Notice of Intent to Award Sole Source - Campbell Scientific

The USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station has issued a Notice of Intent to Award a sole source contract to Campbell Scientific for soil moisture monitoring equipment. This special notice, posted on September 15, 2025, is not a competitive solicitation but rather a notification of the agency's intent to make a direct award under Federal Acquisition Regulation Part 6.302-1, which allows sole source procurement when only one responsible source can satisfy agency requirements. The Forest Service has determined that Campbell Scientific's HS2 HydroSense II Handheld Soil Moisture Sensor is the only equipment that meets their specific operational needs. The procurement falls under NAICS code 334516 for Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing and PSC code 6640 for Laboratory Equipment and Supplies. The agency emphasizes that this notice is not a request for competitive proposals or offers.

The primary objective of this procurement is to establish a consistent and compatible soil moisture monitoring system that will enable the Forest Service to build a comprehensive dataset for forest management operations across multiple national forests in the eastern region. The technical specifications require equipment capable of functioning in rugged terrain and diverse weather conditions, sampling soil depths of 20 centimeters, operating in rocky or cemented soil conditions, and maintaining battery life for six months while supporting hundreds of soil samples per site. Interested parties have until September 25, 2025, at 10:00 AM Eastern Time to respond with clear and convincing evidence that competition would be advantageous to the government. Any responses must demonstrate capability to meet the specific requirements, though the government retains sole discretion in determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. The agency will not reimburse any costs associated with providing capability information to potential contractors.