Brand Name Justification.pdf

United States Department of Agriculture Sole Source/Brand Name Justification Simplified Procedures IAW FAR 13.5

1. Identification of the agency and contracting activity.

The agency is the USDA Forest Service, National Technology and Development Program (NTDP) in Missoula, MT. The contracting activity is Procurement and Property Services, National Procurement Operations, Information Technology Contracting Branch (ITCB).

2. The nature and/or description of the action being approved.

The purpose of this consolidated Brand Name Justification is to purchase Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Communications and Support Hardware. This justification is only covering the portion of the acquisition which is brand-name or peculiar to one manufacturer. This action will result in one (1), or more, firm fixed-price contracts, using FAR Part 13 procedures. Based on market research, it is improbable that any one company will be able to bid the entire lot of items (i.e. “all or none”). As such, a split award is anticipated. The estimated value is $222,464.86.

3. Description of the supplies or services required to meet the agency’s needs.

The communications and support hardware identified below are being tested and evaluated by NTDP to provide crucial information and data transfer while operating in remote locations during UAS operations.

CLIN

NUMBER DESCRIPTION

UNIT

OF

ISSUE

QTY

0001 Bolt 4K Max - 5000 ft EA 1

0002 LT 4K RX Monitor Module EA 2

0003 Bolt 4K LT EA 1

0004 TeraDek Power Cables-Lemo 2 Pin Male to 4 Pin Lemo Male - 24 In EA 2

0005 TeraDek Power Cables-Lemo 2 Pin Male to Fischer 11 Pin Male EA 2

0006 TeraDek Power Cables-Lemo 2 Pin Male to Lemo 2 Pin Male - 24 I EA 2

0007 WorksWell-Wiris Security EA 1

0008 Gremsy Gimbal- Pixy WS EA 1

0012 Wildlife Dominion, FOLDABLE 100W SOLAR PANEL-100-Solar EA 4

0013 Goal Zero Yeti Lithium 1500X Portable Power Station EA 2 https://www.gsaadvantage.gov/advantage/ws/catalog/product_detail?gsin=11000075273412

0014 Plum Case Enhanced EA 5

0015 Annual Service Fee($40/month per carrier (Verizon&At&T)) MO 12

0016 Plum SAT III EA 1

0017 Annual Service Fee($80 per month LTE/$80 per month Sat) MO 12

0018 Kymeta U8 Terminal EA 1

0019 Kymeta Go Terminal EA 1

0020 U8 Power Cables(DC - terminal operates on 12-36V DC) EA 2

0021 U8 Power Cables(AC to DC-includes inline inverter) EA 1

0022 Kymeta vehicle mounting kit for U8 Terminal EA 1

0023 Annual Service Fee (Kymeta Satellite 5 Gb/mo @ $494.00 per month) MO 12

0024 Annual Service Fee (Kymeta Satellite 10 Gb/mo @ $834.00 per month) MO 12

Panasonic Toughpad FZ-G1 - 10.1" - Core i5 7300U - vPro - 8 GB RAM -

256 GB EA 2

4. The statutory authority permitting other than full and open competition.

This Brand Name Justification is prepared in accordance with FAR 13.106-1(b)(1)(i).

5. Statement demonstrating the unique qualifications of the proposed contractor or the nature of the action requiring the use of the authority.

The John D. Dingell Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act of 2019, formally called the Natural Resource Management Act, was signed into law on March 12, 2019. The law sets provisions for various programs, projects, activities and studies for the management and conservation of natural resources on federal lands. Wildland fire operations is one area where special attention has been focused to advance technology research and development.

USDA Forest Service Fire and Aviation Management is working closely with the Department of Interior to meet the law requirements.

cSEC. 1114. WILDFIRE TECHNOLOGY MODERNIZATION:

The purpose of this section is to promote the use of the best available technology to enhance the effective and cost-efficient response to wildfires, meet applicable protection objectives and to increase the safety of firefighters and the public.

The NTDP team has evaluated the systems being requested and found that they meet agency mission needs. The items were evaluated and tested to ensure that the products could be integrated into the UAS working interfaces. For UAS mission sets, only items tested and approved by NTDP or the UAS WO Program personnel are authorized for use in the agency. The only way to open this up to more sources would be significant agency reinvestment and testing/approval of new/different systems; etc.

All Kymeta, Plum Case and TerraDek equipment and support equipment:

I. Connecting remote assets Fire operations that extend to geographically remote environments depend on satellites and extended cellular networks to provide the critical communication means to conduct remote monitoring and real-time asset management at UAS fire line locations and remote recreation and resource sites. The UAS program is exploring more extensive usage of satellite and cellular based networks to support their offshore exploration projects.

II. Developing sustainable work environments Satellite is key to enabling smart grids to be extended to remote regions where terrestrial networks fall short.

III. Reliability In an era of increased communications traffic, maintaining a high level of service reliability is always a key requirement for effective UAS operations. Carrier integrated providers need to work with a satellite provider with a reliable network that caters to applications such as remote data transfer.

IV. Speed The future landscape of UAS involves the exchange of data between interconnected operators to facilitate quicker decision making and enhance processes. The emergence of satcom and extended cellular networks are driving the demand for connectivity to remote areas. The mobile satellite, extended cellular equipment, video processing/encoding/and decoding has been tested and evaluated with the above products and meets agency mission requirements. These systems can be viewed as a more affordable communications technology over other existing platforms.

V. Integration The UAS support equipment has the capability to provide the necessary technology integration support as well as innovative hardware and flexible satellite/cellular infrastructure which are customizable to agency requirements.

WorksWell, Gremsy:

The Workswell Wiris pro and Gremsy pixy U gimbal have been tested, evaluated, and approved sensors by the UAS NTDP project managers and UAS Program WO personnel. As new sensors are tested and approved, we will procure for further integration, testing and evaluation. This equipment must be compatible with existing UAS equipment. The only way to open this up to more sources would be significant agency reinvestment and testing/approval of new/different UAS systems; etc.

Solar energy gathering and power supply:

These systems have tested and evaluated by the agency and interagency partners. In an effort to standardize equipment, these products were selected and meet mission requirements. The only way to open this up to more sources would be significant agency reinvestment and testing/approval of new/different systems.

6. Description of efforts made to ensure offers are solicited from as many potential sources as is practicable.

This requirement will be posted to betaSAM to encourage quotes from as many sources as possible. This brand name justification will be made publicly available in accordance with FAR 5.102(a)(6), as prescribed by FAR 13.105(c).

7. Description of the market research conducted and the results or a statement of the reason Market Research was not conducted.

Market research and product evaluations have been completed on the list of items maintained within the justification. At this time, there are no known alternative solutions to the hardware and equipment listed. This hardware/equipment is tested and proven to meet the mission needs associated with UAS.

8. Any other facts supporting the use of other than full and open competition.

N/A

9. Listing of the sources, if any, that expressed a written interest in the acquisition.

N/A

10. Statement of actions, if any, the agency may take to remove or overcome any barriers to competition if subsequent acquisitions are anticipated.

The Government will continue to monitor the marketplace to locate alternative technology that might eventually replace this hardware/software with another system. New technology is continually being tested and evaluated by NTDP. As new technology becomes approved for use, the Government will seek out competition and additional sources.

11. Determination by the Contracting Officer that the anticipated cost to the Government will be fair and reasonable.

The following steps will be taken to ensure that the anticipated cost of this acquisition will be fair and reasonable. The Contracting Officer will comply with the procedures and criteria contained in the FAR, Part 13.106-3, to include technical evaluation. It is anticipated that price reasonableness will be determined based upon receipt of competitive quotations.

Certifications & Approvals

☒ The information provided for this justification has been prepared and certified accurate and complete by Ashton Ferruzii, UAS Project Manager.

Contracting Officer (not exceeding $750,000). I have reviewed this justification and certify it to be accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Mary Shinney Contracting Officer

Concur:

The information contained in this Justification for Other Than Full and Open Competition is certified accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

James Bailey Branch Chief, ITCB