Intent_to_Award_Notice__DOIGFBO250029_1.pdf

Intent to Award Notice – DOIGFBO250029

The US Geological Survey (USGS) has a requirement The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Water

Mission Area, Observing Systems Division, Hydrologic Networks Branch requests a sole source acquisition with the following provider of atmospheric deposition station operation services for a cooperatively supported station between the USGS and the site owner, Big Springs Fish Hatchery and operator, Gary Siegwarth in support of the interagency National Atmospheric Deposition

Program, National Trends Network (NADP-NTN

The total anticipated period of performance will be 03/04/2025 - 03/03/2026 (+ four option years).

The USGS is aware of no other source that can provide the above. Therefore, it intends to make an award to Gary Siegwarth unless it is contacted by any vendor who believes they have similar technical expertise and can provide the same service(s). Vendors are invited to contact the Contract

Specialist, Leah Williams via email at lwilliams@usgs.gov no later than 09:00 AM EDT, Tuesday, March 04, 2025 with an affirmative answer.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) considers employee signatures to be Personal Protected

Information, and therefore all employee signatures have been redacted. By posting this document, the Contracting Officer attests all appropriate signatures have been obtained.

JUSTIFICATION FOR OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION (FAR 13.1)

The following information is provided to demonstrate the proposed contractor’s unique qualifications:

Operation of a NADP-NTN wet atmospheric monitoring station. Operation requires weekly site visits to the site to collect, process, and ship the precipitation sample, collect, process and transmit associated data with the site including the precipitation gage record and perform routine instrument checks, maintenance and repairs as needed. NADP site operations is described in detail in the document "National Trends Network Site Operations Manual" at NTN-

2000_Operations_Manual_v_OB2.

Since 2009, the USGS has relied on the expertise and monitoring abilities of Mr. Siegwarth, a well-respected biologist for the Iowa Commission Big Springs fish hatchery. As an employee with the Big Springs fish hatchery, Mr. Siegwarth has permission to access the site, which is on land owned by the Iowa Commission, Big Springs Fish Hatchery. This is a fenced and restricted area due to site security measures and pumping equipment is collocated with the NTN monitoring equipment, therefore, they do not allow third-party vendors to operate this site or have access to the land, site or equipment.

Furthermore, Mr. Siegwarth is uniquely qualified to continue to provide this requirement due to his experience, knowledge, and expertise to complete the requirements. His expertise provides the uniform, high-quality data that NTN seeks and minimizes the possibility that data will be invalidated, costing the Government unnecessary expenditures due to poor sampling procedures.

It is essential that this requirement be accomplished without loss of continuity by fully qualified mailto:lwilliams@usgs.gov https://nadp.slh.wisc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/NTN-2000_Operations_Manual_v_OB2.pdf https://nadp.slh.wisc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/NTN-2000_Operations_Manual_v_OB2.pdf personnel without incurring delays. Airborne contaminants can present a significant threat to the public’s health and safety, thus, identification and quantification of these contaminants through expedient air monitoring is vital. If a Purchase Order is not awarded to Mr. Siegwarth, the USGS would incur the risk of delaying the reporting of high concentrations of chemicals present in the ambient atmosphere, which would compromise public safety.

Where a USGS-supported site can be potentially operated by any number of interested individuals or organizations, we offer those site duties via a competitive process. This document describes the situation where we have sites that cannot be competed due to the cooperative partnership aspect of these sites’ location and ownership. No other source is known in the

Elkader, Iowa, area that is qualified to complete the requirement.

Although these cooperative sites have typically been operated for many years often by the same organization or individual, when and if the opportunity arises to either relocate the site or have the operation of the site turned over to another organization, the USGS has and will in the future use a competitive process to select a new site operation partner.