AutoFish Tagging

F11PX03098 This is a notice of intent to go Sol Source in accordance with FAR 6.302-1 for the following items: AutoFish Tagging Vendor: Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission205 SE Spokane Street, Suite 100Portland, OR 97202 The Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission (PSMFC) is an interstate Compact established by Congress in 1947 (Public Law 232, 80th Congress, 61 Stat. 419), and adopted by the State of California (Chapter 1447, 1974). The purposes of the Compact are to promote the better utilization of fisheries, marine, shell and anadromous, and to develop a joint program of protection and prevention of physical waste of such fisheries in all of those areas of the Pacific Ocean and adjacent waters over which the compacting States jointly or separately now have or may have jurisdiction. PSMFC is governed by one or more representatives from each state, as determined by state statutes, and is supported by annual funds made available by the member states. One of PSMFC's objectives under the Compact is to facilitate research and management projects relating to interstate fisheries. This includes providing administrative, fiscal and field coordination and support for interstate and State/Federal research and management projects. PSMFC has provided this service to the State of California both in the form of administering federal funds to the State of California and state and local funds from the State of California. Justification to procure fish marking and taggingServices noncompetitively through PSFMC: The PSMFC marks and tags more than eight million Chinook salmon and steelhead annually at fish hatcheries in California's Central Valley Chinook. Marking and tagging are accomplished using sophisticated state-of-the-art patented AutoFish tagging systems, which enable processing of larger numbers of fish and with improved precision as compared to the traditional method of conducting the task manually. PSMFC personnel have specialized technical expertise in the operation of the state-of-the-art AutoFish tagging systems, and no other contractor can provide personnel with the immediate unique technical expertise to operate the Autofish tagging systems. The Autofish tagging systems available for use in California are shared among all of the State and Federally operated hatcheries in the Central Valley, and are the property of the California Department of Fish and Game. Because of the unique expertise required to operate the Autofish tagging systems, the California Department of Fish and game require that PSMFC staff be the only contractor permitted to operate the Autofish systems. Marking/tagging fish using manual techniques is the only alternative to marking/tagging with the automated system, and would result in a significant increase in program cost and decreased precision. Currently, no steps are being pursued to enable full and open competition for subsequent contracts for fish marking and tagging services at the Service's Coleman and Livingston Stone National Fish Hatchery Complex because of the special circumstances associated with the ownership and operation of the Autofish tagging systems.