FAR 13 Single Source or Brand Name Justification Less Than SAT v2 (002) redacted.pdf

United States Department of Agriculture Limited Source/Brand Name Justification

FAR 13.106-1(b)(1) – Simplified Acquisitions

1. Identification of the agency and the contracting activity.

For: Superior Ranger District, Lolo National Forest – Superior Fire & Fuels

Contracting Activity: Supplies – the acquisition of a ground ignition system for a truck platform that will be utilized for wildland fire and fuels management burning operations.

2. Description of supply or service required to meet the agency’s needs.

The District is looking for a ground ignition system that will fit a pickup truck platform. A ground ignition system device is a holding tank that carries a fuel mixture used for igniting vegetative fuels. It has a pump system to draft from the tank and provide the fuel agent to a handheld or vehicle mounted trigger-controlled wand. An ignition source (flame or electrical arc) is at the end of the wand to ignite the fuel agent as it exits. The pump provides the pressure to shoot the burning fuel agent onto vegetation.

The district needs a ground ignition system for treating fuels and vegetation. The district has a very extensive and busy timber sale program that has 17 open timber sales covering approximately 17,000 acres scattered across almost 600,000 acres of district lands. In addition, the district fire shop does large ecosystem burns to maintain ecological integrity. NEPA covered acres for burning work are approximately 80,000 acres. General staffing of the district for fire/pile burning is 10 or less people. The truck sized ground ignition unit can cover lots of ground quickly with less people. A 2-person crew with the truck can go through several units very quickly and ignite all the slash piles and move onto another sale. A larger tank (75+ gallon) allows a single truck to operate across multiple sales for burning without another chase truck providing slash fuel to keep refilling the ignition system. Utilizing multiple vehicles, crew members, and standard drip torches is significantly inefficient for covering the vast amount of acreage and burning work required to meet targets.

The district needs a ground ignition system that is: large gallon capacity (75 or more gallons), truck mounted/truck skid to carry the weight, self-contained/operating system, spraying distance of 50 to 100 feet with a hose of at least 25 feet that can be added onto to extend even further. A heavy-duty pump system that can produce high pressures to propel the fuel agent long ranges – gasoline powered, not a 12v battery operated system. US Department of Transportation tank specification requirements, full rollover protection, and be certified by the Northwest Coordination Group and National Training and Development Program for safety and useability. Additionally, see the NWCG Equipment Standards for Ground Ignition Equipment:

Equipment Standards for Torches The minimum equipment standards that must be met are listed. Additional agency-specific standards may be required.

Fuel Tank Requirements

• Tanks or drums with a capacity of 55 gallons or greater must meet DOT specifications for transporting flammable liquids.

• Tanks with a capacity of less than 55 gallons must be leak free.

• Tanks larger than 119 gallons must have a FLAMMABLE placard and the 1203 UN identification number installed on all four sides of the tank or on the sides of the tank and the front and back of the transport vehicle. The 1203 identification number may be displayed separately or as part of the FLAMMABLE placard.

• Tanks or drums with a capacity of 119 gallons or less must have a FLAMMABLE LIQUID label installed and be marked GASOLINE, UN 1203.

• Tanks with a capacity larger than 119 gallons must have an emergency shutoff valve that is marked and easily accessible in the event of an emergency.

• Bolt or weld the tank to the skid or trailer frame. Bolting the tank to the trailer’s expanded metal decking is not acceptable.

• Tanks with a capacity of larger than 119 gallons shall be installed so that the emergency shut- off valves are protected and not protruding from the vehicle.

• Tanks larger than 60 gallons shall be equipped with a fill spout that extends to within 6 inches of the tank bottom or be equipped to fill from the bottom to prevent static electricity from building up and discharging.

• All tanks or drums 55 gallons or larger shall be equipped with a 2-inch male camlock (cam and groove adapter) by male NPT (national pipe taper) thread for use with the vapor recovery/removal hoses. A dust cap shall be provided with the adapter to prevent contaminating the tank when the vapor hose is not being used.

• Tanks or drums must be equipped with a means such as a hatch or sight glass to see the fuel level.

• Tanks or drums must be equipped with a relief valve to allow air to enter and exit during pumping operations.

Pump

• Must have non-sparking internal components.

• Must have seals and gaskets that are compatible with gasoline.

• Must be designed to operate at the system’s pressure and flow rate.

• Must be designed to operate at the design revolutions per minute of the system.

Pump Relief Valve

• The system must be equipped with a relief valve to prevent excessive pressure from building up if the pump’s discharge piping is blocked.

• The discharge of the relief valve may be connected to the pump inlet or to the tank.

• The relief valve must be sized for full pump flow.

• The relief pressure setting must not exceed the pressure ratings of any of the system’s components.

• All the materials, including the seals and gaskets, must be compatible with gasoline.

Electrical Requirements

• Permanently seal electrical connections to prevent sparks.

• Install a protective housing over switch housings to reduce sparks.

• Install the battery in an enclosed battery holder as far away as possible from potential sources of fuel leakage. The battery shall be connected to the terra torch engine with No. 4 cables encased in plastic conduit. The conduit shall be secured to the terra torch skid or vehicle bed. Alternatively, the terra torch may be connected to the vehicle’s battery using No. 4 cables.

• Protect wiring from abrasion using split loom, conduit, or other methods. Electrical tape is not considered adequate. Where wiring passes through frame members, it shall be protected by rubber grommets to protect the insulation.

Engine Installation

• Locate the fuel tank so the engine can be refueled without spilling fuel on a hot engine.

• Shield the engine or piping so that leaks in any of the piping, pump seals, hoses, or other components cannot spray gasoline or gel on a hot engine. The shielding shall not interfere with the cooling of the engine.

Hoses, Piping, Valves, and Fittings

• All hoses, piping, valves, and fittings shall be sized to allow adequate flow for mixing the fuel and gelling agent and for dispensing the fuel through the wand.

• All piping must be supported and secured.

• Hose installations shall be protected from abrasion.

• All hose assemblies shall have swaged end fittings.

• All hose assemblies shall be conductive.

• All cam and groove fittings shall be equipped with self-locking levers or be provided with other means to prevent the levers from releasing accidentally.

• All valves shall be permanently labeled, indicating their function and direction of flow.

• The pressure gauge shall be isolated from the gelled fuel by a diaphragm assembly.

Vapor Removal and Recovery

• Each torch of 55 gallons or greater capacity shall be equipped with a vapor removal/ recovery hose.

• The minimum hose length is 50 feet.

• The hose assembly shall be electrically conductive.

• The hose shall be compatible with gasoline vapor.

• The hose shall be equipped with a 2-inch male camlock (cam and groove adapter) by male

NPT (national pipe taper) thread.

Bonding

• Each torch shall be equipped with an electrical bonding cable to be used during fueling.

• The torch must remain electrically bonded to the transport vehicle while on the vehicle.

Securing the Torch to the Vehicle

• The torch shall be secured to the vehicle or trailer so that it does not move during transit or during the firing operation.

Trailer (Forest Service only) If the torch is mounted on a trailer, the trailer must be equipped with brakes if the gross trailer weight rating is 1,500 pounds or more. The brakes must be designed so the operator can activate them independently of the vehicle foot brakes (FSH 7109.19, 31.3).

3. The rationale or circumstances for limiting competition.

Two ground ignition sources are available – Vulcan Flamethrowers and GelFire Terra Torch systems.

Vulcan Flamethrowers does not meet the needs of the government and has not contacted the National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) or National Technology and Deveopment Program (NTDP) programs for validation and testing of their igntion system to meet the standards of governement agency use. It has a very small fuel agent tank of 16 gallons which will significantly increase the need for additional people and vehicles to operate a fuel chase truck. In addition it only has a 10 ft hose.

The GelFire Terra Torch does meet the governments needs. It has been tested and verified by the NWCG and National Technology and Deveopment Program (NTDP) programs for safety and use. The Terra Torch has a much larger capacity that is needed for the type of work that will be done. It meets all of the National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) standards for fuel tank, pump, pump relief valve, electrical, engine, fueling, hose/pipes/fittings, vapor/de-gassing, electrical bonding to prevent electrical arc, and more. It has a 75 gallon capacity that will allow a 2 person team and 1 truck to expediently complete fuels treatments across a larger landscape. It has the pressure capability to safely spray the ignited fuel agent up to 100 feet and the hose length comes standard with 35 total feet and can be added onto for additional length.

*GelFire is the manufacturer of the Terra Torch and is the only distributor of the ignition system.

There are no other distributors for the device.

4. A description of the market research conducted and the results or a statement of the reason market research was not conducted.

Three ground ignition systems were found during market research. Vulcan Flamethrowers, Wildland Solutions, and GelFire Terra Torch. Wildland Solutions only sells the Vulcan Flamethrower as a distributor – so there is only 2 (two) different torches available.

Vulcan Flamethrowers https://vulcanflamethrowers.com/utv-electric-ignition-drip-torch/ Wildland Solutions https://wildlandsolution.com/ GelFire Terra Torch Ignition Systems – Gelfire (gelfiresystems.com)

A sources sought was posted on GSA advantage on August 14th, 2024 with a close date of Aug 20th, 2024. This notice was sent to 509 vendors with the following MAS codes:

3FIRE- Fire Management Equipment https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fvulcanflamethrowers.com%2Futv-electric-ignition-drip-torch%2F&data=05%7C02%7Calexander.wickham%40usda.gov%7C1d2163d1bfac4f8791bc08dcbc9ef768%7Ced5b36e701ee4ebc867ee03cfa0d4697%7C1%7C0%7C638592639449164248%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=09Lxscd%2FX5lT8ZWJBe8i0%2FvA1p%2BOXzFUTKAhp1a3JNI%3D&reserved=0 https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwildlandsolution.com%2F&data=05%7C02%7Calexander.wickham%40usda.gov%7C1d2163d1bfac4f8791bc08dcbc9ef768%7Ced5b36e701ee4ebc867ee03cfa0d4697%7C1%7C0%7C638592639449178154%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=fjqbRwwrYONQyDflGOlr5A9A1sWZzXCZo8Qg9y%2FBQKs%3D&reserved=0 https://gelfiresystems.com/ignition-systems/

339999S- Safety Zone Products 561210FAC- Facilities Maintenance and Management 326220- Hoses, Valves, Fittings, Nozzles, Couplings and Related accessories

The purpose of this notice was to conduct market research asking vendors if they could suggest alternative products to the Terra Torch Ignition System by Gelfire System. As of Aug 20th, 2024 no vendors have suggested an alternative product.

5. Estimated price, including all options, if applicable.

Purchase of:

- 1 GelFire Terra Torch GFS 75 w/ accessories, training, delivery =

- 2 GelFireCase gelling agent =

- 1 GFSAT Auxiliary Transfer Strainer (3/4”) =

6. Recommended source(s).

Gelfire System

Certifications

Supporting data that is the responsibility of technical or requirements personnel and which form the basis for this justification are accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge.

Alex Wickham, Requisitioner / Lorie Cotter, District Fire Management Officer & Technical Specialist

The information contained in this justification is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief and in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation 13.106-1(b)(1), I hereby determine the circumstances described above deem only one source, or limited sources, reasonably available and competition is precluded for the reasons indicated in this document.

Chad Santone Contracting Officer