B13_Brand_Name_Justification.pdf

BRAND NAME JUSTIFICATION

PR: 0040608633

1. Contracting Agency and Activity. The Department of the Interior, United States Geological Survey, Lake Erie Biological Station plans to contract by means other than full and open competition. This document sets forth the justification and approval for award of a large fishing vessel trawl monitoring system on a limited source basis, as required by FAR 13.106.1.

2. Nature of Action Being Approved. New Firm Fixed Price for the purchase of large fishing vessel trawl monitoring system. Proposed brand name is Marport.

3. Description of Supplies or Services. The purchase will supply all necessary hardware (Bridge equipment, sensors, hydrophones, cabling, and associated hardware), as well as product installation, software, and personnel training.

[1] 1 unit: M3 Mbar receiver with test hydrophone, computer, and cables

[2] 2 units: A1 XL-SHORT (door spread sensors)

[3] 1 unit: A1 CE150 Catch Explorer (head rope sensor)

[4] 2 units: Hydrophones with Thru-Hull penetration (1 port, 1 starboard)

[5] Travel: Site visitation is required by Marport personnel to test the net monitoring system after installation and to train Lake Erie Biological Station staff in using the equipment.

[5] Installation: Marport personnel will: (1) provide advice on system setup before and throughout installation, (2) confirm the system installation was successful with a bench test while the vessel is in dry dock, (3) demonstrate full functionality of the trawl monitoring system during a 1-day sea trial cruise with sensors deployed on the R/V Muskie bottom trawl, (4) provide Lake Erie Biological Station staff with an orientation on how to use and maintain the trawl monitoring system, and (5) consult with LEBS management for final approval and acceptance of services rendered.

4. Statutory Authority. The proposed action may be awarded on a limited source basis under the authority FAR 13.106-1.

5. Rationale Supporting Use of Citation in No. 5. The trawl monitoring system requested by the USGS Lake Erie Biological Station (LEBS) is integral to maintaining the scientific integrity of USGS Great Lakes fish stock assessments and ecological research across the USGS Great Lakes Science Center (GLSC). It is required for multiple reasons: 1) for data compatibility across the GLSC fleet of science ships, 2) to provide real-time data acceptability and quality assurance, and 3) to ensure safe and effective operation of fishing trawls from USGS ships in the Great Lakes. Ship operators and scientists require knowledge of fish trawl performance and location to avoid damage to the trawl net and ships and to ensure it is possible to target desired fish with trawls. Marport is the only brand name that can supply the requested equipment for the following reasons:

• Marport technology and software are currently being used for successful data acquisition on USGS Research Vessels. The R/V Muskie is part of a coordinated monitoring program surveying fish populations across the Great Lakes that relies on data compatibility to achieve federally legislated obligation through the Great Lakes Fishery Research Authorization Act (signed in 2019). The GLSC currently has vessels equipped with the Marport trawl monitoring system (e.g. R/V Kiyi). The acquisition of a Marport system on the R/V Muskie will provide data consistency in net mensuration systems with GLFC large research vessels, supporting necessary interlaboratory data analyses and support when maintenance or repair of the systems are required.

• Failure to obtain a Marport net monitoring system will negatively impact interlaboratory data compatibility and comparisons with other USGS field stations.

GLSC field stations currently use Marport trawl net mensuration systems to integrate data streams from various hardware and electronic measuring devices. This ensures both cross-lake compatibility in data collection as well as support in case an application or hardware component requires maintenance or repair.

• Data acquisition systems for fish community assessments are greatly needed and are not currently manufactured on the basis of an open standard, which inhibits development of a standard competitive marketplace. Each net mensuration system manufacturer is the sole developer, manufacturer and supplier of its own equipment and software, so there is no cross-compatibility among brands. Until a large effort is initiated to create open-source software, agencies will need to strive for consistency in the equipment being used to collect data.

6. Other Information. N/A

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

The Research Vessel Muskie is part of a fleet of vessels that conduct similar fish assessment work on the Great Lakes. The proposed upgrade to Marport ensures our systems are compatible with systems currently in use by vessels in the Great Lakes Science fleet (e.g. R/V Kiyi), which allows for sharing of data compilation supporting analyses and cross-vessel electronics support should a component fail during completion of a mission. Market research indicates competition is available from Marport resellers.

8. Actions to Overcome Barriers to Competition.

This procurement is expected to be a one-time procurement. It is expected that the equipment will have a life-span of approximately 10 years. If during this lifespan the technology changes and improves in a manner that would significantly impact the USGS mission in the Great Lakes, every effort will be made at that time to seek an upgrade through a competitive process.

10. Recommendation and Certification from Program Office

Based on the above, I recommend this acquisition be conducted on a limited source basis. I certify that technical data which form a basis for this justification, that are the responsibility of technical or requirements personnel are complete and accurate.

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