Digiquartz Intelligent Transmitter

RECOVERY - In compliance with the transparency and accountability requirements associated with the supplemental appropriations provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, Pub. L. 111-5, the Government posts this notice of intent to issue a Request for Quote (RFQ). The U.S. Department of Commerce, NOAA, National Ocean Service, Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS), Engineering Division, Chesapeake, VA has a requirement for the purchase of three (3) Digiquartz Intelligent Transmitters. The equipment is due for delivery on or before August 20, 2009. This procurement is a TOTAL SMALL BUSINESS SET-ASIDE. The associated North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code is 334519 with a small business size standard of 500 employees or less. The Federal Supply Class (FSC) is 6660. The government intends to award a firm-fixed price purchase order for this requirement utilizing simplified acquisition procedures. The Request for Quotations is only available on line by downloading from this site. In order to comply with the Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996, ALL CONTRACTORS must be registered in the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) to be considered for an award of a Federal contract. For information regarding registration in CCR, contact the CCR website at www.ccr.gov/index.cfm. Additionally, each offeror must obtain, and provide with the quote, their nine-digit Dun and Bradstreet (DUNS) number. All responsible sources may submit a quotation which shall be considered by the agency. Quotes are to remain effective for 30 days after close of solicitation. Contractors are encouraged to register with the FedBizOpps Vendor Notification Service. Potential offerors may direct all inquiries pertaining to the solicitation in writing to Janie Laferty at contact@example.gov or faxed to +1 (555) 000-0000. Telephone requests will not be honored. This is a Commercial Acquisition and Federal Acquisition Regulations Part 12 apply. Brand Name Justification ? The Paroscientific Digiquartz Intelligent Transmitter model 6000-30G is the standard pressure based primary water level measurement sensors used at CO-OPS environmental monitoring stations on the Atlantic coast below the Mason-Dixon Line, the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean, and throughout the Pacific. Implementing different sensors in place of the current sensors will result in additional cost and resources. Also, there will be resulting delay for testing, training, and purchase of support equipment. ? Under the current CO-OPS operating system any environmental monitoring sensor that has not been previously approved must be subjected to a series of tests to ensure the quality of the data produced by that sensor and the durability of that sensor for the intended use. These tests usually include bench testing using controlled conditions and physical measurement, controlled environmental testing to check a sensor's reliability under different conditions, and long term comparison testing with accepted sensors at multiple real world locations. These tests and the analysis of the resulting data take a large amount of time, money, and resources to conduct. ? These Paroscientific Digiquartz Intelligent Transmitter model 6000-30G is tied to a series of data collection software and existing infrastructure and are replacements in kind due to a high consumable rate as a result of where they are positioned on piers, buoys, etc. ? CO-OPS stations are designed for optimal performance of the Paroscientific Digiquartz Intelligent Transmitter model 6000-30G. A change of sensor type will result in a need to redesign the existing stations to accommodate the new sensor. ? CO-OPS cannot risk the possibility of new mounting hardware to be developed and purchased to mount a new sensor. ? The data collection platforms at CO-OPS stations are programmed to collect data from the Paroscientific Digiquartz Intelligent Transmitter model 6000-30G. If a new sensor is implemented additional cost for software development will be required. ? Currently CO-OPS field personal and contractors are trained in the use and maintenance of the Paroscientific Digiquartz Intelligent Transmitter model 6000-30G. Additional cost will incur from having to train field personal and contractors on the use and maintenance of a new sensor. ? Using another type of sensor will require the purchase of additional equipment so that the field crews can support multiple sensor types in a given region. ? CO-OPS also has the ability and necessary equipment to calibrate and repair the Paroscientific Digiquartz Intelligent Transmitter model 6000-30G. If a new sensor is implemented new equipment for that sensor will need to be purchased and training will be needed for those tasked with this duty. The Paroscientific model 715 LCD Display is being purchased to further support calibration and repair of the existing Paroscientific Digiquartz Intelligent Transmitters