INTENT TO SOLE SOURCE-Greenhouse Maintenance for Monongahela National Forest Seed Bank Project

This is a Notice of Intent to Sole source. Requests for a solicitation will receive no response. This proposed contract action is published to notify potential sources that the USDA Forest Service (FS), Procurement & Property Services (PPS), is intending to award a sole source, Firm Fixed Price contract to West Virginia University (WVU) , for the procurement and greenhouse maintenance services on the WVU campus. These maintenance services are required for WVU greehouse space utilized by the USDA-FS Northern Reserach Station (NRS).

Project Location: This project is located at West Virginia University, Morgantown WV, 26506 This procurement is being conducted under the authority of FAR 13.106-1(b)(i). For purchases not exceeding the simplified acquisition threshold, Contracting Officers may solicit from one source if the Contracting Officer determines that the circumstances of the contract action deem only one source reasonably available.

Research for the Monongahela National Forest seed bank project will be conducted in dedicated greenhouse rooms at the West Virginia University Evansdale Greenhouse.

The controlled environment needed for this project (e.g., monitoring of temperature, water quality, water vapor pressure differential, and supplemental lighting as well as scheduled settings of temperature and light) requires proper maintenance of exhaust fans, cooling pads, HVAC systems, water pumps, deionized water quality system, vents, louvers, light, sensors, and the control system (MicroGrow). WVU provides NRS dedicated greenhouse space for which NRS covers the cost of WVU maintaining this space.

No other greenhouse in WV or nearby has the same quality of controlled conditions and space necessary to provide this service. WVU is not willing to authorize outside maintenance personnel to manage the greenhouse space used by NRS and it is more efficient and practical to utilize the same University staff Greenhouse Manager and Assistant Manager responsibilities for adjacent university greenhouse space.

The anticipated award date is April 12, 2024. Interested parties may identify their interests and capabilities to respond to this requirement to the Contracting Specialist, Winston Buchanan, by email at winston.buchanan@usda.gov with a courtesy email to the Contracting Officer, Keith Friot, keith.d.friot@usda.gov no later than 1 April 2024. Any response to this notice must show clear and convincing evidence that competition would be advantageous to the Government.

Information received will be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. No reimbursement for any cost connected with providing capability information will be provided.