SingleSourceUnderSAT_WaterborneDataandVesselTracking Redacted.pdf

Single Source/Brand Name Justification

United States Department of Agriculture

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

1. Identification of the agency and the contracting office.

Requesting Agency: USDA, AMS, TMP, Transportation Services Division (TSD)

1400 Independence Ave, SW, Room 0674-South Building

Washington, DC 20250

Contracting Activity: USDA, APHIS, MRPBS, ASD

Minneapolis Procurement Branch, Butler Square, Fifth Floor

100 North 6th Street

Minneapolis, MN 55403

Date: February 2021

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

USDA requires the broadest and most accurate representation of waterborne transportation data. The awarding company must provide import and export transaction level, transportation data. For accuracy, continuity and consistency in reporting, USDA requires the fullest extent of waterborne transportation data available including data from all U.S. ports whether in bulk vessels or in containers. Additionally, the Department requires the awarding company to also provide a robust online platform that displays real time and historical vessel location data that allows for tracking and analyzing global movements.

Waterborne Transportation Data

The data supplier must provide USDA with consistent and accurate monthly agricultural waterborne transportation data as well as at least a consistent 15-year historical dataset. The data must be at the transaction level, compiled from the bills of lading and manifests, that will allow USDA to develop multiple transportation analyses on different commodities, in different trade lanes, and during specified times of the year or month. The data must be delivered within 2 months or sooner of the actual shipment activity. Data taken directly from the bills of lading and manifests allow for more comprehensive transportation level detail of the commercial transaction. USDA must be allowed to publish the purchased data in any format it deems necessary to service the agricultural shipper community and

USDA policy officials. All waterborne agricultural movements must be included, such as bulk, break-bulk, tanker, and container movements. More specific requirements of these data are listed below.

Requirements of the Data/Item Description

USDA requires transaction level agricultural transportation data that includes:

• Data from all available U.S. ports whether they move bulk or containerized cargo, or both.

• At least a 6-digit Harmonized Tariff (HTS) Code—for identifying specific commodities.

• The date cargo departs from or arrives in the United States.

• The date vessel arrives at or departs from the port.

• Separate field identifying whether the shipment is bulk or containerized.

• TEU count, twenty-foot equivalent units.

• Number of containers in each shipment.

• Size of container used to transport the cargo.

• Separate field identifying whether the shipment is refrigerated or not.

• Name of the ocean carrier company moving the cargo.

• Country of origin and destination of the cargo.

• City origin and destination of the cargo.

• Origin and destination ocean ports.

• Transshipment port—the port where cargo is moved from one vessel to another before being moved to its final ocean destination port.

• Name and address of the shippers and buyers involved in the commercial transaction including any third-party logistics providers used to facilitate the transaction.

• Weight of the cargo in consistent units of measure (preferably in pounds or metric tons).

• Value of the cargo shipment.

• The data must undergo vigorous quality control measures to ensure accuracy. These measures should include regular audits of the data against U.S. Customs vessel arrival and departure lists as well as industry verification of the shipments. The company goes to extra efforts to resolve data discrepancies by comparing the datasets with original documentation or official government data. Data updates and corrections are incorporated in the final dataset in a timely manner.

Delivery Format: The format USDA receives the data is very important to allow for flexibility in developing several unique reports. Access to the raw, transaction level agricultural data is important to allow USDA to see each movement and aggregate the data to the level at which the circumstances or market conditions demand.

USDA must receive the data monthly in an electronic format that is easily converted into our existing

SAS databases. Datasets should be delivered via email or approved file transfer. In addition, an online platform must also be available to query and download data as needed.

Period of Performance: USDA requests a contract that provides a full year of data delivered monthly with 5 additional option years. The historical 15 years of data must also be made available at time of purchase.

Vessel Location/Tracking Data

The data supplier must provide a vigorous, real-time and historical online platform of vessel location data. The platform must allow USDA to perform numerous real-time and historical queries of vessel movements, port and country callings. Queries should also allow for analysis based on vessel speed, routing, next and previous ports of call. The platform or online experience must be easily accessible and provide an ease of use that allows USDA to perform quick analysis as needed.

3. The rationale or circumstances for limiting competition.

Only IHS Markit through its PIERS data can provide the complete waterborne transportation data needed in order to meet the mission requirements. No other firms provide the compiled complete data as needed by the program. IHS Markit also provides through its Market Intelligence (MINT) platform a fully functional online platform that tracks real-time and historical ocean vessel movements.

USDA has purchased PIERS data for more than 20 years to meet the requirements stated above and to fulfill its mission. The acquisition has been fulfilled through both competitive and non-competitive sourcing as USDA attempted to find a comparable dataset. However, until other private sector companies are given full access to all port level data, USDA will need to purchase the necessary data from IHS Markit/PIERS as an ongoing, non-competitive acquisition.

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

IHS Markit/PIERS is the only company with full access to all transaction level, waterborne transportation data. IHS Markit/PIERS has unique access to transportation data that other companies do not and therefore provides a significantly broader and more accurate view of waterborne trade. For accuracy, continuity and consistency of reporting, USDA requires the broadest and most detailed data available. Data from a competing company would represent fewer ports and would not present the fullest picture of trade for the agricultural community. In addition, it would not be consistent with our historical datasets and would stymie USDA’s extensive industry analyses. The quality, consistency, and broad coverage of data IHS Markit/PIERS produces, particularly for export data, is used to develop several TSD publications, as well as service our stakeholders through our online data platform.

IHS Markit also provides a highly effective online vessel tracking platform. It offers all the necessary data points and query functionality to allow USDA to easily perform real-time and historical analysis.

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

The quoted price for the dataset with 4 option years is detailed below, however, these are estimates and do not include opportunities for negotiation:

Renewal - 1/1/2021 - 12/31/2021 $ 45,713

Option year 1 - 1/1/2022 - 12/31/2022 $ 47,084

Option year 2 - 1/1/2023 - 12/31/2023 $ 48,497

Option year 3 - 1/1/2024 - 12/31/2024 $ 49,952

Option year 4 - 1/1/2025 - 12/31/2025 $ 51,450

6. Recommended source(s).

IHS Markit provides PIERS waterborne export and import waterborne transportation data as well as a robust online vessel tracking platform called Market Intelligence or MINT.

BSBrown Pencil

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.

April Taylor

USDA/AMS/TMP/Transportation Services Division

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.

Beverly Brown

Contracting Officer

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

For acquisitions greater than the micro-purchase threshold but less than the Simplified Acquisition

Threshold (SAT) the Contracting Officer may solicit from one source only if the Contracting Officer determines that the circumstances of the contract action deem only one source reasonably available

(e.g., urgency, exclusive licensing agreements, brand name, etc.). Contracting Officers must document the rationale for soliciting from a single source, including brand name in accordance with FAR 13.106-

1(b)(1)(i) and FAR 13.106-3(b)(3)(i).

Program personnel are advised to work with contracting personnel early on in order to promote and provide for full and open competition to the maximum extent practicable. In circumstances permitting other than full and open competition, program personnel shall provide necessary information to contracting personnel to support and document the circumstances limiting competition through the use of this form

Advance planning. Contracting without providing for full and open competition shall not be justified on the basis of (1) a lack of advance planning by the requiring activity or (2) concerns related to the amount of funds available to the agency or activity for the acquisition of supplies or services.

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.

Posting. When an acquisition contains brand name specifications, the Contracting Officer shall include the justification required by FAR 13.103-1(b) with the solicitation when synopsizing in the GPE (actions exceeding $25,000) or displaying in a public place (actions exceeding $15,000 but not expected to exceed $25,000), as required by FAR 5.102(1)(6).

Screening. Before posting the justification, in accordance with FAR 6.305(e) and 24.202, 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 routed for electronic signatures. Signature blocks shall include dates.