Final Scripps-Sole Source Justification_v2_Redacted.pdf

V220T.12 (01/19)

Procurement Request No. V3252039

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

OFFICE OF THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY

VOLPE NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS CENTER (VOLPE CENTER)

V325

SOLE SOURCE OR BRAND NAME SAP JUSTIFICATION

A. Description of Supplies/Services.

This contract will explore and interpret University of California San Diego (UCSD) - Scripps Institute of Oceanography (SIO) existing source level database in support of Volpe’s decision support tool development effort for the US Maritime Administration (MARAD). SIO will provide expertise to the Volpe group to evaluate differences between the acoustic signatures obtained from the Santa Barbara Channel and Gulf coast location monitoring stations and the current source level model. Integrating information from previous SIO work directly comparing Enhancing Cetacean and Habitat Observation (ECHO) project in Canada measurements with Santa Barbara measurements, and using published accounts of the underlying empirical data supporting the current model predictions, SIO will further assess whether adjustments to the fit of the current model are recommended based on their additional sampling and/or if further measurement control is needed to address comparability.

B. Market Research.

Market research was conducted in January 2025 by the Volpe Center team (Dan Flynn as lead) to identify potential vendors that could meet the agency's requirement for acoustic source level data comparability. The specific focus of the research was to evaluate whether there are alternative services or products capable of providing comparable archival acoustic data or an equivalent solution for enhancing the Volpe MARINE-T model's accuracy in interpreting source levels based on various vessel types and operating conditions.

The market research included review of public agency, academic, and private sector sources specializing in marine sciences. The results of the market research indicate that the UCSD-Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) is uniquely positioned to fulfill the DOT’s needs. Their buoy system is the sole source of archival data necessary for meaningful comparison with the Volpe model outputs. Other entities either lack the specific historical datasets or do not possess the capability to process and generate the required source levels from raw acoustic recordings. Therefore, no other vendor can provide a comparable service or dataset that meets the agency’s requirements. The unique nature of SIO's data collection system, combined with their established expertise in processing acoustic data from their buoys, makes them the only viable option for this work.

C. Supporting Rationale.

(1) Sole Source: Only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements.

The support provided by UCSD-Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) in this contract will provide unique data resources and technical expertise to the Volpe Center’s work with the Maritime Administration on key maritime industry technical support. Volpe Center is working with MARAD to provide maritime industry technical support on fuel consumption and noise of vessels in the waters of the US under varying operating conditions. The work in this contract will provide essential US-based data and technical expertise to enhance the accuracy of the model.