This publication serves as notice of intent to procure water chemistry analysis for long-term limnological and water quality investigations for the Department of the Interior, National Park Service, on a sole source basis from the Cooperative Chemical Analytical Laboratory at Oregon State University, Corvallis OR (CCAL) under the authority of FAR 13.106-1. A signed Justification for Other than Full and Open Competition for Simplified Acquisitions is on file (text is included herein). This Notice of Intent is not a request for price quotations, nor will award be made on the basis of quotations received in response to this notice. No solicitation document exists. Parties with questions about this notice may contact the Contracting Officer at
[email protected]. JUSTIFICATION 1. Nature and/or description of the item/service being procured and its intended use (include the anticipated cost): Preparation of consumables and analysis of water chemistry for approximately 80 samples per year, from five parks (Ebey¿s Landing, Lewis and Clark, Mt. Rainier, North Cascades, Olympic) in the North Coast and Cascades Network¿s (NCCN) Long-term Mountain Lakes and Water Quality Monitoring Programs, along with additional aquatic research projects. Analyses and consumables may include a combination of the following components, using the associated analytical methods: nutrients (total nitrogen - persulfate digestion, total phosphorus - persulfate digestion, orthophosphate - ascorbic acid, nitrate + nitrite on Chromatography, and ammonia - phenate); suspended solids and total dissolved solids (total filterable residue); Anions (Chloride ¿ Ion Chromatography, Sulfate ¿ Ion Chromatography); Cations (Sodium ¿ Flame AA Spec, Potassium ¿ Flame AA Spec, Magnesium ¿ Flame AA Spec, Calcium ¿ Flame AA Spec); dissolved organic carbon (combustion-infrared), Filter preparation (deionized water wash and fire >450°C), and bottle washing (acid wash). Additional analyses and services may be requested by the NCCN¿s Long-term Mountain Lakes and Water Quality Monitoring Programs. The National Park Service¿s Pacific West Region has been procuring water sample analyses for long-term ecological monitoring programs since 1984, and the NCCN parks have been collecting and analyzing samples since 1986. Estimated annual costs for these analyses are roughly $12,000. Since the Mountain Lake Protocol is a priority component of the NCCN¿s Inventory and Monitoring Program the same amount of sample effort is expected occur in perpetuity. This JOTFOC is for a contract to be awarded for a base plus four option years, with a total estimated cost of $65,000. 2. Sole Source Justification rationale (Check one and explain below): ___X__ Only one responsible source. ______ Urgent and compelling circumstances exist. Include critical delivery or performance dates, and when you became aware of the requirement. Provide a specific statement of the impact on Government operations, financial or otherwise, if the required delivery or performance dates are not met. ______ Other _____________________________________________________ Explain: The North Coast and Cascade Network and additional park projects require the analysis of water chemistry for long-term limnological and water quality investigations. Water from various sources at all participating parks is routinely analyzed for water chemistry during spring, summer, and autumn to assess current status and long-term changes in lake, river, and stream ecology. Research for the NCCN began in 1986 and the Cooperative Chemical Analytical Laboratory (CCAL) has been the sole lab providing water chemistry analysis for that time. In order to identify changes in water quality over time, it is imperative that analysis methods remain identical throughout the duration of the study. To not use identical methods negates the ability to accurately measure changes and compromises the ability to identify directional trends over time, a crucial component of the NCCN¿s long-term studies. Water quality analysis methods are not defined so specifically that any two laboratories use the exact same procedures; therefore the level of consistency and identical methods required for these projects can best be achieved by utilizing the same laboratory from year to year. It is crucial to the validity and continuity of the long-term data that identical methods are used for water chemistry analysis throughout the study. If methods ever do change or an alternative lab is used, samples must be intercalibrated for a considerable period of time, that is, replicate samples are analyzed using both methods and labs to compare results. Collecting and analyzing replicate samples for intercalibration will result in a significant increase and prohibitive cost to NCCN Inventory and Monitoring program. The scientific principles used in long-term environmental studies simply do not allow for the changing of laboratories. Without credible data, the parks will be unable to determine if the water quality from sample locations has changed, nor will the Park Service will be able to protect the integrity of its aquatic resources. CCAL is a non-profit cooperative laboratory operated by the College of Forestry at Oregon State University (OSU) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service. CCAL specializes in high quality, trace level analysis of nutrients, ions, and physical properties of lake, stream, precipitation, and groundwater research samples. CCAL participates in the USGS Standard Reference Water Survey Program, an external inter-laboratory quality assurance program, to monitor accuracy of analytical procedures. Data produced by CCAL from a standardized set of protocols allows direct comparisons among diverse studies within our discipline of interest, creating a legacy of data that grows with each new study. CCAL performs water analysis for other federal long-term studies. Because of its previous history providing water quality analysis for NCCN and associated parks, the requirement to maintain consistency and identical methods and the high cost to calibrate sample testing by a new lab, CCAL¿s focus on high quality, trace level analysis of nutrients, ions, and physical properties of lake, stream, precipitation, and groundwater research samples, and CCAL¿s ability to do all our required analysis and services in-house, CCAL is the best laboratory to perform the water chemistry analysis to meet the specific need of the NCCN Long-term Monitoring Program, which is to provide scientifically credible and comparable long-term monitoring. 3. Market Research. Explain the results or why one was not performed. State whether any other offers were received or anyone expressed interest: Market research determined that CCAL¿s prices are fair and reasonable when compared to the pricing structures of other laboratories in this region. 4. If this is a determination for sole source, the Contracting Officer certifies: a. Only one source is available, or urgent and compelling circumstances exist. b. The anticipated price will be determined fair and reasonable using the price analysis techniques described in FAR Part 13.106-3(a).