The U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Eastern Acquisition Division-Kansas City office intends to award, on a sole source basis, under the authority of FAR 13.106-1(b)(1), with Fondriest Environmental for six (6) EXO2 Multi Parameter Water Quality Sondes for the NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL) located in Ann Arbor, MI. 

A Sources Sought notice was posted on the Federal Business Opportunities (FBO) website on December 21, 2016 and closed on January 3, 2017.  No responses were received.

Justification for Sole Source 

The requested is manufactured solely by YSI Incorporated, however Fondriest Environmental is the only authorized distributor for selling the EXO2 sondes, compatible accessories and accessories in Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Kentucky, West Virginia and western Pennsylvania.  These areas are in the geographical location for the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL).  Additionally to meet the government requirements, a Bluetooth requirement exists to limit cabling to the sensors from a vessel on the water, providing for less labor, better safety, and highly accurate readings as part of the Quality Assurance/Quality Control requirements. YSI Inc., is the only manufacturer of sensors that employ Bluetooth technology in their sondes, as well as internally stored calibration coefficients in their individual sensors. These features make field swapping of sensors and communications accurate. YSI Inc.'s software interface uses Smart QC quality assurance checks to search for and prevent faults, errors, and lost data before the Sondes are deployed.