Notice_of_Intent_and_SOW_Sulfide_analysis_2.docx

NOTICE OF INTENT

THIS IS A NOTICE OF INTENT TO SOLICIT FROM A SINGLE SOURCE.

THE US GEOLOGICAL SURVEY (USGS) INTENDS TO AWARD A PURCHASE ORDER TO AIRIE LLC FOR SULFIDE ANALYSIS AS DESCRIBED IN THE ATTACHED STATEMENT OF WORK.

AWARD WILL BE MADE IN ACCORDANCE WITH FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION (FAR) 12.102(A) AND THE PROCEDURES AT FAR PART 12 ENTITLED, ACQUISITION OF COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS AND COMMERCIAL SERVICES. AIRIE LLC TO THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE USGS, THE ONLY SOURCE WHO CAN PROVIDE THE REQUIRED SULFIDE ANALYSIS

THE PURPOSE OF THIS NOTICE IS TO SATISFY THE REQUIREMENTS OF FAR SUBPART 5.2. THIS NOTICE OF INTENT IS NOT A REQUEST FOR COMPETITIVE QUOTES. HOWEVER, ALL RESPONSIBLE PARTIES MAY SUBMIT A QUOTATION WHICH SHALL BE CONSIDERED BY THE AGENCY. NO SOLICITATION WILL BE ISSUED. A DETERMINATION NOT TO COMPETE THIS ACTION BASED UPON RESPONSES RECEIVED IS IN THE SOLE DISCRETION OF THE GOVERNMENT.

THE NAICS CODE 541380 TESTING LABORATORY AND SERVICES AND ASSOCIATED SIZE STANDARD $19.0 MILLION APPLY TO THIS ANNOUNCEMENT.

RESPONSES OR INQUIRIES SHALL ONLY BE ACCEPTED THROUGH ELECTRONIC MAIL ADDRESSED TO ANTHONY_BERRY@IOS.DOI.GOV AND MUST BE UPLOADED AND RECEIVED IN THEIR ENTIRETY NO LATER THAN 05/12/2026 AT 0800 HRS PDT. RESPONSES SUBMITTED BY HARD COPY, OR THE ANY WEB PORTAL SHALL NOT BE ACCEPTED OR CONSIDERED.

Statement of Work

I. GENERAL INFORMATION

A. Introduction: The tasks for this contract are to provide 187Re/187Os analyses of sulfide minerals in mineralized rocks collected by geologists of the Geology Office of the Alaska Science Center of the USGS. Samples collected will include a range of lithologies and formation ages; the results of the geochronologic analysis will be used in a variety of studies and will be made public. The primary responsibility of the task is to provide high quality analytical data for use in research studies. The staff of the performing laboratory is invited to participate in data interpretation, use, and publication of the data developed.

B. Background: Geochronologic studies are important tools in understanding the metallogenic history of Alaska and continually evolving technologies and requirement have precluded the development of geochronologic laboratories in the Alaska Science Center because of the cost of staffing and equipment. No USGS laboratories with the necessary capabilities exist in the survey at this time, and this technique, which is the most robust direct-dating technique for mineralization, must be completed at external labs. Nonetheless, the need for such analyses is critical to solving geologic research problems. Among the multiple analytical techniques available, 187Re/187Os analyses are the most robust direct-dating technique of mineralization, with wide applicability to multiple system types in Alaska.

C. Definition/Applicable Documents: Applicable standards are well described in the scientific literature, and it is expected that any laboratory selected under this contract will follow those standards. See for example: Stein, H.J. (2014) Dating and Tracing the History of Ore Formation, in Holland, H.D. and Turekian, K.K. (editors) Treatise on Geochemistry, Second Edition, v. 13, p. 87-118. Oxford: Elsevier; Selby, D., and Creaser, R.A., 2001, Re-Os geochronology and systematics in molybdenite from the Endako porphyry molybdenum deposit, British Columbia, Canada: Economic Geology , v. 96, p. 197–204.; and Lawley, C.J.M., and Selby, D., 2012, Re-Os geochronology of quartz-enclosed ultrafine molybdenite: Implications for ore geochronology: Economic Geology , v. 107, p. 1499–1505.

D. Scope: The samples submitted will address a variety of geologic issues. The contractor shall have a strong background in the application of 187Re/187Os in arsenopyrite, pyrite and molybdenite geochronology to geologic problems. Tasks include: sample evaluation for suitability to the problem at hand, sample preparation, analysis of appropriate phases, and full electronic reports of the resulting data and any appropriate interpretation of the analytical data. The scope of this work covers 32 samples of molybdenite, pyrrhotite, or arsenopyrite-bearing mineralization for geochronology.

II. WORK REQUIREMENTS

A. Technical Requirements The contractor shall operate a geochronologic laboratory known for high quality work and has practices that are uniform in sample handling, sample preparation, and mass spectroscopic analysis vital to the goals of the various studies for which samples will be submitted. The technical requirements below shall be evaluated for acceptance according to descriptions of laboratory protocols and methods on a laboratory website, in previously published reports or journal articles, or as part of a quote.

· The time frame for completion of sample analysis will be not more than 30 days from the time of receipt.

· Laboratory must demonstrate that they are open, able to conduct analyses and meet the required time frame for the completion of work at the time of award. USGS requires the lab to be able to receive, analyze, and produce results in the required turn-around time in order to advance our research objectives.

· In concert with the project officer, sample analysis priority will be set on the basis of scientific need and laboratory protocol, to streamline acquisition of data.

· Together with the project officer, mineral separations will be targeted by senior lab technicians with economic geology background, drawing on their skills as an economic geologist and Re-Os expertise. The cost of preparation of mineral separates shall be included in the firm fixed price quote.

· All samples will be analyzed with a mixed Re-double Os spike following the specifications of the project officer to correct for mass fractionation and determine any common Os. The double spike method is required for mass fractionation collection for Os and precisely determining common Os concentrations in the samples. The double spike will alleviate impossible age discrepancies between the age of the host rocks and mineralization contained within the host rocks.

· Re and Os isotopic ratios shall be measured on state-of-the-art Triton thermal ionization mass spectrometers dedicated to Re-Os dating.

· If a sample is not optimally spiked, the analysis will be redone at no additional cost, assuring that all delivered ages carry the highest precision possible.

· Senior researcher / director should be an ore geologist with advanced degrees and with expertise in tearing apart the time-space development of ore systems (preferably porphyry Cu, Mo, Au systems) with a strong background in geochronology, and specifically the integration of Re-Os and UPb zircon techniques.

· Criteria for acceptance of Product or Service: Work will be considered acceptable if completed work meets institutional and professional standards for accuracy and precision. Work shall result in geologically reasonable dates with uncertainty of 0.5% or less for molybdenites. Samples with complications will be considered acceptable provided the report describes possible or probable causes of complexity. A publication ready Re-Os data table will accompany the final report. Collaboration on publications is strongly encouraged to incorporate the expertise of the senior researcher and director of the lab.

B. Deliverable: A report delivered electronically to the Project Officer that contains age determination, analytical data, figures and tables for publication and written analytical interpretation of data for submitted samples.

III. SUPPORTING INFORMATION

A. Place of Performance: Performance shall be at the Contractor’s laboratory.

B. Period of Performance: 5/30/2026 – 5/29/2028 C. Government Furnished Property (GFP): No government-furnished equipment or facilities are required for the performance of this contract.

D. Special Considerations:

· Data Rights, Safety, Environment. All data produced as a result of this contract will belong to the Government and is intended for release into the Public Domain. The contractor provides their own work environment and responsible for their own safety concerns.

· Security/Privacy issues. The contractor will not require ingress to Federal buildings, personnel clearances, or access to US Government computers.

I. GENERAL INFORMATION

The Yuma Desalting Plant (YDP) is a reverse osmosis plant located adjacent to the Colorado River in Yuma, AZ and operated by the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) located at the Yuma Area Office (YAO). The YDP was constructed in 1992 under authority of the Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Act of 1974 to treat saline agricultural return flows from the Wellton-Mohawk Irrigation and Drainage District (U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, 2015) and water recovery for the Colorado River (Lohman, 2003). In February 2010, the YDP was brought online at an approximate 11 and 22 percent of its production capacity over a 1-month period and then at approximately one-third of its production capacity for 10 months, discharging effluent into the Colorado River for which an initial Arizona Pollutant and Discharge Elimination System (AZPDES) permit for the YDP became effective. Although the YDP operations were suspended in May 2011, operation of the Water Quality Improvement Center (WQIC), a water treatment research center also located at the YAO, continues. The WQIC discharges approximately 0.4 million gallons per day (MGD) of desalinated product similar in quality to that from the desalting plant. A major modification of the permit was issued in February 2012, to allow for reduced monitoring frequencies of the effluent limitations when only the WQIC is in operation. The maximum allowable discharge limits for this permit were calculated using a maximum permitted flow of one-third of the plant production capacity, which is an estimated 22.5 MGD. An additional modification to the permit, effective from June 2016 to June 2021, states if the YDP would become operational during this term water quality would be monitored according to the schedule established in the permit for YDP. Otherwise, only the monitoring schedule for WQIC applies. To meet the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) wastewater regulatory requirements under the current permit, the effluent discharge must be regularly sampled and results reported to ADEQ.

II. WORK REQUIREMENTS

The objective of this project is for the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to collect and analyze water-quality samples, and to report and archive the resulting water-quality data. The results from this water-quality sampling will provide the BOR with the data needed to continue to meet permitting requirements for discharging effluent from the WQIC into the Colorado River. This project will address the water-quality within the lower Colorado River, specifically above and below the YDP and sampling results will provide the BOR with the data needed to meet permitting requirements for discharging effluent into the Colorado River. To meet the ADEQ wastewater regulatory requirements under the current permit, the effluent discharge must be regularly sampled, and results reported to ADEQ on a quarterly, semi-annual and annual basis.

Samples will be collected at three locations: at the MODE 2 Outfall, 100 meters above the Outfall and 500 meters below the outfall. The Outfall site requires an annual, including additional QA annual blank and replicate samples, and two semi-annual samples. The 100 and 500 meter samples will need one annual sample and two semi-annual samples as well.

The analytical services required of the vendor include both Safe Drinking Water (SDW) and Waste Water (WW) parameters ranging from metals to volatile organics. Each site has specific analytical requirements per sample. Per permit conditions, all the analytical requirements for this project must be performed by a lab with Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) Clinical Laboratory Certification. Additionally, the servicing lab must use the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) method.

The Outfall annual, blank and replicate samples will be analyzed for the following 108 parameters: pH, Chromium, Chromium VI, Copper, Cyanide, Hardness (CaCO3), Mercury, Selenium, Sulfides, Nitrate/Nitrite (as N), Nitrogen (Total Kjeldahl TKN), Phosphorus, and Beryllium. The semi-annual sample will require the analysis for the following parameters: pH, Boron, Chromium, Chromium VI, Copper, Cyanide, Hardness (CaCO3), Mercury, Selenium, Sulfides, Total Dissolve Solids (TDS).

The 100-meter site’s annual and semi-annual sample will be analyzed for Boron, Copper, and Hardness (CaCO3) while the 500 meter site’s annual and semi-annual samples will be analyzed for Boron and Copper.

A total of eleven samples is required for this project for this fiscal year, five annual samples and six semi-annual samples. The sampling period is until December 2026. Lab reports will have a turn-around time of 10-25 days and will be delivered by email in PDF and in EDD format to upload data into NWIS.

III. SUPPORTING INFORMATION

Lab must be ADHS certified Arizona Department of Health Services and must handle wasterwater samples under the EPA 531.2 method.