E52_J_A_HYDROTECH_ZS_Consulting_REDACTED_2_1.pdf

United States Department of the Interior

U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY, Office of Acquisition and Grants

Reston, VA 20192

JUSTIFICATION & APPROVAL FOR OTHER THAN FULL & OPEN COMPETITION

FAR 13.501(a), Sole Source Acquisitions

1. Contracting Agency and Activity.

The Department of the Interior, United States Geological Survey Office of Acquisition and Grants - Reston plans to contract on a sole source basis. This document sets forth the justification and approval as required by FAR 13.501(a), Sole Source Acquisitions.

2. Nature of Action Being Approved.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Water Mission Area, Hydrologic Instrumentation Facility (HIF) requests an award of a non-competitive single-award, Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (ID/IQ) contract to Hydrotech ZS Consulting for hydrologic instruments and equipment maintenance and repairs. The period of performance will be three years from the date of award.

3. Description of Supplies or Services.

This request is for (1) Water Quality (WQ) accessory instrumentation that are used as part of a system to continuously measure a suite of WQ parameters at USGS date collection stations, and

(2) equipment repair and maintenance services for three different brands of water quality products.

4. Estimated Dollar Value.

5. Statutory Authority.

The proposed action may be awarded on a sole source basis under the authority outlined in FAR 13.501(a), Sole Source Acquisitions.

6. Rationale Supporting Use of Citation in No. 5.

All equipment and instruments that will be procured and repaired within this contract are commercial items. These items are essential components of the USGS national stream gaging network. This network, and the data it produces, is a major element of the overall mission of the USGS. The equipment and instruments required for the operation of this network are highly specialized and must meet rigorous requirements for accuracy, operation in demanding field conditions, and interoperability with existing network infrastructure. These instruments and equipment are essential to the effective operation of the network and are also needed to add new stations as programs evolve. In every sense of the term, this network is a system that represents a major investment of resources through time by the agency.

The YSI EXO and 6-Series models of WQ sondes/sensors make up approximately 80 percent of the WQ instruments stocked by HIF. A small segment of field personnel continue to deploy and operate Hydrolab brand of sondes/sensors.

YSI 6-Series sondes are SDI-12 compatible but do not have Bluetooth communication capability. YSI is no longer producing the 6-Series sondes but many units are still actively being used and maintained by the field. The YSI EXO model of WQ sondes is the replacement for the 6-Series equipment. Some EXO models do not have built-in SDI-12 communication and require the use of a signal output adapter (SOA) to enable communication to a data collection platform (DCP). This adapter is extremely difficult to work with due to its undersized wiring junctions, is not weather-proof, and therefore is a major source of field data collection failures which leads to costly additional site visits and unscheduled technician time. The EXO line of sondes is Bluetooth communication capable.

Hydrotech ZS Consulting is the sole manufacturer and supplier of specialty interfaces (E-Hub and Y-Hub) and accessories that provide YSI EXO and 6-Series models with uninterrupted Bluetooth connectivity and simplified SDI-12 communication capability. They are also the only known authorized repair depot for all three brands of YSI, Hydrolab, and Hydrotech WQ sondes, sensors, and cables as well as a reseller of repair parts.

The E-Hub Interface serves as a needed alternative to the above-mentioned Xylem EXO data collection platform (DCP) signal output adapter (SOA) interface. The E-Hub provides uninterrupted Bluetooth communication to the sonde, is waterproof with an IP67 rating, provides regulated and conditioned power to the WQ sonde, and eliminates the need for the field technician to carry multiple types of field cables. Hydrotech ZS Consulting’s Y-Hub is a tool that provides uninterrupted Bluetooth communication to the existing YSI 6-Series WQ equipment. The Y-Hub is waterproof with an IP67 rating, and also serves as a power-conditioner for the 6-series line of WQ sondes.

7. Other Information.

The HIF carries out its mission work by providing instruments and equipment to USGS technicians and scientists across the country. HIF procures these instruments and equipment in quantities sufficient to meet this national need and provides repair and calibration services needed for consistent data. WSC’s can then purchase or rent these items through HIF taking advantage of discounts associated with buying in quantity and receiving added value from the quality-assurance testing performed by HIF.

It is imperative that HIF be able to procure needed items in a timely and efficient fashion. The WSC’s that HIF support; operate in an increasingly time-sensitive environment. A large portion of the hydrologic data collected by USGS is now made available to all interested parties in near real-time on a variety of USGS web pages. This capability has created a new set of demands and expectations for timely delivery of high-quality data. WSC’s rely on HIF to provide a ready supply of instruments and equipment to maintain this real-time stream of hydrologic data.

Instrument failure, whether from routine life-cycle events, vandalism, or destruction by flooding or other acts of nature, must be corrected by WSC technicians quickly. In order to successfully meet this need, HIF must be able to procure, stock in its warehouse, repair, and supply to WSC’s specific makes and models of equipment and instruments that will be required by its cooperators and partners.

Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity contracts provide the HIF a highly effective way of anticipating and meeting future equipment needs. HIF staff use the results of instrument evaluations, quality assurance testing data, requests from USGS field scientists, understanding of existing network infrastructure compatibility requirements, knowledge of USGS program goals and priorities, and historical performance data from the rental program to ascertain existing and future needs for specific instruments and equipment.

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

An important component of the HIF’s overall mission is to actively seek out new vendors and products that meet USGS hydrologic data collection needs as well as identifying new and emerging technologies that may improve or expand agency efforts. Consequently, market research is conducted by HIF staff on a continuous basis. HIF employees maintain numerous contacts with vendor representatives (both sales and technical staff) and are often some of the first to learn of new products and planned innovations from those vendors. HIF staff also provides information to vendors that help them ensure that new products will meet USGS accuracy and performance specifications. HIF staff attends industry trade shows and USGS national meetings annually where they can observe vendor demonstrations and discuss product capabilities. HIF welcomes vendors to visit our facility and provide presentations about, and demonstrations of, their products. Vendor visits to HIF are a frequent and regular occurrence.

HIF staff also maintains a network of contacts with WSC technicians, professionals and managers. These personnel will often try a new device or manufacturer, and if they believe the equipment holds promise for USGS-wide usage, will contact HIF with a request to perform a rigorous equipment evaluation. The HIF conducts an annual process to seek input for new equipment evaluations. The process targets the Water Mission Area Discipline Offices (Surface Water, Ground Water, and Water Quality), National Program Managers, WSC staff, and it also offers vendors a mechanism to nominate their products for evaluation by HIF. Details of this process are on the public HIF website at:

http://water.usgs.gov/hif/programs/instrumenteval/index.html. HydrotechZS does not have any authorized resellers.

9. Future Plans to Permit Competition

HIF will continue to competitively procure all equipment and instruments that are amenable to this form of acquisition. To promote competition, HIF continually tests new devices as they become available on the market. HIF attends vendor conferences, trade shows, meetings, and conferences where vendors are present. HIF encourages vendors to develop and submit products that meet USGS requirements. In addition, HIF promotes visits from vendors to demonstrate and provide information about their products.

10. Recommendation and Certification from Program Office

Based on the above, I recommend this acquisition be conducted on a sole source basis and certify the above statements are accurate.

Date

11. Certifications from the Contracting Officer

a. Price reasonableness will be established by comparison of prices to previous contracts for the same or similar equipment and services, and to public price lists.

b. All of the requirements of the Competition in Contracting Act, (41 U.S.C. 253), as implemented in the Federal and Interior Acquisition Regulations, have been considered in preparing this justification. This justification is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

12. Approvals