Soil Moisture Probe - Saskatchewan

Trade Agreement: NAFTA/AIT/Canada-Peru FTA/Canada-Colombia FTA
Tendering Procedures: Generally only one firm has been invited
to bid
Attachment: None
Non-Competitive Procurement Strategy: Exclusive Rights
Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement: No
Vendor Name and Address: 
Hydroinnova LLC
1316 Wellesley Drive NE
Albuquerque New Mexico
United States
87106
Nature of Requirements: 
Soil Moisture Probe - Saskatchewan

KW405-120962/A
Gerstmar, Denise
Telephone No. - (306) 975-8912 
Fax No. - (306) 975-5397

Requirement:
Environment Canada located in Saskatoon  Saskatchewan has a
requirement for the supply and delivery of four (4) Soil
Moisture Probes with two (2) snowfox and four (4) solar kits.

The system must include two components. The first are cosmic ray
sensors that are mounted above the soil/snow surface (here after
called Cosmic-ray soil moisture probe or CRS), and another
cosmic ray sensor (hereafter called Cosmic-ray snow water
equivalent probe or CRSWE) that is mounted at the snow-soil
interface. Both systems must store data on an integrated data
logger. This integrated system will provide the following field
measurements. During the snow free period the CRS measures soil
moisture using naturally occurring cosmic rays. This instrument
will measure average soil moisture over an area approximately
350 m in radius (38 ha) surrounding the probe and to a depth of
approximately 15 to 70 cm depending on soil moisture. In the
snow covered period, this instrument will provide two estimates
of snow water equivalent (SWE). First, the CRS will provide
average SWE over an area of 38 ha and second the CRSWE will
provide SWE over an area of a few square meters directly over
the sensors. The basic principal of both instruments is to use
natural cosmic-ray neutrons. The CRS measures soil moisture and
SWE observations over an area of 38 ha, by measuring cosmic rays
which are inversely correlated with hydrogen content (primarily
water) of the soil and/or snow and are nearly independent of
anything else. For the CRSWE observations, the SWE is dependent
on the attenuation
of cosmic rays.

This device is required in order to test hydrological models
that also operate on a similar size scale. These models are used
to evaluate climate change impacts and also to estimate extreme
events from ungauged northern stream basins.

Northern rivers are undergoing significant changes due to a
changing climate, and appropriate data is required to develop
and test hydrological models that will be used to better
understand the ongoing changes, and to consider future changes.
Such models will also be used to consider extreme events that
have an impact on northern resource development. Study areas are
located in areas of northern Canada in the transition from
northern boreal forest to tundra. In these regions soil moisture
and SWE are critical components of the hydrological cycle, and
key components controlling runoff. However, soil moisture and
SWE are extremely variable on the horizontal scale from cm to m,
and vertically over the range of 10's of m. As a result, it is
extremely difficult to obtain an estimate of average soil
moisture and SWE over the scale that hydrological models
operate. To solve this problem and further develop our
hydrologic models, it is essential to obtain an instrument that
can provide average soil moisture and SWE on the scale at which
our hydrological models operate. It is expected that the device
specified here will be used at Environment Canada (EC) research
sites in northern Canada to obtain the needed data for our
priority research studies. The procurement of this equipment
supports EC's present and future water research and development
of hydrological models. As such, the technical requirement here
requires an instrument that provides average soil moisture
values over an area of approx. 350 m in radius and up to 50 cm
in depth, as well as estimates of SWE.




Mandatory Specifications:
The Soil Moisture Probe required must have the following;
	
 The CRS instrument MUST provide average soil moisture over an
area of approximately 350 m in radius and up to 50 cm in depth.
An instrument that only measures surface soil moisture is not
sufficient.
	
The CRS instrument package MUST also measure average SWE over an
area of 350 m in radius around the instrument during the
snowcovered period.
	
The CRSWE sensors, will measure SWE over an area of a few meters
square directly above the sensor.
	
Data must be acquired at one-hour intervals to enable the
measurement of changes
	       in soil moisture and/or SWE over short duration storms.

Both the CRS and CRSWE must use the same integrated data logger.
	
Data collected include thermal neutron count rate, fast neutron
count rate, barometric
	      pressure, relative humidity and temperature.

The Solar Kit (1000 W solar panel, charge controller, and
cables) is sufficient  to
	       provide the necessary power to run this system over the
summer and winter months.

Application of instruments must be demonstrated in the peer
review literature.
	
CRS will have two neutron detectors, a bare detector that
responds mainly to thermal
	       neutrons and a polyethylene-shielded detector that
responds mainly to epithermal-fast 		       neutrons. Each
counter has its own high voltage power supply and a pulse module
to 		       	       analyze the signals

Calibration for soil moisture can be either site specific or a
universal calibration function should be available that can
produce soil moisture results that explains 75% of the variation.
	


Sole Source Justification:
The CRS 100/B Soil Moisture Probe is the only commercially
available instrument that meets the needs of Environment Canada.
Hydroinnova is the sole distributor of this model of instrument.

The CRS 100/B Soil Moisture Probe offers the following unique
specifications, which are essential to meeting the objectives of
Environment Canada;

1) 	The instrument can measure soil moisture over an area
approximately 350m in radius 			surrounding the probe and to a
depth of approximately 15 to 70 cm depending on soil moisture.

2) 	The instrument can also measure SWE averaged over an area of
350 m in radius surrounding  		the probe. 

3) 	Using the same data logger as the CRS 1000/B, the snow fox
can also measure SWE. 

4) 	The instrument uses natural cosmic ray-neutrons which are
monitored above the soil. Their 		concentrations are correlated
with soil hydrogen content (primarily water) and are nearly
			independent of anything else.



Only Known Source of Supply:
Hydroinnova
1316 Wellesley Drive NE
Albuquerque, New Mexico
87106
USA






Trade Agreements:
The requirement is applicable to the Agreement on International
Trade (AIT) and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

Government Contracts Regulations Exception and Limited Tendering
Reason:
3.15 Non-competitive Contracting Process
b)	The GCRs require the competitive soliciting of bids before
any contract is entered into. 			However, contracts may be
entered into without soliciting bids when:
	iv) only one person is capable of performing the contract (GCRs
6.(d)).

AIT
Article 506: Procedures for Procurement
12. Where only one supplier is able to meet the requirements of
a procurement, an entity may use                     procurement
procedures that are different from those described in paragraphs
1 through 10 in the              following circumstances:
	b)	where there is an absence of competition for technical
reasons and the goods or 				services can be supplied only by a
particular supplier and no alternative or 				substitute exists;
NAFTA
Article 1016: Limited Tendering Procedures
2. An entity may use limited tendering procedures in the
following circumstances and subject to the 	     following
conditions, as applicable:
	b) 	where, for works of art, or for reasons connected with the
protection of patents, 				copyrights or other exclusive rights,
or proprietary information or where there is an 			absence of
competition for technical reasons, the goods or services can be
supplied only 			by a particular supplier and no reasonable
alternative or substitute exists;

Contract Value:
The estimated value of this procurement is $104,682.66 CAD.

Delivery Date: Above-mentioned

You are hereby notified that the government intends to negotiate
with one firm only as identified above. Should you have any
questions concerning this requirement, contact the contracting
officer identified above.

An Advance Contract Award Notice (ACAN) allows departments and
agencies to post a notice, for no less than fifteen (15)
calendar days, indicating to the supplier community that it
intends to award a good, service or construction contract to a
pre-identified contractor. If no other supplier submits, on or
before the closing date, a Statement of Capabilities that meets
the requirements set out in the ACAN, the contracting authority
may then proceed with the award.  However, should a Statement of
Capabilities be found to meet the requirements set out in the
ACAN, then the contracting authority will proceed to a full
tendering process.

Suppliers who consider themselves fully qualified and available
to provide the services/goods described herein, may submit a
statement of capabilities in writing to the contact person
identified in this Notice on or before the closing date of this
Notice. The statement of capabilities must clearly demonstrate
how the supplier meets the advertised requirements.

The PWGSC file number, the contracting officer's name and the
closing date of the ACAN must appear on the outside of the
envelope in block letters or, in the case of a facsimile
transmission, on the covering page.

The Crown retains the right to negotiate with suppliers on any
procurement.

Documents may be submitted in either official language of Canada.