Inactive Total Small Business Set-Aside (FAR 19.5)

Type of Notice: Sources Sought Title: 12905B22SS0059– Sources Sought for non-contract radar based discharge and water sensors Description: This is a Sources Sought notice Only. This is NOT a solicitat... Type of Notice: Sources Sought Title: 12905B22SS0059– Sources Sought for non-contract radar based discharge and water sensors Description: This is a Sources Sought notice Only. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. This Sources Sought is issued for information and planning purposes only as part of USDA ARS market research and does not itself constitute an RFQ. This requirement is covered under NAICS code 334513. The purpose of this notice is to obtain information regarding the availability and capability of qualified sources; Small Businesses; HUBZone small business; service-disabled, veteran-owned small business; 8(a) small business; veteran-owned small business; woman-owned small business; or small disadvantaged businesses; Responses to the information requested will assist the Government in determining the appropriate acquisition method, including whether a set-aside is possible. Background: In our projects, we require to estimate all the water balance fluxes at various scales, from plot to watershed scale. Accurate estimation of flow using well-tested conventional approaches such as the current meter and other generally accepted practices are usually within 5% of the actual value. The error and deviation from the true values are uncommon. The non-contact discharge and water level sensors allows water velocity measurement at high accuracy and precision. The radar technology uses the Doppler frequency shift method to determine the water surface flow velocity. The non-contact radar-based measurement for streamflow and water level removes the existing challenges of direct measurement of flow with a current meter or any other instrument that must- be placed in the water, which could introduce high measurement errors and safety hazards. For a known cross-section, the non-contact radar-based water level and discharge sensors provide accurate water flow dynamics. The accurate and high frequency measurement will have a substantial effect on the accuracy of water balance calculations. We need an instrument that is: Capable of providing high-quality, high-resolution velocity and water level measurement of environmental water. Environmental water is a term that describes natural water systems, rivers, and gravity flow systems of open cannel networks. Always provide flow observations without jeopardizing the safety of technicians and site managers. Robust and fully automated recording with sufficient temporary data storage capability and the ability to transmit data remotely. Operational Specifications: The system must be operable with minimum maintenance requirements and no interference with flowing water. The system must be able to measure, compute the water level and velocity, store the data, and transmit the report at regular intervals for archiving. The system must be able to perform duty with the minimum error possible. The system needs to be able to export raw data in a commonly used file format for analysis and evaluations. The system must be operated under extreme weather conditions in California. The system must have the necessary software for data manipulation and accessories for maximum operability and safety. Instrument Specifications: Must be able to measure the velocity of flow from a distance of 10 m – 15 m The instrument must be able to operate and function under -40 60 oC (-40 – 140 oF) temperature. The system must have a 9 - 28 VDC power supply, Reverse voltage protection, overvoltage protection, and a battery capacity of 24 Ah/12 V; 20-W solar panel stand-by power unit. The system must include RS-485 ASCII / Modbus RTU SDI-12 output features. The system must include a robust and secure housing unit to protect the equipment from vandalism. The system must include 4 MB internal flash memory (equivalent to approx. 500'000 measurement values) for data storage. The system must include 2G, 3G (optionally 4G), 3 FTP/HTTP servers, IP call, fixed IP, time-synchronization via NTP, e-Mail, and SMS messages for data logging and communication. The instrument must be able to detect velocity ranges of 0.08-16 m/sec with the accuracy of +/-0.01 m/sec. The equipment must be able to measure velocity at high resolution up to 1 mm/sec. The Government does not intend to make an award based on responses to this inquiry. This notice does not constitute a commitment by the Government. Capability Statement All information submitted in response to this announcement is voluntary, and the Government will not pay for information requested nor will it compensate any respondent for any cost incurred in developing information provided to the Government. Business concerns that possess the capabilities necessary to undertake this work should submit complete documentation of their capabilities to the Contracting Officer. Capability statements shall include the Contractors contact point to discuss their response. The capability statement should include: 1) Acknowledgement that they are able to provide the subject supplies/services being requested; 2) Interested vendors should identify their size standards in accordance with the Small Business Administration; 3) At least three previous requirements that are similar to the requirement include a discussion of the Contract type, delivery method, duration, etc.; 4) Any other information considered relevant to this requirement; and 5) The government requests that no proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included in the response. Any vendor responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine their qualifications to perform the work. Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted. After review of the responses received, a combined synopsis/solicitation may be published on sam.gov depending on the responses received. All responses to this Sources Sought Notice must be received by the notice’s POC by the deadline in order to be considered. Responses may not be returned. Responders are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this Inquiry. Do not submit pricing information in response to this Request.