143011-25-0059 - Sources Sought.pdf

REQUEST FOR SOURCES SOUGHT ANNOUNCEMENT

1.0 Description

In preparation for an upcoming procurement, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Western Acquisition Division (WAD), on behalf of the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), Office of Law Enforcement (OLE) is conducting market research and seeking possible sources to support the Alaska Enforcement Division (AKD) in operating a call center tasked with providing timely, confidential and efficient processing and dissemination of critical fisheries data. Specific services include data management and troubleshooting, related ancillary functions such as data entry, retrieval, tracking, reporting and archiving, and in person interaction with members of the commercial and charter fishing industries in Alaska including harvesters and personnel with national and state fishery management agencies including law enforcement.

2.0 Background and Objective

The commercial halibut and sablefish fisheries in Alaska began to be managed through an Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) program by NMFS in 1995. In 2005, some crab fisheries began to be managed by NMFS and the State of Alaska through an IFQ program called Crab Rationalization. In 2014, the charter halibut fishery began to be managed through the Catch Sharing Plan (CSP) by NMFS. NOAA AKD has the responsibility for enforcing Federal fisheries including the Alaska IFQ Fishery, Crab Rationalization program and Catch Sharing Plan.

These programs require a call center function, performed by data technicians to process incoming data and reports, enter data in various database systems, and to notify officers of violations and provide officers with landing and permit information. The data technicians are often the first point of contact that participants of the commercial halibut, sablefish and crab fisheries in Alaska have with the NMFS. It is imperative that the data technicians are familiar with the complexities and regulatory aspects of the catch share fisheries throughout Alaska and are able to timely, confidentially and efficiently process and disseminate critical fisheries data to ensure the continued success of the programs.

The commercial halibut and sablefish fisheries in Alaska began to be managed through an Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) program by NMFS in 1995. In 2005, some crab fisheries began to be managed by NMFS and the State of Alaska through an IFQ program called Crab Rationalization. In 2014, the charter halibut fishery began to be managed through the Catch Sharing Plan (CSP) by NMFS. NOAA AKD has the responsibility for enforcing Federal fisheries including the Alaska IFQ Fishery, Crab Rationalization program and Catch Sharing Plan.

These programs require a call center function, performed by data technicians to process incoming data and reports, enter data in various database systems, and to notify officers of violations and provide officers with landing and permit information. The data technicians are often the first point of contact that participants of the commercial halibut, sablefish and crab fisheries in Alaska have with the NMFS. It is imperative that the data technicians are familiar with the complexities and regulatory aspects of the catch share fisheries throughout Alaska and are able to timely, confidentially and efficiently process and disseminate critical fisheries data to ensure the continued success of the programs.

3.0 Requirement

This section describes the general requirements for this effort. The following goals are listed as follows:

4.0 Goals

● Non-Personal Services

● Business Relations

● Task Order Administration and Management

● Personnel Administration

● Sub-Task Order Management

● Contractor Personnel, Disciplines, and Specialties

The contractor shall provide the following services throughout the period of performance and complete the following tasks as described. The contractor shall be directly responsible for ensuring the accuracy, timeliness and completion of all tasks assigned under this contract.

The contractor's data technicians assigned to the call center are required to perform all work independently, and without Government supervision and the contractor shall insure that all personnel are fully trained to meet this requirement. All contract requirements performed are subject to the quality review of the AKD Contracting Officer's Technical Representative (COR).

Generally, the data technicians shall:

● Key-enter and sight verify of all data received.

● Follow all existing procedures, guidelines, and regulations.

● Ensure the quality of all data processed.

● Meet processing schedules in accordance with the established time frames.

● Maintain files of all input documents as required by local procedures.

● Request the assignment of priorities by the AKD COR when workloads become excessive.

● Inform the AKD COR of all machine malfunctions.

5.0 Requested Information

Contractors shall submit a Capability Statement to demonstrate how they meet the requirements of this Sources Sought notice. Please limit responses to five (5) pages. Standard brochures will not be considered a sufficient response to this notice.

The submitted Capability Statement shall include the following:

1. Company Overview

a. Company Name and Address

b. A brief description of your company

c. Socioeconomic status, business size, and size standard/applicable North American Industry

Classification System (NAICS) codes.

d. Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number and/or CAGE

2. Using specific and direct relevant examples, the interested vendor shall demonstrate capabilities with the goals identified above and the tasks outlined in the attached draft Performance Work Statement

(PWS)

3. The Government is also requesting vendor input and feedback on possible solicitation evaluation factors. This information is optional to provide.

6.0 Summary

THIS IS A SOURCES SOUGHT REQUEST ONLY to identify sources that can provide expert call center support for the AKD OLE office. The information provided in the Sources Sought is subject to change and is not binding on NOAA. This is not a request for technical or cost proposals. The Government does not intend to award a contract on the basis of this Notice or reimburse for costs incurred by interested parties providing the information requested herein. Information received will be considered solely to make an informed decision regarding a potential procurement and associated acquisition strategy. Responses to the Sources Sought notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by NOAA to form a binding contract. All submissions become Government property and will not be returned.

Questions regarding this request or the PWS must be submitted in writing no later than February 26, 2025 by 02:00 P.M. Mountain Time, sent via email to kealie.chacon@noaa.gov and kristen.picariello@noaa.gov.

Capability statements must be submitted no later than March 5, 2025 by 02:00 P.M. Mountain Time, sent via email to kealie,chacon@noaa.gov and to kristen.picariello@noaa.gov.

Emailed responses must be received in a supported Adobe or Microsoft Office file format. These formats are the only acceptable methods of submitting a response electronically. Zip Files, Cloud storage providers, Google docs, web-based drop boxes, OneNote/OneDrive, URLs, web-based format, or any other virtual/web-based memory service are NOT acceptable methods of submitting a response electronically. Oral communications are not acceptable in response to this notice.

mailto:kealie.chacon@noaa.gov mailto:kealie.chacon@noaa.gov