CBDSoleSourceMEDMRLargePelagics.doc

The Government intends to solicit and negotiate on a sole source basis with Maine Department of Marine Resources, 21 State House Station, Augusta, Maine 04333-0021 for the following requirement: This requirement is to provide Data Collection for the 2012-2013 Maine Large Pelagics Intercept Survey and For-Hire Telephone in accordance with the Statement of Work. Period of Performance is May 1, 2012, or date of award, whichever is later, through April 30, 2013, with an option to extend performance one additional year. Delivery to be delivered to NOAA, Fisheries Statistics Division, 1315 East-West Highway, SSMC-3, RM 12362, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910. In order to comply with the debt collection improvement act of 1966, all contractors must be registered in the central contractor registration (CCR) to be considered for an award of a federal contract. For information regarding registration in CCR contact the CCR website at www.ccr.gov/index.cfm. Authority: 41 USC 253(c)(1). The FSC for this is B529 and the NAICS Code is 611310, small business size standard is $7.0 millions. The government intends to award a firm-fixed price purchase order for this requirement. The proposed contract action is for supplies or services for which the Government intends to solicit and negotiate with only one source under the authority of FAR 6.302(c)(1). Interested persons may identify their interest and capability to respond to the requirement or submit a proposal. This notice of intent is not a request for competitive proposals. However, all proposals received by 4:00 P.M. March 19, 2012 will be considered by the government. A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed requirement based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the government. Information received will normally be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement in the future. Evidence must be provided of ability to perform the required study and survey. Responses to this notice, if any, must show clear and convincing evidence that competition would be advantageous to the government. Inquiries will only be accepted via email to Linda.Mullen@noaa.gov.

Sole Source:

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is responsible for monitoring and managing U.S. marine fisheries resources. The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Reauthorization Act (MSA), signed into law in January 2007 by the Secretary of Commerce stated, “Establish a program to improve the quality and accuracy of information generated by the Marine Recreational Fishery Statistics Survey (MRFSS).”

NMFS has organized a joint federal-state community initiative to accommodate the requirements and timelines specified by MSA and to address recommendations by the National Research Council (NRC) in their 2006 report titled “Review of Recreational Fisheries Survey Methods.” The need for more timely recreational data has been identified by the NRC in their review of recreational fisheries survey methods, as well as by the Marine Recreational Information Program (MRIP) Operations Team, and the Highly Migratory Species Advisory Panel.

Over the past years, the Maine Department of Marine Resources (ME DMR) has conducted the FHS in the State of Maine. The ME DMR has skilled and trained personnel with vast experience in fishery management. The resulting award will result in the production of additional estimates of for-hire activity conducted on the State of Maine. The additional estimates will also provide fishery managers with timely and in-season information to assist with the management of landings quotas and/or harvest limits in Maine.