Description
NOTICE OF INTENT TO NEGOTIATE A SINGLE-SOURCE CONTRACT Special Notice:FD-2022-348 NOAA/NMFS/SEFSC In compliance with FAR Subpart 13 coupled with the provisions set forth by FAR Subpart 5.101(a)(1), this Notice is hereby published to inform of the following: The U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), Office of Management and Budget (OMB) intends to negotiate, on a sole source basis, under the authority of FAR 13.106-1(b)(1), with FISHERIES RESEARCH SUPPORT Using the procedures of FAR Part 13 the requirement is to procure the following: The government requires captain only vessel services for UAV project work with focused efforts on the area around the mouth of the Mississippi river. Operations would be conducted for approximately ten days (two five day trips) during September and April/May.The applicable Size Standard is North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code 483114 with a Small business size standard of 500. The purpose of the proposed work is to utilize unoccupied aircraft systems to search for and detect manta rays in the coastal waters around the West Delta and Southeast Pass of the Mississippi River in Louisiana, and to deploy satellite tags on said mantas for habitat use, movement and connectivity studies. Due to the nature of these areas, flights will be performed from a small shallow draft vessel. The SEFSC requires a contractor that can provide a shallow draft vessel capable of navigating the shallow coastal waters characteristic of the areas detailed above. This vessel must have ample room for all scientists and gear, an open bow for deployment and catch of UAS, and a captain knowledgeable of the environment and the species, particularly knowledge of the specific areas in which they are usually found at different times of the year. The charter should be a research vessel as we are not allowed to contract commercial fishing vessels for non-fishing activities. The base period of performance for this work will be from date of award through 12 months, with two five day trips tentatively planned for mid September 2022 and April/May 2023. No option years are included. The contractor will meet the scientific crew in Venice, Louisiana for loading the boat and transit to area of operation. The area of operation for this project will be in the West Delta and Southeast Pass regions of the Mississippi outflow, in nearshore waters of Louisiana. Giant manta rays (Manta birostris) were listed as a threatened species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA) due to their inherent vulnerability with late age at maturity and low reproductive output coupled with overharvest and lack of effective management measures to control the international gill-raker trade in the Indo-Pacific and eastern Pacific portion of its range (83 FR 2916). Data were unavailable to identify physical or biological features essential to the conservation of M. birostris within areas under U.S. jurisdiction, resulting in a “not prudent” determination for the designation of critical habitat under the ESA (84 FR 66652). Significant data gaps were identified regarding giant manta ray movements, foraging areas, aggregation sites and nursery grounds. Additionally, the population structure of manta rays in the northwestern Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico is poorly understood. A putative species or subspecies of M. birostris, near indistinguishable in appearance, has been suggested (referred to as M. cf. birostris; Marshall et al., 2009) to occur in southeast Florida (Pate and Marshall 2020), Flower Garden Banks (Stewart et al. 2018) and Yucatan peninsula in the Gulf of Mexico (Hinojosa-Alvarez et al. 2016), likely co-occurring and hybridizing with M. birostris (Hosegood et al. In Press). Aerial surveys have reported relatively high concentrations of M. birostris in coastal Louisiana during specific times of year. The Species Distribution Modeling (SDM) predicts peak occurrence off coastal Louisiana in April-July and October. Recent shrimp bycatch data suggests this area is a hotspot of manta-fishery interactions. SDM model predictions indicate that mantas prefer fronts within a thermal optima; as such, the fronts produced by Mississippi River outflow may be an important food source for mantas in the Gulf of Mexico. However, other than these efforts based on the limited aerial survey data available, little is known concerning the habitat use and movements of manta rays in the northern Gulf of Mexico outside of the Flower Garden Banks. Recently, Southeast Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC) was awarded funding to increase Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) capacity in the Southeast Region. In addition to the procurement of multiple UAVs, funds were built into that award to support a new project focused on further examining the movements of manta rays and use of northern Gulf of Mexico habitats. **THIS NOTICE OF INTENT IS NOT A REQUEST FOR COMPETITIVE PROPOSALS AND NO SOLICITATION PACKAGE IS AVAILABLE. HOWEVER, FIRMS THAT BELIEVE THEY CAN FULLY MEET THE GOVERNMENT'S REQUIREMENTS MAY SUBMIT SUBSTANTIATING DOCUMENTATION IN WRITING TO THE IDENTIFIED POINT OF CONTACT WITHIN 15 DAYS AFTER PUBLICATION OF THIS SYNOPSIS. SUCH DOCUMENTATION WILL BE EVALUATED SOLELY FOR THE PURPOSE OF DETERMINING WHETHER OR NOT TO CONDUCT THIS PROCUREMENT ON A COMPETITIVE BASIS. A DETERMINATION BY THE GOVERNMENT NOT TO CONDUCT A COMPETITIVE PROCUREMENT, BASED UPON RESPONSES TO THIS NOTICE, IS SOLELY WITHIN THE DISCRETION OF THE GOVERNMENT. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE IN RESPONSE TO THIS NOTICE. Attachments Single Source Determination