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66 -- SOIL MOISTURE MONITORING SYSTEM SOL 29-3K47-97 DUE 091597 POC Janice Speth, Contract Specialist, 301/504-6071 This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for a Soil Moisture Monitoring System, a commercial item, prepared in accordance with the format in FAR Subpart 12.6 as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. The announcement constitutes the only solicitation; proposals are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. The solicitation number 29-3K47-97, is issued as a Request for Proposals (RFP), a commercial item, and incorporates provisions and clauses that in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 90-46. This requirement is 100% set aside for small business. The standard industrial classification code is 3829, with a small business standard of 500 employees. The Government intends to negotiate non-competitively with Sentek, Kent Town, Australia. Under the authority of 41 U.S.C. 253(c)(1) when there is reasonable basis to conclude that the agency's minimum needs can only be satisfied by (I) unique supplies available from only one source. The instrument is solesource to SENTEK because it was the only manufacturer that met the minimum technical requirements below and it will allow continuity in comparing research results between laboratories that currently use the SENTEK instrument. This highly specialized instrument will be used in research by the USDA, Natural Resources Institute, Hydrology Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. This instrument is required for research and will be buried in the soil, where each of the 128 sensors will measure soil moisture content every ten minutes, around the clock, 365 days a year. The soil moisture content will be linked to precipitation and plant evapotranspiration data (two full-scale meteorological stations on-site). As a result, the soil moisture data will be used to evaluate and predict crop growth as well as determining water fluxes through the soil to a wetted riparian wet-land. Once the soil moisture data has been used to calculate water flux, the same data can be linked to the chemical composition of the water to generate chemical fluxes, information critical to evaluating potential groundwater contamination issues. The Soil Moisture System must have the following Minimum requirements: 1) Accurate "real time" readings (+/- 0.1% resolution) of the volumetric soil water content; 2) Demonstrated calibration curve correlation coefficients (between sensor readings and volumetric water content) of at least 0.98 for a wide range of soil water contents and soil textures (please fax example of calibration curves); 3) Temperature range: -20 to +85 C, with less than +/- 0.5% drift due to temperature effects between 10 and 40 C); 4) The sensors must accurately measure volumetric soil water content from air-dry to saturation; 5) Because the probes will be buried, the probes must have a long life, please specify expect life of sensors; 6) Data must be downloaded to portable computer, and the software needs to provide graphic package for visualizing soil water content changes as a function of time (and depth); 7) Soil water contentmeasurements must be continuously measured at 24 locations. At each location, the soil water content will be monitored as a function of depth which will require a total of 128 soil moisture sensors for this purchase; 8) Interval for taking accurate readings must be less than or equal to 1 min./sensor so that water fluxes can be accurately determined (see accuracy requirement above); 9) Installation provided by the seller; 10) Ability to accurately determine soil moisture content with a single calibration over a wide range of soil textures and water contents; 11) To be field-serviceable after initial installation with minimal or no soil disturbance; and 12) Ability to measure water content in discrete intervals (i.e., 10 cm). The proposed contract will include the following: Line Item #1: Soil Water Sensor, 128 each. Line Item #2: 1.0 metre probe, 8 each. Line Item #3: 2.0 metre probe, 16 each. Line Item #4: Logging Facility -- RT5, 4 each. Line Item #5: Power Options -- Solar Panel Kit, 4 each. Line Item #6: Probe Cable -- Solid Fill, 2000 metre. Line Item #7: Cable Connection Kits -- 2/4 Wire Cable Scotchloks, 2 each. Line Item #8: 3 Way Junction Box, 24 each. Line Item #9: RS485 Transmitter, 32 each. Line Item #10: RS485 Receiver (pair), 4 each. Line Item #11: Field Download Cable, 2 each. Line Item #12: Office Download Cable, 2 each. Line Item #13: Installation/Training. Line Item #14: Spare Parts. The delivery is FOB destination (including inside delivery) to the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Beltsville, Maryland. Delivery is required on or about November 5, 1997 or 45 days after award. Any interested/qualified source who believes they can provide the required equipment must respond by 3:00 p.m. September 15, 1997. All such responses will be evaluated in order to determine the ability to meet the above stated capabilities. Responses shall include technical specifications, literature, brochures and other such information corresponding to the required items which demonstrates the capabilities of the offeror's equipment. Offerors shall identify where the offered item meets or does not meet each of the Government's functional and performance minimum specifications listed herein. Each offeror shall furnish past performance information -- three customer references within the last three years for the same or similar items including contract numbers, points of contact, address, and telephone number. The Government will award a contract resulting from this solicitation to the responsible offeror whose offer conforming to the solicitation will be most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered. The following factors shall be used to evaluate offers: Technical capability, past performance and price. Technical capability and past performance, when combined, are significantly more important than cost or price. The following FAR clauses and provisions apply: FAR 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors-Commercial Items; FAR 52.212-2, Evaluation-Award to a technically acceptable offeror, at a fair and reasonable price; FAR 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial Items. FAR 52-212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions-Commercial Items. The following FAR clauses in paragraph (b) of FAR 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statues of Executive Orders-Commercial Items, will apply to the resultant contract: 52.222-26, 52.222-35, 52.222-36, and 52.222-37. Addendum to include 52.214-34, 52.214-35, and 52.247-34. All offerors must include a completed copy of FAR 52.212-3 with their response. (0240)

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