X Ray Diffractometer Redacted J and A.pdf

X-ray Diffractometer (XRD) Requisition Number 519286

JUSTIFICATION AND APPROVAL

for Sole Source Including Brand Name

Less than or Equal to $250,000 (not exceeding $7 .5 million for commercial items)

41 U.S.C 1901 and FAR Subparts 13.5

1. Contracting Activity: Department of Homeland Security United States Secret Service (USSS) Procurement (PRO) Requiring Activity: Forensic Services Division (FSD)

2. Description of Action: The Department of Homeland Security (OHS), United States Secret Service (USSS) Forensic Services Division (FSD) and Procurement (PRO) Division propose to award a sole source firm-fixed-price (FFP) contract under the authority FAR Part 6.302-1 entitled, "Only One Responsible Source, and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements" to Bruker, LLC for the procurement of an X-ray Diffractometer (XRD) system to Bruker AXS LLC, 5465 E Cheryl Parkway, Madison WI 53711, 1-800-234-9729. Commercial and Government Entity Code (CAGE) Code: 8NA 10. The estimated value of the contract is

3. Description of Supplies (and certain) Services: The XRD platform must be capable of identifying components found in ink formulation, on paper, and other trace materials in Questioned Documents. Capabilities required include micro diffraction, small spot size (500 microns or less), a programmable XYZ stage, theta theta geometry, as well as theta-2theta, and a searchable internationally recognized data base. Forensic analysis is a specialized field that requires specialized tools.

Laboratory equipment capable of performing the analysis is critical in order to ensure that supported operations are not compromised. An extensive proof of concept study was conducted across multiple vendors and platforms. The D8 Discover from Bruker specializes in analysis of trace materials and thin layers of materials. Consequently, it significantly outperformed comparable models in the marketplace for written and printed materials on paper. The D8 Discover from Bruker is the only XRD platform, within budget limitations, specifically designed for micro-diffraction and trace analysis.

4. Authority:

X ONLY ONE RESPONSIBLE SOURCE and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. This authority includes brand name.

UNUSUAL AND COMPELLING URGENCY.

_ INDUSTRIAL MOBILIZATION;

ENGINEERING, DEVELOPMENTAL, OR RESEARCH CAPABILITY; OR

EXPERT SERVICES.

INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENT.

X-ray Diffractometer (XRD) Requisition Number 519286

-COMPARISON WITH SIMILAR ITEMS IN A RELATED INDUSTRY.

X COMPARISON TO IGCE.

OTHER.

The Contracting Officer determines that the anticipated price(s) will be fair and reasonable based on market research, current price list and a comparison to the IGCE.

10. Other Facts:· An extensive proof of concept study was conducted with multiple vendors participating. The objective was to analyze and identify components found in ink formulation.

USSS provided inks for analysis on four models from three vendors. The 08 Discover from Bruker outperformed other models by a wide margin.

It is designed for trace analysis and micro-diffraction.

Multiple vendors were contacted and offered the opportunity to participate in the proof of concept study. Vendors competed to demonstrate the capabilities of their instrument. Other vendors required more or thicker layers of ink to provide similar results. Simply creating more materials is not an option for casework in Forensic Analysis. Four vendors were evaluated to determine which platforms could meet the requirements. All four vendors are capable of providing the instrument, however, only one vendor is capable of meeting all of the requirements.

11. Certifications & Approvals: In accordance with the authority(ies) indicated in Section 4, above, and agency procedures, all justification documents must follow the approval process stated below.

Certification (Always Required):

The undersigned hereby certifies that the information provided herein to support this justification is complete and accurate to the best of his or her knowledge and belief.

_Program Office (e.g. COR, SAIC, Program Manager, or Division Chief in accordanc� with business unit operating procedures):

Signature: