JUSTIFICATION_FOR_OTHER_THAN.docx

JUSTIFICATION FOR OTHER THAN

FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION

In accordance with the authority granted under 41 U.S.C. 253(c), this request for award under other than full and open competition is hereby submitted.

1. Identification of the agency and the contracting activity:

Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Alaska Fire Service (AFS) has expanded and modernized the fire weather/danger/behavior assessment tools currently provided to the Alaska Interagency Coordination Center (AICC) Predictive Services. Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Alaska Fire Service (AFS) seeks to continue its process of modernizing though requirements to modify, update and continued hosting of the Alaska Fire and Fuels website.

2. Nature and/or description of the action being approved:

The Alaska Fire Service (AFS) is seeking to contract Mesowest/University of Utah to provide customized programming services and hosting for the continued improvement of the Alaska Fire and Fuels website.

3. A description of the supplies or services required to meet the agency’s needs (including the estimated value):

Improved Situational Awareness tools:

1. Enhance the Fire Behavior Prediction (FBP) Tool. The FBP processor needs improved linkages to directly associate weather stations from the Map Page Station Detail. This will ease completion of a fire behavior assessment by dispatchers for initial attack resources or an Incident Commander.

Enhanced data utilization

2. Increase the availability and utility of remote weather data from across the state. Many Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS) stations have not been utilized in the past because of questionable precipitation data. Since the Alaska Fire and Fuels website has the ability to show weather data even without codes and indices, all weather stations from various monitoring networks could be included, providing the Alaska Fire Service the choice to calculate codes for each station based on data quality. For example, several Cold Climate Research Stations in the Donnelly Training Area report precipitation in a different format; improvements in coding could capture that information.

3. Enhance the Real-Time Mesoscale Analysis (RTMA) database for point locations. A map display of RTMA weather and codes/indices is useful, but of greater utility is the database of daily RTMA values for weather observing locations that can be compared to point observations and forecasts either in tabular or graphical form. In addition, a mouse-over display of RTMA cell values would allow better evaluation of the map grids.

Extended Weather Forecast Utilization

4. Enhance 2-day forecast to include hourly forecasted weather for the first 48 hours at point locations. This would make the Canadian Forecast Indices complete with an hourly Grass Fuel Moisture Code (GFMC) and Grass Initial Spread Index (GISI), allowing fire managers to determine how late in the evening or early in the morning fires will be most active. Safety of ground crews would be improved as periods of intense fire growth can more easily be identified in advance.

5. Extend forecasted weather and Fire Weather Index (FWI) codes and indices to the limit of the National Digital Forecast Database (NDFD). Having a 7-day forecast, instead of just the 2-day forecast the Alaska Fire Service currently receives, would greatly enhance the accuracy of medium range outlooks critical to fire planning and resource movement. Formatting the 7-day output for ingestion into the National Interagency Coordination Center's 7-day Significant Fire Potential Outlook product would be a monumental advancement to Alaskan fire behavior forecast accuracy.

Other Products

6. Production of hourly output that can be ingested by Weather Information Management System (WIMS) for the ASOS network in Alaska. This would eliminate tedious manual input of daily weather information into WIMS, which is often neglected at the most critical times due to busy fire activity, which is when it is most needed by fire analysts for use in the Wildland Fire Decision Support System (WFDSS).

7. Inclusion of additional variables. These would include daily max/min weather elements, Vapor Pressure Deficit (VPD), and other variables that can be displayed on the map page and its station detail screen.

8. Improvement to the season graphs. Graphs for Duff Moisture Code (DMC), Drought Code (DC), Buildup Index (BUI), and Cumulative Daily Severity Rating (CDSR) would be much improved by showing the years of record, identifying critical thresholds, and the ability to customize the display, among other possibilities.

9. Hosting. The Alaska Fire Service foresees at least a five year life span of the Alaska Fire and Fuels website.

4. An identification of the Statutory Authority permitting other than full and open competition:

41. U.S.C. 253(c)(1) as implemented by FAR 6.302-1 Citation 10 USC 2304 (c)(1).

5. A demonstration that the proposed contractor’s unique qualifications or the nature of the acquisition requires use of the authority cited:

A sole-source contract with the University of Utah is required for the following reasons:

In 1992, Alaska adopted the Canadian Forest Fire Danger Rating System (CFFDRS) as their primary fire danger and fire behavior assessment tool for the evaluation of wildland fire risk across the landscape. This system, though designed and implemented for boreal fuels and landscapes much like Alaska’s, are not fully implemented in US systems such a Weather Information Management System (WIMS) and Wildland Fire Decision Support System (WFDSS).

Other states in the Midwest (Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin) similarly adopted the CFFDRS tools for their use. Having received a USFS grant in 2009 to manage the system on an interagency basis, they selected Mesowest at the University of Utah as capable of developing their system given their demonstrated expertise and infrastructure, as well as their role in developing national systems like the Real-time Observation Monitor and Analysis Network (ROMAN) for the US wildland fire management community.

The Great Lakes Fire & Fuels (http://glffc.utah.edu), is the result of 3 years of development and provides much of the functionality sought for Alaska. Alaska Fire Service (AFS) will leverage the functionality already developed and used by fire managers in the Great Lakes States and adapt this software to assist fire managers in Alaska. It will consist of a comprehensive set of geospatial, tabular, and graphical displays of weather, fuel moisture, and fire behavior forecasts for both surface weather observing locations (RAWS networks) and digital grids for the entire Alaska landscape. Development of the Alaska system must take advantage of the “lessons learned” from the Great Lakes project.

Mesowest offers these capabilities, with its related products already in widespread use by fire managers who are demanding increased use to forecasted CFFDRS information, geospatial depictions, and customized user access. Mesowest, with its expertise and infrastructure in weather information collection, storage and display is uniquely qualified to integrate these CFFDRS tools with AFS’ need for expanded use of forecasts and spatial products.

Past performance of building the Alaska Fire and Fuels website.

6. A description of efforts made to ensure that offers are solicited from as many potential sources as is practicable, including whether a notice was or will be publicized as required by Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Subpart 5.2, and, if not, which exception under 5.202 applies:

The MesoWest/University of Utah is the entity that has developed the existing base software that is used by AFS. Therefore, the MesoWest/University of Utah is the only vendor that can provide the requirements identified in the Statement of Objectives in a timely and cost effective manner.

This project not only includes customized programming services but implementation of complicated scientific theories that have been developed by the University of Utah.

7. A determination by the contracting officer that the anticipated cost to the Government will be fair and reasonable, and the basis for that determination:

A team of application developers for BLM completed an analysis of the requested functionality and determined it would require a minimum of 18 months of development at the cost of approximately $180,000.

In addition, hardware acquisition and on-going infrastructure maintenance would exceed $50,000/year based upon a five year average.

8. A description of the market research conducted (FAR part 10) and the results or a statement of the reason market research was not conducted:

The US Forest Service Wildland Fire Assessment System (http://www.wfas.net ) produces forecasted fire danger indices using the National Fire Danger Rating System (NFDRS) and the National Digital Forecast Database. They do not produce these products for Alaska and do not include Canadian Forest Fire Danger Rating System (CFFDRS) outputs, which are of interest to fire agencies here. Further, they do not provide an integrated interface for both point based and grid based products and are not likely to be interested in that capability at this time.

The US Forest Service Rocky Mountain Center (http://www.fs.fed.us/rmc ) provides a variety of fire weather products for the lower 48 states. Like WFAS above, they do provide some access to NFDRS data, though their access to point observations redirects users to Mesowest. There is no attempt to provide CFFDRS products, either for point observations and forecasts or for gridded products.

The Canadian Wildland Fire Information System (http://cwfis.cfs.nrcan.gc.ca/background/summary/fwi ) provides daily depictions of CFFDRS outputs for the provinces of Canada. However, their mission does not include providing system support for agencies in the United States.

9. Any other facts supporting the use of other than full and open competition (FAR 6.303-2(a) (9)):

10 A listing of sources, if any, that expressed, in writing, an interest in the acquisition:

R&B Communications Web907.com Seven Outsource Orion Network Solutions Strategic .

11. A statement of the actions, if any, the agency may take to remove or overcome any barriers to competition before any subsequent acquisition for the supplies or services required:

Purchase the rights to the Alaska Fire and Fuels Website.

CERTIFICATIONS:

I hereby certify that this requirement does not exceed the Government’s minimum needs or schedule requirements, and that the basis for award under other than full and open competition is complete and accurate to the best of my knowledge and belief:

Bev Fronterhouse Chief, Branch of Business and Technology Mgmt. Date

I hereby certify that this justification for other than full and open competition is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief:

CONCUR: ______ NONCONCUR: _________

Procurement Analyst Date