CastawayCTD JA.PDF

JUSTIFICATION AND APPROVAL

FOR OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION

1. CONTRACTING AGENCY: U.S. Army Engineer District, Galveston, Contracting Division 2000 Fort Point Road, Galveston Texas 77550

2. DESCRIPTION OF ACTION: In an effort to meet industry standards, maintain productivity, support offshore projects, and increase the level of accuracy of our hydrographic surveys, the Survey Section needs to upgrade all survey equipment across Galveston District.

A new fixed price competitive RPF contract will be issued for FAR 12 Commercial Items. The extent of the sources sought request went out as and and The purpose of the sources sought announcement was to gain knowledge of interested, capable, and all qualified small businesses including but not limited to Small Business, 8(a) Small Business Development Program, Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business, and Hubzone firms. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code 541370; Size Standard $2 million.

3. DESCRIPTION OF PRODUCT, SUPPLIES, & SERVICES:

Funding for the contract will be provided through a combination of Construction General and O&M navigation project funds. Our total GPS budget for FY20 will be 2.1 million. This specific cabinet action will look to utilize 1.7 million of the overall budget. The bulk purchase of the Castaway CTD systems will be $37,400 of the total $1.7 million cabinet.

The specific brand name system being requested is:

Conductivity, Temperature, and Depth (CTD) probe Xylem Castaway CTD Off the shelf purchase with minimal lead time as they are based in the USA.

Castaway CTDs incorporates modern technical features which allow it to achieve a 5 Hz response time, fine spatial resolution, and high accuracy. It uses a six electrode flow through conductivity cell with zero external field coupled with a rapid response thermistor to attain high measurement accuracies. The instrument is simple to deploy, does not require a pump, and is hydrodynamically designed to free fall rate of 1 m/s. Castaway systems are superior to other systems in that they directly measure the conductivity, temperature, and depth of the water column. They also have a built in GPS system, and are Bluetooth compatible, so that casts automatically have a date, time, and location stamp associated with each file, and that file is uploaded to a computer when completed. This provides a detailed historical log and prevents human error when typing in the coordinates of each cast. It is also more efficient and utilizes a USB port instead of a serial port on the computer. Many computers and laptops no longer come with a serial port.

4. AUTHORITY CITED: 10 U.S.C.2304(c)(1) as implemented by FAR 6.302 1 Only One Responsible Source and No Other Supplies or Services Will Satisfy Agency Requirements.

5. DEMONSTRATION OF PROPOSED UNIQUE QUALIFICATIONS:

a) BACKGROUND: The Hydrographic Survey Section performs hydrographic surveys of the harbors and waterways throughout the Galveston District. These surveys are performed to assess the general conditions of the federal channels for safe navigation through the harbor and for payment on maintenance dredging for the Galveston multibillion dollar channel maintenance and deepening programs. If the depths are not accurately recorded the dredge volumes are incorrect leading to over or underpaying contractors and soft groundings from deep draft vessels that could result in marine accidents.

In order to have the most accurate data possible, and meet the base requirements outlined in the USACE hydrographic survey manual, sound velocity measurements must be collected through the entire water column in order to determine the most likely path a sound wave will travel. These measurements help adjust the mathematical calculations that ultimately place a sounding on the seafloor at a specific point. Inaccurate sound velocity data means the data depth readings and positions are inaccurate.

b) JUSTIFICATION: There are no other CTDs on the market that have built in GPS and Bluetooth connectivity. Each system costs $6,240 (quote directly from Xylem) and it does not have a yearly calibration requirement which will save the USACE approximately $1,000/year. Some surveys vessels in the fleet are already using this equipment and survey crews are familiar with its operation so minimal training will be required.

c) IMPACT: The USACE requires that 3 casts be collected during each survey. These casts are meant to be logged and archived with each project. However it has been discovered that many of the historical casts were never saved or logged correctly. In an effort to be compliant with the USACE Hydrographic Survey Manual the Castaway system will be used so that Longitude and Latitude coordinates are automatically logged and stored in the software suites own historical database. This will help guarantee that human errors are not made and that critical data is not lost.

d) ALTERNATIVES: None. There are no other options on the market that have a built in GPS system, have Bluetooth connectivity, and directly measure conductivity, temperature, and depth.

6. EFFORTS TO OBTAIN COMPETITION: There will be competition between firms that sell the required name brand automated building management system. Based on market research there is more than one distributor/vendor for this system. The requirement will be advertised on Federal Business Opportunities (www.fbo.gov) with the brand name only requirement in the solicitation.

7. MARKET RESEARCH: Market research was conducted in April 2019. Various vendor were contacted and quotes were obtained for equipment, installation services, and training costs. This information was used to develop and IGE and a Sources Sought solicitation went out August 15th, 2019. After reviewing the Sources Sought responses, the contracting recommendation was to set aside the contract for small business. Quotes for the Castaway CTD were received from Xylem and SES Services.

8. OTHER FACTORS: By using equipment made in the USA and Canada the USACE can expect to see decreased lead times without hassles getting equipment thorough customs, increased customer support in the same time zone without having to place international calls to ask technical questions, and decreased shipping costs associated with needing to ship equipment internationally when the systems need repaired or calibrated.

Using companies with offices in Texas increases shipping cost savings and customer support. Service technicians can go on site to fix problems without having to book flights and hotels. The hydrographic survey mission will not suffer lengthy delays.

9. INTERESTED SOURCES: In accordance with FAR 5.102(a)(6), this Justification and Approval (J&A) will be posted with the solicitation when the solicitation is made available through the Government Point of Entry (www.fbo.gov), and remain posted for the entire time the solicitation is posted. Any sources that indicate interest as a result of the publication will be evaluated.

10. STATEMENT OF ACTIONS TO REMOVE BARRIERS TO COMPETITION IN THE FUTURE:

a) PROCUREMENT HISTORY: Previous Castaway CTD systems were purchased through Xylem in 2012 and 2017 (W45VAK70304396).

b) ACQUISITION DATA AVAILABILITY: Not applicable.

c) UNUSUAL AND COMPELLING URGENCY: Not applicable.

d) SUBCONTRACTING COMPETITION: Subcontracting opportunities exist for suppliers, distributors, and/or installers. This is a restrictive specification that only precludes consideration of a product manufactured by another company. Subcontracting competition will be the responsibility of the offerors or the prime contractor awarded the contract.

11. TECHNICAL CERTIFICATION: "I certify that the supporting data under my cognizance which are included in the J&A are accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief."

NAME: _Erin Diurba__________ DATE: __________________

TITLE: Chief, Hydrographic Survey Section SIGNATURE: _____________________

12. REQUIREMENTS CERTIFICATION: "I certify that the supporting data under my cognizance which are included in the J&A are accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief."

NAME: _Erin Diurba__________ DATE: __________________

TITLE: Chief, Hydrographic Survey Section SIGNATURE: _____________________

13. FAIR AND REASONABLE COST DETERMINATION: "I hereby determine that the anticipated cost to the Government for this contract action will be fair and reasonable based on competition of the overall solicitation." Certified cost or pricing data will not be required as the construction contract in which these brand name items are included will be awarded based on adequate competition.

NAME: _ Aldrich Nichols___ DATE: ___________________

TITLE: _ Contract Officer ____ SIGNATURE: _____________________

14. CONTRACTING OFFICER CERTIFICATION/APPROVAL: "I certify that this Justification and Approval is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief."

NAME: _Aldrich Nichols___ DATE: ___________________

TITLE: _Contract Officer______ SIGNATURE: _____________________