FAR 8.4_Limited Sources Justification 2025 rev.docx

United States Department of Agriculture Limited Sources Justification For an Order/BPA Exceeding Micro-Purchase Threshold & up to the Simplified Acquisition Threshold

FAR 8.405 Federal Supply Schedules Multiple Award Schedule Program Control No. (if applicable) 1114033

1. Identification of the agency and the contracting activity.

Requesting Agency:

USDA APHIS

1920 Dayton Avenue Ames, IA 50010

Contracting Activity:

USDA, APHIS-AAMD Contracting 250 Marquette Ave Suite 410 Minneapolis, MN 55401

2. Description of supplies or services required to meet the agency’s needs (including estimate value).

Due to the circumstances described below, the APHIS, Veterinary Services (VS), National Veterinary Services Laboratory (NVSL), requests the following be acquired using a noncompetitive procurement in support of the program mission requirements. (i.e. Beckman centrifuges maintenance/service).

A maintenance /service agreement for equipment purchased from Beckman Coulter is needed to properly maintain the centrifuges in good working order to provide service to different sections at the NCAH.

3. The authority and supporting rationale.

The following circumstance justifies limiting the source under FAR 8.405-6:

FAR 8.405-6(a)(1)(i)(B) – Only one source is capable of providing the supplies or services requried at the level of quality required.

4. A statement demonstrating the unique qualifications of the proposed contractor or the nature of the action requiring the use of the authority.

Beckman Coulter are the sole manufacturers of the equipment. They have the training, expertise, and authorized field engineers to perform service and maintenance on the equipment and providing original parts. Beckman Coulter only authorizes their certified Maintenance personnel to service their equipment.

5. A description of the market research conducted among schedule holders and the results or a statement of the reason market research was not conducted.

Internet searches for market research indicates that no other potential sources can provide this service with the manufacturer’s expertise.

6. Recommended source(s).

At this time no other certified source for supplying service or parts for have been identified.

Certifications & Approval

Supporting data which form the basis for and included in this justification are certified accurate and complete.

Christian Vélez Microbiologist National Veterinary Services Laboratories Brucella and Mycobacterium, Hemoparasite Reagents Unit

The information contained in this Limited Sources Justification is certified accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Todd Bierl Contracting Officer

Notes and Guidance. Delete these Notes prior to finalizing document for signature.

Pursuant to FAR 8.405-6, Orders/BPAs under Federal Supply Schedule Contracts are exempt from the competition requirements of FAR Part 6; however, ordering activities may restrict consideration of Schedule Contractors. Circumstances justifying limiting the sources include:

a) An urgent and compelling need exists and following the procedures would result in unacceptable delays;

b) Only one source is capable of providing the supplies or services required because they are unique or highly specialized; or

c) In the interest of economy and efficiency, the new work is a logical follow-on to an original Federal Supply Schedule order, provide the original order was place in accordance with applicable Federal Supply Schedule procedures (e.g. competed).

Brand Name. Items peculiar to one manufacturer can be a particular brand name, product, or feature of a product, peculiar to one manufacturer. A brand name item, whether available on one or more schedule contracts, is an item peculiar to one manufacturer. Brand name specifications shall not be used unless the particular brand name, product or feature is essential to the Government’s requirements and market research indicates other companies’ similar products, or products lacking the particular feature, do not meet, or cannot be modified to meet the Agency’s needs. See below for posting of brand name requirements.

Program personnel are advised to work with contracting personnel early on in order to promote and provide for full and open competition amongst schedule holders to the maximum extent practicable. In circumstances that permit restricting the consideration of Schedule Contractors, program personnel shall provide necessary information to contracting personnel to support and document the circumstances limiting competition, including use of brand name specifications, through the use of this form.

Posting. For proposed Orders/BPAs with an estimated value exceeding $25,000 that restrict competition to items peculiar to one manufacturer, i.e., Brand Name, this form shall be posted along with the Request for Quotation (RFQ) to GSA’s e-Buy. This form is not required to be posted with the solicitation when restricting consideration due to urgency, unique source, or logical follow-on as described in the first paragraph above.

Screening. Before posting this Justification, in accordance with FAR 8.406-6 and 24.2, the Contracting Officer is responsible to redact any information that is exempt from disclosure under Freedom of Information Act or information proprietary to the contractor.

Signatures. After review and completion by the Program Office and Contracting Officer, the Word document shall be converted to an Adobe PDF file, and then electronically signed. Signature blocks shall include dates.