B01-NOI_to_Sole_Source_1.pdf

This notice is in accordance with FAR Subpart 5.2, Synopses of Proposed Contract Actions. The U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), Acquisition Operations Branch (AOB) is the contracting office for this procurement. The purpose of this notice is to announce the intent to award, on a sole-source basis, a firm fixed price Purchase Order to EcoQuants LLC (EcoQuants), under the authority of Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 13.106(b) soliciting from a single source.

BSEE intends to award a purchase order to EcoQuants for the Environmental Sensitivity Study for the National Oil and Gas Program: Phase 2 (NT-25-x12). The study will develop offshore Environmental Sensitivity Indices (ESIs) and corresponding spatially explicit interactive mapping products for each of BOEM’s Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Planning Areas. The study will inform BOEM's National Oil and Gas Leasing Program with updated models of environmental sensitivity to BOEM's activities, a valuable tool to minimize impacts and maximize energy production. The period of performance is anticipated to be four years. The applicable NAICS code is 541620, Environmental Consulting Services.

This acquisition for the Environmental Sensitivity Study for the National Oil and Gas Program:

Phase 2 (NT-25-x12) is a direct and essential continuation of the foundational work performed by EcoQuants under Purchase Order 140M0123P0018 for the Environmental Sensitivity Model project (NT-23-03). While that initial phase (Phase 1) focused on developing the strategic framework, methodologies, and plans, EcoQuants uniquely designed and began building the innovative technical coding pipelines and product development infrastructure required for this complex environmental analysis. Specifically, EcoQuants developed the approach for creating scalable and easily expanded ESI methodologies, designed a mapped weighted perspective approach for evaluating ecological sensitivity, and laid the groundwork for critical geospatial tools and products, including a publicly available web-based tool to map sensitivities and constraints, and a plan for a multi-use decision support dashboard and interactive application. Their commitment to providing reproducible R code to GitHub further demonstrates a unique, high-level technical approach focused on transparency and scientific validity. Phase 2 is the next step in the critical implementation stage where these specific, custombuilt frameworks, methodologies, and tools are applied to generate updated offshore Environmental Sensitivity Indices (ESIs) and spatially explicit interactive mapping products required for all 27 OCS Planning Areas. Because EcoQuants was responsible for developing these precise, project-specific technical assets and data integration approaches in Phase 1, they possess an unparalleled and intimate knowledge of their architecture, functionality, and underlying data structures. Leveraging EcoQuants' existing technical foundation, methodologies, and understanding of the specific tools already under development will significantly expedite the delivery of the critical environmental sensitivity data and products needed to inform BOEM's ongoing National Oil and Gas Program planning and lease sale decisions, which operate under specific statutory and administrative timelines required as early as calendar year 2025. Transitioning this work to a different contractor would necessitate substantial time and cost for the new entity to acquire the same level of detailed technical understanding of the specific pipelines, tools, and framework developed by EcoQuants, resulting in delays that would jeopardize the timely provision of essential environmental information required for OCSLA Section 18 compliance and program execution within the necessary timelines.

Therefore, EcoQuants unique role as the developer of the project's core technical infrastructure makes them the only source capable of efficiently and effectively completing this crucial Phase 2 study within the required timeframe.

This is not a request for competitive quotes; however, all interested sources that believe they can meet the study requirements may submit a capability statement the point of contact for this notice.

Information received as a result of this notice will be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement and will be at the sole discretion of the Contracting Officer.

All submissions in response to this notice must be submitted in writing via email to the Contracting Officer, Stephanie Brock, at Stephanie.Brock@bsee.gov no later than Tuesday, July 22, 2025 at 12:00PM ET with 140M0125Q0018 in the subject line. Telephone calls regarding this matter will neither be accepted nor returned.

mailto:Stephanie.Brock@bsee.gov