07 Aw Notice SAM LSJ Redacted.pdf

REQUIREMENTS-24-1110

NCCOS’ Marine Spatial Ecology (MSE) Division couples the principles of biology, geography, and social science to define ecological spatial patterns and their relationships to environmental and societal phenomena across United States (U.S.) coastal and marine ecosystems. MSE’s biogeographic assessment framework, ecological characterizations, aquaculture, and social science research provides information for improved ecosystem-based management solutions that work to support coastal communities and economies.

Work performed by this division facilitates the development of marine spatial plans, defines and predicts the resiliency of coastal ecosystems and communities, produces water column and benthic habitat maps, and delivers a suite of ecological modeling outputs. Major products include ecosystem assessments; ecological distribution products; geospatial characterization of habitats, animal distributions, and species habitat affinities;

characterization and efficacy determination of marine protected areas; and ecosystem restoration.

NCCOS requires support services to obtain the necessary technical and administrative support to ensure the delivery of timely, quality, and relevant research and coastal science products that sustain thriving coastal communities and economies. The primary purpose of this requirement is to provide support for administrative, program, project communication and coordination services. Expected products may be input into planning exercises, planning outcomes, support for data calls, meeting weekly/monthly/quarterly targets, and providing regular, program and project management, scientific and policy analysis, administrative, technical writing, and graphical support.

The services under this task order are variable as they support weather events, which by nature are unpredictable and require involvement from the specific local and/or state jurisdiction. Services under this task order are necessary support to coastal communities after any and all-weather events, and are divided into seven categories detailed below:

1. Administration, management, planning, analysis, and coordination: the contractor will assist various NOAA personnel with drafting documents; participate in meetings; support strategic planning; and support the execution of business operations.

2. Marine science data acquisition: the contractor will assist in the development of experimental and survey design; plan and coordinate the logistics for data collection; conduct field surveys and laboratory research in accordance with NOAA designs and protocols; document, maintain, and input data and observations; handle, inventory, and dispose of biological materials.

3. Scientific data enterprise: the contractor will perform data entry from field studies;

conduct, develop, and maintain quality assurance and quality control for entered data; write, maintain, and facilitate a data stewardship plan.

4. Geospatial, statistical, and modeling analyses: the contractor will provide expertise in geospatial/geostatistical analysis while supporting data visualization and the formulation of geospatial products; develop and modify integrated biophysical models and predictive ecological models; develop various assessments as needed to inform coastal management decision-making;

develop and adapt new methods for the analysis of contaminants in environmental samples; research and develop models of ecological and/or disease processes to support forecasts of ecosystem conditions; and develop, modify, evaluate, and improve integrated biophysical models.

5. Publications, communications, outreach, training: the contractor will organize and prepare technical reports, PowerPoint presentations, peer-reviewed scientific journal publications, and other written materials to communicate scientific results;

At this time, CSS is the only contractor that possesses the necessary qualifications, supplies, and personnel to satisfy the Government’s requirements, in the necessary timeframe without significant interruption to NOAA NCCOS’ operations and mission.

CSS possesses all of the required core knowledge, highly specialized technical and functional expertise required for sustained operations. Procuring these services through the incumbent contractor, CSS, will provide NCCOS with a mechanism for continued support for services until the new BPA is awarded, which is projected by February 2025.

Having another contractor perform these critical services outside of the agency’s required transition period increases the risk that critical Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) activities would compromise the delivery of timely, quality, and relevant coastal science products, including coastal resilience projects, imperative ocean mapping activities, and the continuity of coral reef ecosystem monitoring.

If this single order bridge is not awarded to CSS, the following four important NCCOS scientific portfolios would be critically impacted:

1) IRA Funded Climate, Ecosystems and Fisheries Initiative (CEFI). CEFI is a cross-NOAA effort to build the nationwide, operational ocean modeling and decision support system needed to reduce impacts, increase resilience, and help adapt to changing ocean conditions. NCCOS plays a key role in bringing climate-informed science information to coastal decision-makers. Due to the four-year IRA funding trajectory, it is critical that NCCOS adheres to the established timelines;

2) NCCOS's Harmful Algal Bloom Forecasts (HAB-F) alert coastal managers to blooms before they cause serious damage. These early warnings provide health officials, environmental managers, and water treatment facility operators information to focus their testing to guide beach and shellfish bed closures to minimize HAB-induced impacts to human health along our coasts. They also allow the seafood and tourism industries to minimize impacts. For example, on June 10, 2024, this program provided urgent and critical information about a rapidly developing paralytic shellfish poisoning event to Oregon and Washington state shellfish managers that prompted harvest closures to protect human health.

A bridge order would ensure continued delivery of this life-saving forecast;

3) NCCOS leads one of NOAA's premier ocean mapping enterprises.

Characterizing the physical features and arrangement of seafloor habitats are the foundation for coastal management and decision-making. NCCOS is currently partnering with the US Department of Defense, Navy Pacific Command, to provide information required to estimate the impacts of Naval operations in and around Guam. If a bridge order is not awarded, the tasks outlined in this interagency agreement would be severely compromised; and

4) NCCOS has led NOAA's Coral Reef Conservation Program's ecosystem monitoring throughout the US Caribbean, Florida, and Gulf of Mexico for two decades. This program is a strategic framework for conducting sustained observations of biological, climatic, and socioeconomic indicators in U.S. states and territories. The resulting data provide a robust picture of the condition of U.S.

coral reef ecosystems and the communities that depend on them for food security, safety from storms, and economic health. If a bridge order is not awarded, this long-term data-delivery would be discontinued, which would result in local and regional shareholders not receiving the information required to make informed management decisions.

5. Determination by the ordering activity contracting officer that the order represents the best value consistent with FAR 8.404(d).

In accordance with FAR 8.404(d) Pricing, GSA has already determined the prices of these services under schedule contracts to be fair and reasonable. The Contracting Officer will also request additional discounts/price reductions before award consistent with FAR 8.405- 4, Price Reductions. The Contracting Officer will compare the quoted labor rates against CSS’ GSA MAS and the labor rates on the existing BPA EA133C17BA0062, Call Order 1305M222FNCNS0287 as a form of comparison to historical pricing. Additional price analyses may be performed, as required.

6. Market research conducted among schedule holders (or reason market research was not conducted).

Other MAS holders were considered under GSA; however, the additional market research was not completed as the incumbent, CSS, is the only source that can immediately perform the requirement without significant delays and interruption of services.

Since the support services are required on an ongoing basis, the incumbent contractor, CSS, is the only feasible source to ensure continuation of services. Efforts to obtain competitive quotes for this bridge will not be taken, as the time allotted is not sufficient for an orderly and effective transition to another service provider. Accordingly, for the reasons stated herein, efforts to compete this bridge order would result in adverse unacceptable delays and disruptions to the NCCOS mission. Furthermore, after discussion with the NOAA Small Business Specialist on June 13, 2024, it was determined that the bridge order was necessary due to unforeseen delays in the follow-on BPA. Adequate Market Research was conducted for the follow-on BPA.

7. Any other facts supporting the justification.

All factors have been documented in the above sections. There are no additional facts to be reported in this section.

8. Actions, if any, the agency may take to remove or overcome any barriers that led to the restricted consideration before any subsequent acquisition for supplies and services is made.

Future acquisitions for these services will be competed. The duration of this bridge order is intended to be a temporary measure until the new BPA is awarded.