Justification for Other Than Full and Open Competition - tdt 1

Department of Interior
Justification for An Exception to Fair Opportunity Orders Over the MicroPurchase Threshold and Under the Simplified Acquisition Threshold

FAR 16.507-6(b)(1)

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Contracting actively/agency:

Contract Information

The Department of the Interior (DOI), Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Upper Snake Field Office, Idaho Falls District Office. Contract Officer Representative (COR) Benjamin Dyer, Fire Ecologist, DOI US Wildland Fire Service, requests the US Wildland Fire Contracting Activity to contract on a sole source basis.

Description of supplies or services required to meet agency needs:

This request is for approximately 6,000 cubic yards of Wood-Strand Erosion Control Mulch for the stabilization of slopes impacted by the Big Rock Fire. The mulch is to be delivered to Big Rock staging area located off the South Heise Road (E 12000 S) Heise, Idaho, and will be applied for a future procurement for seed/mulch application. The suggested vendor that can deliver the amount of mulch needed in time to be utilized for the seed/mulch project is Wilcox Logging, Inc, 610 E 9000 S, Rexburg, Idaho, 83440-4682, PH: (208) 351-4175

Identification of the limited source(s) to be solicited: Gary Wilcox is the owner of Wilcox Logging, Inc.

Wilcox Logging, Inc. is the only source capable of meeting the requirements of project at such short notice. The required wood mulch is a byproduct of the company's logging operations, and its facility is located adjacent to the Big Rock Fire area. This proximity significantly reduces transportation costs and enables Wilcox Logging, Inc. to provide the material at a substantially lower cost than other sources.

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Reason for authority cited:

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Rationale:

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Market Research:

FAR 16.507-6(b)(1) - The agency need for the supplies or services is so urgent that providing a fair opportunity would result in unacceptable delays.
The need to acquire and apply wood mulch to the fire impacted slopes above the community of Heise, Idaho, is urgent due to the immediate and escalating threat of severe soil erosion following the Big Rock Fire. The burn scar has left the hillslopes hydrophobic and highly unstable, significantly increasing the likelihood of debris flows and sediment transport into the private properties and infrastructure located at the base of the slope. Two significant rain events have already resulted in the movement of material onto roadways and private properties, with additional precipitation events expected in the coming weeks. Because effective slope stabilization requires wood mulch to