SPECIAL NOTICE
66 -- NOTICE OF INTENT TO SOLE SOURCE GEOPROBE SOIL PROBE
- Notice Date
- 7/12/2017
- Notice Type
- Special Notice
- NAICS
- 334516
— Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing
- Contracting Office
- Agricultural Research Service - Western Business Service Center
- ZIP Code
- 00000
- Solicitation Number
- 867406
- Archive Date
- 8/1/2017
- Point of Contact
- Joseph A. Covarrubio, Fax: 979-260-9413
- E-Mail Address
-
joseph.covarrubio@ars.usda.gov
(joseph.covarrubio@ars.usda.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- The U.S. Department of Agriculture, ARS, WBSC, College Station, TX intends to issue a sole source award on or about July 18, 2017 to Geoprobe Systems, 1835 Wall St., Salina, KS 67401 for a Geoprobe 540MT Soil Probe - GH42 Hammer, PortaCo Hydraulic Power Unit, associated hydraulic hoses and a specialty tooling package pursuant to the authority of the FAR 13.106-1(b)(1)(i). Only One Responsible Source and No Other Supplies or Services Will Satisfy Agency Requirements. The USDA, ARS - Grassland, Soil & Water Laboratory, 808 E. Blackland Road, Temple, TX 76502 will be the recipient of the soil probe. Background: Soil sampling is a fundamental aspect of agricultural research and at its root is a simple technology - a tube of some sort is driven into the soil to a prescribed depth and withdrawn, bringing with it the desired soil sample in the form of a soil core. There is a surprising variety of implementations of this basic approach, ranging from hand tools to heavy equipment capable of driving sampling tools 100s of meters deep. Powered soil sampling machines use various tooling motions (rotation, vibration) to help penetrate hard or sticky soils. The large equipment works well for soil sampling where the accompanying surface damage to vegetation and soil compaction surrounding the sample point caused by the machine are not a concern. However, in many ecological studies of plant communities, the weight and soil compaction caused by soil coring machines damages the plants being studied, making it impossible to measure the properties of int erest. Damage to study plots is best avoided by using equipment with as small a footprint and as lightweight as possible. To meet this need, power soil coring equipment configuration with separate hydraulic core pusher and power source allows the core pusher and tooling to be placed in the study plot being sampled while keeping the extra weight and footprint of the power source out of the study plot. Such lightweight, low-impact powered soil coring equipment has widespread application in studies of soil nutrient dynamics, soil carbon sequestration, soil microbial community structure, and ecohydrology. All are aspects of 'Soil Health', a paradigm widely advanced in agriculture to advanced to foster improved agricultural productivity and sustainability, sampling these parameters are central objectives of ARS' Long Term Agricultural Research (LTAR) network. Low-impact powered soil coring equipment should be capable of extracting up to 7.5 cm (3") diameter soil cores from at least 1.2 meter (4') depth in heavy clay soils. The core pusher should be towable behind lightweight utility vehicles (Kawasaki Mule, John Deere Gator, or the like) and the separate power source must fit in the utility vehicle's bed, or both core pusher and power source should fit in the bed of standard sized pickup truck. There are several trailerable power soil corers, but all combine power source and core pusher in one unit. The Geoprobe 540 MT provides the separate core pusher/power source configuration required to avoid damage to study plots. oGeoprobe soil coring equipment is the only manufacturer providing lightweight trailerable soil coring rigs with the core pushing tower separate from the hydraulic power unit. oGeoprobe Core pushing tower provides direct push, rotation, and percussion hammers ('vibration') in the same motion, maximizing the ability to penetrate heavy, sticky, or caliche soils. oPatented Geoprobe tooling designed specifically for use with their core pushing tower is made in the required dimensions for ecological sampling. oExpanded interface capability - The sensor is compatible with a variety of interface options, including stand­ alone mode, serial, Ethernet, and Wi-Fi. oGeoprobe equipment is only available direct from the manufacturer. There is no third-party distribution network. This posting is a NOTICE OF INTENT and is not a request for quotations or proposals. No solicitation document is available and telephone requests for information will not be accepted. Potential sources who believe that they are capable of proving these supplies/services are invited to submit, in writing, substantiating documentation to the identified point of contact by no later than 5 days of the publication of this notice. The information received will be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement for future requirements. A determination by the Government to compete future actions based on responses to this notice is solely at the discretion of the Government. Any questions or concerns about this notice should be directed by email to the primary point of contact.
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/notices/3615f3ae3a6cdf16a31f1a193eff41ef)
- Place of Performance
- Address: USDA, ARS, Grassland, Soil & Water Laboratory, 808 E. Blackland, Road, Temple, Texas, 76502, United States
- Zip Code: 76502
- Zip Code: 76502
- Record
- SN04576617-W 20170714/170712234942-3615f3ae3a6cdf16a31f1a193eff41ef (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
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