DESCRIPTION OF THE REQUIREMENTUSFWS intends to procure a Plasma Mass Spectronmeter, this is not a request for quotations. NAIC Code 334511. PSC 6625. 1) Region 7, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Fairbanks Fish and Wildlife Field Office.2) We are preparing a contract for use of the laser ablation, inductively-coupled, plasma mass spectrometer (LA-ICP-MS) managed by the WM Keck Collaboratory for Plasma Spectrometry at Oregon State University. The LA-ICP-MS is a powerful tool in wide use in fish otolith chemistry research when isotope concentrations or ratios are required. 3) The Collaboratory at Oregon State University routinely leases time on the LA-ICP-MS to qualified or trained users. We are supporting graduate student Andy Padilla in his graduate research with Bering cisco by funding his use of the LA-ICP-MS. Purpose is for training, instrument use, and material and supply use. 4) Statutory Authority 41 U.S.C. 253(c)(1). 5) There are no LA-ICP-MS suitable for the required work in Alaska. The use of other similar instruments in California and Utah have been explored but rejected because they were only available to faculty or students directly affiliated with their sponsoring universities, or they had not been used previously in otolith chemistry applications. The Collaboratory at Oregon State University is associated with several professors who routinely use the LA-ICP-MS for fish otolith research and they have agreed to work with Andy Padilla during the prerequisite training and in the analysis of data, factors we believe are tremendously important in this type of research. The use of similar instruments in more distant universities was not investigated because the travel costs would have risen even if cost per hour of instrument time declined. It is our belief that there is only one responsible source available to us for this type of instrument use and no other supplier or service will satisfy agency requirements.6) No other sources are available. 7) Highly advance machines such as the LS-ICP-MS are usually housed at universities or at commercial research laboratories. There are only a few such machines available for use in the United States at major research universities. Their use or lack of use in fisheries research is dependent on the individuals that operate the instruments at the universities that house them. The quality of the product is highly dependent on the operator knowing the details of instrument use with fish otoliths. Some of the university laboratories that house these instruments offer them to visiting researchers more as a courtesy than as a commercial enterprise and set their rates to recoup some of their costs and not to make profit. We strongly believe that all steps to remove or overcome barriers to competition have been taken.9) We did not seek price quotes elsewhere for the reasons described above. All responsible source may submit a capability statement, proposal or quotation which shall be considered by the agency. Responses must be received by 4:00 PM Alaska Standard Time on 02 September 2011 to
[email protected]. Questions or concerns may be directed to Almeda Gaddis (907) 456-0355.