Harrington Seed Destructor - Harrow, ON

Trade Agreement: WTO-AGP/NAFTA/AIT/Canada FTAs with Peru/Colombia/Panama 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: de BRUIN ENGINEERING PTY LTD 255-261 COMMERCIAL STREET WEST SOUTH AUSTRALIA 5290 PO BOX 52 Australia 5290 Nature of Requirements: Harrington Seed Destructor - Harrow, ON

01580-150037/A Mack, Wayne Telephone No. - (306) 975-4004 ( ) Fax No. - (306) 975-5397

To supply one (1) Harrington Seed Destructor (HSD) machine unit and associated essential installment equipment (to interface with a combine harvester), which includes a cross auger and trough, slinger fan, swivel coupling, flexible high abrasion resistant hose, tow hitch, square to round transition piece, and drop out chute for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Harrow, ON. Delivery is desirable by 31 October 2014.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION: The HSD unit and associated installation equipment are required to determine the effectiveness of harvest weed seed destruction in the chaff fraction of crop residue (emitted by a combine harvester) on reducing the soil weed seed bank, as part of an Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) Science and Technology Branch project involving research scientists and biologists from across Canada. The equipment is critical to achieving research, development, and analysis (RDA) deliverables from this management-solicited project, and will significantly advance herbicide-resistant (HR) weed management in field cropping systems nationwide. Crop production is threatened from the increasing occurrence of HR weeds, particularly glyphosate-resistant (GR) and multiple (mode of action) -resistant populations. The majority of Canadian growers are now challenged with HR weeds. Non-herbicidal weed management tools are needed for sustainable control of GR and multiple-resistant weeds in Canada. In Australia, the HSD is a cage mill-based chaff processing unit that destroys most weed seeds exiting the combine harvester (>95% when evaluated in fields of wheat, barley, and lupin). The apparent ability of the HSD to effectively intercept weed seed inputs without interfering with commercial grain harvest represents a significant technological advance for the grain production industry. With the increasingly limited herbicide options in cereal, oilseed (soybean, flax), and pulse crops, the lack of new herbicides introduced in the past 20 years, and the increasing incidence of GR and other HR weed populations in these crops, we need to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of harvest weed seed management by means of this critical tool under Canadian climatic and agronomic conditions.

Business Objectives The AAFC Science & Technology action plan aims to align science resources and activities to help Canada's agriculture, agri-food and agri-based products sector, increase its environmental sustainability, compete in markets at home and abroad, manage risk, and embrace innovation. The equipment is critical to RDA addressing the AAFC business objective of enhancing environmental performance of the Canadian agricultural system. GR weeds are a recognized threat to sustainable crop production and to the agroecosystem, with a high impact for Canada. Growers in 2013 found control of GR weeds to be difficult. Reversion to tillage (which is already occurring) leads to increased soil erosion, reduced carbon sequestration, and increased greenhouse gas emissions. Where GR weeds occur, herbicide use has increased, with greater adverse environmental impact. Knowledge gained while completing the project objectives will significantly mitigate these adverse environmental impacts by improving existing recommended practices for proactive and reactive GR weed management.

SOLE SOURCE JUSTIFICATION: de Bruin Engineering Pty Ltd. is the sole licensed manufacturer and distributor of the HSD. This machine represents the only commercially-available technology globally with the ability to destroy the viability of weed seeds in commercial field harvest operations (besides windrow burning, which is environmentally unacceptable). The machine has now been evaluated over multiple growing seasons in Western Australia, and has demonstrated its stated ability to destroy weed seeds as evident in peer-reviewed scientific papers. Because the prime focus of the project is the evaluation of the efficacy of harvest weed seed management to mitigate the proliferation and spread of GR weeds in western and eastern Canada, the AAFC project (ending 31 March 2017) cannot proceed without this vital equipment. There are no alternative available means (technologies) for achieving project objectives.

No other commercially available technology has >95% weed seed destruction efficacy when used during commercial harvest of major grain crops (wheat, barley, and lupin), as verified by independent peer-reviewed research.

Total Estimated Cost: CDN $243,741.87

GCR Exemption: d) only one supplier (person or firm) is capable of performing the contract.

NAFTA Limited Tendering Reason: (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.

WTO Limited Tendering Reason: Article XV (b) when, for works of art or for reasons connected with protection of exclusive rights, such as patents or copyrights, or in the absence of competition for technical reasons, the products or services can be supplied only by a particular supplier and no reasonable alternative or substitute exists;

AIT Article 506: 12) to ensure compatibility with existing products, to recognize exclusive rights, such as exclusive licences, copyright and patent rights, or to maintain specialized products that must be maintained by the manufacturer or its representative; Delivery Date: Above-mentioned

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