Intent to Sole Source.pdf

Synopsis: Notice of Intent to Award a Sole-Source Contract

Announcement Number: 141012-24-0049 Project Title: Mammal Sample Tissue Research

The US Department of Commerce (DOC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Office of Response & Restoration (OR&R), Assessment and Restoration Division (ARD), requires the support from a laboratory facility and team of scientists from Newfield’s Environmental Forensics Practice, LLC. The methods development and sample analysis project will aid preparedness for future oil spills. This project will involve work with several different types of sea lion organ tissues, blood, and analysis of archived sea lion tissues and external oiling swabs from up to 80 animals. The North American Industry Classification Code (NAICS) for this acquisition is 562910 - Environmental Remediation Services, with an SBA size standard of 1,000 employees.

Sole Source Justification

NewField's Environmental Forensics Practice (NewField's), has experience on the largest and most detailed oil spill injury assessment ever, Deepwater Horizon, as well as on other smaller oil spill assessments NOAA has led in recent years. The number of scientists working with oil forensics and analytical methods development and marine mammal tissues worldwide is minimal, and the NewField's team is unique in the analytical laboratory and instrumentation capabilities they provide along with their expertise in environmental contaminant forensics. They can provide access to world-class instrumentation for mass spectrometry to improve chemical sensitivity during analysis of Refugio samples. NewField's has a demonstrated specialty in environmental forensics, which is the process of evaluating chemical source and chemical fate and transport with the understanding of chemical degradation, isotopic signatures, and naturally occurring contaminants.

NewField’s team is uniquely positioned to advise NOAA on the methods and defensible study design for conducting the sea lion work, can successfully complete a variety of advanced chemical laboratory analyses on oil and oil metabolite chemistry, polychlorinated biphenyls, and other persistent organic pollutants, and also simultaneously and cost-effectively interpret complex chemical results across multiple sea lion tissue types. NewField’s has a demonstrated specialty in environmental forensics, which is the process of evaluating chemical source and chemical fate and transport with the understanding of chemical degradation, isotopic signatures, and naturally occurring contaminants. They have experience working with the entire NOAA team on the project that is a joint collaboration between National Ocean Service and National Marine Fisheries Service/Protected Resources and the NOAA Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program

(MMHSRP).

If the proposed work was done by another firm that may have either basic analytical capabilities with a generic mass spectrometer or basic forensics expertise with a contaminant class like oil and animal tissue, for example, our knowledge of the market suggests a firm would not be able to provide the required analytical and forensics expertise for all potential contaminants involved in this study, they would not have experience with preparing and working with marine mammal tissues, and another firm would not have the required background and experience gained from a decade of work with NOAA on the topic of marine mammal injury during Natural Resource Damage Assessments.

Special Notice

This special notice is not a solicitation for competitive quotes, nor will one be posted on Contract Opportunities. However, if an interested party believes that it is capable of meeting the requirements and follows the above justification, they may submit substantiating documentation in writing within the open period of this notice. Responses can be sent via e-mail to mark.dye@noaa.gov. Documentation will be evaluated solely for the purpose of determining whether or not to conduct this procurement on a competitive basis. A determination by the Government not to conduct a competitive procurement, based upon response to this notice, is solely within the discretion of the Government. Oral communications are not acceptable in response to this notice.

All electronic correspondence shall have the subject line read:

Announcement Number: 141012-24-0049 Project Title: Mammal Sample Tissue Research mailto:mark.dye@noaa.gov

It is the Offeror’s responsibility to ensure that any submission transmitted to the specified Government representative(s) is received prior to the due date specified herein.

DOC/NOAA Eastern Acquisition Division requires that all contractors doing business with this office be registered with the System for Award Management (SAM). No award can be made to a company not registered in SAM. For additional information and to register in SAM, please access the following web site: www.sam.gov. To register, all contractors must have a Unique Entity Identifier. A Unique Entity Identifier may be acquired free of charge by contacting SAM.gov.

The notice will remain open from 08/28/2024 through 09/12/2024.

http://www.sam.gov/