Purchase of three [3] Water Quality

Added: Sep 10, 2015 10:41 am NOTICE OF INTENT TO SOLE SOURCE

The U.S. EPA intends to negotiate on a sole source basis, under the authority of FAR 13.106-1(b), with OTT Hydromet of Loveland, Colorado to purchase three (3) Sea Bird Coastal Water Quality Monitors-X. EPA, specifically the Office or Research and Development, Office of National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory - Gulf Ecology Division (GED), is already utilizing ten (10) of these Water Quality Monitor (WQM) models in its research projects. The WQM manufactured by WETLabs is the only unit known to meet the government's needs. This is based upon several factors. First, GED has used these units as part of its research for a number of years. It is important that units be from the same manufacturer to ensure consistency in data collection with the ongoing project. The existing WQM units are deployed in a continuous rotation at several sites. As these instruments are recovered, new instruments are simultaneously deployed in their place maintaining a continuity of the data record. A different instrument would inevitably involve operational differences and data quality differences. These data quality differences would compromise ongoing research efforts and make future research projects more difficult. The data currently obtained have the same variables measured with the same precision and accuracy. Records spanning months to greater than a year are being assembled, with the expectation of performing analysis on the aggregated data, including analysis of trends in pattern and process. Changing instruments would significantly increase the chance that those patterns would be an artifact of instrument characteristics. This makes it imperative that the Agency the purchase WQM units manufactured by WETLabs.



In addition to the need for data consistency, the WETLabs WQM units have the following unique capabilities required by the Agency.



(1) Units must be capable of quantifying water depth, salinity, dissolved oxygen, temperature, chlorophyll-a fluorescence, turbidity, and colored dissolved organic matter fluorescence within a single hardware package and within the ranges specified in the salient characteristics document.



(2) Units must have active and/or passive antifouling measures on all sensors, such that the instrument can be deployed in a high fouling estuarine or coastal marine environment for at least 60 days without maintenance and without significant loss of data quality.



(3) Units must have the ability to either log data internally (i.e., as an autonomous instrument) or provide data to a host instrument such as buoy system with data telemetry.



(4) Units must have the ability to sample and average results for a defined sample period (e.g., 2 minutes) at a defined sampling interval (e.g., 30 minutes).



(5) Units must have the ability to get 59 1 Hz measurements every 30 minutes.



Based on the above, the exact units are needed to fulfill the government's requirements. The Sea Bird Coastal Water Quality Monitors-X is sold exclusively through OTT Hydromet.



This procurement will be accomplished under FAR Part 12 Commercial Procedures. Interested firms may identify their interest and capability to respond to the requirements. THIS NOTICE OF INTENT IS NOT A REQUEST FOR COMPETATIVE QUOTATIONS. A determination by the Government not to compete this acquisition based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Sources wishing to be considered by the agency MUST submit documentation to the office identified in this notice. Documentation must be submitted within 15 calendar days of the date of publication of this notice. Submit your request in writing to David Plagge at the address shown above or email at plagge.david@epa.gov. Telephone requests will not be honored. EPA anticipates award of the resultant order by October 15, 2015.