Smart Buoy JOFOC_Redacted.pdf

This is a Single Source Determination Using Simplified Acquisition Procedures (SAP) document from the Department of Commerce, NOAA Acquisition and Grants Office (AGO), NMFS/NEFSC, Protected Species Division, RAM Team. The document justifies a sole-source contract to Blue Ocean Gear, Inc. for a base plus 4 option years for up to 30 location marking Farallon Smart Buoys that will alert fishermen and researchers when traps surface, as part of an initiative to reduce right whale entanglements in pot and trap fisheries.

The justification cites Blue Ocean Gear's Smart Buoy Device (developed under NOAA grant #NA21OAR0210101) as the only solution that meets requirements, having been extensively tested by NEFSC. The buoys must be submersible and provide immediate location signals upon surfacing, features not available from other vendors like Walsh Marine Buoys, LimnoTech, Essi Corporation, and others who only offer surface-level buoys without communication capabilities. The system was developed specifically through a BREP grant to Blue Ocean Gear and is deemed uniquely qualified due to its compatibility with existing ropeless fishing systems and proven effectiveness in field testing.