95--HANDHELD BLUE WAND DETECTORS (10)

THIS IS A NOTICE OF INTENT, NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL. A SOLICITATION DOCUMENT WILL NOT BE ISSUED AND PROPOSALS WILL NOT BE REQUESTED. The National Park Service, Santa Fe Major Acquisition Buying Office intends to award a contract for Blue Wand Detectors for the Turtle Program for Padre Island National Seashore. The Kemp's ridley sea turtle is the most endangered sea turtle species in the world and is also the most likely of five sea turtle species to be found nesting on South Texas beaches since Kemp's primary nesting grounds are on the northern Gulf coast of Mexico. Historically, CWTs have been to mark hatchling Kemp's Ridley sea turtles before they are released into the wild. From 1993 to 2000, 15,309 Kemp's ridley hatchings were tagged with CWTs. These hatchlings were part of a large study conducted in cooperation with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) on the feasibility and success of rearing hatchlings for one year before release,. Data gathered by CWT detection is needed to assess return of Kemp's ridley sea turtles to beaches where they were imprinted as hatchlings and to help determine age of turtles when they first return to nest. The ecology of sea turtle nesting has been studied quite extensively. However, information about the turtle's age at first nesting and site fidelity are limited. This information will help determine the success of recovery efforts and will allow for more precise management of these rare and long-lived species. The criteria that were utilized to select a vendor capable of supplying detectors for CWTs included: (a) The vendor designed, developed and patent protected the tag, tag injectors and tag detectors used by this project. (b) The use of this type of tagging system by other federal, state, and non-governmental agencies to monitor sea turtles and fish. (c) The ease of use of application, and the reliability of detectors for CWT's. Authority for this award is 10 U.S.C. 2304(1), FAR 6.302-1(a) (2) Only one Responsible Source and No other Supplies or Services will Satisfy Agency Requirements and 6.302-2 Unusual and compelling urgency. If you have specific questions or require clarification of this notice, please contact Pollard Mobley, Contract Specialist at 409-951-6814 or email at [email protected].