C.04 Determination of Price Fair and Reasonable Final_Redacted.pdf

Control Number# OJL-21-0016

SOLE SOURCE DETERMINATION

USACE PORTLAND DISTRICT

PHYTOPLANKTON ANALYSES OF WATER SAMPLES FROM NWP BASIN

RESERVOIRS

1. CONTRACTING AGENCY:

Portland District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Contracting Division, 333 SW First Avenue, Portland, Oregon 97204-3495.

2. DESCRIPTION OF ACTION:

This contract action is a firm fixed price contract for commercial, non-personal phytoplankton analysis (lab testing) services of water from samples covering the Lower Columbia Subbasin, Willamette Subbasin, and Rogue River Basin Reservoirs. This base period + four option periods contract will have the following period of performances:

Base Period: Date of contract award through 31 March 2022 Option Period 1: 01 April 2022 through 31 March 2023 Option Period 2: 01 April 2023 through 31 March 2024 Option Period 3: 01 April 2024 through 31 March 2025 Option Period 4: 01 April 2025 through 31 March 2026

3. DESCRIPTION OF SUPPLIES/SERVICES OR NATURE OF CONSTRUCTION:

The phytoplankton analysis services are required for The Corps Water Quality Section (EC-HR) at USACE Portland District. The total estimated value of this requirement is

4. AUTHORITY CITED:

FAR 13.106-1 Soliciting Competition.

(b) Soliciting from a single source.

(1) For purchases not exceeding the simplified acquisition threshold.

(i) Contracting officers may solicit from one source if the contracting officer determines that the circumstances of the contract action deem only one source reasonably available (e.g., urgency, exclusive licensing agreements, brand-name or industrial mobilization).

(ii) Where a single source is identified to provide a portion of a purchase because that portion of the purchase specifies a particular brand-name item, the documentation in paragraph (b)(1)(i) of this section only applies

Control Number# OJL-21-0016 to the portion of the purchase requiring the brand-name item. The documentation should state it is covering only the portion of the acquisition which is brand-name.

5. REASON FOR AUTHORITY CITED:

a. Background: The US Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) and the water quality program is committed to the comprehensive understanding of the interactions of the uses and users of the aquatic environment, the impact of Corps structures, and their operation on the aquatic environment. The water quality program provides one of the greatest opportunities for the Corps to demonstrate its commitment to environmental leadership, conservation, restoration, and water quality program, water quality samples have been collected at the Lower Columbia Subbasin, Willamette Subbasin and Rouge River Basin Reservoirs over the past 36 years to monitor biological data and the amount of nutrients, metals, and contaminants in the reservoir.

In a continual effort to improve water quality conditions in the Corps Reservoirs, while meeting the Reasonable and Prudent Alternative (RPA) 5.1.4 in the titled Monitoring and reporting of interim water quality improvement measures, the Corps will conduct bi-weekly or monthly water quality sampling during the months of April through October, or through December if necessary. The Corps sampling locations may vary from year to year, depending upon the current water quality issues. The location of samples collected by the Corps for submittal to contractor shall include bi-weekly sampling from the Lower Columbia Subbasin at Willow Creek Reservoir and on an as-needed basis from the Lower Columbia Subbasin, Willamette Subbasin and Rouge River Basin. In addition, the Corps Portland District may monitor for harmful algae blooms (HABs) in the Willow Creek Reservoir and the Willamette and Rogue Subbasin throughout the calendar year, and if necessary, into the beginning of the following calendar year if an algae bloom is still present.

b. Justification: The Corps Water Quality Section (EC-HR) has contracted with this small laboratory, Aquatic Analysts, Inc., to perform phytoplankton analysis of water quality samples since 1985. Aquatic Analysts, Inc. has specialized taxonomic identification and enumeration of Pacific Northwest phytoplankton species. Phytoplankton composition changes outside of the Pacific Northwest and identification requires specialized taxonomists as those employed by Aquatic Analysts, Inc. The importance of continuity is reinforced in several articles published in highly regarded peer reviewed journals, such as the Hydrobiologia (2013) 704:256-264. Also, in the Helgoland Marine Research journal (2004) 58:

252-268, Figures 3 and 4 demonstrate the correlation in data variability to time periods where different taxonomist counted the phytoplankton samples, for example. For these reasons, Aquatic Analysts, Inc. should analyze the Corps 2021 water samples, and the next four option years included in the contract.