Attachment_4_1305M319RNFFP0020_Amendment_1_Task_Order_Pricing_Schedule_and_PWS.pdf

NOAA SOLICITATION: 1305M319RNFFP0020 - Amendment 1 Task Order Request for Proposal

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

OFFICE OF ACQUISITION AND GRANTS

AMENDMENT 0001

Solicitation No: 1305M319RNFFP0020

This amendment adds to the scope of work for the first task order to be issued along with the base IDIQ under solicitation 1305M319RNFFP0020.

Offers shall include pricing for the task order using the attached 1305M319RNFFP0020 task order Price Schedule along with the price schedule already included in the solicitation.

The due date and time for submission is not changed. There will be no exceptions to the time and date on which responses are due, unless determined otherwise by the Government. When responding, please include solicitation 1305M319RNFFP0020 in the subject line.

To verify receipt of your response, please contact the contract specialist by e-mail or telephone.

Any questions related to this notice shall be submitted by email no later than August 19, 2019 at 12:00 P.M. Pacific Time. Answers will be provided as soon as practicable.

Thank you for your interest.

Eila Harnett Contract Specialist

NOAA SOLICITATION: 1305M319RNFFP0020 - Amendment 1 Task Order

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

OFFICE OF ACQUISITION AND GRANTS

Solicitation No: 1305M319RNFFP0020

Task Order

PRICING SCHEDULE

CLIN SERVICES

PERIOD OF

PERFORMANCE QTY UNIT TOTAL

0001 Southern Resident Killer

Whale (SRKW) Photo Identification and Health Assessment Services – 2020

09/15/2019 – 09/14/2020 1 JB

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE / NOAA

NMFS / NORTHWEST FISHERIES SCIENCE CENTER

SOLICITATION NUMBER: 1305M319RNFFP0020

AMENDMENT 1 - TASK ORDER

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PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT

NOAA/NATIONAL MARINE FISHERIES SERVICE

NORTHWEST FISHERIES SCIENCE CENTER

CONSERVATION BIOLOGY DIVISION

PROJECT TITLE: Southern Resident Killer Whale (SRKW) Photo Identification and Health Assessment Services – 2020

DESCRIPTION: The Northwest Fisheries Science Center of NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS) requires contractor support related to undertaking the 2020 census of the Southern Resident Killer Whale (SRKW) population and to provide for opportunistic visual assessments of this population.

TASK ORDER: To Be Determined

PROJECT LEADER: To Be Determined

A. STATEMENT OF WORK

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1. OBJECTIVE

The objective is to conduct the year 2020 census of the southern resident killer whale population (SRKW). This involves a) conducting a complete count of the members of the population alive on or around July 1 2020, including the identities of each member of the population using methods and identifiers consistent with prior year censuses, b) to the degree possible obtaining left and right side lateral saddle patch / dorsal fin area photographs of each whale suitable for photo-identification, c) opportunistically collecting information on any abnormal appearance or behaviors of the whales in the population while pursuing tasks (a) and (b), and d) opportunistically collecting information (presence, photo-identification) of other (non-SRKW) killer whales observed while pursuing the above activities.

1.2. BACKGROUND

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Northwest Fisheries Science Center (NWFSC) is a government agency charged with the mission of stewardship for living marine resources.

The NWFSC's mission is to conduct the science necessary to conserve marine and anadromous species

NOAA SOLICITATION: 1305M319RNFFP0020 - Amendment 1 Task Order Page 2 and their habitats off the Washington, Oregon, and northern California coasts and in freshwater rivers of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. The research provides reliable, relevant, and credible information to help decision-makers and natural resource managers build sustainable fisheries, recover endangered and threatened species, maintain healthy ecosystems, and protect human health. The Conservation Biology Division (CBD) of the NWFSC conducts science to support the conservation of marine species and the ecosystems upon which they depend. The CBD’s Marine Mammal Program is responsible for research on the ecology, distribution, abundance, and threats to marine mammal species in the Northwest, primarily endangered Southern Resident Killer Whales which were designated as ‘endangered’ due to their low abundance and variety of threats to their persistence by NOAA Fisheries in 2005.

1.3. SCOPE

The contractor shall conduct the 2020 census of SRKW population and while doing so provide opportunistic visual observations of the health of the population, such as abnormal appearance or behaviors. The contractor shall provide all services, personnel, material, supplies, supervision, labor, expertise, and equipment necessary to accomplish the tasks.

1.4. PERFORMANCE PERIOD

The task order period of performance begins on September 15, 2019 and continues through September 14, 2020.

1.5. TASK COORDINATION AND WORK SCHEDULING

The contractor shall coordinate with the Project Leader concerning the scheduling of the work including any delays, and address any concerns regarding deliverables to the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR).

The Project Leader is responsible for the overall scheduling of the project activity. The contractor is responsible for scheduling the work to be done each day. Regular meetings between the contractor and the Project Leader(s), COR and other NMFS staff may be required to outline a project milestone schedules and prioritize tasks. Contractor personnel are required to do the work independently, generating high quality results in a timely manner.

1.6. TRAVEL

Travel is anticipated and authorized for this order. Travel costs authorized under this order are included in the firm-fixed price service rates and shall not be invoiced or reimbursed as additional line items.

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2. TASKS

2.1. 2020 CENSUS

The contractor shall address the need to determine the population size of the SRKW population as of approximately July 1, 2020, and enumerate all individuals present in the population through photo-identification.

This will involve collecting and providing individual identification and sighting location information to include photo-ID on SRKW killer whales, in J, K, and L pods.

Photo-ID is defined here as photographic mapping of each side of the whale, so each whale can be identified from either side. Each year, animals acquire new marks, and juvenile animals grow in size, such that high resolution photographs are required to document these changes which must be taken closer than 200m, requiring a federal research permit. Staff must have the ability to recognize all individuals in the SRKW population (approximately 75 whales) from memory, immediately when the whale is at the surface for only about 4 seconds, using the fin shape, saddle pigment pattern, and subtle nicks and scratches, all when viewed from tens of meters away so photos of the same whale are not taken over and over again.

To the degree possible, the contractor shall conduct the survey of the SRKW population in the late spring or summer of 2020 to document the presence or absence of each whale that had been in the 2019 census and any new whales in the population due to births or immigration. Recognizing that whale behavior is variable, however, the contractor has discretion to collect data during other time periods within the performance period as necessary and appropriate based on whale presence and behavior. During encounters from these surveys the contractor shall to the extent possible collect photo-ID data of each southern resident killer whale.

Data collected for each whale encounter, to the extent possible, is to include a clear photograph suitable for identification of each individual and include the date, time, location of the sighting (descriptive and latitude/longitude), and which other whales were present.

2.2. VISUAL ASSESSMENT

During the course of field work to conduct the 2020 census, the contractor shall also visually observe and monitor individual whales for signs of poor health, including unusual or atypical behavior or appearance; high risk interactions with people or vessels; signs of serious injury or infectious disease;

interactions with fishing gear (e.g. hook in mouth, entanglement in line; or other indications of a life-threatening condition. The primary focus is on J, K and L pods of the SRKW population. Opportunistic information on other killer whale populations, including northern residents, transient and offshore ecotype killer whales, should also be obtained, but is a second priority.

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3. DELIVERABLES

3.1. ANNUAL SRKW CENSUS REPORT

The contractor shall provide a report of the 2020 SRKW census. The report shall include the number of whales (total and by pod) known or reliably estimated to be in the population on the July 1, 2020, including a unique identifier for each whale consistent with the previous years’ identification system.

The report to the extent possible should also include a narrative description of the circumstances associated with the addition or loss of each whale, including the inferred mother of each new calf born in the prior year and a list of all whales that died the prior year along with any information available on the circumstances of death. The report shall also include new numbers by pod with a comparison to the numbers reported to the previous census year. To the extent possible, the contractor shall provide a summary of the first and last date of observation of all individual SRKW (living and dead) between 1 July 2019 and 1 July 2020 (or date when the annual census was concluded). Calves that were born and died within the year should also be reported. A file of these data will be provided in an Excel format.

3.2. PHOTO ID CATALOGS

The contractor shall provide copies of the SRKW ID catalogue (1 electronic and 10 hard copies) with photos of all individuals in each matriline. Electronic copies shall include the best available bi-lateral digital photos of the saddle patch / dorsal fin region obtained to date and the best available photo taken during the current year, along with the unique identifier for each whale. The best available photo to date shall include the date the photo was obtained.

Table 3.3 SUMMARY OF SRKW 2020 CENSUS DELIVERABLES

DELIVERABLE METHOD OF DELIVERY DUE DATE

3.1. Annual Report 1) Narrative of SRKW births and deaths since

July 1, 2019.

2) Excel spreadsheet of SRKW pod membership and changes since July 1, 2019.

10/1/2020

3.2. Photo-ID Catalog 1) Electronic file of individual images.

2) Adobe .pdf of Catalog.

3) 10 printed Catalogs.

10/1/2020

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3.4. VISUAL ASSESSMENT

In the course of conducting the census, the contractor shall also provide weekly electronic reports (contractor’s website encounter reports, if published in this manner, meet this requirement) describing all opportunistic whale encounters (resident, transient, or offshore ecotype) collected and, where applicable, which pods, matrilines, or individual whales were observed, and their locations/routes (i.e., GPS locations). Data reported for each encounter is to include, to the best of the contractor’s ability, a photograph suitable for identification of each individual and shall include the date, time, location of the sighting (descriptive and latitude/longitude), and which other whales were present.

Any observed change in body condition and potential associations with health status or anthropogenic interactions are also to be noted. The contractor shall provide a copy of the sighting data in electronic form to NWFSC upon completion of the field work and data review. The file will be in Excel format.

Table 3.5 SUMMARY OF VISUAL ASSESSMENT DELIVERABLES

DELIVERABLE METHOD OF DELIVERY DUE DATE

3.4. Health Reports Narrative report or website update.

Within one week of each encounter.

B. ADDITIONAL ITEMS AND CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION

1.1. CONFIDENTIALITY AND DATA PRIVACY

Work described herein may require that personnel have access to Privacy Information. Personnel shall adhere to the Privacy Act, Title 5 of the U.S. Code, Section 552a, FAR 52.224-1, Privacy Act Notification, and FAR 52.224-2, Privacy Act. Contractor personnel are responsible for maintaining confidentiality of all subjects and materials.

1.2. GOVERNMENT PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT

No government property is furnished by the government for this project.

1.3. PAYMENTS TO CONTRACTOR

The government shall pay the Contractor for the services completed under this order. Payments shall be based on measurable or quantifiable performance or accomplishments of the defined elements noted in the scope of work, work assignments, and/or monthly reports that are reflective of progress.

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1.4. KEY PERSONNEL

Reference the master contract section C. 1. Clauses, CAR 1352.237-75 Key Personnel. The key personnel designated on this order are as follows:

For the Contractor:

Contract Liaison: To be designated by separate letter at order award Project Manager: To be designated by separate letter at order award

For the Government:

Contracting Officer: To be designated by separate letter at order award COR: To be designated by separate letter at order award

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C. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF TASK ORDER

(To be completed at time of award.)

The contractor’s signature below represents both acknowledgment and acceptance of the requirements of this task order and all other terms and conditions of the master contract shall remain in full force and effect except as specifically stated within this task order. The statement below shall be returned signed to the attention of the Contracting Officer within five (5) days of the dated task order.

_______________________________________ for _______________________________________ (Signature of Authorized Company Official) (Company Name)

(Printed Name/Title) (Date)