B08-140M0126Q0028.pdf

REQUEST FOR QUOTATION

(THIS IS NOT AN ORDER)

THIS RFQ IS IS NOT A SMALL BUSINESS SET-ASIDE

15. DATE OF QUOTATION

16. SIGNER

a. NAME (Type or print)

c. TITLE (Type or print)

b. TELEPHONE

AREA CODE

NUMBER

STANDARD FORM 18 (REV. 6/1995)

Prescribed by GSA-FAR (48 CFR) 53.215-1(a)

AUTHORIZED FOR LOCAL REPRODUCTION

Previous edition not usable

8. TO:

b. COMPANYa. NAME

c. STREET ADDRESS

d. CITY e. STATE f. ZIP CODE

9. DESTINATION

a. NAME OF CONSIGNEE

b. STREET ADDRESS

d. STATE e. ZIP CODE

7. DELIVERY

FOB DESTINATION

OTHER

(See Schedule)

10. PLEASE FURNISH QUOTATIONS TO THE

ISSUING OFFICE IN BLOCK 5a ON OR BEFORE CLOSE OF BUSINESS (Date)

IMPORTANT: This is a request for information and quotations furnished are not offers. If you are unable to quote, please so indicate on this form and return it to the address in Block 5a. This request does not commit the Government to pay any costs incurred in the preparation of the submission of this quotation or to contract for supplies or service. Supplies are of domestic origin unless otherwise indicated by quoter. Any representations and/or certifications attached to this Request for Quotation must be completed by the quoter.

11. SCHEDULE (Include applicable Federal, State and local taxes)

ITEM NUMBER

(a)

SUPPLIES/SERVICES

(b)

QUANTITY

(c)

UNIT

(d)

UNIT PRICE

(e)

AMOUNT

(f)

12. DISCOUNT FOR PROMPT PAYMENT

a. 10 CALENDAR DAYS (%) b. 20 CALENDAR DAYS (%) c. 30 CALENDAR DAYS (%) d. CALENDAR DAYS

NUMBER PERCENTAGE

NOTE: Additional provisions and representations are are not attached.

13. NAME AND ADDRESS OF QUOTER

a. NAME OF QUOTER

b. STREET ADDRESS

c. COUNTY

d. CITY e. STATE f. ZIP CODE

14. SIGNATURE OF PERSON AUTHORIZED TO

SIGN QUOTATION

PAGE OF PAGES

1. REQUEST NUMBER 2. DATE ISSUED 3. REQUISITION/PURCHASE REQUEST NUMBER 4. CERT. FOR NAT. DEF.

UNDER BDSA REG. 2

AND/OR DMS REG. 1

RATING

5a. ISSUED BY 6. DELIVER BY (Date)

NAME TELEPHONE NUMBER

AREA CODE NUMBER

c. CITY

5b. FOR INFORMATION CALL (NO COLLECT CALLS)

1201 ELMWOOD PARK BLVD

BOEM-HQ

45600 Woodland Road, VAE-AMD Sterling VA 20166-9216

0044042247140M0126Q0028

Stephanie Brock

787-1151

BOEM NEW ORLEANS GOMR OFFICE

70123

06/30/2026

07/28/2026 1200 ED

365 Days After Award

New Orleans

LA

The United States Department of the

Interior (DOI), Office of Acquisition and Property Management, Bureau of

Safety and Environmental

Enforcement/Bureau of Ocean Energy

Management/Office of Surface Mining

Reclamation and Enforcement

(BSEE/BOEM/OSMRE) Programs, Acquisition

Operations Branch (AOB) is anticipating awarding a purchase order for Critical

Mineral Investigation of Texas Cores

Collected in Offshore Waters. This acquisition is being conducted in accordance with Revolutionary FAR

Overhaul (RFO) 12.201-1.

1 31

RFQ 140M0126Q0028

COMBINED SYNOPSIS AND SOLICITATION:

This is a Combined Synopsis/Solicitation for commercial products or commercial services prepared in accordance with Revolutionary FAR Overhaul (RFO) Part 12. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation. Quotes are being requested, and a separate written solicitation will not be issued.

This solicitation is a Request for Quotations (RFQ). The solicitation and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through the Federal Acquisition Circular 2026-01 March 13, 2026.

The Product Service Code (PSC) B529, Special Studies/Analysis – Scientific Data, is applicable to the requirement. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code 541715, Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences, with a small business size standard of 1,000, is applicable to the requirement.

This solicitation is being issued by the United States Department of the Interior (DOI), Office of Acquisition and Property Management, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement/Bureau of Ocean Energy Management/Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (BSEE/BOEM/OSMRE) Programs, Acquisition Operations Branch (AOB) to obtain competitive quotations in response to the Government’s requirement: Critical Management Investigation of Texas Cores Collected in Offshore Waters. As result of this solicitation, the Government anticipates issuing a purchase order to satisfy the requirements.

SECTION 1

PRICING

1.1 GENERAL

The United States Department of the Interior (DOI), Office of Acquisition and Property Management, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement/Bureau of Ocean Energy Management/Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (BSEE/BOEM/OSMRE) Programs, Acquisition Operations Branch (AOB) is anticipating awarding a purchase order for Critical Mineral Investigation of Texas Cores Collected in Offshore Waters. This acquisition is being conducted in accordance with Revolutionary FAR Overhaul (RFO) 12.201-1.

1.2 CONTRACT LINE ITEM/PRICING

CLIN 00010 is a Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP) CLIN.

CLIN Description Total 00010 Critical Management Investigation of Texas Cores

Collected in Offshore Waters in accordance with Section 2, Statement of Work (SOW)

1.3 PARTIAL DELIVERY PAYMENT SCHEDULE

Payment will be made to the Contractor based upon the delivery and acceptance of the deliverables/milestones below: (Quoter shall propose a table when submitting quote. Please include in Price Volume):

Payment No. Deliverable / Milestone Payment Amount 1 Summary Report * 2 Core Summary Reports * 3 Tabular Data in BOEM Specified

Schema

SECTION 2

STATEMENT OF WORK (SOW)

2.1 INTRODUCTION

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) through the Marine Minerals Program has worked to identify sand resources across the Gulf of America (GOA). These resources are economically valuable because they are used in beach replenishment and other coastal protection and restoration projects. Recent studies have shown strong evidence that the offshore sand may contain concentrations of heavy and critical minerals, adding to its economic value.

Locating sources of critical minerals in sediment resources in the GOA region and determining their concentrations could provide a secure and reliable supply of critical minerals related to our national security and economic prosperity.

The goal of the project is to support BOEM’s National Offshore Critical Mineral Inventory (NOCMI) to characterize critical mineral resources on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) by performing elemental/mineralogical analyses on geotechnical cores collected from the Texas OCS. This proposed work aligns with President Trump's Executive Orders 14285, Unleashing America's Offshore Critical Minerals and Resources, and 14154, Unleashing American Energy, which prioritize unleashing America’s potential to explore and develop OCS critical mineral resources. Furthermore, the work is in support of 30 CFR PART 581—LEASING OF

MINERALS OTHER THAN OIL, GAS, AND SULPHUR IN THE OUTER CONTINENTAL

SHELF.

2.2 OBJECTIVE

The objective of this task order is to identify critical mineral deposits along the Texas OCS by conducting elemental/mineralogical analyses on 624 samples from 208 cores (Map and Core Locations in Appendices 1 below). The cores are in storage in Austin, TX and Boca Raton, FL.

Elemental/mineralogical analyses should include basic testing to determine the elements found in the samples. Based on these results, select samples should be further processed through more specialized equipment to separate out the heavy minerals, calculate their distribution and mass, and determine their provenance, composition, and recoverability.

2.3 SCOPE OF WORK / TASKS

The overall scope of this project includes travel to Austin, TX and Boca Raton, FL where the cores are being stored, collecting samples from those cores, and conducting elemental / mineralogical analyses on those samples.

2.3.1 Task 1: Sample Selection

Based on initial core descriptions, a minimum of 3 samples from each core should be identified prior to collection and discussed with BOEM geologists. This step will be critical to ensure accurate representation of different horizons or sections of the core.

2.3.2 Task 2: Sample Collection

Samples should be collected by an experienced geologist and shipped to the testing facility. Cores will remain in storage.

2.3.3 Task 3: Sample Analysis

All collected samples are to be run through grain size analysis using a Laser Particle Size Analysis

(LPSA).

All samples should be analyzed with an exploration style analysis to determine the elements in each sample. The analysis should be conducted on the relevant critical minerals in the Gulf of America from the final 2025 List of Critical Minerals, published to the Federal Register (Federal Register : Final 2025 List of Critical Minerals), which includes the following 60 minerals:

aluminum, antimony, arsenic, barite, beryllium, bismuth, boron, cerium, cesium, chromium, cobalt, copper, dysprosium, erbium, europium, fluorspar, gadolinium, gallium, germanium, graphite, hafnium, holmium, indium, iridium, lanthanum, lead, lithium, lutetium, magnesium, manganese, metallurgical coal, neodymium, nickel, niobium, palladium, phosphate, platinum, potash, praseodymium, rhenium, rhodium, rubidium, ruthenium, samarium, scandium, silicon, silver, tantalum, tellurium, terbium, thulium, tin, titanium, tungsten, uranium, vanadium, ytterbium, yttrium, zinc, and zirconium.

After elemental analysis is completed and results discussed with BOEM, selected samples should be analyzed for minerology. (List of commonly found heavy minerals in coastal sands found in Appendix 2). After mineralogical testing, the need for additional testing will be discussed with BOEM. The specified samples may require heavy mineral separation, mineral distribution and mass analysis, and determination of provenance, composition, and recoverability.

2.3.4 Task 4: Meetings

Conduct monthly meetings (or touchpoint, as necessary) with BOEM as input is warranted for input on sample analysis.

2.3.5 Task 5: Reports and Data

The Contractor should develop a written summary for each core that includes the samples taken from that core. The data should be translated from raw output to a BOEM specified schema.

2.3.6 Task 6: Data Transfer

The Contractor shall ensure that all data, raw and processed, is transferred to BOEM within 60 days of sample analysis completion. Individual sample reports and a high-level methodology paper should accompany the data including the methodology and important findings.

https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/11/07/2025-19813/final-2025-list-of-critical-minerals https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/11/07/2025-19813/final-2025-list-of-critical-minerals

2.4 DELIVERABLES

The following deliverables shall be submitted, and meetings held in accordance with the schedule specified in Section 2.5. The Contractor shall be responsible for editing and proofreading all material to prepare products as error free as possible prior to their delivery to BOEM. All data will be delivered to BOEM via a secure SharePoint server as specified in the deliverables table below.

The contractor shall alert BOEM via email after the analysis of each step of sample analysis is completed so the program office can track completion rate and assist in determining next steps.

2.4.1 Post Award Meeting and Summary

The post award meeting should occur within 30 days of award. A post meeting summary should be supplied to BOEM within 10 days of the post-award meeting.

2.4.2 Monthly Meetings

The Contractor shall hold regularly scheduled monthly meetings/conference calls between Recipient and BOEM team throughout the performance period. The recipient will prepare and distribute the meeting minutes and a summary within one (1) week after adjourning the meeting.

2.4.3 Touchpoint Meetings (on ‘as needed’ basis)

The Contractor or BOEM may request a touchpoint meeting via teleconference or video conference to discuss unexpected problems hindering the completion of this Task Order. Upon request, a summary of the discussions shall be provided by the Contractor to the COR no later than three (3) days following the meeting or as specified in the deliverable table. Such Touchpoint Meetings are held for specific purposes on issues that significantly affect progress, i.e., issue resolution, data issues, additional data required, staffing changes, or other project hindering topics.

Meeting minutes and/or presentation shall be provided by the Contractor following the meeting.

2.4.4 Log Data and Petrophysical Analysis Results

Upon completion of the work, the contractor will provide the following:

1. Summary Report (PDF format) for the entire project. This report should include the methodologies, techniques, cutoffs, assumptions, models, empirical formulas, and software or programs used for the samples. The level of detail in this report needs to be such that results delivered to BOEM can be reproduced, validated, and preserved. When combined with the Critical Minerals Core Reports, this will fully document the work completed.

2. Individual Sample Reports and accompanying images (PDF format) - Provide a 1-3 page written Critical Minerals Core Report per core, summarizing the results from each sample taken from that core. This report should include significant critical minerals found, their distribution and mass, and provenance, composition, and recoverability depending on the testing. Attached to this report should be the output files and images from any of the programs (i.e. LPSA, ICP, HLS, XRF, TIMA3).

3. Sample elemental and mineralogical analysis tabular data - Results from each sample analysis should be processed and provided in tabular format in a BOEM specified schema.

The Contractor shall provide all data and reports generated through this project through a secure SharePoint server. BOEM will have a review period of thirty (30) days to approve or reject the final deliverables.

2.5 SCHEDULE OF DELIVERABLES

Deliverables Distribution Due Date Post-Award Meeting and

Summary (2.4.1) Via teleconference, video conference

Within 30 days of Award and 10 days post Meeting

Monthly Meetings (2.4.2)/ Touchpoint Meetings

Summary (2.4.3)

CO, COR - one (1) digital copy (PDF)

Within 3 days following Meeting, if requested from

COR

Summary Report (2.4.4-1) COR - one (1) digital copy per core (PDF)

Within in 2 months of finishing final core summary report

Core Summary Reports (2.4.4-2)

COR - one (1) digital copy per core (PDF)

Within 5 days of completion, with Raw output files Tabular Data in BOEM specified schema (2.4.4-3)

COR - one (1) digital copy (.xls)

Within in 2 months of finishing final core summary report

2.6 ADDRESS FOR DELIVERABLES

Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) TBD at time of award

SECTION 3

GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS

3.1 PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

The period of performance is one year from date of award, XX-XX-2026 to XX-XX-2027 (TBD at time of award).

3.2 PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

Performance of the work required will take place in Austin, Texas and Boca Raton, Florida, in accordance with Appendix 1 of Section 2, Statement of Work. Performance will also take place at the Contractor’s facility.

3.3 ADMINISTRATIVE POINTS OF CONTACT

3.3.1 Contracting Officer

Stephanie Brock U.S. Department of the Interior Email: stephanie_brock@ios.doi.gov Phone: 703-787-1151

3.3.2 Contracting Officer's Representative

TBD at time of award

3.4 INVOICE FREQUENCY AND PAYMENTS

Invoices shall be submitted in accordance with Section 1.3 Partial Delivery Payment Schedule.

3.4.1 Electronic Invoicing and Payment Requirements – Invoice Processing Platform

(IPP) (FEB 2021)

Payment requests must be submitted electronically through the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Invoice Processing Platform System (IPP).

"Payment request" means any request for contract financing payment or invoice payment by the Contractor. To constitute a proper invoice, the payment request must comply with the requirements identified in the applicable Prompt Payment clause included in the contract, or the clause 52.212- 4 Contract Terms and Conditions - Commercial Items included in commercial item contracts. The IPP website address is: https://www.ipp.gov.

Under this contract, the following documents are required to be submitted as an attachment to the IPP invoice: Documentation as required by FAR 32.905(b) https://www.ipp.gov/ https://www.ipp.gov/

The Contractor must use the IPP website to register access and use IPP for submitting requests for payment. The Contractor Government Business Point of Contact (as listed in SAM) will receive enrollment instructions via email from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRBSTL) within 3

- 5 business days of the contract award date. Contractor assistance with enrollment can be obtained by contacting the IPP Production Helpdesk via phone (866) 973-3131 or email IPPCustomerSupport@fiscal.treasury.gov.

If the Contractor is unable to comply with the requirement to use IPP for submitting invoices for payment, the Contractor must submit a waiver request in writing to the Contracting Officer with its proposal or quotation.

3.5 SECTION 508 OF THE REHABILITATION ACT

Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (found at 29 U.S.C. 794d) requires access to and use of information by individuals with disabilities. A deliverable such as electronic reports (ex: PDF files) to be placed on the web (either on the agency's web server of the company's), video footage, or other electronic data such as CD-ROMs 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 which contain HTML, PDF, or word processor files must be accessible. Any products, platforms, and services delivered as part of this requirement that use information and communication technology (ICT), shall conform to the ICT Accessibility Revised 508 Standards of the Rehabilitation Act.

3.6 NON-PERSONAL SERVICES

This order is a “non-personal services order” as defined in FAR 37.101 under which the personnel rendering the services are not subject, either by the order’s terms or by the manner of its administration, to the supervision and control usually prevailing in relationships between the Government and its employees.

Personnel assigned to render services under this order shall at all times be employees of the Contractor (or a subcontractor) and under the direction and control of the Contractor.

Notwithstanding any other provision of this order, the contractor shall at all times be responsible for the supervision of its employees in the performance of the services required hereunder.

The Contractor and/or the Contractor’s employees: (1) shall perform the services specified herein as an independent contractor, not as employees of the government; (2) shall be responsible for the management and administration of the work required and bear sole responsibility for complying with any and all technical, schedule, or financial requirements or constraints attendant to the performance of this contract; (3) shall be free from supervision of control by any government employee with respect to the manner or method of performance of the services specified; but (4) shall, pursuant to the government’s right and obligation to inspect, accept or reject the work, comply with such general direction of the CO, or the duly authorized representative of the CO, as is necessary to ensure accomplishment of the order objectives.

mailto:IPPCustomerSupport@fiscal.treasury.gov

If the Contractor finds clarification necessary with respect to the scope of services to be performed or the manner in which the services are to be performed hereunder, the Contractor shall request clarification from the CO in writing.

Employees of the Contractor (or a subcontractor) must make clear, in dealings with the public, federal employees, or other contractors, that they are not federal employees. To minimize possible confusion, the Contractor’s (or subcontractor) employees are not permitted to wear clothing or other items, apart from the official identity credential, bearing the name, logo, or seal of the Government agency while performing work under this order.

3.7 FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION (FAR) CLAUSES

3.7.1 FAR 52.252-2 – CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE (FEB 1998)

In accordance with FAR 52.252-2, this Order incorporates one or more clauses by reference, with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer (CO) will make their full text available. Also, the full text of a clause may be accessed electronically at this address: https://www.acquisition.gov/.

Clause Title 52.203-17 Contractor Employee Whistleblower Rights and Requirement to Inform

Employees of Whistleblower Rights (Nov 2023) 52.203-19 Prohibition on Requiring Certain Internal Confidentiality Agreements or

Statements (Jan 2017) 52.204-13 System for Award Management Maintenance (Mar 2026) 52.212-4 Contract Terms and Conditions – Commercial Products and Commercial Services

(Deviation Mar 2026) 52.222-90 Addressing DEI Discrimination by Federal Contractors (Deviation May 2026) 52.227-14 Rights in Data – General (May 2014) 52.240-91 Security Prohibitions and Exclusions (Deviation Mar 2026)

3.8 CONTRACTOR’S TECHNICAL QUOTATION

The Contractor’s technical quotation may be incorporated by reference into the Order. In the event any inconsistencies, discrepancies, or conflicts between the terms and conditions of the Order and the Contractor’s quotation arise, the Order terms and conditions shall take precedence.

3.9 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/

3.10 DIAR 1452.201-70 AUTHORITIES AND DELEGATIONS (SEP 2011)

(a) The Contracting Officer is the only individual authorized to enter into or terminate this contract, modify any term or condition of this contract, waive any requirement of this contract, or accept nonconforming work.

(b) The Contracting Officer will designate a Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) at time of award. The COR will be responsible for technical monitoring of the contractor's performance and deliveries. The COR will be appointed in writing, and a copy of the appointment will be furnished to the Contractor. Changes to this delegation will be made by written changes to the existing appointment or by issuance of a new appointment.

(c) The COR is not authorized to perform, formally or informally, any of the following actions:

(1) Promise, award, agree to award, or execute any contract, contract modification, or notice of intent that changes or may change this contract;

(2) Waive or agree to modification of the delivery schedule;

(3) Make any final decision on any contract matter subject to the Disputes Clause;

(4) Terminate, for any reason, the Contractor's right to proceed;

(5) Obligate in any way, the payment of money by the Government.

(d) The Contractor shall comply with the written or oral direction of the Contracting Officer or authorized representative(s) acting within the scope and authority of the appointment memorandum. The Contractor need not proceed with direction that it considers to have been issued without proper authority. The Contractor shall notify the Contracting Officer in writing, with as much detail as possible, when the COR has taken an action or has issued direction (written or oral) that the Contractor considers to exceed the COR's appointment, within 3 days of the occurrence.

Unless otherwise provided in this contract, the Contractor assumes all costs, risks, liabilities, and consequences of performing any work it is directed to perform that falls within any of the categories defined in paragraph (c) prior to receipt of the Contracting Officer's response issued under paragraph (e) of this clause.

(e) The Contracting Officer shall respond in writing within 30 days to any notice made under paragraph (d) of this clause. A failure of the parties to agree upon the nature of a direction, or upon the contract action to be taken with respect thereto, shall be subject to the provisions of the Disputes clause of this contract.

(f) The Contractor shall provide copies of all correspondence to the Contracting Officer and the

COR.

(g) Any action(s) taken by the Contractor, in response to any direction given by any person acting on behalf of the Government or any Government official other than the Contracting Officer or the COR acting within his or her appointment, shall be at the Contractor's risk.

3.11 NO PAYMENT FOR UNAUTHORIZED WORK

No payments will be made for any unauthorized supplies and/or services, or for any unauthorized changes to the work specified herein. This includes any services performed by the Contractor of their own volition or at the request of an individual other than a duly appointed Contracting Officer.

Only a duly appointed Contracting Officer is authorized to change the specifications, terms, and conditions under this effort.

3.12 ORGANIZATIONAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST

(a) It is the policy of the Department of the Interior to avoid contract/purchase order awards which could create potential conflict of interest. While the Government has not identified an existing conflict of interest, a conflict could arise or develop after purchase order award. For purposes of this clause, a conflict of interest is defined as when the Contractor or any subcontractors or teaming arrangement partners have business, financial, real property, mineral rights, or other interests, as well as professional activities that create conflicting roles which could potentially bias a Contractor’s judgment or result in unfair competitive advantage to the Contractor, and thus impede the Government’s objective to obtain an impartial, technically sound and objective performance of this contract.

(b) Any request for waiver from the terms of this contract provision shall be directed in writing to the Contracting Officer and shall include a full description and justification of the required waiver.

(c) The Contractor, or any of his officers or representatives, shall not involve himself in any situation during performance of this contract which may result in conflicts as contemplated in Paragraph (a) above. Failure to comply with this provision may be cause for termination of this contract for default.

(d) The Contractor must disclose any interest which may develop after contract award which may result in his placement in a conflicting role with his performance of this agreement. Failure to comply with this provision may be cause for termination of this contract for default.

(e) The Contractor shall include this clause, including this paragraph in all subcontracts and consultant agreements; however, subcontractors and consultants shall be directed to send any requests for waiver to the Contractor who shall then inform the Contracting Officer as described in (a) above.

3.13 RELEASE OF NEWS INFORMATION

No news release (including photographs and films, public announcements, denial or confirmation of same) on any part of the subject matter of this effort shall be made without the prior written approval of the CO.

3.14 DATA USE, DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION, AND HANDLING OF

SENSITIVE INFORMATION

The Contractor shall maintain, transmit, retain in strictest confidence, and prevent the unauthorized duplication, use, and disclosure of information. The contractor shall provide information only to employees, contractors, and subcontractors having a need to know such information in the performance of their duties for this project.

Information made available to the contractor by the Government for the performance or administration of this effort shall be used only for those purposes and shall not be used in any other way without the written agreement of the Contracting Officer (CO).

If government information is provided to the contractor for use in performance or administration of this effort, the contractor except with the written permission of the CO may not use such information for any other purpose.

If the Contractor is uncertain about the availability or proposed use of information provided for the performance or administration, the contractor will consult with the COR regarding use of that information for other purposes.

The Contractor agrees to assume responsibility for protecting the confidentiality of Government records which are not public information. Each employee of the contractor to whom information may be made available or disclosed shall be notified in writing by the contractor that such information may be disclosed only for a purpose and to the extent authorized herein. Each employee shall sign the non-disclosure agreement form as provided at Attachment 2, and the contractor shall submit the signed form to the CO prior to the employee’s information access.

Performance of this effort may require the contractor to access and use data and information proprietary to a Government agency or Government contractor which is of such a nature that its dissemination or use, other than in performance of this effort, would be adverse to the interests of the Government and/or others.

Contractor and/or contractor personnel shall not divulge or release data or information developed or obtained in performance of this effort, until made public by the Government, except to authorized Government personnel or upon written approval of the CO.

The Contractor shall not use, disclose, or reproduce proprietary data that bears a restrictive legend, other than as required in the performance of this effort. Nothing herein shall preclude the use of any data independently acquired by the contractor without such limitations or prohibit an agreement at no cost to the Government between the contractor and the data owner that provides for greater rights to the contractor. All data received, processed, evaluated, loaded, and/or created as a result of this TO shall remain the sole property of the Government unless specific exception is granted by the CO.

3.15 NOTICE REGARDING LATE DELIVERY/DELAYED PERFORMANCE

(a) In the event the Contractor anticipates difficulty in meeting performance requirements, or when it anticipates difficulty in complying with any delivery schedule contained in this Purchase Order, or any date, or whenever the Contractor has knowledge that any actual or potential situation is delaying or threatens to delay the timely performance of the Purchase Order, the Contractor shall immediately notify the CO and the COR in writing, giving pertinent details, provided this data shall be informational only in character and that this provision shall not be construed as a waiver by the Government of any Purchase Order delivery schedule, or date or any rights or remedies provided by law under the contract.

(b) If the Contractor fails to respond in a timely manner to any portion of the purchase order requirements, delay will be attributed to the Contractor.

(c) If the Government delays performance of the Purchase Order, the period of performance and/or price may be revised upon mutual agreement between the Government and the Contractor.

SECTION 4

QUOTATION SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

NOTICE: The failure to submit any of the information requested in this RFQ may lead to the rejection of your quotation without further consideration.

4.1 SUBMISSION OF QUESTIONS

Any questions regarding this RFQ must be sent to stephanie_brock@ios.doi.gov no later than Monday, July 6, 2026 at 12:00PM EST. Any questions received after the due date and time will not be accepted. Questions will not be answered via telephone. Please include RFQ 140M0126Q0028 in the subject line.

4.2 QUOTATION DUE DATE

Quotation submitted in response to this RFQ shall be submitted no later than Tuesday, July 28, 2026 at 12:00PM EST. The quotation shall be delivered to the Contracting Officer at stephanie_brock@ios.doi.gov. The submission shall detail the RFQ Number 140M0126Q0028 in the subject line of the email.

4.3 QUOTATION INSTRUCTIONS

The quotation package must include two separate volumes: (1) Technical Volume and (2) Price Volume in accordance with the instructions contained in this solicitation. Quotes may be submitted in Microsoft Word, Adobe PDF, and/or Microsoft Excel formats.

This RFQ in no way obligates the Government to make an award. The Government will not be responsible for any costs incurred by responding to this RFQ. The failure to submit any of the information requested in this RFQ may lead to the rejection of your quotation without further discussion. Any quotation that offers less than the total required effort will not be considered.

4.4 TECHNICAL QUOTE

The technical quotation is limited to no more than 10 pages in length. Documentation submitted may use any font, and will use pitch size 12, single spaced, and 8.5x11 paper. Any pages larger than 8.5x11 will be considered 2 pages. Any pages in excess of 10 pages will not be evaluated.

The Technical Quotation limitation of 10 pages excludes the following documents: resumes, cover page, cover letter, table of contents, assumptions, conditions, and exceptions. These documents must be clearly identified in the Technical Quotation volume of the quotation package.

4.4.1 Technical Capability and Experience

The Quoter shall describe its technical capability and experience to meet the Government’s stated requirements in Section 2, Statement of Work.

4.4.2 Past Performance

The Quoter shall provide information for two (2) previous Government contracts its performed recently (in-progress or completed within the last three (3) years) that are relevant to stated requirements of this RFQ. Relevant past performance is performance which is similar in terms of size, scope, and complexity to the stated requirements of this RFQ. The Quoter shall submit this information in the format of Attachment 2, Past Performance Reference Form.

4.5 PRICE QUOTE

4.5.1 General Requirements

The Price quotation must include pricing based on open market pricing, utilizing any and all discounts. The Quoter shall provide supporting documents stating that pricing offered under this RFQ is similar or lower than the pricing information provided to other Federal agencies or industry partners.

4.5.2 Standard Form 18

The Quoter’s price submission must contain a Standard Form (SF) 18 with blocks 12 through 16 completed. Block 14 must be signed by an authorized representative of the Quoter’s organization.

4.5.3 Amendments

If amendments are issued under this RFQ, the Quoter must complete and sign the SF 30 document and include it in the price volume. Only the SF 30 form must be returned; amendment continuation pages and attachments to the amendments need not be returned.

4.6 QUOTATION VALIDITY PERIOD

Quotation shall be valid for 120 calendar days. The time shall be calculated from the date designated for the receipt of quotation.

4.7 ASSUMPTIONS, CONDITIONS, OR EXCEPTIONS

Quoters must submit, under the Technical Volume, all (if any) assumptions, conditions, or exceptions with any of the contractual, technical, and/or cost/price terms and conditions of this RFQ. If not noted explicitly in the Technical Volume, the Quoter agrees to comply with all the terms and conditions as set forth herein. It is not the responsibility of the Government to seek out and identify assumptions, conditions, or exceptions buried within the quoter’s submission.

4.8 FAR 52.252-1 SOLICITATION PROVISIONS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

(FEB 1998)

This solicitation incorporates one or more solicitation provisions by reference, with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make their full text available. The offeror is cautioned that the listed provisions may include blocks that must be completed by the offeror and submitted with its quotation or offer. In lieu of submitting the full text of those provisions, the offeror may identify the provision by paragraph identifier and provide the appropriate information with its quotation or offer. Also, the full text of a solicitation provision may be accessed electronically at this/these address: https://www.acquisition.gov/far.

Provision Title 52.203-18 Prohibition on Contracting with Entities that Require Certain Internal Confidentiality Agreements or Statements-Representation (Jan 2017) 52.204-7 System for Award Management (Mar 2026 Deviation) 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors—Commercial Products and Commercial Services (Mar 2026 Deviation) 52.225-25 Prohibition on Contracting with Entities Engaging in Certain Activities or Transactions Relating to Iran – Representation and Certifications (Jun 2020) 52.223-1 Biobased Product Certification (Deviation May 2026) 52.223-23 Sustainable Products and Services (Deviation May 2026) 52.240-90 Security Prohibitions and Exclusions Representations and Certifications (Deviation Mar 2026)

System updates may lag policy updates. The System for Award Management (SAM) may continue to require entities to complete representations based on provisions that are not included in agency solicitations, including 52.223-22, Public Disclosure of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Reduction Goals – Representation, and paragraph (t) of 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications- Commercial Products and Commercial Services. Agencies will not consider or use these representations. Entities are not required to, nor are they able to, update their entity registration to remove these representations in SAM.

4.9 DIAR 1452.215-71 USE AND DISCLOSURE OF QUOTATION INFORMATION

(APR 1984)

(a) Definitions. For the purposes of this provision and the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C.

552) the following terms shall have the meaning set forth below:

(1) "Trade Secret" means an unpatented, secret commercially valuable plan, appliance, formula, or process which is used for the making, preparing, compounding, treating or processing of articles or materials which are trade commodities.

(2) "Confidential commercial or financial information" means any business information (other than trade secrets) which is exempt from the mandatory disclosure requirement of the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. 552. Exemptions from mandatory disclosure that may be applicable to business information contained in quotations include exemption (4), which covers "commercial and financial information obtained from a person and privileged or confidential," and exemption (9), which covers "geological and geophysical information, including maps, concerning wells."

(b) If the quoter, or its subcontractor(s) believes that the quotation contains trade secrets or confidential commercial or financial information exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of https://www.acquisition.gov/far

Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552) the quoter shall identify such information as follows:

"The information specifically identified in pages (insert page nos.) of this quotation constitutes trade secrets or confidential commercial and financial information, which the quoter believes to be exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act.

The quoter requests that this information not be disclosed to the public except as may be required by law. The quoter also requests that this information not be used in whole or part by the Government for any purpose other than to evaluate the quotation, except that if a contract is awarded to the quoter as a result of or in connection with the submission of the quotation, the Government shall have the right to use the information to the extent provided in the contract."

(c) The quoter shall also specifically identify trade secret information and confidential commercial and financial information on the pages of the quotation on which it appears and shall mark each such page with the following legend:

"This page contains trade secrets or confidential commercial and financial information which the quoter believes to be exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act and which is subject to the legend contained on the cover page of this quotation."

(d) Information in a quotation identified by an quoter as trade secret information or confidential commercial and financial information shall be used by the Government only for the purpose of evaluating the quotation except that (i) if a contract is awarded to the quoter as a result of or in connection with submission of the quotation, the Government shall have the right to use the information as provided in the contract, (ii) and if the same information is obtained from another source without restriction it may be used without restriction.

(e) If a request under the Freedom of Information Act seeks access to information in a quotation identified as trade secret information or confidential commercial and financial information, full consideration will be given to the quoter's view that the information constitutes trade secrets or confidential commercial or financial information. The quoter will also be promptly notified of the request and given an opportunity to provide additional evidence and argument in support of its position, unless administratively unfeasible to do so. If it is determined that information claimed by the quoter to be trade secret information or confidential commercial or financial information is not exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act, the quoter will be notified of this determination prior to disclosure of the information.

(f) The Government assumes no liability for the disclosure or use of information contained in a quotation if not marked in accordance with paragraphs (b) and (c) of this provision. If a request under the Freedom of Information Act is made for information in a quotation not marked in accordance with paragraphs (b) and (c) of this provision, the quoter concerned shall be promptly notified of the request and given an opportunity to provide its position to the Government.

However, failure of an quoter to mark information contained in a quotation as trade secret information or confidential commercial or financial information will be treated by the Government as evidence that the information is not exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Information

Act, absent a showing that the failure to mark was due to unusual or extenuating circumstances, such as a showing that the quoter had intended to mark, but that markings were omitted from the quoter's quotation due to clerical error.

SECTION 5

EVALUATION OF QUOTATIONS

5.1 BASIS FOR AWARD

Award shall be made to the responsible Quoter whose quote, in conforming to this Request for Quote (RFQ), provides an overall best value to the Government, technical, past performance, and price considered. Acceptable quotes will be compared against each other to determine which quote provides the best value for the Government. The Government reserves the right to consider a quote that offers more than the minimum and select that quote if it provides a benefit to the Government.

The Government has the discretion to accept other than the lowest priced quote that provides those additional benefits.

The Government reserves the right not to make an award as a result of this competition.

5.2 EVALUATION FACTORS

• Technical Capability and Experience: The Technical Narrative provided will be evaluated to determine if the Quoter’s technical capability and experience to meet the Government’s stated requirements.

• Past Performance: Evaluated to determine acceptable past performance based on submitted

Past Performance Reference Forms. The Contracting Officer may, but is not required to, also use their own knowledge of a quoter’s previous performance, consider information from CPARS, or consider other relevant sources.

• Price: Price will be evaluated for reasonableness.

SECTION 6

ATTACHMENTS

Attachment 1 – Appendices (Appendix 1 and Appendix 2) – 8 pages

Attachment 2 – Past Performance Reference Form – 2 pages

ATTACHMENT 1

Appendix 1

Figure 1. Map of Existing and Proposed Cores to be sampled for Critical Minerals.

Table 1.

Core Name Existing/Proposed Longitude Latitude

GLO-UPOCS-VC-24-01 Existing -94.600936 28.861608

GLO-UPOCS-VC-24-02 Existing -94.630929 28.803581

GLO-UPOCS-VC-24-03 Existing -94.582719 28.83013

GLO-UPOCS-VC-24-04 Existing -94.570474 28.809904

GLO-UPOCS-VC-24-05 Existing -94.5591 28.790483

GLO-UPOCS-VC-24-06 Existing -94.508205 28.849211

GLO-UPOCS-VC-24-07 Existing -94.519271 28.868224

GLO-UPOCS-VC-24-08 Existing -94.538412 28.900953

GLO-UPOCS-VC-24-09 Existing -94.469195 28.891892

GLO-UPOCS-VC-24-10 Existing -94.42328 28.886237

GLO-UPOCS-VC-24-11 Existing -94.438873 28.913118

GLO-UPOCS-VC-24-12 Existing -94.4521 28.935765

GLO-UPOCS-VC-24-13 Existing -94.339483 28.962081

GLO-UPOCS-VC-24-14 Existing -94.364656 29.005266

GLO-UPOCS-VC-24-15 Existing -94.385271 29.040234

GLO-UPOCS-VC-24-16 Existing -94.339021 29.108178

GLO-UPOCS-VC-24-17 Existing -94.310045 29.058443

GLO-UPOCS-VC-24-18 Existing -94.297043 29.036087

GLO-UPOCS-VC-24-19 Existing -94.24692 29.023056

GLO-UPOCS-VC-24-20 Existing -94.262848 29.087246

GLO-UPOCS-VC-24-21 Existing -94.22756 29.099858

GLO-UPOCS-VC-24-22 Existing -94.208653 29.067792

GLO-UPOCS-VC-24-23 Existing -94.133372 29.085598

GLO-UPOCS-VC-24-24 Existing -94.149483 29.112684

GLO-UPOCS-VC-24-25 Existing -94.165657 29.140441

GLO-UPOCS-VC-24-26 Existing -94.176504 29.159406

GLO-UPOCS-VC-24-27 Existing -94.132262 29.156532

GLO-UPOCS-VC-24-28 Existing -94.066996 29.154516

GLO-UPOCS-VC-24-29 Existing -94.039218 29.106894

GLO-UPOCS-VC-24-30 Existing -93.996204 29.106511

GLO-UPOCS-VC-24-31 Existing -93.723049 29.557474

GLO-UPOCS-VC-24-32 Existing -93.699528 29.571003

GLO-UPOCS-VC-24-33 Existing -93.701836 29.569952

GLO-UPOCS-VC-24-34 Existing -93.682165 29.560475

GLO-UPOCS-VC-24-35 Existing -93.674835 29.548111

GLO-UPOCS-VC-24-36 Existing -93.887484 29.397446

GLO-UPOCS-VC-24-37 Existing -93.983904 29.379341

GLO-UPOCS-VC-24-38 Existing -93.98346 29.341362

GLO-UPOCS-VC-24-39 Existing -94.024511 29.338578

GLO-UPOCS-VC-24-40 Existing -94.09363 29.310208

GLO-UPOCS-VC-24-41 Existing -94.206086 29.209708

GLO-UPOCS-VC-24-42 Existing -94.071276 29.225361

GLO-UPOCS-VC-24-43 Existing -94.144396 29.287048

GLO-UPOCS-VC-24-44 Existing -93.97265 29.249304

GLO-UPOCS-VC-24-45 Existing -93.929707 29.286334

GLO-UPOCS-VC-24-46 Existing -93.792066 29.344032

GLO-UPOCS-VC-24-47 Existing -93.717297 29.399558

GLO-UPOCS-VC-24-48 Existing -93.700328 29.40713

GLO-UPOCS-VC-24-49 Existing -93.640543 29.451815

GLO-UPOCS-VC-24-50 Existing -93.630242 29.507424

GLO-UPOCS-VC-24-51 Existing -94.06423 29.406504

GLO-UPOCS-VC-24-57 Existing -93.965143 29.475649

GLO-UPOCS-VC-24-59 Existing -93.819459 29.427706

GLO-UPOCS-VC-24-60 Existing -93.750302 29.456359

GLO-UPOCS-VC-24-61 Existing -93.714621 29.47148

GLO-UPOCS-VC-24-62 Existing -93.719725 29.477459

GLO-UPOCS-VC-24-63 Existing -93.621124 29.566147

GLO-UPOCS-VC-24-64 Existing -93.667193 29.571369

GLO-UPOCS-VC-24-65 Existing -93.594779 29.594495

GLO-UPOCS-VC-24-66 Existing -93.610278 29.54776

GLO-UPOCS-VC-24-67 Existing -93.54422 29.544106

GLO-UPOCS-VC-24-68 Existing -93.537179 29.547121

GLO-UPOCS-VC-24-69 Existing -93.519014 29.574736

GLO-UPOCS-VC-24-70 Existing -93.432566 29.572973

GLO-UPOCS-VC-24-71 Existing -93.466652 29.484444

GLO-UPOCS-VC-24-72 Existing -93.434461 29.428508

GLO-UPOCS-VC-24-73 Existing -93.409471 29.45926

GLO-UPOCS-VC-24-74 Existing -93.388039 29.45936

VC_102 Proposed -96.98829 26.20163

VC_081 Proposed -97.114702 26.620507

VC_092 Proposed -97.036867 26.551371

VC_091 Proposed -97.041578 26.601484

VC_112 Proposed -96.912324 26.033419

VC_103 Proposed -96.983525 26.160967

VC_144 Proposed -96.604349 26.260989

VC_142 Proposed -96.615449 26.336908

VC_134 Proposed -96.699 26.453578

VC_132 Proposed -96.712334 26.502739

VC_087 Proposed -97.061251 26.675344

VC_082 Proposed -97.108436 26.646195

VC_080 Proposed -97.116957 26.67066

VC_100 Proposed -97.008801 26.578992

VC_099 Proposed -97.013671 26.452711

VC_095 Proposed -97.015783 26.552546

VC_098 Proposed -97.01536 26.348851

VC_124 Proposed -96.79734 26.445573

VC_105 Proposed -96.978981 26.128301

VC_090 Proposed -97.049938 26.567663

VC_141 Proposed -96.631176 26.023752

VC_107 Proposed -96.947373 26.332378

VC_143 Proposed -96.609765 26.309702

VC_108 Proposed -96.944088 26.282118

VC_111 Proposed -96.926095 26.146681

VC_122 Proposed -96.800969 26.394856

VC_130 Proposed -96.744336 26.406675

VC_078 Proposed -97.155575 26.768227

VC_079 Proposed -97.131768 26.669448

VC_084 Proposed -97.09794 26.621978

VC_083 Proposed -97.101101 26.596423

VC_088 Proposed -97.058005 26.59121

VC_086 Proposed -97.071451 26.573765

VC_093 Proposed -97.024225 26.577719

VC_123 Proposed -96.797629 26.596567

VC_127 Proposed -96.782585 26.54749

VC_085 Proposed -97.078005 26.522937

VC_096 Proposed -97.01721 26.422532

VC_104 Proposed -96.979503 26.430396

VC_117 Proposed -96.851815 26.441036

VC_129 Proposed -96.771185 26.447662

VC_139 Proposed -96.630763 26.408705

VC_101 Proposed -97.00308 26.378004

VC_106 Proposed -96.971066 26.279981

VC_138 Proposed -96.659724 26.305653

VC_113 Proposed -96.890291 26.236444

VC_137 Proposed -96.668724 26.153903

VC_146 Proposed -96.586608 26.146483

VC_140 Proposed -96.633414 26.056077

VC_131 Proposed -96.720953 26.048918

VC_089 Proposed -97.05598 26.600299

VC_094 Proposed -97.02609 26.4768

VC_097 Proposed -97.013227 26.630405

VC_109 Proposed -96.936482 26.231678

VC_110 Proposed -96.922284 26.535936

VC_114* Proposed -96.866129 26.439907

VC_115 Proposed -96.858873 26.591519

VC_118 Proposed -96.832094 26.644117

VC_119 Proposed -96.837618 26.089684

VC_120 Proposed -96.817671 26.544588

VC_121 Proposed -96.815928 26.494279

VC_125 Proposed -96.800283 26.041831

VC_126 Proposed -96.789684 26.295038

VC_128 Proposed -96.778298 26.295976

VC_133 Proposed -96.712039 26.229835

VC_135 Proposed -96.690888 26.40386

VC_136 Proposed -96.689736 26.051466

VC_145 Proposed -96.588187 26.160491

VC_147…