification for the Department of the Interior (DOI), Interior Business Center, Acquisition Services Directorate, Division II, Branch III, in support of the Office of Aviation Services (OAS), Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) Fleet.

2. Nature and/or description of the action being approved.

This is a new requirement for the establishment of a brand name Blanket Purchase Agreement for the WingtraOne Gen II UAS and other equipment necessary for operations of the WingtraOne Gen II, and any future version or other Wingtra UASs, and other equipment needed for DOI operations (payloads, batteries, chargers, future Ground Control Stations, tablets, etc.).

3. A description of supplies or services required to meet the agency’s needs (including the estimated value).

The supplies to be furnished include the WingtraOne Gen II and other equipment necessary for operations of the WingtraOne Gen II. The Government reserves the right to bilaterally modify the agreement at a later date to include other payloads that DOI commonly uses, any future versions or other Wingtra UASs, and other equipment needed for DOI operations (batteries, chargers, future Ground Control Stations, tablets, etc.).

The estimated total ordering value is $3,000,000.00 for a three (3) year ordering period. Delivery of item(s) is expected to be annotated per call.

4. An identification of the statutory authority permitting sole source acquisition.

This is an acquisition conducted under the authority of the Simplified Procedures for Certain Commercial Products and Commercial Services. The statutory authority permitting brand name acquisition is 41 U.S.C. 1901 as implemented by FAR 13.501(a)(1)(ii).

5. A demonstration that the proposed contractor’s unique qualifications or the nature of the acquisition requires use of the authority cited.

The WingtraOne Gen II complies with the Executive Order (EO) 13981, dated January 22, 2021, which prevents the procurement of ‘covered' UAS. Due to unique and specialized functional and technical configurations required by Secretary’s Order 3379. Order 3379 specifies that only the

Department of Defense’s Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) Blue small Unmanned Aerial System (sUAS). OAS Information Bulletin (IB)-No.22-1 approves the continued procurement of “cleared” Blue UAS list by the DIU for sUAS. Blue sUAS products have been approved as they provide secure technology for Federal government operations. Therefore, only approved DIU models, which list the WingtraOne Gen II available for DOI purchase.

DOI has the responsibility to manage and protect America’s natural resources; land, water, wildlife, and energy. The missions to fulfill this responsibility can be hazardous to government personnel, must be performed on a continuous basis, and conducted with minimal impact on vegetation, wildlife, and visitors using our national lands. The WingtraOne Gen II UAS has been identified to meet the required needs of the DOI and its Bureaus due to the high-resolution camera and its capability to act as a resource in response missions when needed. This UAS will be utilized for resource and emergency missions.

DOI has approximately 24 BirdsEyeView Firefly6s UASs, that are no longer maintainable or repairable due to the manufacture going out of business. The FireFly6 was a fixed wing UAS utilized for larger scale mapping. Due to the closing of BirdsEyeView there is a void within the DOI fleet and operations. The WingtraOne Gen II will replace the existing Firelfy6 UASs meeting current demand for mapping operations unique to a fixed wing UAS.

The WingtraOne Gen II will replace the existing Firelfy6 UASs meeting current demand for mapping operations unique to a fixed wing UAS. Mapping is critical to fulfilling the Department’s commitment to base its decisions on the best available science. Fixed wing UAS offer incredible enhancement opportunities relative to the amount, resolution, persistence, and analytics applied to collected data. The biggest advantage to utilizing fixed wing vs multirotor UAS for mapping is their ability to fly faster covering larger areas in a single flight proving superiority in efficiency. Fixed wing UAS can be less disruptive to sensitive animal species than both manned aircraft and multirotor UAS. These unique sensing characteristics enable drones to gather repeatable, scientifically valid observations leading to better policy decisions, benefiting all Americans. Safety is a priority in all DOI operations. DOI missions often expose personnel to significant safety hazards including severe terrain, adverse weather conditions, and hazards core to many of these missions (fire, flood, earthquake, landslide, etc.). From 1937 to 2000, 66% of all field biologist fatalities in DOI were aviation-related.

6. A description of efforts made to ensure that offers are solicited from as many potential sources as practicable, including whether a notice was or will be publicized as required by FAR Subpart 5.2 and, if not, which exception under FAR 5.202 applies.

A solicitation will be issued and publicized to the Government Point of Entry, SAM.gov for this acquisition and brand name justification.

7. A determination by the contracting officer that the anticipated cost to the Government will be fair and reasonable.

The Contracting Officer determines that the anticipated price(s) will be fair and reasonable based on competition.

8. A description of the market research conducted (see Part 10) and the results or a statement of the reason market research was not conducted.

The item is not available on the Ability One Procurement List or Federal Prison Industries.

A search of the General Services Administration’s (GSA) Multiple Award Schedules through GSA Advantage reveals that the requested item is available through Caron East, INC. and RDO Equipment Co. (Fargo). Caron East, Inc has an active registration in SAM, however, RDO Equipment (Fargo) has an inactive SAM registration.

FPDS-NG eZsearch reveals that other agencies have purchased WingtraOne. These were purchased from Precision Products LLC (Precision Capture), a WingtraOne distributor.

A search on the WingtraOne Gen II UAS manufacturer’s website revealed a list of U.S.

distributors. CW Lawley Inc. (Transit and Level Clinic), Vectors Inc., Precision Products LLC (Precision Capture), RDO Equipment Co. (Rapid City, Riverside and Phoenix), Lengemann Corporation, and Maine Technical Source.

A search engine inquiry returned results for the following vendors selling WingtraOne Gen II UAS. FlyMotion LLC, Advexure and Coptrz.

There are numerous small businesses that provide WingtraOne Gen II UASs. These items are readily available from numerous sources and as such, should be priced competitively.

9. Any other facts supporting the use of other than full and open competition, such as:

Not applicable.

10. A listing of the sources, if any, that expressed, in writing, an interest in the acquisition.

Wingtra AG RDO Integrated Controls Caron East Inc.

11. A statement of the actions, if any, the agency may take to remove or overcome any barriers to competition before any subsequent acquisition for the supplies or services required.

The Government will continue to evaluate the Blue List to see whether or not there are other UASs with similar/same payloads that may be able to meet DOI’s needs.

12. Contracting officer certification that the justification is accurate and complete to the best of the contracting officer’s knowledge and belief.

Digitally signed by MANDY

Mandy M. Ashmore ASHMORE Date: 2023.04.04 07:48:21 -05'00'

I certify that this justification is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Xanthe Otterstedt, Contracting Officer

13. Requirements personnel certification.

I certify that the technical data which forms a basis for this justification is complete and accurate and meets the Government’s minimum needs.

Steven Ramaekers, OAS UAS Fleet Manager

14. Reviews and Approvals

Concur

Mandy Ashmore, Branch Chief

Concur

Rebecca Fentzke, Division Chief

Approve

Michael Farrell, Bureau Competition Advocate