Sole Source_LD_LibbyRadarRenewal 2025JUN03.pdf

SINGLE SOURCE JUSTIFICATION

Pursuant to FAR 13.016-1(b)(1)

1. CONTRACTING AGENCY: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Seattle District

2. DESCRIPTION OF ACTION: Approval is requested for sole source justification for a firm-fixed price award to Groundprobe North America LLC for maintenance services, renewal of licensing for software, and major repair coverage for the USACE-owned Groundprobe-provided slope stability radar located at Libby Dam (LD), Libby, Montana.

3. DESCRIPTION OF SUPPLIES: The total estimated value for a base + 4 option year contract is

$251,789.06.

4. AUTHORITY CITED: FAR 13.106-1(b)(1)(i): “(b) Soliciting from a single source. (1) For purchases not exceeding the simplified acquisition threshold. (i) Contracting officers may solicit form one source if the contracting officer determines that the circumstances of the contract action deem only one source reasonable available (e.g., urgency, exclusive licensing agreements, brand-name or industrial mobilization).”

5. REASON FOR AUTHORITY CITED: Pursuant to FAR 13.106-1(b)(1)(i) “Contracting Officers may solicit from one source 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 or industrial mobilization.)”

6. BACKGROUND: The left bank slope of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Libby Dam in

Libby, Montana consists of five major downslope-trending rock ribs whose stability is controlled by geologic structure. The most downstream of these ribs, along the left abutment of the dam, was undercut for highway construction in 1967. This resulted in partial failure of the rib in 1971. Subsequent actions included tendoning of the remaining rock mass, installation of drains, and instrument monitoring of the slope.

The slope has been continuously monitored since 1971 using extensometers. Data indicate that there continues to be a steady, creep-like, down-slope movement of the remaining rock slope wedge from the 1971 slide (referred to as the DS+80 bedding plane and C joint wedge, see Figure 1). Creep rates range from 0.01 to 0.02 in/year (0.25 to 0.5 mm/year). The point at which the wedge will fail cannot be known. The primary danger of this unstable wedge is potential loss of life to highway travelers in the highway cut adjacent to the left abutment and visitors using the parking area.

Due to the aged instruments and monitoring problems such as faulty readings, lapses in data, instrument damage and not being able to get real-time measurements, in August 2018 USACE Seattle District awarded a contract to Groundprobe North America LLC for the purchase of the supply and installation of a new slope stability radar system (with incidental services) for monitoring and support for two years to provide real-time monitoring of slope deformation and notification of potential slope failures until the work could be done internally. A contact was awarded in 2020 to cover 5 more years of service. The contract for those services is due to expire at the end of September 2025 and the work still cannot be done internally. Due to current regulations and policies, the radar data cannot be downloaded and processed on the USACE network, and will require continuous real-time monitoring by the contractor. Therefore, a new monitoring services contract must be awarded in order to continue real-time monitoring to ensure the safety to those at Libby Dam and to the highway travelers.

7. BASIS FOR RESTRICTING COMPETITION:

When the requirement for the aforementioned contract was synopsized, only two quotes were received, each with a different slope stability radar product: Groundprobe North America LLC quoted a SSR-XT / SSR- MT /SSR-SARx while IDS GeoRadar quoted an IBIS-FL Interferometric Radar. When USACE awarded the contract for the purchase of the 2D Slope Stability Radar - Synthetic Aperture Radar (SSR-SARx) proposed by Groundprobe, Libby Dam purchased the system and currently owns it.

The software used for the monitoring services needed by Libby Dam are required to be compatible with Groundprobe’s 2D Slope Stability Radar - Synthetic Aperture Radar (SSR-SARx) and to have the following features:

Able to run 3D Real Aperture Radars (SSR-T and SSR-XT in their Series-2 and Series-3 versions), 2D Real Aperture Radars (SSRFX and SSR-MT), Synthetic Aperture Radar (SSR-SARx) and our new Lidar Technology solutions (GMS and GML) for background monitoring and underground/shotcrete monitoring respectively.

Consists of three components, SSR-Viewer (user interface), SSR-Server (A collection of services which run in the background to record, deliver, display, and evaluate SSR data), and SSR Control (Installed on the SSR only. Responsible for SSR movement and sending, receiving, interpreting, and recording SSR data).

Three modes for viewing data, Live Mode, Critical Monitoring Mode, and Archive Mode.

Collection of services that run in the background: Alarm Evaluator, Alarm Notification, Backup, Configuration Management, Data Management, Diagnostic Evaluator, Health Monitor, Live Monitor, NavStar, Sync, Upload, User, Watchdog, Web Frontend, SSR-Positioner, SSR Environmental; Control and Monitor, GMS-Processor, and Image Station Service.

Impact: Failure to award to Groundprobe could lead to the inability to operate Groundprobe’s 2D slope stability radar. LD could face challenges during programing, maintenance and non-functionality of the system, as well as challenges with interfacing equipment and instruments into the current system. Non-operability of the system could jeopardize dam safety should the slope if monitoring cannot continue.

MARKET RESEARCH: When the requirement for the radar was solicited, it was found that two companies located in the United States (Groundprobe North America LLC and IDS GeoRadar) could provide the supplies and services USACE needed. Market research discovered that the Slope Stability Radar (SSR) – Viewer is GroundProbe's proprietary software for monitoring and analyzing data from the SSR SARx. No other company has access to Groundprobe’s software or has the ability to sell the license for the software.

The only source USACE can purchase the license for Groundprobe’s proprietary software is from Groundprobe. This company is also the only one who has the technical capabilities required to provide the monitoring and data analytics services for their own 2D Slope Stability Radar - Synthetic Aperture Radar (SSR-SARx) system.

Since any other vendor in the United States who could provide a slope stability radar and data monitoring services would provide a completely different radar, Groundprobe North America LLC is the only company that would be able to provide the monitoring services needed compatible with the USACE-owned system. To award the monitoring contract to another contractor would require the purchase of a completely new slope stability radar system, a removal of the currently installed radar, a re-training of Libby Dam personnel and an overhaul of the monitoring process – an option that is impractical and cost prohibitive and therefore not an option for Libby Dam.

Groundprobe North America LLC was found to be active in the System for Award Management and has no exclusions. They have been found to be responsible.

FAIR AND REASONABLE DETERMINATION: Based on previous contracts, current price lists, published catalog pricing and a comparison of quotes received, the anticipated cost or price to the Government for this contract action will be fair and reasonable.

TECHNICAL/REQUIREMENTS (PREPARED BY): I hereby certify that the supporting data under my cognizance included in this limited source justification is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

NAME: Marianna Murphy DATE:

TITLE: Instrumentation Lead SIGNATURE:

CONTRACT SPECIALIST (REVIEWED BY): I hereby certify that the information supporting this limited source justification is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief based on the supporting data provided by technical/requirements personnel and my research of previous contracts.

DATE: NAME: Xuejiao Sun

TITLE: Contract Specialist SIGNATURE:

CONTRACTING OFFICER CERTIFICATION: I hereby certify this justification is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief and determine that the anticipated cost or price to the Government will be fair and reasonable pursuant to FAR 13.106-3.

DATE: NAME: Shemekia R. McMillan

TITLE: Contracting Officer SIGNATURE: