Contract No. P12PX12990TAS: 14 1036 This J&A is also available at https://ideasec.nbc.gov/j2ee/opportunities.jsp In accordance with FAR 6.305, FAR 5.406, and FAR 13.501, this special notice publishes the Justification and Approvals for Other than Full and Open Competition. This is not a request for competitive proposals, bids, or quotes. The Government shall consider all responses received prior to the close date of this announcement. Written responses to this notice shall contain sufficient documentation to establish bona fide capability to fulfill the requirement. A solicitation is not available. Please email Contract Specialist, Christie VandenDries, at
[email protected] with responses or questions regarding this requirement. Background: Fish inventory sampling to be conducted in rivers and streams along the Malaspina forelands adjacent to Yakutat Bay with a focus on rainbow smelt presence during the spring and longfin smelt presence in the fall. 1. FAR Statutory Authority cited: 6.302, Circumstances Permitting Other Than Full and Open Competition. No other experienced fisheries consulting contractor is available in the Yakutat area. Contractors from elsewhere will have to travel to Yakutat by plane or boat seven times throughout the summer with all of their sampling and camping gear and charter a plane to get to the sampling streams, charter a plane to move between the sampling sites; or will have to travel to Yakutat by boat. 2. Nature and description of the supplies or services required to meet the agency's needs.April - June 2012: biweekly overnight fish inventory sampling events in selected streams and rivers adjacent to Yakutat Bay from Point Manby to Esker Stream on the Malaspina forelands for a total of four to five biweekly sampling efforts. Another two to three biweekly sampling events will take place in August/September. There will be a total of at least seven of these overnight events. Each event will sample at least two streams/rivers in the signified area within Wrangell-St. Elias National Park's boundaries. In order to follow previous sampling efforts in NPS's freshwater fish inventory, a variety of sampling gear should be used including but not limited to electrofishing (the operator needs to be certified), beach seining, and 12-24 hour hoop trap soaks. 3. A demonstration that the proposed contractor is the only source available to provide these services or goods (i.e. unique qualifications, proprietary rights etc.). The Yakutat Salmon Board, a division of the City & Borough of Yakutat, performs fisheries work in the Yakutat area. It has a vessel docked in the Yakutat harbor that will be able to perform the necessary fisheries work. This contract will involve at least 7 overnight sampling efforts, each taking place on at least two rivers/streams. Extent of the project area covers approximately twenty miles. Moving back and forth between the streams within this distance with all the sampling and camping gear probably requires either a sea-worthy vessel or chartering with one of the local air taxis, a costly undertaking (current rate for a Cessna 206 is $450/hour). Also, coastal weather is not always conducive to flying or sailing. Seven 2-day sampling trips to the forelands could easily turn into longer events than originally predicted and there could be several days of down time, either stuck in Yakutat or at the sampling sites, also a costly undertaking. A local contractor would be better able to judge when the weather will be acceptable for working and will have the option to choose another day for sampling. The local contractor can also rely on local knowledge to narrow down the possible timing and location of these smelt species. 4. A description of the market research that was conducted and the results, or a statement of the reason a market research was not conducted: Oceanlogic, the only fishery consultants that I could find by phone and online that I could find in the Juneau area, does not do work in Yakutat. ABR, an environmental research firm based in Fairbanks, is not interested in giving us a bid that will fall within our budget constraints. Bill Lucey, has worked as a fish biologist in Yakutat since 1995, for USFS and for the City of Yakutat. He is currently the coordinator for the Yakutat Salmon Board, a division of the City and Borough of Yakutat. The Yakutat Salmon Board is part of the Southeast Alaska Watershed Coalition and has worked on other projects with NOAA, USFS, USFWS, and the Yakutat Tlingit Tribe. 5. There are no additional facts supporting the use of other than full and open competition. All actions have been taken to remove or overcome any barriers to competition before any subsequent acquisition for the supplies or services required.