SPECIAL NOTICE
52 -- Notice of Intent to Sole Source
- Notice Date
- 9/17/2013
- Notice Type
- Special Notice
- NAICS
- 334519
— Other Measuring and Controlling Device Manufacturing
- Contracting Office
- Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Montana State Office, Federal Building, Room 443, 10 East Babcock Street, Bozeman, Montana, 59715-4704
- ZIP Code
- 59715-4704
- Solicitation Number
- AG-0325-S-13-0004
- Archive Date
- 10/8/2013
- Point of Contact
- Jake M. Ceartin, Phone: 4065876862, Patricia Renevier, Phone: 4065876731
- E-Mail Address
-
jake.ceartin@mt.usda.gov, Patricia.renevier@mt.usda.gov
(jake.ceartin@mt.usda.gov, Patricia.renevier@mt.usda.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- Total Small Business
- Description
- The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in association with the National Water and Climate Center (NWCC) intends to negotiate a sole source fixed price purchase with Pacific Test and Measurement, Clackama, Oregon 97015. The statutory authority permitting other than full and open competition for a simplified acquisition is FAR 13.106-1(b)(1): For purchases not exceeding the simplified acquisition threshold (SAT), contracting officers may solicit from one source if the contracting officer determines that the circumstances of the contract action deem only one source reasonable available (eg urgency, exclusive licensing agreement, brand name or industrial mobilization). The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has a need for replacement electronic pressure transducers for use in the automated SNOwpack TELemetry (SNOTEL) network operated by the Montana Data Collection Office (MTDCO). The Pacific Measurement (DRUCK) pressure transducers provide the data readings for the two most important sensors in the SNOTEL system, Precipitation and Snow Water Equivalence (SWE). This data is used in essential engineering research and development projects with field applications throughout the USDA-NRCS. These projects help to monitor and predict the snow melt runoff and required reservoir storage as well as crop water uses. Over the years USDA-NRCS has many hours using and studying transducers for this application with many failures from various manufacturers at a significant cost to the government. These failures have ranged from sensors not designed for this use to sensors that don't hold up under extreme environments. Failures of these sensors require a minimum of two field technicians to make a service call via truck, snowmobile, or helicopter to replace the questionable sensor at a significant cost to the Government. Due to these failures, the USDA-NRCS National Water and Climate Center-Portland, Oregon has installed an elaborate testing facility to thoroughly test and calibrate the transducers prior to deployment in the field and for periodic calibrations to ensure the validity of their data. These tests include one thousand cycles of pressure from ‘0' to full scale and one hundred cycles of temperature from -20C to +65C over a seven day period. The sensors are evaluated for stability, linearity, and hysteresis. Failure rates for Druck Pressure Transducers is around 2% whereas previously used transducers were running 20-30% failure rates. Presently, the Pacific Measurement (DRUCK) transducer is the only analog pressure transducer tested that meets the demands of the SNOTEL system for quality, linear data throughout the pressure and temperature ranges associated with these applications and for the longevity demanded of such a sensor. Druck has also extended the warranty period from one year to two for use in the USDA- NRCS SNOTEL System To compete this award would create substantial duplication costs for which the Government would not recover. A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed order is at the sole discretion of the Government. Oral Communications are not acceptable in response to this notice. This is a notice and a solicitation will not be issued. NRCS will not respond to requests for for solicitation copies and will not pay for information received in response to this announcement. This notice is not a request for proposals.
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/USDA/NRCS/MTSO/AG-0325-S-13-0004/listing.html)
- Place of Performance
- Address: USDA /NRCS, Montana State Office, 10 East Babcock Street, Bozeman, Montana, 59715, United States
- Zip Code: 59715
- Zip Code: 59715
- Record
- SN03191458-W 20130919/130918000012-6675aab1a744799a68dda8786ad33c28 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)
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