INTENT TO AWARD TO A SINGLE SOURCE
NOAA's NMFS, Alaska Fisheries Science Center, Auke Bay Laboratories, intends to negotiate, on a sole source basis, under authority of FAR 13.106-1(b), to CLS America, Inc. CLS America, Inc. is a satellite service provider for the ARGOS satellite-based system. The Argos system collects data from platform terminal transmitters (pop-off satellite tags) and distributes this sensor and location data to the tag user/owner. Data is retrieved from the tag once it has released from the fish and reached the surface and provided to the tag owner as long as the tag battery is functioning and the tag has not been "turned off." Pop-off tag data is directly retrieved from CLS America, Inc. via daily emails and from the tag manufacturer once it has been received and run tough a quality control procedure. The tags are programmed to communicate with the ARGOS system satellites only, as specified by the manufacturers. Tags used in this study are programmed to remain on the fish for two years, and full data set retrieval is expected to take approximately 6 months maximum. Tags will be released on fish during the summer 2018. Therefore, expected period of performance is expected to extend tough February 2020. SCOPE The National Marine Fisheries Service conducts research on the distribution and migration of spiny dogfish (Squalus acanthias) and sablefish (Anoplopoma fimbria) in the Gulf of Alaska. Tagging studies have been ongoing for both species and may continue into the future. During the summer of 2018 up to 34 pop-off satellite archival tags (PSAT) made by Microwave Telemetry, Desert Star or Wildlife Computers will be deployed on either spiny dogfish or sablefish. These projects have potential for future tag deployments in 2019 and 2020, thus this contract is written with options tough 2024. The tags are programmed to pop-off up to 2 years following deployment and then transmit all collected data to orbiting ARGOS satellites. Complete data transmissions can take up to a maximum of 6 months. The tags collect data on tilt, acceleration, temperature, depth, light level, magnetic field strength of the environments in which the fish inhabits. This contract will support the services necessary to acquire the data from orbiting satellites, process the raw data into user applicable formats, and determine the geographic positions of the tags. SPECIFIC TASKS The Contractor shall receive technical guidance from the onsite COTR or ACOTR in order to meet established objectives listed above and provide the following services or deliverables: A. Base Service: Satellite data upload, download and preliminary data processing. a. Upload data from up to 34 Microwave Telemetry (model X-tags), Wildlife Computers (mini-PAT) or Desert Star (model ST-PSAT) to orbiting ARGOS satellites when tags attempt transmission. Data transmissions will occur between August 2018 and February 2021, or up to 2.5 year from the individual tag's release date. b. Download and process recovered data, includes formatting data into text files and estimating geographic positions recovered data from orbiting satellites. c. Provide electronic access via e-mail or website to data from up to 34 PSAT tags. B. Option 1: Same as above with estimated start and end dates of August 2019-February 2022 for up to 50 total tags. C. Option 2: Same as #1 with estimated start and end dates of August 2020-February 2023 for up to 50 more tags. This is not a solicitation, but a notice of our intent to award to a single source. Any and all questions can be email to heather.mahle@noaa.gov with subject ABL-18093.. ABL-18093 Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
7/22/18, 10:41 PM