Cableway System

THIS IS A NOTICE OF INTENT TO SOLE SOURCE, NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL. A SOLICITATION DOCUMENT WILL NOT BE ISSUED AND PROPOSALS WILL NOT BE REQUESTED. The International Boundary and Water Commission, United States and Mexico, U. S. Section (USIBWC) intends to award a sole source, firm-fixed price contract under FAR Part 6.302-1 Only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements (Citation 41 U.S. C. 253 (c)(1). This requirement is a total set-aside for small business. The NAICS code is 333923 Overhead Traveling Crane, Hoist and Monorail System Manufacturing with a corresponding small business size standard of 500 employees. The estimated proposed action ranges between $300,000 to $450,000. The USIBWC has a requirement for cableway systems to perform river and stream discharge measurements. The agency has a network of gaging stations used to remotely monitor river flows. At strategic gaging sites, aging cableway infrastructure is used primarily to conduct stream flow measurements for the purpose of calibrating stage/discharge relationship at respective gaging sites. Accurate and timely stream flow data is essential in the appropriate operation of IBWC flood control dams, diversions and containment projects. During the past flood event, many of the agency's cableways were inoperable due to poor cableway structural integrity and personnel safety/security concerns. Without actual stream flow measurements to verify present stage/discharge rating tables, the agency is unable to quantify the flood flows throughout the basin and make informed flood operational decisions. Recently, there has been a recent push in the water measurement industry away from conventional stream measurement techniques toward bank operated cableway systems using Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) technology. The USIBWC has invested considerable resources into ADCP technology. However, our counterpart in Mexico uses conventional stream measurement techniques. It has been determined that Hydrological Services America, LLC is the only source capable of meeting the requirement of a remote and bank-operated cableway system that can conduct both conventional and Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler measurements. The cableway system offered by the contractor was developed to perform river and stream discharge measurements from fixed cableways using either conventional Columbus Type Gauging Weights and Mechanical Type Current Meters and ADCP technology. These systems will allow the agency hydrotechs to conduct streamflow measurements safely from the US river bank. While other vendors offer bank operated cableways, Hydrological Services America, LLC is the only source that offers a remote and bank operated cableway system that can conduct both conventional and ADCP measurements. This notice of intent is not a request for competitive proposals. However, the Government will consider all responses received. A determination by the Government not to compete this acquisition based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Information received will normally be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement.