02 NOISS.pdf

NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION

National Ocean Service / Office of National Marine Sanctuaries

Monitor National Marine Sanctuary

NOTICE OF INTENT TO NEGOTIATE A SOLE SOURCE CONTRACT

Date: April 27, 2026 Solicitation Number: REQUIREMENTS-26-1909 Set-Aside: None – Sole Source NAICS Code: 541690 – Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services PSC Code: S299 – Other Housekeeping Services (Conservation) Place of Performance: The Mariners’ Museum and Park, 100 Museum Drive, Newport News, Virginia 23606 Period of Performance: September 15, 2026 – September 14, 2027, with two 12-month option periods to continue services through September 14, 2029 Estimated Value: $5,092,400 (inclusive of all option periods) Contract Type: Time-and-Materials

1. PURPOSE OF THIS NOTICE

In accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 5.101 and 6.103-1 (41 U.S.C.

3304(a)(1)), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Ocean service, Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS) hereby provides notice of its intent to negotiate a sole source contract to The Mariners’ Museum and Park (TMMP) for professional conservation services to conduct ongoing active and preventative conservation care of the USS Monitor Collection, a federally owned NOAA Heritage Asset.

This notice is issued to determine whether any other responsible source capable of satisfying the Government’s requirements exists. All responsible sources that believe they are capable of meeting the requirements described herein are invited to submit a capability statement for consideration. Capability statements will be evaluated to determine whether a competitive procurement is warranted.

2. DESCRIPTION OF REQUIREMENT

NOAA ONMS requires professional conservation services for the ongoing active and preventative conservation care of the USS Monitor Collection, a federally owned NOAA Heritage Asset collection comprising over 210 tons of archaeological materials recovered from the Civil War Ironclad USS Monitor, lost at sea in 1862. The Collection consists of over 5,000 individual artifacts of varying size and material composition, including ferrous metals, iron, wood, leather, textiles, rubber, and other organic and inorganic materials, currently held at TMMP’s Batten Conservation Complex in Newport News, Virginia.

The attached Performance Work Statement includes a complete description of the requirements.

3. BASIS FOR SOLE SOURCE JUSTIFICATION

NOAA intends to award this contract on a sole source basis pursuant to FAR 6.103-1, Only One Responsible Source and No Other Supplies or Services Will Satisfy Agency Requirements (41 U.S.C. 3304(a)(1)), for the following reasons:

• The USS Monitor artifact collection is physically located at TMMP’s Batten

Conservation Complex, Newport News, Virginia, pursuant to a long-term Memorandum of Agreement between NOAA and TMMP. The collection, including the turret, engines, and Dahlgren guns, cannot practicably be relocated for conservation services due to the extreme scale, fragility, and active treatment status of the artifacts.

Any prospective source must have the existing specialized industrial-scale facilities capable of housing and treating these objects in place.

• TMMP possesses unique existing infrastructure specifically constructed and configured to house the Collection, including large watertight desalination tanks, industrial lifting and rigging capacity, cold storage for organic materials, and the physical footprint necessary for the ongoing treatment of objects of this scale. This infrastructure was developed in direct support of the USS Monitor conservation effort and is not replicated at any other institution.

• Treatment continuity is critical to the preservation of the Collection. Interruption of active desalination and stabilization treatment — particularly for large ferrous assemblies — could cause irreversible damage to federally owned Heritage Assets of significant historic and cultural value. TMMP's conservation staff have direct, ongoing knowledge of the treatment history and current condition of all approximately 5,000 artifacts in the Collection.

4. RESPONSE INSTRUCTIONS

Any organization that believes it is capable of meeting the requirements described in this notice shall submit in writing an affirmative response demonstrating a comprehensive understanding of the requirement. All written responses must include a written narrative statement of capability, including detailed technical information demonstrating their ability to meet the requirement as described in the attached Performance Work Statement, including facility infrastructure, personnel qualifications, and relevant prior experience. The response must be sufficient to permit agency analysis to establish a bona fide capability to meet the requirement. Failure to submit such documentation will result in the Government proceeding as previously stated.

Affirmative written responses must be submitted via email to Carley Flaxman, Contract Specialist, at Carley.Flaxman@noaa.gov. Responses must be received no later than 12:00 PM ET on May 1, 2026. Responses received after this deadline may not be considered.

This notice does not constitute a solicitation and is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government to award a contract. No reimbursement will be made for any costs associated with providing information in response to this notice. A determination by the Government not to open the requirement to competition based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government.