AWARD
66 -- Vitamin and Acetic Flow Meters
- Notice Date
- 9/8/2010
- Notice Type
- Award Notice
- NAICS
- 334514
— Totalizing Fluid Meter and Counting Device Manufacturing
- Contracting Office
- Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Administrative Services Division/Contracting, 100 North 6TH Street, Butler Square 5TH Floor, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55403
- ZIP Code
- 55403
- Solicitation Number
- PR-441983
- Archive Date
- 10/26/2010
- Point of Contact
- Carol R. Dingess, Phone: 612-336-3208
- E-Mail Address
-
carol.dingess@aphis.usda.gov
(carol.dingess@aphis.usda.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Award Number
- AG-6395-P-10-0863
- Award Date
- 9/1/2010
- Awardee
- MICRO MOTION INC, 7070 WINCHESTER CIRCLE<br />, BOULDER, Colorado 80301, United States
- Award Amount
- $22,969.00
- Line Number
- 001-006
- Description
- JUSTIFICATION FOR OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION (SOLE OR SINGLE SOURCE - LESS THAN $100,000) In accordance with the authority granted under FAR Part 13, this request for a noncompetitive acquisition is hereby submitted for consideration for acquisition approval. The statutory authority is 41 U.S.C. 253( c )(1) OR 253( c )(2) FAR 6.302-1 The property or services needed by the executive agency are available from only one responsible source and no other type of property or services will satisfy the needs of the executive agency Equipment will be used to prepare artificial diet for PBW, for the international Pink Bollworm Eradication Program (now in progress). The equipment will also be used to make diet for Light Brown Apple Moth and to conduct research on diets for these and other insects. Prior to eradication efforts, the National Cotton Council estimated that U.S. cotton producers' annual losses to pink bollworm were $32 million due to prevention, control costs, and lower yields due to plant damage (National Cotton Council of America. 2001. Pink Bollworm Eradication: A Window of Opportunity, www.cotton.org, 6 pp.) Earlier efforts to control PBW led to construction of the PBW RF. The PBWRF has been rearing large numbers of moths annually since the early 1970s. These moths were used for research and for release in the San Joaquin Valley, CA for implementation of Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) to prevent infestation in that cotton rich valley. During those years, the PBWRF developed expertise that allowed it to be the sole supplier of sterilized PBW, for SIT, to the International PBW Eradication Program, a multi-year program that began releasing sterile PBW in 2005 in Texas and now involves cotton acreage in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California and Sonora and Chihuahua, Mexico. The Facility ships in excess of 20 million sterile PBW per day, from April through October. All diet for these moths is produced using a 80mm twin-screw extruder. Because of the high demand on the extruder and along with a continuing need to conduct research on diet improvement and to produce diet for other insects, a second, 34mm extruder was purchased. Extruders do not come outfitted with flow meters. Production of insect diet is a very exacting and practiced by few facilities. The PBWRF and CPHST need consistency of diet ingredients from batch to batch in order to achieve production targets and to conduct research of diet improvements and compare formulations. Although large amounts of dry ingredients are used (260 kg/hour in 80mm extruder), much smaller amounts (2.88 kg/hour) of vitamins and acetic acid are required. These ingredients are expensive and too much or too little, within close tolerances, reduces production of moths. Further, these ingredients must be precisely metered into the flow of diet so that the entire batch is consistent throughout and each insect receives proper nutrition. Use of automated equipment, especially a twin-screw extruder, is required to process the volume of insect diet required by the Eradication Program. Only Micro Motion flow meters use multi-variable, digital, Coriolis (inertial) flow metering technology. A Coriolis flow meter measures the mass flow rate of a fluid traveling through a tube, past a fixed point, per unit time. Their digital processing allows for simplified 4-wire communication between the flow elements and transmitters and greatly improves performance by reducing signal noise and decreasing response time, compared to analog technology. This provides the PBWRF with the precision required to make insect diet that is consistent throughout the batch and therefore minimizes cost and maximizes production in the facility. The PBWRF has been using very dependable, accurate Micro Motion brand flow meters for the last 15 years. The Micro Motion flow meters are low maintenance and the company is responsive to the PBWRF's needs. It will be cost efficient to have not only the exact meters needed but also a single source/inventory of parts. Flow meter parts would then be interchangeable between extruders and further insure the supply of sterile insects to the PBW Eradication Program. Use of Micro Motion flow meters takes advantage of the current knowledge/expertise of program personnel who use, adjust and maintain the equipment on a daily basis. For the current effort, no additional competition was sought. Micro Motion is the only manufacturer that provides digital, multi-variable, highly precise Coriolis flow meters.
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/USDA/APHIS/Contracting/PR-441983/listing.html)
- Place of Performance
- Address: USDA/APHIS/PPQ/CPHST LAB, 3645 East Wier Ave., Phoenix, Arizona, 85040, United States
- Zip Code: 85040
- Zip Code: 85040
- Record
- SN02273131-W 20100910/100908235841-d7efcd54d98dae1f5e412883e8504e03 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)
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