P06 - Sole Source Justification Final Signed Redacted.pdf

United States Department of Agriculture Limited Source/Brand Name Justification

FAR 13.106-1(b)(1) – Simplified Acquisitions Control No. (if applicable)FY24-FPAC-Justification-181

1. Identification of the agency and the contracting activity.

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Natural Resources Conservation Services (NRCS) Massachusetts

The contracting organization responsible for this action is the FPAC-BC, IT/Enterprise Branch, Acquisition Division, Section 2.

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

New GPR accessories:

200 HS Antenna and Tablet Package includes: Panasonic Toughpad G2, 200 HS Antenna with HS Module, Tow Handle, Lithium-ion battery (4) and Dual bay battery charger

(FGGS/TABLETG2/50200HS)

WiFi Module allows WiFi connection of the SIR 4000 and the HS Module (FG4KWIFI)

Carbon fiber GPS extension for 1-1/4” OD pole (need pole itself, manufacturer working on updating verbiage internally), Includes mounting screws (FGHS-GPSMNT)

Survey wheel encoder (FGMOD620)

3. The rationale or circumstances for limiting competition.

The following circumstance justifies Soliciting using brand name IAW 5.102(a)(6) and FAR 13.106(1) (b)(3)- For purchases not exceeding the simplified acquisition threshold.

Massachusetts has purchased from this company (GSSI.) before and the additional parts being supplied are for an existing system and order for this system to work properly the 200 HS Antenna and Tablet package is the only option. Additional/upgraded parts can only be purchased from GSSI because of the non compatibilty with existing system. GSSI is the only brand that meets our specifications and is compatible with existing equipment.

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

Market research was conducted using the internet to search for suitable equipment that would work with the current equipment we already have. In the process of conducting market research, it was deemed that there is not an equivalent hyperstacking antenna available through any other manufacturer. This type of antenna is what is desired for deeper geologic and soil surveys and has been shown to be effective in the uses that we anticipate for the equipment. Similar GPR antennas from other manufacturers such as the

Q25 could be used but there is limited information available results of using this equipment for geologic and soil investigations. Additionally, the software systems required to analyze and export the data has not been CCE approved and would require approval to load on government computers. The ability to export files to currently used mapping software such as ArcPro would also have to be established with a different software. Being unable to export and analyze files would limit the use of the data output as much of the use of the information gathered is in the post-processing and analysis. The additional parts provided by GSSI would allow for improved data resolution in areas of soil survey and allow for expanded use of the equipment for archaeological and coastal applications. GSSI is able to provide systems that are compatible without having to buy extra unessary equipment for compatibility.

Because Massachusetts NRCS already has the software and prior GPR equipment from GSSI, there is a proven track record of the ability to use the software, analyze data, and produce products using this technology. Switching to a different brand equipment would hinder the data collection and analysis approach that has been used in the past.

6. Recommended source(s).

GSSI