B08_Combined_Synopsis_Solicitation_-_Alternative_Oil_Spill_Study.FBO.Final.Post.pdf

Solicitation Number 140M0119Q0010

SYNOPSIS:

PLEASE READ THIS NOTICE CAREFULLY AS IT CONSTITUTES THE ONLY NOTICE

THAT WILL BE ISSUED. This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice.

The U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement

(BSEE), on behalf of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), has a requirement for a project titled, “Alternative Oil Spill Occurrence Estimators for Determining Rates for the

Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf (OCS)”. The estimated period of performance for this requirement is thirty (30) months from date of award.

The purpose of this combined synopsis/solicitation is to solicit quotes as described in the attached solicitation. The Government anticipates a Firm Fixed Price type award as a result of this solicitation. This procurement is being conducted in accordance with FAR Part 13.5, “Simplified Procedures for Certain Commercial Items”. The North American Industrial

Classification Systems (NAICS) code is 541690, Other Scientific and Technical Consulting, with a small business size standard of $15.0 million. This solicitation is being issued on an unrestricted basis.

All potential offerors must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM)

(www.sam.gov) in order to receive Government contracts.

The point of contact for this procurement is Charles Cernat, Contracting Officer, BSEE, Acquisition Operations Branch, 45600 Woodland Rd., Sterling, VA 20166. Responses to this solicitation must be submitted electronically via e-mail to charles.cernat@bsee.gov no later than the closing date and time referenced in the solicitation. All e-mail correspondence must reference “Solicitation No. 140M0119Q00010”.

http://www.sam.gov/ mailto:charles.cernat@bsee.gov

Solicitation Number 140M0119Q0010

SECTION 1

PRICING

1.1 GENERAL

This acquisition is conducted under the authority of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR)

Part 13.5, “Simplified Procedures for Certain Commercial Items”. The North American Industry

Classification System (NAICS) code for this requirement is 541690, Other Scientific and

Technical Consulting, with a small business size standard of $15.0 million. The Bureau of

Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) on behalf of the Bureau of Ocean Energy

Management (BOEM) intends to award a Firm-Fixed-Price Purchase Order for the project titled, “Alternative Oil Spill Occurrence Estimators for Determining Rates for the Atlantic Outer

Continental Shelf (OCS)”, as specified under Section 2, Statement of Work.

1.2 LINE ITEM/PRICING

The specific details and description of the Purchase Order Line Item Number (CLIN) is described as follows (Offeror shall provide information as part of their price quotation):

CLIN DESCRIPTION QTY UNIT TOTAL PRICE

00010 The contractor shall provide all 1 Job $____________ services as described in Section 2, Statement of Work

CLIN 00010 is a Firm Fixed Price (FFP) line item inclusive of all the necessary labor, material, and travel required to complete the effort as described in Section 2, Statement of Work.

1.3 PARTIAL DELIVERY PAYMENT SCHEDULE

Payment will be made to the Contractor based upon delivery and acceptance of the tasks performed/deliverables submitted in accordance with FAR Clause 52.212-4(i), Payment. A payment arrangement based upon partial deliverables whereby payments are made for distinct portions of the work completed by the Contractor and accepted by the Government is detailed below. If the Offeror is a small business, a performance based payment schedule may be utilized with a 10% withholding fee per milestone.

Payment No. Deliverable(s) / Milestone (s) Payment Amount

1 T.B.D.* $T.B.D.*

2 T.B.D.* $T.B.D.*

3 T.B.D.* $T.B.D.*

TOTAL CONTRACT VALUE $T.B.D.*

* = T.B.D. The Deliverable(s )/ Milestone(s) and the Payment Amount shall be proposed by the Offeror as part of the quote submission.

Solicitation No. 140M0119Q0010

SECTION 2

STATEMENT OF WORK

2.1 PURPOSE

Because sufficient data on offshore oil spills in the Atlantic OCS do not exist, this study will develop alternative methodologies for determining oil spill occurrence rates (“occurrence rates”) of appropriate size ranges for activities conducted as a result of oil and gas lease sales in

BOEM’s Atlantic OCS Planning Areas. Spill occurrence rates for federal offshore waters have previously been estimated, including their variability, and this information shall inform the results requested here.

2.2 BACKGROUND

In 1953, the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Lands Act (67 Stat. 462) established Federal jurisdiction over the submerged lands of the continental shelf seaward of State boundaries. The

Act charged the Secretary of the Interior with the responsibility for administering minerals exploration and development of the OCS. It also empowered the Secretary to formulate regulations so that the provisions of the Act might be met. The OCS Lands Act (OCSLA)

Amendments of 1978 (92 Stat. 629) established a policy for the management of oil and natural gas in the OCS and for protection of the marine and coastal environments. The amendments authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct studies in areas or regions of sales to ascertain the “environmental impacts on the marine and coastal environments of the outer Continental

Shelf and the coastal areas which may be affected by oil and gas development” (43 U.S.C. 1346).

Subsequent to the passage of the OCSLA of 1953, the Secretary of the Interior designated the

Bureau of Land Management as the administrative agency responsible for leasing submerged

Federal lands and the U.S. Geological Survey for supervising production. These responsibilities were taken over by Minerals Management Service in 1982, which was later renamed BOEM in

2012. To meet its responsibilities, BOEM has four priority goals for OCS leasing: (1) orderly resource development to meet the Nation’s energy needs; (2) protection of the marine and coastal environments; (3) receipt of fair market value; and (4) preservation of free-enterprise competition.

The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321–4347) requires that all

Federal Agencies use a systematic, interdisciplinary approach that will ensure the integrated use of the natural and social sciences in any planning and decision-making that may have an effect on the human environment. BOEM’s efforts in this direction include environmental impact statements, environmental assessment teams, studies that acquire and analyze marine environmental data, literature surveys, socioeconomic-analysis studies, public conferences, and special studies (toxicity studies, spill-trajectory analyses, etc.).

OCS spill occurrence rates used in BOEM NEPA analyses are based on historical platform and pipeline oil spill rates, almost entirely from the Gulf of Mexico OCS. For the Atlantic OCS

Region planning areas, BOEM is seeking an alternative spill occurrence rate that will incorporate

(1) differences in oil spill causal factors between the Atlantic and other OCS planning areas and

(2) additional Atlantic-specific factors. One example of additional factors would be a fault tree approach similar to that historically used by BOEM in the Alaska Arctic OCS regions. Recent examples of such analyses include:

Anderson, C.M. Mayes, M., and LaBelle, R.P. 2012. Update of Occurrence Rates for Offshore

Oil Spills. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management OCS Report 2012-069. Bureau of

Ocean Energy Management, Herndon, VA

(https://www.boem.gov/uploadedFiles/BOEM/Environmental_Stewardship/Environment al_Assessment/Oil_Spill_Modeling/AndersonMayesLabelle2012.pdf)

Bercha Group, Inc. 2016. Updates to Fault Tree Methodology and Technology for Risk

Analysis Liberty Project. OCS Study BOEM 2016–0052. Anchorage, AK.

Bercha Group, Inc. 2014. Updates to Fault Tree Methodology and Technology for Risk

Analysis Chukchi Sea Sale 193 Leased Area. OCS Study BOEM 2014-774. Anchorage, AK: USDOI, BOEM, Alaska OCS Region. 109 pp. (http://www.data.boem.gov/PI/

PDFImages/ESPIS/5/5424.pdf)

Bercha Group, Inc. 2013. Updates to Fault Tree for Oil Spill Occurrence Estimators, Update of

GOM and PAC OCS Statistics to 2012. OCS Study BOEM 2013-0116. Anchorage, AK:

Prepared by Bercha International Inc. for USDOI, BOEM, Alaska OCS Region. 35 pp.

(http://www.data.boem.gov/PI/PDFImages/ESPIS/5/5351.pdf)

Bercha, F.G. 2011. Summary Final Report Alternative Oil Spill Occurrence Estimators for the

Beaufort and Chukchi Seas - Fault Tree Method. OCS Study BOEMRE 2011-030.

Anchorage, AK: Prepared by Bercha Group, Calgary, Alberta, for USDOI, BOEMRE, Alaska OCS Region. 48 pp. (http://www.data.boem.gov/PI/PDFImages/ESPIS/

4/5116.pdf)

The methodologies developed will be applied to all Atlantic oil and gas lease sales and proposed

Atlantic OCS development within the next five-year planning document (currently 2019–2024;

please see https://www.boem.gov/National-Program-Learn/). This 5-Year Plan will set the maximum number of lease sales that can occur in the Atlantic; sales are sometimes deferred or cancelled for lack of sufficient industry interest or environmental reasons and the 5-Year Plan itself is subject to revision. This Request for Proposals (RFP) provides for an analysis of all

Atlantic oil and gas lease sales described in the 5-Year Plan.

2.3 GOAL AND OBJECTIVES

Objectives of this study are to:

1. Examine and document potential differences in causal factors between the Atlantic OCS planning areas and those identified for other OCS planning areas.

2. Develop alternative spill occurrence rate estimators and confidence intervals for Atlantic

OCS planning areas in support of NEPA analyses required for oil and gas lease sales and for future exploration and development plans.

3. Provide professional support to BOEM in regard to statistical issues of occurrence rates and estimator(s) and input values and distributions related to this study and its results.

https://www.boem.gov/uploadedFiles/BOEM/Environmental_Stewardship/Environmental_Assessment/Oil_Spill_Modeling/AndersonMayesLabelle2012.pdf https://www.boem.gov/uploadedFiles/BOEM/Environmental_Stewardship/Environmental_Assessment/Oil_Spill_Modeling/AndersonMayesLabelle2012.pdf http://www.data.boem.gov/PI/PDFImages/ESPIS/5/5424.pdf http://www.data.boem.gov/PI/PDFImages/ESPIS/5/5424.pdf http://www.data.boem.gov/PI/PDFImages/ESPIS/5/5351.pdf http://www.data.boem.gov/PI/PDFImages/ESPIS/4/5116.pdf http://www.data.boem.gov/PI/PDFImages/ESPIS/4/5116.pdf https://www.boem.gov/National-Program-Learn/

2.4 SCOPE OF WORK

2.4.1 DESCRIPTION OF WORK

The work under this contract is to examine differences in oil spill occurrence factors between

Atlantic OCS planning areas and those produced for other OCS planning areas including Alaska, the Pacific, and the Gulf of Mexico. Additionally, this work shall identify and document any

Atlantic-specific causal factors that differentiate the Atlantic from other OCS planning areas.

The Contractor will also provide professional support to BOEM in regard to statistical issues of occurrence rates and estimator(s) related to this study and its results.

2.4.2 PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

The period of performance of this contract is thirty (30) months from date of contract award.

The project period shall encompass all tasks from initial planning, through and including

BOEM’s final acceptance of all deliverables. The Contractor shall deliver all required deliverables in accordance with Section 2, Statement of Work and Section 3, Commercial

Items Terms and Conditions.

TASK 1. HOLD POST-AWARD MEETING WITH BOEM

Within thirty (30) days of contract award, the contractor shall hold a post-award meeting at

BOEM’s Headquarters in Sterling, Virginia with BOEM staff to ensure a clear understanding by all of study tasks, concerns, the availability of relevant data and reports, and time-lines. Meeting participants shall include at a minimum: the Contractor’s Principal Investigator (PI), the

Contractor’s Project Manager (PM), and the BOEM Contract Management Team. The

Contractor will provide a draft agenda to the Contracting Officer (CO), Contracting Officer’s

Representative (COR), and Division of Environmental Sciences (DES) Contact prior to the meeting as well as the additional information outlined in Tasks 2–6 (which include, in part, a work plan and a Project Management Plan [PMP] which contains a data management plan) in a digital format/e-mail at least two (2) weeks before the scheduled meeting date, viz.:

Work plans for conducting all work detailing the timing, procedures for data collection, equipment and personnel;

Hypotheses that should guide the data collection, handling, quality assurance, calculations, and synthesis of the results;

Methodology for quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) of data collected and analyses procedures;

PMP as presented at Oral Presentation, including any modifications to the PMP;

List of deliverables, dates of delivery for each deliverable, a description of the format of each deliverable, and how each deliverable will meet the requirements of the

Government. This includes the Contractor discussing how they will use the report template and follow the reporting requirements.

The CO will forward this information to all meeting participants. The Contractor shall also provide a Meeting Summary to participants within two (2) weeks of the meeting which will list any changes needed to the planned work as a result of the meeting.

BOEM will provide information to the Contractor on the status of the Atlantic lease sales proposed in the draft 5-year plan tentatively scheduled for 2019–2024 and will discuss and decide upon the necessary exploration and development scenario information necessary to conduct the analysis in this meeting. The meeting will establish the schedule. The Contractor shall comply with the timing, distribution, and other guidance regarding Task 1 included in

Section 2.6.

TASK 2. DATA REVIEW, COLLATION, AND NON-ATLANTIC BASELINE

a. Review the methodologies and content provided in prior analyses conducted for offshore oil spill occurrence rates. The latest published example is “2016 Update of

Occurrence Rates for Offshore Oil Spills” (ABS, 2016) available at https://www.bsee.gov/osrr-oil-spill-response-research/2016-update-of-occurrence-rates-for-offshore-oil-spills. The ABS (2016) study provided a number of recommendations including (1) consider simulation techniques to estimate the likelihood of future worst-case scenario events and (2) consider using international data for estimating rare spill frequencies and understanding their causal factors. There are additional reports that have examined spill occurrence rates for offshore OCS areas and will be provided to the contractor. These data available from BOEM include those described at https://www.boem.gov/Environmental-Stewardship/Environmental-Assessment/Oil-

Spill-Modeling/Oil-Spill-Occurence-Rate-for-Oil-Spill-Risk-Analysis-(OSRA).aspx.

An analysis for the Atlantic OCS should be completed using an approach and methodology, as appropriate, that aligns with and which may improve upon approaches used in prior OCS Studies. If an alternative method is offered, justification for the new approach must be provided.

b. Data Review and Collation:

i. The Contractor shall perform a review of, search for, identify, and review any existing and readily available databases that provide historical oil spill occurrences from offshore oil and gas operations that could be utilized to determine spill occurrence rates for the Atlantic OCS Region. Data may be available for Canadian offshore areas in the North Atlantic and should also be explored. These sources shall be listed and described as much as prudent.

ii. The contractor shall perform a review of the primary and secondary literature, databases, and available internal data from BOEM/BSEE (i.e., geology and environmental factors specific to the Atlantic Region; please see links within https://www.boem.gov/Oil-Spill-Modeling-Program/ and §2 Data of ABS 2016) in order to identify the data that they may utilize in their analysis of the potential differences in oil spill occurrence factors between the Atlantic OCS and other

OCS areas and to further identify any Atlantic-specific causal factors (e.g., greater frequency and intensity of hurricanes transiting the Atlantic OCS than within the Gulf of Mexico) that should be considered in their analysis. Effort will be required on the part of the contractor to identify, access, extract, and cleanse the BOEM/BSEE data to meet the timeline of this study.

iii. The Contractor shall review, collate, and document all oil spill occurrence data, geo-hazard data, and environmental data from alternative sources and locations as https://www.bsee.gov/osrr-oil-spill-response-research/2016-update-of-occurrence-rates-for-offshore-oil-spills https://www.bsee.gov/osrr-oil-spill-response-research/2016-update-of-occurrence-rates-for-offshore-oil-spills https://www.boem.gov/Environmental-Stewardship/Environmental-Assessment/Oil-Spill-Modeling/Oil-Spill-Occurence-Rate-for-Oil-Spill-Risk-Analysis-(OSRA).aspx https://www.boem.gov/Environmental-Stewardship/Environmental-Assessment/Oil-Spill-Modeling/Oil-Spill-Occurence-Rate-for-Oil-Spill-Risk-Analysis-(OSRA).aspx https://www.boem.gov/Oil-Spill-Modeling-Program/ https://www.bsee.gov/osrr-oil-spill-response-research/2016-update-of-occurrence-rates-for-offshore-oil-spills needed, including all recent data available from BSEE/BOEM that they will use to determine oil spill occurrence rates for the Atlantic OCS. In particular, collation of blowout data from comparable exploration and production regulatory environments is expected. BOEM can provide information on the geology, potential geo-hazards, and environmental conditions in the Atlantic Region during the Post-Award meeting that could be used as input data for this analysis.

iv. The Contractor shall assimilate the data and information as necessary and document for use in Tasks 3–6.

TASK 3. DEVELOP METHODOLOGIES TO ESTIMATE OIL SPILL

OCCURRENCE RATES FOR ATLANTIC LEASE SALES AND OIL EXPLORATION

AND DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS.

a. Using the data obtained in Task 2, the contractor shall analyze the potential differences in oil spill occurrence factors between the Atlantic and other OCS planning areas and identify any Atlantic-specific causal factors that should be considered in this analysis.

i. The Atlantic locations to be examined are the: North Atlantic Planning Area, Mid-Atlantic Planning Area, and South Atlantic Planning Area, as shown in pp. 1

& 3 of https://www.boem.gov/NP-DPP-Map-Lower-48-States/. The COR can provide cartographic data (e.g., latitude and longitude coordinates, geodatabases) defining the boundaries of these planning areas upon request. The spill occurrence factors and derived rates are to be calculated so as to apply throughout the extent of each planning area. The derivation of factors specific to smaller geographic areas (e.g., specific lease blocks, individual production sites) is not requested.

b. The Contractor shall identify and analyze the main hazards for oil spills on offshore oil and gas facilities or from sub-sea pipelines or other OCS crude oil transport methods.

c. The Contractor shall discuss how the hazards can be binned or differentiated depending on the specificity of the project. For example, lease sales typically have much less detailed information than an oil development project.

d. The contractor shall perform synthesis and interpretation necessary to accomplish Tasks

2–6.

e. The Contractor will develop methodologies using exploration and development scenario information provided by BOEM in the Post-Award meeting. This information should form the basis to estimate oil spill occurrence rates for the Atlantic OCS both in the exploration phase (including both OCS Sale Environmental Impact Statements and site-specific exploration plans) and the development phase for the proposed lease sales in the

5-year plan.

f. The Contractor shall quantify robustness of the statistics (confidence limits on spill frequency estimates) and quantify precision/variance of estimates.

g. Spill occurrence rates (occurrence rates) for multiple size ranges of crude and diesel spills in the Atlantic shall be projected. The primary focus shall be in terms of the number of spills of:

at least 1 bbl. and less than or equal to 999 bbl.;

at least 1,000 bbl. or greater; and at least 10,000 bbl. or greater https://www.boem.gov/NP-DPP-Map-Lower-48-States/ that potentially could be projected to occur. The contractor will generate life-of-field occurrence estimators. Spill occurrence estimators shall be convertible to the number of spills per billion barrels of oil produced over the life of the exploration and development scenario.

i. These data shall be output as tables, similar to Tables 7, 9, and 10 in Anderson, Mayes, and LaBelle (2012) along with any graphical representations (e.g., “box and whisker” or stock charts).

h. The Contractor shall document the strengths, weaknesses, and key assumptions necessary in using the oil spill occurrence rates that will be captured in the Report (Task 6).

TASK 4. PROFFESIONAL SUPPORT

In addition to other reporting and meeting requirements, the Contractor shall provide on-call professional support throughout the contract to BOEM staff in regard to statistical issues of occurrence rates and estimators and input values and distributions in the completed project report(s). We anticipate that this would be sporadic in periods of a few hours each rather than in a single block of time, in response to specific issues. This support could involve video/teleconference, e-mail, or written response.

TASK 5. PROGRAM MANAGEMENT

a. PMP: Develop and operate under the program-management plan described in the proposal. A data management plan (DMP) shall be developed in consultation with

BOEM and incorporated into the PMP. This plan shall include a Project Manager (PM) with sufficient authority to serve as the Contract Administrator, the point-of-contact with

BOEM, and provide leadership to the project Team. The PM will ultimately be responsible for all deliverables, budget control, quality assurance for all products, compliance and adherence with schedule of the project, and that all personnel work synergistically and cooperatively for the common goal of the project. The PM will also be responsible for ensuring safe, sufficient, and effective equipment, supplies, and facilities are available as needed for the project.

Scientific integrity is vital to Department of Interior (DOI) activities under which scientific research, data, summaries, synthesis, interpretations, presentations, and/or publications are developed and used. Failure to uphold the highest degree of scientific integrity will result not only in potentially flawed scientific results, interpretations, and applications but will damage DOI’s reputation and ability to uphold the public’s trust.

All work performed must comply with the DOI Scientific Integrity Policy posted to http://www.doi.gov/scientificintegrity, or its equivalent.

b. Data Management Plan: The Contractor shall develop and follow a DMP as a part of their overall PMP for this study that shall include procedures to handle data, databases, and model results, Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC) procedures, dissemination and distribution protocols, and archival procedures. A designated Data

Manager shall implement the plan to ensure compliance by all Principal Investigators https://www.boem.gov/uploadedFiles/BOEM/Environmental_Stewardship/Environmental_Assessment/Oil_Spill_Modeling/AndersonMayesLabelle2012.pdf https://www.boem.gov/uploadedFiles/BOEM/Environmental_Stewardship/Environmental_Assessment/Oil_Spill_Modeling/AndersonMayesLabelle2012.pdf http://www.doi.gov/scientificintegrity

(PIs) involved with the study. After all QA/QC procedures have been completed, the final products shall be submitted to the BOEM COR and others identified in Section F.6.

The Contractor shall be responsible for the proper formatting of all data. Text files shall be submitted in a format compatible with Microsoft (MS) Word; database files in a format compatible with MS Access. All electronic files and documentation shall be searchable. All software deliverables shall contain complete program in-line documentation for all the source code and a user guide describing how to compile, run, and use the software.

Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (found at 29 U.S.C. 794d; see also http://section508.gov/) requires access to and use of information by individuals with disabilities. A deliverable such as digital reports (ex: Adobe® Portable Document

Format [PDF] files) to be placed on the web (either on the agency’s web server of the company’s), video footage, or other digital data such as Compact Disc Read-Only

Memory (CD-ROM) or Digital Video Disks (DVDs) to be distributed, are subject to

Section 508 guidelines. Simplified, this means that PDF files need to be formatted so that they are “readable” by assistive technology devices such as screen readers. Video footage must be closed captioned. CD-ROMs or DVDs which contain hypertext markup language (HTML), PDF, or word processor files must be accessible.

No originals shall be mailed without prior backups. These files are proprietary and shall not be used by the Contractor for any purpose other than specified by the Contract, unless authorized in writing by the CO, and must be secured at all times. When distributed, the

Contractor shall include language to the data recipient that ensures that the data are not distributed further, and that no publication is done without opportunity for PIs to be co-authors or giving acknowledgement to BOEM and the Study for the data.

The Contractor shall submit digital copies of all final results and data used in the analysis.

This deliverable shall be completed after all QA/QC procedures are finalized including the analysis by the individual PI. The preferred format of the files and the media/method used to transmit them shall be determined based on an agreement between the COR and the Contractor as the study progresses. Any changes in data formats during the contract period of performance must be agreed upon in advance by the Government and the

Contractor.

TASK 6. DELIVERABLES PREPARATION AND SUBMITTAL

All results, data products, data collection procedures, visual aids, models used, modelling inputs, statistical procedures, databases, citations, references as permitted by copyright law, cover graphics, insights and new knowledge generated by this study shall be culminated in a report following BOEM guidelines and submitted for review to BOEM. All comments shall be incorporated and addressed to the maximum and practical extent. The Offeror shall describe the data and results in the final report in such a manner that BOEM and other potential users of the data may understand. The report shall include the results or information specified in Section 2

Statement of Work, Task 3 Study Objectives (a) through (h).

http://section508.gov/

As explained in Task 5.c below, this report will start off as a draft report and shall conform to specifications and templates found at our web site: http://www.boem.gov/Environmental-

Studies-Program-Report-Specifications/. The Contractor is responsible for editing and proofreading all material prior to delivery to BOEM in order to submit products of the highest technical and editorial standard. The draft deliverables shall conform to the submission time requirements of Section 2.6. This report may go through several BOEM reviews before it is deemed acceptable by BOEM. The Offeror will then prepare and submit the “Proof” Report that incorporates comments, corrections, and additions identified during the review of the “Draft”

Report. Once the “Proof” Report is deemed acceptable to BOEM, the Offeror may then proceed to prepare the “Final” Report.

The Contractor shall deliver electronic files of the analysis input files, metadata, the parameters used, and the output files as well as of all databases, references where allowed by copyright law, and documents. Bibliographic information shall be compiled in a format that allows import of all fields needed to assemble a full reference list (e.g., author(s), editor(s), title of document, journal or report volume and number, page numbers, edition, date of publication, International

Standard Book Number [ISBN], publisher, publisher location, relevant electronic links and date accessed, etc…) readable by and importable into MS Excel, MS Access, Reference Manager, and EndNote software. All electronic files shall be searchable.

In addition to the deliverables mentioned previously, the following deliverables will be prepared and submitted:

a. Bi-Monthly Status Reports

The Contractor shall prepare and submit a bi-monthly status report to the DES Chief, CO, COR, and DES Contact every other month beginning two months after the award date. The first submission shall be submitted ten (10) days after the 2 months reporting period ends.

These shall be letter reports in the Contractor’s format and shall include a brief discussion of the following topics:

1) brief summary of all preceding work and overall progress made against the schedule including any results achieved during the reporting period;

2) planned actions for the next reporting period;

3) brief summary of funding status and expenditures to date;

4) brief summary of any resolutions agreed to between Contractor and BOEM regarding problems;

5) brief summary of significant technical, schedule, or cost problems encountered, including an assessment of their probable effects on meeting contract provisions and proposed solutions or actions taken to ameliorate them;

6) list of all significant meetings held, or other contacts made in connection with the contract, including a brief summary of the participants, meeting’s subject, date, location, and outcome; and

7) information supporting vouchers for that time period which shall also include a cumulative summary of the expenditures for this period with exceptional expenditures noted.

http://www.boem.gov/Environmental-Studies-Program-Report-Specifications/ http://www.boem.gov/Environmental-Studies-Program-Report-Specifications/

b. Progress Presentations and Summaries

Assume and budget for participation in one scientific conference or meeting during the period-of-performance (POP). These conferences/meetings shall be chosen by BOEM in consultation with the contractor. The Contractor’s designated PM shall attend, and if requested, make a progress presentation at BOEM meetings (such as the Information

Transfer Meetings) held in the New Orleans, Louisiana or an alternate location within the

Atlantic Region (to be decided in joint discussions between the contractor and BOEM). At these meetings, a progress presentation of approximately 30 minutes will be given. This should be accompanied by appropriate visual aids, which includes a MS PowerPoint presentation. In addition, a brief written summary shall be submitted to the Chief DES, COR, and the DES Contact one month prior to the meeting and conforming to the technical quality specifications sent with the invitation to speak. Also, a short biography shall be submitted with the summary. Any visuals to be distributed at these meetings must pertain to the presentation, be submitted with the written summary, and have prior approval by the

COR. Attendance and participation at meetings should be noted in the bi-monthly status reports. As a follow-up to any teleconferences or webinars held, the contractor should provide a concise summary paper with any recommendations noted within two (2) weeks after the meeting. All reports and presentations resulting from this contract must include the following acknowledgment of sponsorship statement: “Study concept, oversight, and funding were provided by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Environmental Studies Program, Washington, D.C. under Contract Number _________.”

c. Draft Report and Draft Technical Summary

Complete and submit draft final report and Technical Summary to BOEM for scientific and editorial review. The Contractor shall be responsible for preparation and submission of the

Draft Report produced by the Contractor’s staff, PIs/PM, and sub-contractors. The report shall detail all methodologies, techniques, interpretations, analyses, data, and results employed or generated in fulfillment of the contract requirements outlined in Tasks 1 through 5. The Technical Summary should cover all technical Tasks. This report and the

Technical Summary shall be submitted in accordance with Section 2.6 eighteen (18) months after Award. The Contractor shall submit digital files prepared using the format indicated in the report specifications concurrently in accordance with Section 2.6 with submission of the

Draft Report. These deliverables will conform to the specifications found at our web site:

http://www.boem.gov/Environmental-Stewardship/Environmental-Studies/Environmental-

Studies-Program-Report-Specifications.aspx. Strict adherence is required. Please consult this site for the most recent specifications before assembling your document as these are updated regularly.

All reports resulting from this contract must include the following acknowledgment of sponsorship statement: “Study concept, oversight, and funding were provided by the U.S.

Department of the Interior, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Environmental Studies

Program, Washington, D.C. under Contract Number _________.” Additionally, all interim, draft, and final reports must also contain the following disclaimer: “This report has been technically reviewed by BOEM, and it has been approved for publication. The views and http://www.boem.gov/Environmental-Stewardship/Environmental-Studies/Environmental-Studies-Program-Report-Specifications.aspx http://www.boem.gov/Environmental-Stewardship/Environmental-Studies/Environmental-Studies-Program-Report-Specifications.aspx conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as representing the opinions or policies of the U.S. government, nor does mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.”

The report must be delivered in an editable format (MS Office) and in PDF format.

References should be included in the Draft Report, where allowed by copyright law and should be submitted in the formats identified in §2.6. The Contractor shall make the COR aware of cases where references cannot be submitted and get that understanding approved by the COR in advance in writing. Bibliographic information should be compiled in a format that allows import of all fields needed to assemble a full reference list (e.g., author(s), editor(s), title of document, journal or report volume and number, page numbers, edition, date of publication, ISBN number, publisher, publisher location, relevant electronic links and date accessed, etc…) readable by and importable into MS Excel, MS Access, Reference

Manager, and EndNote software and submitted in that appropriate electronic format. All electronic files should be searchable.

The Contractor shall require of all investigators that all manuscripts intended to be published in journals and all abstracts or summaries prepared for oral presentations based on this study be submitted to BOEM for review and comment prior to submittal to the journal or conference authority and any comments incorporated to the extent practical in accordance with §2.6. All such publications and oral presentations shall contain an acknowledgement of support from BOEM under this Contract that reads, “Study concept, oversight, and funding were provided by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Environmental Studies Program, Washington, D.C. under Contract Number __________.”

The Contractor shall adhere to the submission time requirements and distribution outlined in

Section 2.6 for the Draft Report deliverable. The report shall discuss the QA/QC procedures, any modifications or deviations from procedures, and any other manipulations of the data.

The report shall include the results specified in Task 2–3.

The Contractor shall not provide copies of this Report, nor any subsequent revisions prepared during the review process, nor data contained within, nor any portions thereof, to any parties not specifically designated in §2.7 below prior to final acceptance by BOEM of the Final

Report. If a need arises to do so, the PM must obtain the written approval of the CO.

Within forty-five (45) days of “Draft” Report submission, BOEM and designated reviewers will review the report for technical content and editorial compliance. The technical review will evaluate the report for completeness, content, and general structure. The Draft report will also later be reviewed for editorial compliance to the report specifications. The COR will notify the Contractor of written recommendations, required changes, corrections, and additions. The Contractor shall consider incorporating BOEM recommended changes, corrections, and additions.

Questions regarding reviewer comments on the scientific and technical content and interpretation should be discussed with the COR. In those cases where the Contractor’s designated PM disagrees with the suggested changes, corrections, or additions, the

Contractor shall submit a letter of explanation to the COR explaining the rationale for the disagreement. Formatting standards are not subject to a discussion of alternatives. After questions on the review comments are resolved, the Contractor shall incorporate the suggested changes, corrections, and additions and resubmit the report to BOEM for another review cycle. Once the content is approved, the Contractor shall submit a copy for review for editorial compliance to report specifications (this review may take place concurrently with the content review). Once this review is completed, the Contractor shall incorporate any requested changes into the proof copy of the Report and submit it to BOEM for review as the

“Proof” submission.

If the report and data are unacceptable, they will be returned to the Contractor for correction and re-submittal, still as a Draft version of the report. Draft reports and data which require many changes, corrections, or additions and those which are not prepared according to the report specifications will be considered as unacceptable. NOTE: This process may include several iterations before deliverables are accepted by BOEM.

d. Proof Report and Proof Technical Summary

The Contractor should prepare and submit the “Proof” Report and Technical Summary that incorporates comments, corrections, and additions identified during the review of the “Draft” versions. These deliverables should conform to the submission time requirements and distribution outlined in Section 2.6. The “Proof” Report and data should be reviewed for incorporation of these comments, corrections, and additions. The process of submitting the

“Proof” Report and data, incorporating previously requested changes that were not made, will continue until the report and data are given BOEM approval. The Contractor should be notified of any outstanding changes, corrections, and additions identified by the COR or the

BOEM Editorial Staff and shall incorporate these changes, corrections, and additions. This version should be prepared as if it were the Final Report (i.e., with identical pagination, format, cover art, forward matter, figures, tables, etc.).

Once the “Proof” Report has received BOEM approval, the Contractor will be provided with the report cover that includes the BOEM OCS study number. The Contractor may then proceed to prepare the “Final” Report and data. The Contractor is cautioned not to make multiple copies of the report and data according to Section 2.6 until the report and databases have received final BOEM approval.

e. Final Report and Final Technical Summary

Once the “Proof” Report and Technical Summary have been given a BOEM OCS study number, the Contractor shall deliver the copies of the “Final” Report and Data and Technical

Summary specified in Section 2.6. Once the required versions of the “Final” Report and data and the required copies of the Technical Summary receive final BOEM approval, the

Contractor should deliver the additional copies of the Final Report and technical Report as specified in Section 2.6.

A Master Archive shall be provided containing all final deliverables and data to include: the

MS Word file(s), PDF file, source figures, any final databases used or developed, and the

Microsoft (MS) PowerPoint presentation. The Contractor shall deliver to BOEM the data and any documentation that would assist the end users of the results and data.

The final report must include a statement of its availability in BOEM’s Environmental

Studies Program Information System (ESPIS) as follows: “To download a PDF file of this

Environmental Studies Program report, go to the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of

Ocean Energy Management, Environmental Studies Program Information System website and search on OCS Study BOEM xxx-xxx.”

As identified in Section 2.6, the Contractor shall prepare the digital version of the Final

Report as a single file (bookmarked PDF with three levels of headings). Section 2.6 provides additional guidance for the bookmarked PDF.

The COR shall be consulted as to the best method/media by which to deliver all the files as a

Master Archive. This deliverable should be completed after all QA/QC procedures are finalized including the analysis by the individual PI. The preferred format of the files shall be determined based on agreement between the COR and the Contractor as the study progresses. Any changes in data formats during contract performance must be agreed upon in advance. All electronic files should be searchable; any exceptions must be agreed upon in advance between the COR and the Contractor. All datasets resulting from this contract must include the following acknowledgment of sponsorship statement: “Study concept, oversight, and funding were provided by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Ocean Energy

Management, Environmental Studies Program, Washington, D.C. under Contract Number

The Contractor shall not provide copies of any datasets, databases, analysis results, nor any subsequent revisions prepared during the review process, nor data contained within, nor any portions thereof, to any parties not specifically designated in §2.7 below without written approval of the CO.

f. PowerPoint Presentation

The Contractor should prepare and submit a PowerPoint Presentation that portrays 1) study objectives, design, and methods; 2) activities conducted during the course of the Contract performance; and 3) study results and interpretation. The PowerPoint presentation should include approximately twenty-five to fifty (25–50) slides per year of Contract performance.

The contractor should add notes to the PowerPoint file in the “notes” page of each slide in sufficient detail to enable someone to make an informative presentation on the study using only the PowerPoint file. Both a draft and final version will be required. The Contractor shall acknowledge Federal sponsorship in the presentation by including the following statement, “Study concept, oversight, and funding were provided by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Environmental Studies Program, Washington, D.C. under Contract Number __________” on either the title slide or the final slide.

g. Correspondence

The Contractor should send a courtesy copy (with attachments) of all Contractor-prepared correspondence pertaining to this contract as instructed in Section 2.7. Correspondence pertaining to this contract, received by the Contractor (excluding correspondence to and from

BOEM), should be copied and sent to the COR and CO according to the schedule in Section

2.6. All correspondence should be clearly marked with the Contract number on the first page.

h. Scientific Meetings/Publications

The Contractor shall submit all manuscripts intended for publication in journals and all abstracts or summaries prepared for oral presentations, based on this study to the BOEM

COR for review and comment prior to submittal to the journal or conference authority per

Section 2.6. The Contractor shall document and submit the results of such efforts (e.g., acceptance for publications, acceptance for presentations, final versions, journal articles published, presentations, abstracts, proceedings papers, and reference citations). All reports, scientific papers, datasets, poster and oral presentations resulting from this contract should include the following acknowledgment of sponsorship statement: “Study concept, oversight, and funding were provided by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Ocean Energy

Management, Environmental Studies Program, Washington, D.C. under Contract Number

_________.” Publication is encouraged.

2.5 SCIENTIFIC INTEGRITY

Scientific integrity is vital to Department of the Interior (DOI) activities under which scientific research, data, summaries, syntheses, interpretations, presentations, and/or publications are developed and used. Failure to uphold the highest degree of scientific integrity will result not only in potentially flawed scientific results, interpretations, and applications but will damage DOI’s reputation and ability to uphold the public’s trust. All work performed must comply with the DOI Scientific Integrity Policy posted to http://www.doi.gov/, or its equivalent as provided by their organization or State law.

http://www.doi.gov/

2.6 SCHEDULE OF DELIVERABLES

Deliverable products shall be submitted to the addresses shown in Section 2.7 in accordance with the following schedule via e-mail unless otherwise specified:

Deliverable

Distribution

Due Date

A. Post-Award Meeting and Summary

Chief, DES = one (1) digital copy

DES Contact = one (1) digital

COR = one (1) digital copy

CO = one (1) digital copy

Meeting/teleconference as soon as prudent after contract award, but not later than thirty (30) days after award.

The written Agenda and all of the other information requested from the contractor for this meeting, as listed in Task 1, shall be submitted via e-mail at least two (2) weeks before the

Post-Award meeting date.

Written summary of the meeting should be submitted via e-mail within two (2) weeks after the meeting.

B. Bi-Monthly Status

Reports

Submission on a bi-monthly (every other month) schedule. First submission should be submitted ten

(10) days after the 2 months reporting period. May be sent via e-mail.

C. Progress

Presentations and

Summaries

CO = copy of cover letter

When requested to make a presentation, the summaries are to be delivered within one (1) month prior to the meetings.

As a follow-up to any teleconferences/webinars held, provide a concise summary paper with recommendations within two (2) weeks after the meetings.

D. Draft Report Chief, DES = one (1) digital copy;

CO = copy of transmittal only

Eighteen (18) months after award.

Three (3) weeks after receipt of

BOEM’s review of the Draft Report, the Contractor shall submit a corrected Draft Report for re-review, if necessary. (This step may be repeated multiple times before

BOEM gives approval to move on to the Proof Report version).

The Draft Report will include the full collection of references, as allowed by copyright law, and bibliographic information used in its preparation.

E. Proof Report Chief, DES = one (1) digital copy in PDF format*

COR = one (1) digital copy in

PDF format*

CO = copy of transmittal only

*The PDF must be fully bookmarked for the first three levels of the Table of Contents with links to: what is in the

Table of Contents, List of

Tables, List of Figures, front cover, title page, and back cover. Bookmarks must be in

Acrobat’s navigation pane.

Within (3) three weeks of receipt of

BOEM approval of the draft copy.

The Draft Report will include the full collection of references, as allowed by copyright law, and bibliographic information used in its preparation.

F. Final Report and

Data

Within two (2) weeks of receipt of

BOEM editorial approval of the

Proof copy the contractor should submit the “review version” of the final report and data.

DES Contact = Master archive of all final deliverables in electronic form

COR = Master archive of all final deliverables in electronic form

CO = copy of transmittal letter only

The Contractor should address any comments received from BOEM on the final deliverables within three (3) weeks of receipt.

The Contractor should submit the

“Final Copy” of the final report and data within 24 months of the date of the contract award.

After final approval from BOEM, the

Master Archive must have the final report in MS Word version, one PDF version with bookmarks, the

PowerPoint Presentation, and all final deliverables and data.

G. Technical Summary

(Draft)

Concurrently with submission of (D) the Draft Report.

H. Technical Summary

(Proof Copy)

Concurrently with submission of the

“Proof” Report (E). Digital file must be in MS Word format.

I. Technical Summary

(Final Copy)

Concurrently with each submission of the “Final” Report (F). Digital file must be in MS Word format.

Incorporate into Final Report (F) after approval received.

J. PowerPoint

Presentation (Draft

Copy)

Concurrently with submission of

“Draft” Report (D). Should include approx. 25–50 MS PowerPoint slides.

K. PowerPoint

Presentation (Final

Copy)

Concurrently with submissions of

“Final” Report within Master

Archive.

L. Correspondence COR = one (1) digital copy

All correspondence (including e-mails), whether prepared or received by the Recipient, will have a courtesy copy (with attachments) sent to the

COR and CO within one (1) week.

M. On-call Professional

Support

Communication (e.g., e-mail, teleconference, webinar) with

BOEM-identified personnel at

COR request

At COR request.

N. Journal Publications…