NOTICE OF INTENT TO AWARD A SOLE SOURCE Notice of intent to award a sole source contract to: Aquatics Informatics, Inc, 1100 - 570 Granville Street, Vancouver, BC V6B 3P1 JUSTIFICATION FOR OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION (or SOLE SOURCE) Background: The Aquatics Program within the Arctic Network (ARCN) is developing a long-term water quality and hydrology monitoring design to examine changes in freshwater chemistry, lake levels, and lake discharge. Due to the remote nature of most lakes monitored in ARCN parks, automated data loggers are used as a primary means of collecting continuous, time-series data for water quality and lake levels. These automated devices allow ARCN ecologists to examine season and inter-annual patterns by collecting data on fixed intervals (e.g. hourly) without the need for network staff to repeatedly travel to sampling sites to manually collect data, thus saving on travel costs and staff time. After several years of data logger deployment, large data sets are accumulating and in need of processing. Water quality data processing (e.g. error checking, sensor drift corrections, data flagging) is a critical and required step in the data management process and must be accomplished before ARCN can produce annual reports and archive data on the NPSTORET database at WASO in Fort Collins, an NPS Water Resource Division (WRD) funding requirement. Hydrologic data processing is needed for both data flagging and drift correction as well as stage discharge rating curve development. The only feasible and efficient means of processing large water quality and hydrology data sets is through the use of time-series software. The aquatics monitoring program within ARCN is in need of time-series software that can provide the following: 1) data processing for both water quality and hydrologic data, 2) develop rating curves and apply shifts and offsets that follow the methods and standards of the U.S. Geological Survey, 3) must be able to perform data QA/QC, validation, correction, statistics and reporting of time series data, and 4) provide a complete audit and tracking capability of any changes made to raw data. These requirements are not only needed to ensure viability in data management as part of a long-term aquatics monitoring program, but will be key features in the quality control / quality assurance management plan evaluated by peer reviewers as part of the final, approved monitoring design plan required of all I&M Networks. 1. FAR Statutory Authority cited: 6.302, Circumstances Permitting Other Than Full and Open Competition. The supply, Aquarius Hydrologic Workstation time-series software, required by ARCN is only available through one responsible source and no other type of supplies will satisfy ARCN requirements (those requirements listed in Background paragraph 2). 2. Nature and description of the supplies or services required to meet the agency's needs. Aquarius Hydrologic Workstation time-series software. Aquarius has the capabilities of communicating with automated data loggers currently on ARCN inventory, processing large data sets to correct sensor drift and error, generate data statistics and reports, and process hydrologic data, such as development of stage discharge rating curves. 3. A demonstration that the proposed contractor is the only source available to provide these services or goods (i.e. unique qualifications, proprietary rights etc.). Aquarius time-series software is distinguished from other software packages, including MS Excel and Access, in its abilities to perform a variety of data set corrections to adjust for erroneous sensor readings that are often generated when using automated data loggers in harsh environments (e.g. glacial rivers). Additionally, MS Excel and Access are limited in the amount of data individual worksheets can handle. After two years of continuous water temperature data collection, ARCN has already generated data sets that exceed MS Excel's capabilities. StreamlineENV software by Interactive Oceanographics Inc. is the only other software I am aware of capable of conducting some of the need data processing steps that Aquarius does. However, StreamlineENV does not correct data sets for sensor errors and drift, nor does it perform a variety of hydrologic analyses, such as stage discharge rating curve development, needed by ARCN. There are a variety of other statistical software packages on the market, such as SAS and SYSTAT, currently used by NPS programs that are capable of modeling time series data sets. However, none of these software programs are able to perform the data processing steps needed before statistical analyses can be conducted. The U.S. Geological Survey had previously developed an in-house software program capable of performing quality control on time series data sets. However, this in-house software was only available for USGS employees and is now being replaced by Aquarius in many USGS offices. This Notice of Intent is not a request for Expressions of Interest (EOIs), proposals or quotations. No solicitation document exists and no telephone inquiries will be accepted. No contract award will be made on the basis of EOIs, proposals or quotations received in response to this notice. This supply will be procured under Firm Fixed Price Supply in accordance with FAR 12 procedures and Other Than Full and Open Competition as authorized under FAR 6.302-1. The anticipated award date is August 18, 2010. Point of contact for this acquisition is Deryl Morse at 907/644-3313 or email:
[email protected].