Inactive

This is a Request For Information This synopsis is for information and planning purposes only and is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government. No contract will be awarded as a result of t... This is a Request For Information This synopsis is for information and planning purposes only and is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government. No contract will be awarded as a result of this Sources Sought announcement. The United States Geological Survey, Office of Acquisition and Grants is soliciting information from qualified sources; the results of this announcement will be evaluated to determine if there are businesses capable of fulfilling this requirement. Background: The U.S. Geological Survey, Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center have used the (YSI 6920) Water Quality Sonde Instrument to measure temperature, specific conductance, dissolved oxygen, and turbidity at designated gaging stations. The USGS researchers have used the (YSI 6920), for over 20 years. However, this model will no longer be manufactured and nor will it be serviced by 2024. The USGS plans to replace all their (YSI 6920) Water Quality Sonde Instruments, in the near future. The USGS is considering Sonde model (YSI Exo3) with additional accessories to seamlessly transition research data continuity FROM the outgoing model (YSI 6920) To (YSI Exo3). The USGS is requesting information from vendors that are qualified to fulfill this requirement. The government requires to duplicate turbidity as closely as possible with the currently used instruments, YSI 6920 equipped with a model 6136 turbidity probe. Fine grained sediment from the study site was incrementally added to a bucket in the laboratory and stirred constantly with a mechanical stirrer. Ten comparison readings at different sediment concentrations and turbidity values were taken. The currently used instrument, YSI 6920, recorded values ranging from 40 to 1100 FNU. The YSI Exo3 recorded values that differed by an average of 25% (lower in all cases except 1) from the YSI 6920 instrument. A side-by-side comparison of a YSI Exo3 and YSI 6920 was conducted at one of the study sites in Grand Canyon in the summer of 2022. Over a 10-day period, with a recording interval of 15 minutes, with the YSI 6920 values ranging from 20 to 1000 FNU, the Exo3 recorded turbidity values that were on average 20% less than the YSI 6920 values. For the lower YSI 6920 turbidity readings, ranging from 20 to 50 FNU, the YSI Exo3 recorded values that were 9% less than the YSI 6920 turbidity readings. These lower turbidity values are of particular interest in the study site due to the behavior of site feeding fish which are predators of the endangered native fish species. Turbidity values above approximately 50 FNU are less relevant because at these higher turbidity levels water clarity is low and as turbidity increases, the ability of the site feeding fish to feed on the endangered fish does not significantly change. YSI Exo3 recorded values of turbidity that were significantly more similar to the YSI 6920 than the values recorded by other similar water sonde instruments and accessories in the industry. The Water Quality Sonde Instrument must have the following Salient Characteristics The new Sonde Water Quality Instruments must list parameters continuously at 15-minute intervals and have the following measuring capabilities see attached: Probes to measure temperature. Specific conductance Dissolved oxygen Turbidity Central wiper Handheld datalogger All the necessary cables Data Collection Platform (DCP) to allow for satellite communication. For further information, interested parties may contact the Contract Specialist, Victor Nuno, electronically at vnuno@usgs.gov by the due date, Friday January 20, 2023 at 5:00pm ET.